This month, prep your patch of earth for the warm weather ahead by starting seedlings and cutting back woody branches.
by Addie Ladner

“The March garden helps you wake up,” says gardening expert Hannah Ross. “It puts you in touch with the energy of the spring.” Relish in your yard this month with these tips from Ross.

Set the Stage

Warmer temperatures inspire us to go full throttle on gardening — but take some time to assess first, says Ross: “I like to organize my tools, order compost and do a thoughtful walk around the garden to check things like irrigation, trellises and my infrastructures to set the stage for later spring planting.”

Plant Easy Seeds

“Radishes are the closest thing to instant gratification in gardening,” says Ross. Dill, she says, is resilient, fills out a space nicely and comes back quickly after cutting. For those same reasons she likes lettuces, especially little gems and speckled bibb lettuce, which are easy to grow and have a lovely texture and great flavor. Calendula, a flower in the marigold family, is beautiful to look at and wards off pests, too. “I love to use it along a border for a bright, cheerful edge,” says Ross.

Trim Back Perreneals

Prune back summer and fall bloom- ing perennials like echinacea, rudbeckia and oregano to help tender leaves sprout, says Ross: “I let them stay wild over the winter for insects and birds, but now is the time for renewal pruning.”

This article originally appeared in the March 2024 issue of WALTER magazine