
Long Island Horticultural Society
What's Going on in the Garden


























March To Do List
PREPARE FOR SPRING!
Pruning
Prune roses, fruit trees, berry bushes, and other woody ornamentals
Raspberry canes that will produce this year's crop should be pruned back by 1/4 before growth resumes. Last year's fruiting canes should have been cut down to the ground after harvest last year but if not, do it now.
Cut back ornamental grasses and perennials
Cut back fall-blooming grasses to encourage regrowth
Cut back dogwoods, willows, cotinus, and paulownia to promote new growth
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Planting
Be careful working your garden soil! Working soil when it is still too wet creates compacted clots. Wait for dry spells.
Plant peas, kale, lettuces, and cabbages outdoors Try to get them in before March 17
Plant seed potatoes, asparagus crowns, carrots, and onions
Plant lilies and other summer-flowering bulbs
Sow wildflower seeds
Start seeds indoors for broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, head lettuce, and parsley
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Tidying up
Rake debris from beds
Towards the middle of March, remove winter protection from any perennials you had in place, and pull back mulch from strawberry and asparagus beds so they can push through easily. Side-dress your asparagus with a gentle, natural, nitrogen fertilizer.
Remove dead foliage from alpines
Tidy up borders
Remove weeds
Mulch borders
Empty bird boxes
Muck fallen leaves from water gardens, leave debris on side of pond so creatures can get back in before adding to compost pile
Houseplants
The longer days and shorter nights will stimulate your houseplants to start growing again. Now is a good time to repot them if needed and give them a good feeding.
Journal
Buy a notebook and use it to keep all your gardening information. List what you plant in the garden. Include the name of seed companies, plant name, variety, planting date, and harvest date. During the growing season keep notes on how well the plant does. If the variety is susceptible to disease, record what was used to treat any problems. All this information will be helpful in planning future gardens.