|
(alphabetized) |
GardeningGardening
March Gardening Calendar Includes Seminar on Butterfly Gardening
by Dr. William M. Johnson, Galveston County Extension Agent - Horticulture
March 1, 2006
Butterfly gardens provide an easy way to enjoy the beauty of butterflies in your own landscape and to contribute to their conservation. They can be large or small in scale. The Gulf Fritillary butterfly is in abundance from spring to fall at the horticulture garden at the Galveston County Extension Office. Photo Credit: William M. Johnson
Upcoming Gardening SeminarsSaturday, March 4: "A Garden for Butterflies Seminar" by Master Gardener Anna Wygrys, 9-11 a.m. All seminars will be held at the Galveston County Extension Office located at 5115 Highway 3 in Dickinson. No fee but pre-registration is required (281-534-3413 Ext. 6, or GALV3@wt.net). Visit website listed below for more information. |
Weird! That’s my unscientific assessment of our winter weather thus far this year. This has certainly been anything but a normal Upper Gulf Coast winter. This year has been really warm right up to the end of February where chilly weather set in to remind us that it is still winter after all.
Trees and shrubs are confused by the weird weather. Well, I’m confused also! Perhaps the following checklist of things to do for the month of March will help provide some normalcy to life:
SEMINAR ON BUTTERFLY GARDENING:
What do butterflies eat? Do butterflies need to drink? When do butterflies sleep? What is this caterpillar eating all my butterfly weed plant?If you have asked these questions, then you can get the answers to these and other questions by attending an upcoming program on Saturday, March 4, entitled "A Garden for Butterflies." The presentation will be held from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the County Extension Office located at 5115 Highway 3 in Dickinson.
The presentation will be provided by Anna Wygrys, a longtime Certified Master Gardener and resident of Santa Fe. She coauthored The Butterflies of Galveston County—What Every Gardener Needs to Know, a comprehensive, 36-page color publication that contains essential information about the 83 species of butterflies of Galveston County and the plants that nurture them.
Commonly occurring butterflies and their life cycles, and plants that attract butterflies and how to grow them will be discussed. Small backyard butterfly gardens are simple and fun to establish. To learn how to get started or to enhance your existing skill level, take advantage this informative program on "A Garden for Butterflies."
Pre-registration is required due to limited seating and reservations are made on a first-come, first serve basis. Visit or contact the County Extension Office (phone: 281-534-3413, ext. 6; e-mail: GALV3@WT.NET) to make your reservation.
PLANTING TREES AND SHRUBS:
If you haven’t done so already, try to finish your shrub and tree planting during March so the plants can become well established before the approach of summer heat. Remember, don't buy and set out more plants than you have time to care for–they will suffer for it during the summer. Remember, too, proper planting and bed preparation are critical.FERTILIZE LANDSCAPE TREES AND SHRUBS:
March is an excellent time to fertilize established landscape trees and shrubs as they come out of their long winter dormancy period and put out new growth. It is not necessary to punch holes in the ground to fertilize trees or shrubs or to use fertilizer spikes. Surface application of a granular fertilizer is quite satisfactory.VEGETABLES:
Many types of vegetables can be established in the garden during March including transplants of tomatoes and peppers as well as direct-seeding of beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, southern peas and many other vegetables. Wait until the last week of March or early April to plant okra which does not tolerate cool spells.HOUSEPLANTS:
It's an excellent time to repot houseplants. Gently knock the plant out of the pot and inspect the root system. If the roots are crowded and matted on the outside of the root ball, put the plant in a larger pot. If the roots are not visible along the outside of the rootball, the plant probably has a poor root system and should be moved to a smaller pot. Move up or down only one pot size when transplanting.ANNUALS:
Set out copper plants, ageratum and ornamental amaranth and other annuals.CAMELLIAS AND AZALEAS:
As camellia and azalea plants finish blooming, fertilize them with an azalea-camellia fertilizer according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.LAWN WEEDS:
Weeds in a lawn usually indicate a poor lawn-management program. If weeds are a problem in the lawn, get a soil test done to determine the fertility level of the soil. While the individual levels of various soil nutrients (such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as well as micronutrients) are important, the relative proportions of soil nutrients to each other are also critical. A healthy turf is your first line of defense against weeds.WEED KILLERS:
Remember that many landscape trees and shrubs are damaged or killed each year by the careless application of weed killers to lawns, including those found in mixes of weed killers and fertilizers (commonly called "weed & feed"). Always read and follow all label directions very carefully including application near the drip line of landscape trees and shrubs.BERMUDA GRASS
: Bermuda grass lawns can be seeded now to provide sufficient time to become established before the onset of summer’s hot weather conditions.Use high quality seed and prepare the seed bed well before planting.
LAWN MOWERS:
Inspect the lawn mower early and take care of needed repair work early to avoid the spring rush at the local lawn mower repair shop. Be sure the mower blade is sharp.BEDDING PLANTS:
Be selective in planting annuals and bedding plants. Set out no more than you can properly care for. For limited garden areas, try using containers on the patio or porch.Dr. Johnson is a horticulturist with the Galveston County
Extension Office of Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University.
Visit his web site at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.htm
Gardening: Scale insects and pampas grass - July 17, 2004 article
Gardening: Bananas - August 1, 2004 article
Gardening: August Gardening Calendar - August 16, 2004 article
Gardening: Prepare Now For Fall Gardens - August 26, 2004 article
Gardening: September's Garden Calendar Includes Fall Pecan Field Day - September 2, 2004 article
Gardening: Ornamental Grasses - September 8, 2004 article
Gardening: Don't Let Landscape Become A High-Maintenance Nightmare - September 22, 2004 article
Gardening: Rose Propagation & Seasonal Decorating Workshops To Be Held - October 13, 2004 article
Gardening: November Is Pansy Time - November 6, 2004 article
Gardening: County Pecan Growers Display Their Successes - November 11, 2004 article
Gardening: Gardeners' Questions On Fall Crops - November 17, 2004 article
Gardening: Gardeners' Q&As For November - November 28, 2004 article
Gardening: Gardeners' December Checklist Includes Citrus Show On Dec. 9 - December 3, 2004 article
Gardening: Citrus Show A Huge Success With 185 Entries - December 19, 2004 article
Gardening: Trees and Shrubs - December 23, 2004 article
Gardening: Cold Weather Impact - January 4, 2005 article
Gardening:Announcing the 2005 Galveston County Master Gardener Training - January 13, 2005 article
Gardening:Peach & Plum Growers' Workshop To Be Held Saturday, January 29 - January 19, 2005 article
Gardening: Gardening for Texas Wildlife - January 28, 2005 article
Gardening: Extension Activities At The Home & Garden Show On Feb. 26-27 - February 23, 2005 article
Gardening: March Gardening Calendar Includes Seminar On Butterfly Gardening - March 2, 2005 article
Gardening: Gardeners' Q&As From The Galveston Home & Garden Show - March 10, 2005 article
Gardening: Program On Plumeria Offered On March 26- March 29, 2005 article
Gardening: Garden Checklist For April Includes Pecan Field Day - April 6, 2005 article
Gardening: Hints On Harvesting Vegetables For Peak Flavor - April 15, 2005 article
Gardening: Learn About Weed Control - April 27, 2005 article
Gardening: Home Gardening Chores and
May 14 Home Fruit Growers’ Tour - May 5, 2005 article
© 2004-2006
League City Area News Online.
All rights reserved.
Marilyn Clark.
League City Area News Online, P. O. Box 1693, League City, Texas 77574-1693
Please include your address and phone number for verification purposes.