March In the Garden, Time To Start Dreaming
Ah, yes. March – the wet, warm and muddy season. Winter officially leaves us this month and we welcome the heavy spring moisture that our gardens are sure to appreciate. Pansies are blooming, daffodils are happily posing toward the sunshine and even early tulips grace the landscape. Spring color is a refreshing sign that the gardens do endure the arctic temperatures, offering their bright and happy colors.
March is the ideal month to assess the aesthetic of your garden. Does your landscape look organized and well-thought out? Would the garden benefit from some structural elements, like evergreens, ornamental grasses or sculptural pieces? There is still snow on the ground, which allows ample opportunity to showcase the organization (or, lack thereof) in the garden. Perhaps, you are contemplating where exactly to locate your veggie garden. Or, better yet, transforming the needless, functionless, maintenance- mongering Kentucky bluegrass area into a xeriscape garden or brick patio. Whatever your ideas, now is the time to discern the implementation process.
A design or simply a loose layout is always a good place to start. Before you begin, look for ideas in magazines, on Pinterest or by simply walking around our beautiful neighborhood. You can draw something as simple as a bubble diagram, which indicates what functions will be used in various parts of the space. Technical skills need not apply. Drawing to scale definitely helps, but is not necessary. Go ahead – grab a pencil and a sheet of paper and begin doodling your ideas. Circles and lines will do. No need to be intimidated.
Ideally, hardscapes are installed first. Next, the bed lines are created with a high-quality edging product (Note: plastic is not recommended, as its quality is poor and cracking occurs with the extreme temperatures). Once beds are defined, a soil amendment is a must. It is not only preferable, but recommended by Denver Water that 4 cubic yards of compost per 1,000 square feet are tilled at least 6” into the existing soil. Amendments are a relatively cheap and easy means of guaranteeing that your plants will be happy and thrive.
Once the soil is near-perfect, planting can begin. Typically, trees and shrubs are installed first, as they are the foundation and hierarchy to the beds. After those, ornamental grasses and perennials can be planted. If you purchase perennials in April, harden them off before planting them. (Hardening off is a practice commonly used to acclimate the plant to the cool temperatures.) The final touch, is, of course, mulch. I recommend the darkest, smallest brown bark mulch you can find (mini-bark pebbles is the trade name). Mulch not only insulates the plant’s roots, and helps alleviate weeds, but presents the finishing touch of a complete landscape.
Whatever you decide to do, realize that implementing the project can take place over weeks, months or even years. Beginning now, in this fresh month of March, take note of what you want in your yard and begin the transformation process, even if that means drawing circles and lines.
A native of Park Hill, Marne is a professional horticulturalist and garden designer who cultivates her own plot on Dexter Street, where gardens and two kids grow. She can be reached at marnenorquist@gmail.com.
MARCH TIPS
• Soil Amendment: Add a 2” layer of compost over the soil and shovel turn the soil about 6” deep. Soil is ready to be worked if it is thawed, not soggy. Soil amendments are a continual process. Annual amendments are ideal.
• Plant pansies in containers or beds. Monitor regularly to make sure they are getting enough water.
• Continue to mindfully prune your trees and shrubs, one branch at a time.
• Resist the temptation of the balmy days to plant anything that may be damaged by frost. Blizzards and freezing temperatures can still occur.
• Hand-rake the lawn lightly to promote air movement to the roots.
• Mid-March: Sow your pepper, eggplant, broccoli, cabbage and lettuce seeds indoors for transplanting to the garden in early May.