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Time to get back at those gardening duties after the snow delay

Lots to get done because spring will soon be springing
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Well, it was difficult to garden in February with all that snow piling up. And pile up it did! Chemainus came out on top as the snowiest community on Vancouver Island.

The Super Snow moon, aptly named this year, was nearer, brighter and larger than it will be at any other time. It was, indeed, a beautiful sight.

And spring is only 20 days away. So much to do.

Daylight saving arrives Sunday, March 10, hop forward.

Tomorrow, March 1, is St David’s Day, time for leek soup and a vase full of daffodils. St. Paddy’s Day is on a Sunday this year, a good day for planting and wearing the green.

Just one more date. Tuesday, March 19. Chemainus Communities in Bloom will wake up and hold its first meeting of the year, 7 p.m. at the Steeples Activity Room. Newcomers always welcome.

We Dig – Do It Now Tips

• Didn’t get that winter ‘prune’ done? Do it now.

• Fertilize rhodos, azaleas and camelias

• Cut down ornamental grasses and sword ferns

• Prune your roses after the forsythia blooms

• Start turning the soil in your vegetable garden

• Apply mulch and well rotted manure to fruit trees, bush and cane fruits

• Bait the garden and flower bed for slugs

• 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

• If gladiolas and dahlias are sprouted, expose to daylight and divide dahlias by cutting the bulbs between the eyes

• Turn the compost pile and start new ones

• Rake moss from the grass, top dress with peat moss, seed bare spots

• This is a great time to buy spring flowering trees and shrubs

• Fertilize lawns

• Replace old overgrown lavenders and prune young plants

• Time to hang up your hummingbird feeders, one cup sugar to four cups water, boil well to ensure the sugar is dissolved

Did you know…

…the flower of the month is the Daffodil meaning affection and sympathy?

…there are more micro-organisms in one teaspoon of soil than there are people on earth?

…that March is peanut month?

…the month of March was named for the Roman god of war, Mars?

…according to an old superstition, it is unlucky to plant seeds on the first three days of March?

…March is the only month with three consecutive consonants in its name in English?

Pick of the Month - Japonica, a.k.a., Japanese flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)

A bright reddish, pink beauty, flowering from March to May. Closely related to the rose. A round topped deciduous shrub, 6’ to 15’ tall and 10’-15’ across. A native of Asia, these plants have been grown ornamentally for thousands of years. These old tangled plants persist for years without pruning. Maroon green foliage emerges as the blossoms are fading. They enjoy full sun and are drought resistant.

AND…speaking of snow…..what do you call an old snowman? Water!

Check out our blog at www.wedigchemainus.ca.