A week late, but better late than never. Besides, it means spring is closer, just two weeks and two days away. Our winter February looks like it has turned into a rainy March. We hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful snow moon on the weekend. St. Patrick’s Day March 17 is recognized with the Shamrock, a symbol of good luck! Daylight Savings Time begins March 14. Hooray.
For those of you interested in having fresh vegetables of your own, the Old Farmers Almanac has an excellent article on vegetable gardening for beginners. This is the time to begin.
WE DIG – DO IT NOW TIPS
• Pick a permanent spot for herbs in the garden, preferably with easy access to your kitchen, as some come up year after year
• Plant snapdragon, petunia and verbena seeds now as they take 70-90 days of bloom
• This is a great time to move and plant trees and shrubs
• Apply mulch and well rotted manure or compost to fruit trees, and bush and cane fruits
• Cut off dead growth and divide crowded perennials. Replant only the outer pieces of a clump in soil replenished with compost and a little bone meal
• Rake moss from the grass, top dress with peat moss, seed bare spots
• Cultivate, weed and feed strawberries
• Prune your roses when the forsythia blooms
• Fertilize rhodos, azaleas and camellias
• Bait the garden for slugs
• Start planting out cool season vegetables, such as lettuce, cabbage and kale.
DID YOU KNOW
… The blossoms of the skunk cabbage can become so warm they will melt snow and provide a warm place for insects.
… Black, green, white and oolong tea all come from the same plant. The leaves are aged and processed differently.
… Before the 16th Century carrots were purple.
… Plant potatoes when the first dandelion blooms.
… Popcorn lover’s day and potato chip day is the second Thursday in March.
... The flower of the month is the Daffodil, meaning affection and sympathy? Daffodils and new born lambs herald the summer in Wales?
PICK OF THE MONTH – Shamrock – a symbol of Ireland. It is a three-leafed white clover and is derived from the Irish seamrog. It was traditionally used for its medical properties and was a popular motif in Victorian times. The four-leaf clover is often confused with the shamrock. The clover is a symbol of good luck, the three-leafed shamrock is mainly an Irish Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity and has a different significance.
AND …
A garden is a thing of beauty, and a job forever.
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