March Gardening Checklist

Think Spring!

General

  • Prepare for the spring & summer. Clean and sharpen garden tools and lawn mower blades if needed. Get lawn furniture, grills, and other items ready for the season.
  • Check your local Garden Center, bookstores and library for the latest garden ideas and newest plant varieties along with regional reviews of last year’s plants.
  • Start planning now for that new water garden for next summer. A trickling waterfall or pot of water plants with a bubbling fountain are cool and soothing on a hot summer’s day.
  • You can force spring flowering tree and shrub branches for indoor color and fragrance indoors now. Try Forsythia, Pussy Willow, Eastern Redbud, Magnolia, Crabapple, Fothergilla, Birch, Maple and various Cherry branches. Use branches less than ½ inch in diameter, giving them a fresh cut underwater, just as you would cut flowers. Place the stems in warm water, use a floral preservative, and replace the water every few days. You should have lovely spring blossoms in about 3 weeks.
  • Brighten your table and desk with cheerful pots of spring flowers. Fragrant Hyacinths, Primroses, Tulips, Narcissus, Cyclamen, Azaleas and Cinerarias in jewel colors are arriving at Linder’s now!
  • Start thinking Landscaping: Let Linder’s create the landscape of your dreams and our professional installation team will make it a reality. Linder’s provides a full range of landscaping services. Whether you need some expert advice, a design that you can install yourself, or complete design and installation, we will tailor our services to fit your needs. Learn more by visiting “Linder’s Landscape” website.
  • Take a break from the snow and ice. Visit Linder’s to relax in the tropical warmth of our greenhouses. Let your senses feast on the color and fragrance of lush green growing plants and flowers galore!
  • Invest in a new and interesting plant to add to your collection or replace the one that didn’t survive an indoor Minnesota winter.

Lawns

  • Now that you can see the shape and scope of your lawn without the distraction of other leafy plants, make plans for any changes in spring. Will you be adding a veggie garden this year? Are the traffic patterns in the best places? Do you need more or less space for children to play?
  • As snow cover melts and exposes lawn, watch for signs of animal or rodent damage and erosion. Any areas where piles of snow linger can indicate places prone to disease such as snow mold. All these will need attention when soil thaws in spring.
  • Keep walks and driveways shoveled and try to avoid driving on the lawn even if it is frozen. Use sand for traction or minimal amounts of plant-friendly de-icer to avoid damage to lawn edges.

Annuals, Vegetables & Herbs

  • Start a mini-herb garden in a brightly lit window. Include parsley, chives, mint, oregano or many other flavorful herbs to keep the flavor of summer going this winter.

Trees & Shrubs

  • Remember, appropriate pruning done in the proper season is important to the health of your trees and shrubs.  As a general rule, prune trees & shrubs during their dormancy period, when temperatures are reliably below freezing. Once temperatures are routinely above freezing in the daytime, trees are at serious risk of disease introduced through open wounds, so all tree pruning should be complete by the first week in March. The Arbor Day Foundation has a great Tree Pruning Guide.  To learn more, click on this link to go to their website.
  • Shrubs can be pruned now, but remember that pruning spring-flowering shrubs at this time will reduce flowering. This includes lilacs, forsythia, magnolia, rhododendron, azalea, weigela, and some varieties of spiraea. If in doubt, wait until flowering is done before pruning.
  • Any branches that you must prune though, can often be forced into bloom in the house and used as cut flowers. When you prune shrubs, look for the same problem areas as you would with trees.
  • If dormant oil is to be used, it must be applied before bud break.
  • Check lower tree trunks and shrub stems as they emerge from the melting snow  for signs of rodent damage. Most wounds will heal on their own, but be sure to prevent further damage by using repellents and a physical barrier such as small-mesh metal fencing.

Roses

  • Monitor covering materials after any windy weather and add or replace if needed.
  • If you are using rose cones, be sure to vent them in warm sunny weather or anytime the temperature approaches or goes above the freezing mark to prevent disease problems.

Perennials

  • If we have a spell of warm weather, check your perennial beds to be sure any covering materials are still in place. Remember that the reason for covering is to protect plant crowns from the freeze-thaw cycles so common in the very early spring. You may still add marsh hay or straw right on top of snow if needed.

