Written by: Ann Butler, Master Gardener

All of my senses tell me that the arrival of spring is on the near horizon. At home, our weeping willow is flush with bright green leaves; young daffodils poking through mulch add a ray of sunshine to the dawning of each new day; the sweet scents of edgeworthia and winter daphne fill the air, and our male pheasants are proudly strutting their new plumage and loudly vocalizing in high hopes of romancing their hens in anticipation of breeding season. All of these simple things fill me with an abundance of joy as I eagerly await the full blossoming of spring.

Our Master Gardeners are itching for temperatures to level off so we can return with eagerness to the out of doors and give appropriate attention to annual spring-cleaning and maintenance chores. For us, the arrival of March signals a laundry list of lawn and gardening tips provided through NC State that I am sharing for your use as needed.

• Fescue: March is the month that cool grasses really start to grow. If you haven’t already, go ahead and apply your fertilizer. A soil test is the optimal method of determining how much to apply. Test kits and specific fertilizing information are available at the Cooperative Extension office.
• Warm season grasses: Bermuda and Zoyzia grasses need to be fertilized during the warm months of the year. Now is the time to conduct weed control for broadleaf weeds in your warm season grasses.
• Crabgrass and summer broadleaf weed preventers should be applied around March 1.
• Your shrubbery should be pruned around this time of year. Pruning prior to bud break is the safest pruning method.
• Trees: Remove any dead branches, diseased or crossing branches prior to bud break. Do NOT top trees!
• It’s time for that spring garden again! In reality, it’s best in our area to plant your spring crops as early as possible in March, preferably around March 1. If you’ve yet to plant, there’s still time to set out cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, beets, sugar snap peas and essentially any crop that can withstand a frost and that will be harvested within 60 days or thereabout.
• It’s also time to start turning in your cover crops to prepare for your summer planting. In our area, we typically plant the summer garden around May 1, and you will need about 45 days for the cover crops to properly decompose in the soil prior to planting. Now is a great time to get your soil tested.

Finally, our Master Gardener greenhouse is filled with flourishing geraniums and petunias that will be in full glory when our spring plant sale kicks off on March 26. Due to customer demand and our personal satisfaction, we have returned to the Proven Winners Bubblegum Pink Supertunia. We look forward to providing returning and new customers with a satisfying shopping experience and we thank you in advance for your support of our program.

Written by: Ann Butler, Master Gardener