March gardening with perennials

Spring gardening begins in many regions in March, and a good place to start is with perennials, those loyal friends.

They come back each year, require just a little time and attention and deliver beautiful results throughout the growing season.

If you don't have any now, invest in some. It doesn't have to cost a lot. Many can be started in March by seed, indoors or outdoors.

Or perhaps a friend can provide root cuttings, which will form new plants in your garden.

The most work-free and care-free gardens are the ones populated by perennials. And they're gorgeous! Pick ones that will flower in different months, so you'll always have color.

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Here are March tips for perennials.

• Feed peonies and iris. The buds from peony crowns just below the soil should start becoming visible. Iris also will be peeking up.

• Watch for chrysanthemums, daisies and dianthus that have been "heaved up" by the freezing and thawing of soil during the winter. Firm them back down with your hands, taking care to re-cover all exposed roots.

• Lightly apply a granular fertilizer and work it into the soil around perennials with a small hand-held garden fork.  A time-release fertilizer is ideal, but a good general fertilizer will also do. Water it in. Remember to replace mulch that had been displaced in the process.

• While fertilizing perennials, consider adding soil amendments, such as lime, iron and bloodmeal that are needed as nutrients. An inexpensive soil test can help determine what is needed. Clay and sandy soils, especially, tend to need extra nutrients. Many gardeners add a sprinkling of Epsom salts to flowerbeds, letting it soak into the soil during spring rains. Epsom salts adds the nutrient magnesium sulfate to the soil.

• If you decide to plant seeds or divide and transplant perennials in March, or if you have received root stock by mail order, prepare the soil. Begin by removing debris. When doing this, take care not to disturb existing plants that are still dormant. (Ideally, you have marked these places!) Add soil amendments, if needed, or time-release fertilizer granules. Cultivate only the area that will be planted. Mark that area after planting, so seeds and roots won’t be disturbed during later cultivation. This will also help you distinguish between them and any weeds that sprout later.

Dividing and transplanting

• Depending on your zone, the weather and the start of the growing season in your area, plant certain perennial seeds outdoors in March, or divide and transplant perennials.

• Here are some perennials that can be propagated in March by seed (started indoors or sewn directly outdoors), by root division, stem cuttings or by planting new nursery stock.