Birding in Your Backyard

  • Watch and listen for birds returning from their winter vacation in the tropics. Bluebirds  and Wood Ducks begin arriving in Minnesota in early March so fresh, clean houses for them should be up well before then. You may also see or hear robins, many native sparrows including the tree, chipping, song and white-throated varieties, juncos and red-winged blackbirds, waterfowl and Great Blue Herons. Grackles and crows are appearing now as well. Feed these in ground feeders to keep them from monopolizing feeders for your more colorful bird migrants.
  • Hang cleaned and new birdhouses out now. Many birds will be scouting for nesting territories soon. Others use these as night shelters to conserve body heat. Be sure to position the houses out of reach of predators.
  • Natural foods may be in increasingly short supply in late winter. Continue to keep bird feeders clean and full to attract more birds including early migrants. Offer high-energy foods such as oil-rich sunflower seeds and suet especially in late cold snaps.
  • Adding mealworms, either dried or fresh, to your feeders will provide protein for insect-eating birds until natural supplies become more available. Small pieces of fruit such as cherries, apples and berries will be welcomed too.
  • Monitor your birdbath more frequently as the weather warms. Make sure the heater is still working. Clean the bath and change the water often to avoid algae growth and disease. Birds will eat snow as a water source, but doing so costs them body heat.
  • You may notice more birds bathing as days get longer and brighter. Many birds ‘molt’ in spring, growing new, more brightly colored feathers in preparation for mating season. (Watch for the Goldfinches’ change from olive-drab back to yellow!) Frequent bathing helps this process. It also means your birdbath will need cleaning more often.
  • Use pruned tree and shrub branches to make a ‘brush pile’ or stand the branches upright teepee-fashion to provide protection from late winter wind and snow. Your backyard birds and other creatures will appreciate the shelter!
  • Watch for the first butterflies of spring. The Mourning Cloak, a three-inch butterfly with dark-chocolate colored wings bordered with black-and-iridescent-blue spots and a buttery-yellow edge, emerges on warm days in the very early spring. Unlike most butterflies, this handsome flier over-winters as a dormant adult folded into crevices and under tree bark. It can sometimes be seen on the wing while there is still snow on the ground, but typically appears in late March and early April.

Interested in learning more about birding? Check out these two links:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology – www.birds.cornell.edu
‘Project Feeder Watch’ from Cornell lab of Ornithology – www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/

Indoor Plants

Flowering tropical plants brought indoors from summer patios, holiday plants or familiar house plants provide an oasis of color during our long winter and remind us that spring is only weeks away. A few simple guidelines can help keep those plants in good condition.

  • Avoid drafts, from both furnace ducts and from windows or open doors, but do keep good air circulation to avoid fungal problems.
  • Try to keep humidity levels at 30% or more. Grouping plants together or using humidity trays can help. Purchase humidity trays at Linder’s Garden Center or make one using a shallow tray filled with pebbles and a small amount of water. Set your plant in a saucer on the pebbles so that the bottom of the pot does not sit in the water.
  • As daylight hours increase and temperatures moderate, most houseplants begin showing signs of more active growth. Begin to fertilize more often using a diluted, balanced plant food.
  • Watch water needs very carefully. If your plant is showing new growth it may need water more frequently. How often a plant needs water depends on many factors such as available light, humidity, temperature, how large the plant is in relation to its pot size as well as the season. Always go by touch! Remember that a plant’s roots are in the lower half of the pot; just because the soil surface is dry may not mean the plant roots are dry. Improper watering is probably the most frequent cause of houseplant failure. We tend to love our plants to death!
  • Inspect regularly and carefully for insect problems. Many problem insects are very tiny and hide in leaf axils (the point where the leaf attaches to the main stem) and on the back sides of leaves. Treat with a good insecticide at the first sign of trouble.
  • Keep house plants clean by rinsing them periodically in the sink or shower. Be sure to rinse the back sides of the leaves as well as the upper surface. Clean leaves help plants use available light and humidity more effectively, and discourage insect pests.
  • Turn your plants a quarter-turn every week or two to keep them growing evenly.
  • Pinch and prune selectively to keep plants bushy and promote new growth.
  • Cuttings of many plants root easily now. Visit Linder’s for advice and supplies.
  • Re-pot your houseplants.  As the hours of sunlight increase, your plants may need a larger home.  Linder’s has a great supply of interesting and decorative pots as well as potting mixes for all your needs.

Seed Starting

  • Get a jump start on your garden by seeding indoors.  Linder’s carries all the supplies you need to start your seedlings. You will find an extensive selection of seeds including organic and heirloom, seed starting mixes, containers, grow-lights, heat mats, labels and other needs on our shelves.
  • The Average Last Frost Date in our area is about May 10. Your garden may vary a week earlier or later depending on your location. You may also consider getting a jump on the season by using season-extending devices such as cloches, water tubes or pre-warming the soil by temporarily laying down a sheet of black plastic in your garden.
  • Start ‘Cole’ crops such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower as well as onions and leeks indoors early this month. These cold-tolerent vegetables can be planted out even before danger of frost is past.
  • ‘Warm season’ plants such as peppers, eggplants and tomatoes need ‘warm’ soil (at least 60 degrees) to grow, so plant them indoors in mid to late March and wait to transplant outdoors until mid to late May.

Read more on “Starting Seeds Indoors”…