Flowers in Focus: March Planting and Care Tips

Sowing and Planting

• Sow French marigolds, petunias, dahlias, and other summer bedding seeds in the coming weeks.
• Start flower seeds indoors with heat and then move them to a cooler greenhouse; a small heated propagator can help raise plants successfully.
• Sow seeds of sweet peas and support autumn-raised plants with light canes.
• Plant perennial flowers in pots at any time.
• Plant gladiolus corms and lily bulbs directly outdoors from mid-March.
• Hardy annual flowers, such as calendula, candytuft, and California poppy, can be sown now.

Lifting, Dividing, and Moving

• Complete lifting and dividing herbaceous flowers soon if the soil is dry enough; water them until they re-establish fully.
• Ornamental grasses move best at this time of year.
• Move spring bulbs “in the green” as the flowers fade; separate bulbs of different colors while flowers are still present.
• Lift green, full-leaf spring bulbs just after flowering and move them to other areas if necessary.

Timing and Late Season Planting

• It’s getting late for sowing bedding flowers as they will flower very late; buy plants in May instead.
• Some quick-maturing bedding flowers like dahlias and marigolds will still do well if sown late.
• Hardy annual flowers sown now will flower in late summer.