Watch for late season freezes that can damage tender shrubs so be prepared to cover these plants for the night with mulch, cloth or fabric sheets and remove promptly after the freeze.

Water before a freeze, never during and don’t walk on frozen plants.

Don’t get caught up in spring fever and impulse buy. Plan ahead.
 

1. Soil preparation. Purchase your soil and compost from a reputable dealer and avoid “bargain” soil or you’ll spend time and effort fighting weeds later.

2. Select plants suitable only for our area even if you see ‘bargains’ in the stores. We are in Zone 8.

3. Plant large swaths of color rather than mixed colors. In dark areas use whites, pinks and yellows so they may be seen from a distance. The whites and pastels are also visible in night landscapes.
 

 Flowers that can be planted this month include:
Annuals: Phlox, and Impatiens in shade.
Begonias, Coleus, Geraniums, Verbena, Petunias, Purslane and Portulaca require sunny well drained areas.

Bi-annual: Dianthus in sun or lightly shaded locations. (Biannual means it lasts two seasons.)

Perennials: Salvias and Daylilies can be grown in sunny or lightly shaded locations. Plant Lantana in late March in full sun.

Caladiums can be bought now (keep in warm and dry place) but don't plant until the end of April or May. Look for the jumbo variety to get the most bang for your buck.
 

See Spring Flower Guide

P R U N E

Prune all dead and diseased limbs.
You can tell if a plant is alive by breaking a limb or branch and see if it is green inside.
Now is the time to prune the majority of your plants. General rule states don’t prune more than 1/3rd of any plant at one time.
Pinch off faded blossoms to encourage further flowering.

Flowers:
Leave the foliage on flowering bulbs until they die back on their own rather than cutting off as soon as the flowers have faded. These include Narcissus, Daffodils, Tulips and Iris. Cutting can have an adverse effect on next year’s flowering since the bulbs use the food made by the leaves in the spring for future flowers.

Shrubs:
Once the danger of frost has passed, prune evergreens and summer flowering shrubs such as Abelia, Sage and Salvias.
Wait to prune spring flowering shrubs such as Azaleas, Spireas, Forsythias, Quince and Indian Hawthorn until after they complete their blooming season.

Ground Covers and Ornamental Grasses:
Early spring is the best time to divide plants like Liriope, Aspidistra and Ophiopogon (Mondo Grass.) Liriope and Ophiopogon can be cut down to a 1 inch height with a weed eater. Relocate them or share with friends. Cut back the old brown ornamental grasses (Miscanthus, Fountain Grass and Muhly Grass) just below the brown color and above the new growth now (approximately 9 inches from the ground.)

Roses:
Roses should be pruned by now. If you haven’t, go ahead before it gets any later. You don’t want to remove more than 1/3 of each rose. Antique roses need much less in the way of trimming and require less maintenance than the moderns. Many of these plants only need to be shaped up to follow their natural lines. Be sure to water your roses before you fertilize them even if you use a liquid fertilizer. Feed roses twice this month. Watering after fertilizing also helps to limit any potential root damage. Water them once a week if it hasn’t rained with a drip irrigation system. Watch for any aphids and use insecticidal soap.

Trees:
You don’t need to cut back Crape Myrtles severely but rather lightly shape them. This will allow them to develop several large graceful flowing trunks rather than masses of tiny shoots. We, unfortunately, see examples of what’s called ‘dehorning’ of Crape Myrtles which is an incorrect method.

Trim any non-spring blooming trees such as Crape Myrtle, Wax Myrtle, and Yaupon Holly. Don’t prune Pines now as they tend to bleed more now.

Wait to prune spring flowering trees such as Redbuds and Mountain Laurels and Buckeyes.

Don’t prune any Oaks now. Those should be pruned in mid-winter and mid-summer when the beetle that spreads the fatal oak wilt is not active. If a limb is broken, make a smooth cut and seal with tree pruning paint immediately.

If the tips of Boxwood, Pittosporum, Holly, and Ligustrum were damaged by cold weather go ahead and trim them back to healthy wood.

Don’t cut off the lower limbs of young trees too soon. Newly planted trees need to establish a strong root system so wait until next winter. It’s also better to leave these limbs on until you can determine the trees’ mature shape. Mulch under newly planted trees and keep weeds and grass about two feet away from the truck so the newly growing tree won’t have to compete with other roots. Don’t plant flower beds under newly planted trees for the same reason.

Trim Oleanders that may have suffered from frost damage. Trim back even if that means going almost all the way to the ground or cut at least 1/3 back.

