MARCH IN THE GARDEN
Summerific series allows you to create dose of tropical splendor in many zones
The almanac
Average temperature: High 79; low 56 Rainfall: 3.54 inches Spring arrives: March 20
The moon
1. Moon phases
Last quarter: March 5
New moon: March 13
First quarter: March 21 Full moon: March 28
2. Moon sign planting dates
Above-ground crops: March 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23,26, 27
Below-ground crops: March 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 30, 31
Control weeds: March 9, 10, 19, 20
Prune trees and shrubs: March 5, 6, 14, 15, 24, 25
Time to plant
3. Vegetables: Bean, calabaza, cantaloupe, cassava, chayote, corn, cucumbers, dasheen, eggplant, Jerusalem artichoke, jicama, luffa, malanga, New Zealand spinach, okra, pepper, pumpkin, southern peas, squash, tamarillo, tomato and watermelon
4. Flowers: African daisy, ageratum, alyssum, bacopa, balsam, begonia, black-eyed Susan, blue daze, bush-daisy, celosia, cleome, coreopsis, cosmos, dahlia, dahlberg daisy, diascia, dusty miller, four o’clock, gaillardia, geranium, goldenrod, impatiens, Joseph’s coat, licorice plant, marigold, melampodium, million bells, moon vine, morning glory, nierembergia, salvia, strawflower, torenia, verbena, vinca and zinnia.
5. Herbs: Anise, basil, bay laurel, borage, cardamon, chervil, chives, coriander, costmary, dill, fennel, ginger, lemon balm, sweet marjoram, Mexican tarragon, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme and watercress
6. Bulbs: Achimenes,
African iris, African-lily, amaryllis, blood lily, bulbine, caladium, canna, crinum, crocosmia, dahlia, daylily, eucharis lily, gingers, gladiolus, gloriosa lily, Louisiana iris, rain lily, tuberose and walking iris.
Lawn care
7. Winter weather has browned many lawns; they should regreen quickly this month.
8. Brown leaf blades do not have to be removed but can be raked out if you wish.
9. St. Augustine, bahia and bermuda lawns are ready for a spring fertilizer application.
10. Delay feedings of centipede and zoysia lawns until they regreen in late March or April.
11. Substitute a weed & feed fertilizer if needed to control weeds.
12. Many weed control products cannot be used near trees and shrubs; check label restrictions.
13. Have persistent weeds identified to determine the best control.
14. Mow lawns at their normal height; there is no need to change blade height for spring.
15. Hurry to remove patches of brown weeds and resod the areas.
16. Crabgrass started growth; use of a preemergence for control may be of little value.
17. Check for chinch bugs and apply an insecticide as needed.
18. Control fire ants in lawns; treat the entire lawn, following label instructions.
19. It’s seeding time for bahia and centipede lawns.
20. New watering rules begin March 14 in most areas with the arrival of daylight saving time.
21. Consider a substitute ground cover in hard-tomow or problem areas where grass won’t grow.
22. Have lawn care equipment serviced: Change oil, check air filters and sharpen blades.
In the landscape
23. Cold weather damaged many tender shrubs and perennials; do the needed pruning this month.
24. Clear perennial plantings of debris and add new selections.
25. Control your landscape by trimming out-ofbounds shoots and limbs.
26. Wait to prune spring-flowering shrubs until the blossoms fade.
27. Be kind to crape myrtles by only removing seed pods and twiggy portions.
28. Consider needed tree trimming; have the work performed before hurricane season.
29. Trim declining fronds and old flower stems from palms but leave the green.
30. Complete pruning of bush-type roses; prune climbers when the spring blooms fade.
31. Trim and divide ornamental grasses before they begin spring growth.
32. Cool and warm seasons meet in March; continue to plant most cool- and warm-season flowers.
33. Take a look at bulb displays; many are Florida favorites and make great landscape additions.
34. Add trees, palms, shrubs and vines to the landscape.
35. Water new plantings frequently until they grow roots into the surrounding soils.
36. Cool-season weeds are still growing; control before they become too plentiful.
37. Renew mulch layers and consider the use of a preemergence herbicide to prevent weeds.
38. Trim poinsettias to within 12-18 inches of the soil and begin feedings.
39. Apply a spring feeding to palms, shrubs and perennials.
40. Established shade and flowering trees normally do not need special feedings.
41. Check plants for scale
insects and control with natural sprays as needed.
