March

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• PLANT trees, shrubs and perennials as soon as they become available at local nurseries.
• REPOT root-bound plants and transfer them to containers 2 inches larger in diameter than their current pots.
• FERTILIZE bulbs with a “bulb booster” formulation broadcast over the planting beds. Hose off any granules that stick to the foliage.
• LOOSEN winter mulches from perennials carefully. At night, re-cover plants if frost returns.
• PRUNE trees before growth occurs.
• DIVIDE summer and fall blooming perennials in spring.
• CUT ornamental grasses to the ground when new growth begins.
• MOW lawns low to remove old growth before new growth begins.
• SEED over thin spots and bare patches in the lawn.
• DELAY planting vegetables if soil is too wet. When a ball of soil is dry enough to be safely worked, it crumbles easily after being squeezed together in your hand.
• REMOVE mulch gradually from strawberries as the weather turns warm.
• PRUNE peaches and nectarines just before they bloom.

Adapted from the Missouri Botanical Garden calendar at www.mobot.org.