While outdoor gardening activities during March in the West are at least six weeks to two months away there are many things the active gardener can be doing at this time of the year. If the gardener plans on growing his or her own a flower and vegetable transplants, this is the season to get started. In fact, some early transplant crops may already be started such as pansies, logbelia and celery.

Fortunate is the gardener who has a small greenhouse in which to start these plants. These units are becoming more and more popular and there are numerous kinds available on the market. Glass enclosed structures are still the most popular, but the use of plastics in place of glass is becoming increasingly popular both among commercial greenhouse growers and the amateur gardener.

Determining the time to sow seeds of vegetable and flower transplants requires a little figuring. For the great majority of transplant flowers and vegetables, a six to eight week period from the time of seed sowing until the time the plant is set out in the garden is about right in figuring correct timing for these transplant crops. Some flowers and vegetables require a somewhat longer period since they grow more slowly than others. These include celery, pansies, salvia, lobelia and others.

In the heart of the Midwest there are hundreds of homes that are unsightly and almost covered up by the excessive growth of evergreens, trees and shrubs. They are usually the unhappy results of the use of unsuitable plant material, the improper location or too close spacing of the plants five, ten or twenty years ago.

It is not uncommon to find an otherwise attractive home nestling behind a dense growth of evergreens such as Chinese arbor-vitae, Austrian or Scotch pines, spruce and red cedar now reaching for the eaves, darkening and shutting off views from both first and second floor windows.

In many cases the two evergreens planted on either side of the entrance have almost grown together and one can scarcely get to the front door without having his hat knocked off or a dash of water shaken down the back of his neck.

The owners of these homes hesitate to remove these overgrown palms or to work on trimming trees because they realize the place will look bare and they dont know what to plant in their place or just how to go about the job. In some cases the owners have tried to reduce the size of the trees by severe pruning but the new picture frequently becomes worse than before the deheading took place.

Any corrective pruning should be finished in February. Remember to paint all wounds over one inch in diameter with a pliable water-proof paint. This prevents drying out and checking of the wood and resultant decay and also prevents the entrance of disease or insects.

Do not prune the early flowering shrubs such as forsythia, lilac, spirea, quince, currant, red bud, peach, etc., until after flowering as any material removed now will reduce the number of flowers. Prune these after flowering to encourage new growth for blooms next year.

This is the month to do shearing or pruning of evergreens as they are usually unsightly after this operation, but with the beginning of new growth, they are unsightly for a shorter period of time. Prune the flowering shrubs that bear their blooms on new wood like althea, vitex, crape myrtle, and buddleia – this will stimulate flower production.

Whatever pruning you do, especially on your shade grapes trees, be sure you know what you are doing or call a recognized tree surgeon. Do not butcher your trees or allow inexperienced “tree surgeons” to do so. Irreparable damage can be done and often results in the death of the tree.