42. Conserve; water only when established plants show signs of wilting or moisture stress.
43. Divide and replant perennials.
44. Replant container gardens with spring flowers.
45. Divide outdoor orchids and begin everyother-week feedings with a fertilizer solution.
46. Turn fallen leaves into compost or use as mulch.
47. Feed container gardens with a slow-release fertilizer, following label instructions.
48. Give power equipment a spring checkup.
49. Clean birdhouses, birdbaths and fountains.
50. Remove debris from water gardens and repot lilies.
Vegetable and fruit care
51. Early March is tomato, pepper and eggplant planting time; set new plants in the ground.
52. Keep covers handy to protect cold-sensitive crops until mid-month.
53. Remove winter vegetables as they decline and plant warm-season crops.
54. Select pest-resistant varieties to avoid insect and disease problems.
55. Plant short rows every few weeks of seeded crops to extend the harvest season.
56. Use bush-forming crops instead of vining types in crowded gardens.
57. Herbs flourish during the warm-ish weather; almost all do well now.
58. Garden pests, including aphids, whiteflies and mites are active; use a natural control.
59. Spring growth is underway; complete all fruit tree pruning.
60. Prune cold-damaged tropical fruits to remove brown leaves and declining stems.
61. Learn the type of grapes you are growing to obtain proper pruning and care information.
62. Pineapples start flowering this month; maintain a good care program.
63. Feed all fruit-bearing trees, shrubs and vines at this time.
64. Add new fruiting trees, shrubs and vines to the landscape.
65. Select warm locations for new tropical fruits.
66. Maintain citrus tree vigor with the first of the new year feedings.
67. Apply a minor nutrient spray to citrus trees at each flush of new growth
68. Control Asian psyllids; apply an insecticide labeled for citrus at each flush of growth.
69. Add container herb and vegetable gardens to crowded landscapes.
70. Construct raised beds for easy maintenance.
71. Add a mulch to all but citrus plantings.
72. Fertilize vegetables lightly every two to three or use a slow-release fertilizer.
73. Train vining vegetables to a trellis to save space.
74. Sprout sweet potatoes to produce transplants.
75. Install water-conserving sprinklers in fruit and vegetable plantings.
Foliage and indoor plants chores
76. Some foliage plants have been affected by the cold; trim and increase care.
77. Repot plants filling their containers with roots.
78. Replace declining plants with low light-tolerant varieties.
79. Groom indoor plants to remove yellowing leaves and faded blooms.
80. Trim Christmas and holiday cactus and begin more frequent waterings and feedings.
81. Wash dust and pests from indoor plant foliage with a mild soapy solution.
82. Move orchids outdoors or to a bright area and begin every-otherweek feedings.
83. Treat forced bulbs as bouquets, but keep the pots.
84. Check for mealybugs, mites and other pests.
85. Visit a local garden centers to obtain new varieties for the home and patio.
I placed more online orders than I can count in 2020. And I justified all of them.
My front porch was filled with boxes containing all sorts of things: furniture (I needed to redecorate), paper towels (I needed to stock up), crafts (I needed activities), board games (more activities) and a treadmill (I needed exercise).
But if I’m being honest, I bought a little too much.
Take a look around your place. If your quarantine habits were like mine, you could turn that clutter into money. Here’s how.
Sell it
Perhaps you purchased more than you ended up using, like board games or video games. Or maybe you bought new products to replace old items and were left with a drawer of discarded technology.
Whatever the case, you have more than you need. And there are lots of places to sell your stuff online.
Chelsea Lipford Wolf, co-host of the “Today’s Homeowner” TV show and host of the “Checking In With Chelsea” web series, says she made over $1,000 selling things online during the last six months of 2020 through Facebook Marketplace, an outlet for buying and selling locally.
Look online for this or another marketplace that suits your needs. For example, Facebook Marketplace caters to local transactions, while other sites focus on product categories like tech or apparel. Read the directions to see how the site works and check for customer reviews or a Better Business Bureau accreditation before committing. Make an account, then get to work.
You can sell almost anything online — technology, furniture, clothing, video games and toys, to name a few.
Here are Wolf ’s keys to making things sell:
Presentation. “You want the item you’re selling to be the focal point of your photo,” Wolf says. Clean it first, then take flattering photos in natural sunlight, preferably near a window. Get multiple angles.
Price. Consider what someone might pay for the item, then price it slightly lower to make it move. You can also check listings posted by other users to determine the going rate.
Particulars. Spell out everything in the description, including the brand and any imperfections. A more detailed listing means less back and forth with potential buyers.
Depending on which site you use, you’ll have to write listings, package your items and send them either directly to the buyer
Consign it
or to the platform you used to make the sale. In some cases, you can deliver in person.
To save time and effort, take your stuff to a local consignment store instead. You’ll likely make less, but the store does the selling for you. Expect to pocket half of the selling price, Wolf says.
