Garden Tips Newsletter
Time
to Plant
March 9, 2009
In most parts of the state you can still plant dormant container-grown, B & B, and bare-root shrubs and trees this month. Stick to the container-grown selections if the plant has already leafed out or begun new growth. Avoid planting deciduous bare-root stock that has begun to leaf out, as chances of survival are diminished.
Hardy vines like clematis, five-leaf akebia, Carolina jessamine and gold flame honeysuckle can be planted this month. Hardy ground covers like bigleaf periwinkle, liriope, mondo grass, Asiatic jasmine and spreading junipers can be planted anytime this month as well.
Time to Prune
After the winter/spring flowering shrubs like azaleas, camellias, mountain laurel, spirea, weiglea, forsythia and flowering quince finish flowering is the time to prune. Early spring is the time to prune broadleaf and narrowleaf evergreens. For hedges always prune so the top is narrower than the bottom to keep evergreens from becoming top-heavy and shading out lower branches. Prune blue/pink bigleaf or French hydrangeas by removing weak shoots at the ground and pruning the main shoots back one-third.
Time to Fertilize
Although fertilizer recommendations are best based on soil test results, there are general recommendations for maintaining good growth. Summer-flowering shrubs like crapemyrtle, buddleia, rose of Sharon and peegee hydrangeas can be fertilized now with a granular formulation such as 15-15-15. Use ½ pound per three feet of the shrub’s height after pruning.
Fertilize all spring flowering shrubs and vines after they bloom. Use the 15-15-15 fertilizer on deciduous shrubs and vines and an azalea/camellia acid fertilizer on evergreens. Use the same rate as above.
Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes Garden Tips weekly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.