Home Gardening

North Mississippi Gardening Tips
March, 2007

Flowers

Emerging and newly planted perennials and biennials can be fertilized now with 15-15-15. Every 6 to 8 weeks thereafter during the growing season a 5-10-15 formulation can be used, which is a good fruit and flower fertilizer.  A general recommendation for one hundred square feet of bed area is 1 to 2 pounds of fertilizer broadcast and then lightly worked into the soil around perennials and biennials.

If the foliar disease called botrytis plagues your peony, begin spraying as soon as the foliage begins to emerge with a recommended fungicide such as daconil.  Follow label recommendations for rate and frequency of application.

Groundcovers and Lawns

Hardy groundcovers like English Ivy, vinca, liriope, mondo grass and prostrate junipers can be planted this month.  Plant only well-rooted plants, not runners. Do not apply post emergence herbicides to warm-season lawn grasses during the spring transition from dormancy to active growth. Applications of these type herbicides can damage or hinder turf grass in the early stage of active growth. Depending on the weather spring transition can begin in late March and continue into early May in north Mississippi.

Vegetables

“Early bird” gardeners already have established transplants of cabbage, broccoli and the other cool season vegetables in the garden. If you’re not an “early birder” you still have time to set out transplants of these vegetables.  The limiting factor is usually the weather and the wetness of the soil.  You may be antsy to go but the soil cannot be worked.  That’s a good reason to prepare those vegetable rows in the fall, or have your early vegetables in raised beds for easy planting.  Here are some optimum dates to have these vegetable seed in the ground: plant English peas until April 1, Irish potatoes and spinach until March 15, radish until April 25, mustard until April 10, and beets until April 5.

Perennial vegetable such as asparagus, horseradish, and Jerusalem artichoke roots can be planted now. Some people say we can’t grow horseradish in Mississippi. Well, I have been growing horseradish for years.  However, I live in the extreme north part of Mississippi. Actually, I live right on the Tennessee state line.  If you live in the northern tier of counties in Mississippi you should have no problem growing this flavorful root condiment.  Plant in highly organic, porous, sandy soil so the roots will grow straight and be easy to harvest in August. Peel, grate those roots, add a little vinegar and salt and get ready to have a taste sensation! Oh, I almost forgot, this plant is invasive—any little piece of root left in the soil will sprout and grow. Select a corner of the garden away from other plants for your horseradish patch.

Pruning and Protecting Trees and Shrubs

Heavy structural pruning of evergreen shrubs may be done this month.  Always prune so the top is narrower than the bottom to allow light to reach the lower branches and to keep the plants from being top heavy and unsightly. Be careful when pruning narrowleaf evergreens not to prune beyond the foliage on any branch. Typically, narrowleaf evergreens will not sprout foliage from bare branches, unlike broadleaf evergreens.  Prune only dead, broken, or wayward limbs on shade and flowering trees.  Wait until after flowering to prune azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, forsythias, spireas and other spring-blooming shrubs.

Now that spring is here and the weeds and lawn are beginning to grow, be careful when trimming around shrubs and trees.  Lawnmowers and string trimmers can cause serious injury by damaging bark and leaving an opening for insects and disease. An over zealous string trimmer operator can actually kill a tree by slicing the bark all the way around the trunk. Young trees are especially vulnerable to this type of injury as the bark is very thin. There are several ways to prevent damage by keeping grass from growing next to the trunk. Manually remove grass or apply an herbicide to kill the grass around the base of the tree. Then properly apply mulch (DO NOT PILE IT AROUND THE TRUNK ANY HIGHER THAN 1-2”) by building a “volcano ring” around the base of the tree. See Extension Publication 2301, “Mulches for the Landscape” for further information on mulching. You can design your planting areas to enclose trees and shrubs in the bed area, leaving the open areas for lawn or ground cover. Protect young trees with tree guards. There are several types on the market.

Roses

Everyone should be growing these beautiful, versatile plants. With the new introductions like the “Knockout” series, gardeners can enjoy these plants without all the maintenance and spraying that has been associated with growing roses. There are so many choices from the hardy, once-blooming types like the Old Garden Roses to the beautiful, classic hybrid teas “show” roses. There is a rose for every type of gardener!

 Finish pruning roses as soon as possible.   Climbing roses like ‘Blaze,’ ‘New Dawn,’ and the climbing hybrid teas should be pruned by thinning out the older canes leaving the long, young branches, which produce the best blossoms. Continue planting dormant bare-root roses through this month.  Container-grown roses can be planted now through April.

Some types of roses are more susceptible to disease problems than others. To prevent disease on these types of roses, begin a complete rose spray program as soon as new leaves begin to emerge late this month.  Apply a combination spray containing a fungicide and an insecticide.  Read and follow label recommendations.  Completely cover all foliage, canes and mulch surrounding the rose plant when spraying pesticides.

Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes North Mississippi Gardening Tips monthly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.