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MARCH IN THE GARDEN
By Pauline Marx, Arizona Master Gardener
Time For Planting
The month of March is a great month for gardening in the desert. With many hundreds of plant
varieties available at nurseries this month, it would be wise to ask some questions before
deciding on your purchases, the first set related to where to plant.
-What will its mature height and spread be?
-Does the proposed planting site allow it to reach maturity without interfering with
roof lines, sidewalks and entryways? Remember, regularly cutting back a plant because it
outgrows its space is usually detrimental to the long term health of the plant.
-What are the light exposure requirements?
-Does the plant need full sun, partial shade or shade during the hot summer afternoons?
-Don't choose sun-dwelling natives for a shady southern exposure or plant a large
leafed shade dweller against a western wall.
Knowing what your plant requires will help you pick varieties that will thrive in your
landscape and make it less likely that they will have to be replaced. In deciding what to
plant, you should consider the following.
Cactus- Plant all types of cacti and succulents. Propagate from existing plants with
cuttings or offshoots. Allow cactus cuts to dry and callous over two to three weeks before
planting. However, plant agave, yucca and aloe cuttings immediately.
Herbs- How about an herb garden to perk up your cooking? Try favorites such as basil,
chives, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley and sage which all grow well in desert herb
gardens.
Annual Flowers - As winter-growing annuals begin to decline at the end of
the month, remove them. It is indeed hard to be ruthless when there are still a few
flowers or a bit of green. To fill the gap, replace them with warm-season annuals.
Unless you are saving seed, keep replacing spent annuals weekly to keep the garden
looking sharp and tidy. Consider flowers that attract butterflies such as bee balm,
cosmos, Mexican sunflower, sage, sunflower, verbena, yarrow, and zinnia.
Remember to rotate plantings of vegetables and flowers each season to different areas of the
garden. This practice of "crop rotation" prevents plant specific pests and disease from
building up in the soil.
March Tasks
Some additional garden tasks to consider this month include the following.
-If you've planted tomatoes, put shade cloth high over them to ward off leaf hoppers (small,
wedge-shaped leaping insects), spreaders of curly top virus. Also, clean straw placed under
plants helps keep tomatoes off the ground.
-Continue fertilizing established roses on a 6-week cycle. Apply 1/4 to cup of Epsom salts.
Use amendments such as sulfur or peat moss to reduce soil alkalinity to a pH of 6.5 to 6.8
which is the pH that roses prefer.
-Maintain deep, regular watering on established cool season annuals as they finish out their
life span. This is particularly important if you are saving seed from the plants.
-Mulch heavily under plants and on paths. Mulch conserves water, cools soil temperatures and
reduces weeds, or at least it makes them easier to pull. Compost, grass clippings, leaves
and straw can be used. Materials that decompose more slowly such as pine needles, wood
chips, and sawdust are best suited on paths.
Pauline Marx
Arizona Master Gardener
* * *
Questions about plants?
Call me at 575-0404 or send me an
email.