Tent caterpillars may invade Live Oaks and can be treated with Bt sprays according to the label. Leave as many wasp nests as possible as they reduce the caterpillar population.

Spring is also a good time to tightly cover any Oak firewood leftover from winter with clear plastic. This will prevent the insects that transmit the lethal disease oak wilt from traveling to healthy Oaks nearby.

W A T E R

Hand water dry spots, newly planted areas and annuals.
Unless it rains, water all your trees, shrubs (including Roses), flower beds, groundcovers and vines thoroughly once a week. Do this even if temperatures are still cool because dry plants can be subject to greater cold damage than well-watered ones
Mid-March historically brings our least freeze so until then we suggest covering delicates such as Camellias, Gardenias, Sago Palms and any plants subject to freeze damage and then remove the covering after the freeze. Water before a freeze, never during and don’t walk on frozen plants.

Lawns:
Water your lawn every week to 10 days if it doesn’t rain regularly. It’s better to soak deeply to a depth of 4 to 5 inches once a week than to water lightly every couple of days.

M U L C H
Mulch your beds with 3 to 4 inches of either cypress or hardwood mulch. Repeat every 6 months. This keeps the weeds down, provides nutrients, retains moisture and looks good. Keep mulch pulled several inches back from the base of each plant so the trunks don’t stay wet and develop root crown rot.

F E R T I L I Z E
After this year’s last freeze, fertilize all planting areas. Don’t feed Azaleas until after they bloom which should be in May. This is the first of the three major fertilizations of the year. Use a high grade, slow release and long lasting balanced urea coated mix with iron such as 10-10-5. Read directions and water thoroughly afterwards. You don’t need to disturb the mulch as the granules will seep into the soil.

Plants and Shrubs:
Pansies and other winter annuals such as Dianthus and Snapdragons can be fed this month with a complete fertilizer as they have 2 or 3 more months yet to bloom. Water soluble formulas like Peters 20-20-20 can easily be applied as you water. Follow directions so plants won’t be burned by too much solution.
Fertilize all established landscape woody ornamentals, water and then add mulch.
If you added any new woody plants to your landscape, keep them watered and avoid fertilizing them right away. Give the roots several months to become well established before you fertilize.

Trees:
For established trees that have good color, growth and seem healthy, feeding may be not needed. However, those in their first five years of growth, or those damaged or just not doing well, should be fertilized now

Groundcover:
Fertilize established groundcover with a 5-10-10 solution, using one cup per square yard of planted area and water thoroughly afterward.

Lawns:
Wait to fertilize turf until you’ve mowed the lawn grass twice which is usually sometime in early to mid-April.

W E E D
Weed all beds now. Pre-emergent weed killers may be applied now because summer weeds will be germinating. Read labels carefully.
Cool season weeds are growing now. Keep them mowed short to prevent competition from turf for light and nutrients and from them going to seed. Weed control products can damage trees and shrubs. Read and follow directions carefully. Weeds can be crowded out over time by promoting a strong dense turf.

M O W
Run through the automatic lawn sprinkler’s system to make sure it’s operating properly. Check for leaking water lines or sprinkler heads. Also check for any heads that may not be popping up or covering the area they were designed for. Program your system to water in the early morning hours since night watering can cause fungal diseases such as the circular brown patch which can be controlled with a fungicide. Get a spring check up from your irrigation company.

Check your lawn mower. Sharpen the blade, change spark plugs, and drain old gasoline. Make sure to disconnect the spark plug wire so the mower won’t start and then tilt the mower up so the blade is easy to get to. It’s better to leave your lawn slightly on the long side than to cut it too close as the crowns of the lawn could get sunburned.

Mower set at 2 to 3 inches is best for St. Augustine, while Zoysia is best when at ¾ to ½ inches tall. If you mow common Bermuda, keep it to ½ to 1 inch tall; improved Bermuda such as Tif 419 should be kept slightly shorter at ¼ to ¾ of an inch tall. Mow St. Augustine and Bermuda once a week and Buffalo and Zoysia as needed. Use mower’s highest setting for Asian Jasmine. Or as a general rule of thumb, cut no more than 1/3 off the height and let the clippings fall back down on the your lawn to add nutrients to the lawn and soil while reducing the amount headed for the landfill.

One way to improve the soil beneath any dry spots in your lawn is to spread a 1 to 2 inch deep layer of compost over these spots. To level your lawn, use a thin layer of sand in the low spots.

Although ‘scalping’ is a widely held practice, it does more harm because it exposes tender stems to sunlight and weakens grass making it susceptible to insect and disease attack.