Garden Calendar for March

Spring is just about here, bulbs will be blooming soon…. If you did not get the chance to plant your bulbs last fall, we have a large selection of blooming bulbs for instant color in the spring.

Vegetable Gardens

Weather permitting, if the soil has warmed some, now would be a good time to add processed manure, peat, or compost to your soil.

Weeding

When weeds start to appear is the time to pull them. Before they have a chance to flower and go to seed. Most weeds can be pulled or cultivated out of the garden. Others may need an herbicide to eliminate them. Deneweth’s Garden Center carries a full line of weed prevention products, a Pre-Emergent like Preen or Miracle Gro Weed Prevention will aid in keeping weeds from returning after your garden has been weeded. Round-Up Products will kill hard to treat weeds from the roots up. We also carry a wide variety of mulch to help keep weeds from emerging.

Watering

Check under the eaves of the house and under evergreens to see if your gardens have enough moisture.

Easter Plant Care

HOW TO MAKE YOUR EASTER LILIES KEEP ON GIVING

As the flowers mature, remove the yellow anthers before the pollen starts to shed. This gives longer flower life and prevents the pollen from staining the white flowers. When a mature flower starts to wither after its prime, cut it off to make the plant more attractive while you still enjoy the fresher, newly opened blooms.

The lily will thrive near a window in bright, indirect natural daylight, but avoid glaring, direct sunlight.

Easter Lilies prefer moderately moist, well-drained soil. Water the plant thoroughly when the soil surface feels dry to a light touch, but avoid over-watering. If the pot is wrapped in decorative foil, be careful not to let the plant sit in trapped, standing water. For best results, remove the plant from decorative pots or covers; take it over the sink and water thoroughly until water seeps out of the pots drain holes to completely saturate the soil. Allow the plant to air for a few minutes and discard the excess water before replacing it back into its decorative pot cover. To plant your Easter Lilies outside, prepare a well-drained garden bed in a sunny location with rich, organic matter.

Plant the Easter lily bulbs 3 inches below ground level, and mound up an additional 3 inches of topsoil over the bulb. Plant bulbs at least 12 to 18 inches apart in a hole sufficiently deep so that the bulbs can be placed in it with the roots spread out and down, as they naturally grow. Spread the roots and work the prepared soil in around the bulbs and the roots, leaving no air pockets. Water in immediately and thoroughly after planting. Try not to allow the soil to heave or shift after planting.

As the original plants begin to die back, cut the stems back to the soil surface. New growth will soon emerge. The Easter Lilies, which were forced to bloom under controlled greenhouse conditions in March, bloom naturally in the summer. You may be rewarded with a second bloom later this summer, but most likely you will have to wait until next June or July to see your Easter Lilies bloom again.

Another planting tip to consider is that lilies like their roots in shade and their heads in the sun. Mulching helps conserve moisture in between watering, keeps the soil cool and loose, and provides a fluffy, nutritious medium for the stem roots. Or, a more attractive alternative would be to plant ”living mulch," or a low ground cover of shallow-rooted, complementary annuals or perennials. The stately Easter Lilies rising above lacy violas or primulas is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also sound gardening.

The Easter lily bulbs are surprisingly hardy even in cold climates. Just be sure to provide winter protection by mulching the ground with a thick, generous layer of straw, pine needles, leaves, ground corncob, pieces of boxes or bags. Carefully remove the mulch in the spring to allow new shoots to come up, as your Easter Lilies will keep on giving beauty, grace and fragrance in years to come.

Potted Tulips and Daffodils

Potted tulips and daffodils received during winter and spring as gift plants may be kept and planted in the garden in spring. However, it often takes two to three years for the bulbs to get strong enough to bloom again after being forced for indoor use. While indoors, keep your plants actively growing. Remove the flowers after blooming to prevent seeds from forming. Place the plants in a cool, sunny room. Keep the soil moist to the touch but not wet, until the leaves mature or die down naturally.

Fertilize about once a month with a complete houseplant fertilizer. The longer the leaves stay green the stronger the bulb. When you can work the soil for planting, transplant the bulbs to the garden. Select a warm, sunny location with well-drained soil. Plant the bulbs at a depth 2 to 3 times their diameter. In late fall, once the soil begins to freeze, cover the soil where you planted the bulbs with a 3" to 6" layer of straw, leaves or evergreen branches. Remove the mulch in early spring when new growth appears.