A few March garden activities

Ferns: If you have ferns and have not yet trimmed the old fronds, do it now so the new ones won't get in the way. In a few weeks, your ferns will look great. This photo shows the new fronds curled up tight (for now).

Hardy fuchsia: Trim the old wood. New growth will come from the roots, and the plant will look better in the spring and summer. This photo shows new growth coming from the bottom of one fuchsia, but most of mine don't show much new growth yet.

Hostas: Clean up any old leaves and twigs. The new growth is just beginning, and the slugs will go crazy. Use an iron phosphate slug bait, such as Sluggo, which is not harmful to animals.

Pruning Roses

I worked in between rain showers and got my roses pruned (along with the roses at Foundation House). I had four or five roses that had to be replaced due to winter damage. Well, two of them were actually poor performers, because I had not bought a high enough quality plant last year. I bought four bare root plants and one potted. Hybrid Teas: two Pascali (white) and one Olympiad (red). Grandifloras: one Dick Clark (multi-colored cherry, pink, cream ) and one Gold Medal (Golden Yellow).

Planting:
I soaked the bare root rose bushes, then trimmed the roots and some of the branches (to just above outward facing buds). I mixed some compost with castings from my worm bin and soil, and I added alfalfa meal and super phosphate. This mixture went in a little mound in the bottom of the hole. I spread the roots over the mound, filled in about 2/3 of the hole, watered, and filled in the rest.

Pruning:
I removed the dead, diseased, and tiny canes (also those that faced inwards). I trimmed the remaining (generally three to five) strong canes to 1/4 inch above an outward facing bud and down to where the pith was creamy colored. Finally, I removed any old leaves and raked debris from the bed (to help prevent disease).