Other options? Give things away to family and friends. Donate to a local charity. And throw away items that have no use.
Scale back
Once you’ve sold and donated what you can, fight the urge to impulse shop again. Keeping up your current habits could get you right back to where you started. One way to avoid that? Save first and buy later.
This approach is the exact opposite of putting something on a credit card and paying it off after the fact, says Pam Horack, a certified financial planner and the owner of Pathfinder Planning LLC, based in Lake Wylie, South Carolina.
Save money and wait to place an order until you can afford it in full. Horack says her family has a designated clothing account. When someone needs a new pair of shoes, the money comes from what they’ve set aside.
You can do the same with a general spending account. “If you don’t have money in that account, then you can’t buy it,” Horack says.
There are also ways to stay busy without spending much, if any, money. Here are some of Horack’s ideas: Redecorate your house by moving around your furniture. Spend time outdoors. Finish up projects around the house. You’ll spend less and accumulate less stuff.
Buy used
But you can’t stop shopping altogether. For things you absolutely need, consider buying on the same websites you used to make extra money.
When you list products, you won’t sell them for as much as you originally paid for them. That means you can purchase things at a significant discount too.
Consumers have been buying and selling used during the pandemic, according to Sara Beane, media relations specialist at technology marketplace Swappa. “Everybody is kind of strapped during this unprecedented time,” Beane says.
Search used marketplaces by model and condition of the item. You’ll find many price points to fit your budget.
But before you hit the “buy” button, do some organizing, Wolf says.
“If you have so much stuff that you can’t see what you have, then you’re going to buy more than you need.”
The National Garden Bureau has declared 2021 “The Year of the Hardy Hibiscus” and The Garden Guy thinks this is absolutely terrific. Actually, I would go a-step further and say it is Summerific!
By hardy hibiscus, the bureau is referring to those with native DNA. You may not be aware but the hardy hibiscus commonly referred to as rose mallow is native to 33 states and Canada. Though you may see those long-lost cousins growing in the ditches and swampy areas, breeders have applied their magic and created dazzling selections.
Such is the case with the Summerific series from Proven Winners. It now boasts almost a dozen choices for summer-lasting bloom. These incredible varieties can let you create a dose of tropical splendor just about anywhere from zone 4-9. On the other hand, if you want to add a colorful flash to grandma’s cottage garden then the Summerific hibiscuses can do that too!
I’ve been growing Summerific Holy Grail for a few years now and I could not be more thrilled. It is one of their taller varieties sporting deep red blooms and dark foliage. Whether I have it in proximity to palms and bananas or as partners to rudbeckias and salvias, it has lived up to the task.
The next ones coming to my garden will be Cranberry Crush and Berry Awesome. Cranberry Crush is a Classic City Award Winner in the University of Georgia trial program and features topical looking scarlet red flowers on a 48-inch-tall plant with a backdrop of deep green maple-like leaves. It will bring in bees and hummers, which makes
The Garden Guy do the happy dance.
Berry Awesome has ruffled deep lavender pink flowers with a cheery red eye. You would love this with perennial echinacea like Yellow My Darling or the Price is White. Don’t forget to add a drift or two of salvias. I can only imagine Rockin Blue Suede Shoes and Rockin Deep Purple as companions.
This year there are two new colors entering the
market place and they are Summerific French Vanilla and Spinderella. It’s not often we find a creamy vanilla color to add to the perennial garden. It reminds me of the color of old-fashioned ice cream with a red eye.
Last year my university friends were sending me photos from trial gardens and giving a WOW to Spinderella. I’m not sure how to describe this one. The ruffled flowers are white
with a cherry eye and major brushstrokes of rose pink as you go toward the margins. The flowers look to have more-pink and giving the illusion that it just could be spinning.
The whole Summerific series is so beautiful it is really amazing these are hardy hibiscus, perennial from zones 4-9. Almost everyone can relish in their beauty. Choose a site with plenty of sunlight the more the better. I have
morning sun and filtered afternoon light here in west Georgia. The hibiscus blooms on new growth, so it is important to keep it growing vigorously throughout the season. Keep them well fed and watered during droughty periods.
You will not need a super-bloom fertilizer however, just use a slow released, balanced fertilizer given out in regular small monthly applications.
Water daily if you are growing in containers during the summer. Nutrients will quickly leach from the soil, so apply a dilute, water-soluble fertilizer weekly or add controlled release granules per label recommendation.
The National Garden Bureau hit a homerun with the designation of 2021 as The Year of the Hardy Hibiscus. You’ll think so too if you try some of the Summerific Series.