I think in many ways March is the busiest month in the garden. So many chores need tackled this time of year from mulching to pruning to planting that sometimes it’s hard to figure out what to tackle first! Among the major chores like lawn mower servicing and tree planting there are quite a few little chores. Like trimming back the liriope in my corner garden bed. The bed is tucked into a corner between my front sidewalk and the driveway. Many people simply take their mower or string trimmer and cut back the liriope but I can’t do that. I interplanted daffodils that are coming up through the liriope foliage. The handpruners will be good enough and since I really don’t have a large area to cover it won’t take long. In the past the rabbits have nibbled the liriope down – but not this year. (Also in that same bed I have daylilies and a rose bush.)
Another minor garden chore that needs done is in this little patio garden bed. The brown grass of my ponytail grass (Stipa tenuissima or Nassella tenuissima) needs cleaned out to let the new blades of grass show off. The Japanese maple also needs pruned. Many of the branches that cross over through the plant should be removed.
If we move in a little closer we can see the hyacinths coming up. Unfortunately my culinary sage is completely shielding them from view. The sage needs trimmed back to encourage a bushier plant but also to allow the spring blooming hyacinths their moment in the sun.
I’ll talk more later about the other garden chores on my list but I’ll put the list below so you can see what else needs done!
The Home Garden Chore List: March of 2011
- Mulch the garden beds
- Front Gardens – done
- Corner Shade Garden
- Back of house Garden
- Deck and Patio Gardens
- Vegetable Garden
- Garden Shed Beds
- Prune
- Crape myrtles
- Redbuds – after blooming
- Caryopteris
- Japanese Dappled Willows
- Garden Fence
- Dig Post Holes for Garden Fence
- Gather materials for posts
- Set posts
- Plant
- Dogwood
- Irises
- Dianthus
- Plants propagated last year
- Anything else I buy!
March is such a busy garden month with "chores." And, it seems like I'm always dancing with Mother Nature to fit it all in between late snow showers. I like that you have the grass and daffodils together. I have daffodils in a bed with my salvia. I usually leave my perennials through winter but the salvia gets cut down in the fall so I can see the daffodils in the spring. Just in case Mother Nature doesn't let me get out there to cut it back in March. Good luck on that list!
Looks like you need to get off the computer and get in the garden huh? March is a busy time of the gardening year…have fun!
March is normally my busiest month in the garden but this year, Feb took lots of To Do's off the long list! But the list continues to grow from day to day though so plenty to do for the month of March….
Well, it all looks pretty handsome and tidy to me, Dave, given that I still have drifts of snow over much of the garden. Happily, it is melting, and we know that we'll make it through to spring.