TYLER, Texas — March means springing forward in time and flowers blooming. However, after the February winter storm, gardens will need extra attention this year.
The Smith County Master Gardeners have been out surveilling Tyler's landscape and have a few tips to bring gardens back into bloom.
- Assess the damage done to your plants due to our extended period of freezing weather.
- Clean out your beds of dead plant material and leaves and apply a new layer of mulch to a depth of 4-6"
- Finish pruning roses by the middle of the month. Do not prune climbing roses until after they bloom.
- Do not prune spring-flowering shrubs and vines until after they finish blooming.
- Allow the foliage from spring-blooming bulbs to die back naturally. The foliage feeds to bulbs for next year's bloom.
- Divide fall-blooming perennials
- Plant gladiolas in two-week intervals to stretch out the bloom season.
- Finish sowing seeds of Swiss chard, collards, leaf lettuce, and spinach early in the month.
- After the danger of frost has passed, set out transplants of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and squash. You may want to wait until after Easter which this year is April 4.
- Begin setting out warm-season annuals but wait until the end of April to plant periwinkles or caladium that like really warm temperatures.
- Late in the month sow seeds of bush and lima beans, cantaloupe, sweet corn, pumpkins, and watermelon.
- Also late in the month sow seeds of zinnia, cosmos, celosia, torenia, and portulaca.
- Be on the lookout for aphids. Treat with a strong burst of water on the pant's leaves. Treat severe infestations with insecticidal soap.
- Secure canes of climbing roses and vines.