Tofino Gardening in March
by Trina Mattson, Tofino

Well Manure, who would‚ve believed this last February past by with little to no rain.

I mean yeah it was still cold, especially in the shade, actually frozen by several layers, you can see how an ice age could form, but the sun was brilliant all the while. And yet how cold was it really? Well I had a good 3” layer of ice on my pond, which gives a new meaning to the words ice fishing. Anyway on to the business of gardening.

Survey says it is going to be a hot dry summer, now I don’t profess to be Mother Nature by any means, but if it’s anything like last summer, we had better prepare, and putting a layer of mulch on your gardens is one of the easiest and best ways to help conserve watering, reduce weeding, and as the mulch breaks down it can add beneficial nutrients to your soil, now I know I am repeating myself, and I bet I do that more often than not, and those that know me can probably testify to it. But as MS says it’s a GOOD THING.

At this point with the ground semi frozen we’ve found that weeding seems to be easier, wait about an hour after the sun hits the ground and the weeds just seem to pop right into your hands with very little pulling.

Deadhead any tulips and daffodils that have finished flowering, but leave on the greens to yellow and wilt down, don’t pull them off until then.

We keep basic track every year, and has anyone else noticed that some plants are about one month ahead of themselves for blooming and showing new growth, and I even had several bees in my heather mid February.

March is fertilizing Mania Month, anything that didn’t get a hit of go-go grow in February should have some in March. As well as lime for the gardens and lawns, keeping care not to get any on the acid loving plants.

For a bright spot of colour by the front door, try a planter of bright tulips or daffodils, mixed in with some primroses. When they finished flowering just put it off to the side somewhere so you won’t forget about it, and then transplant it into the garden when you have the time.

Seeding can start pretty much anytime now, as well as planting up those summer flowering bulbs like dahlias and gladiolas etc.
Blossoms worth a mention for March:

Clematis armandii, although I see some in bloom in February this year, Prunus nigra pretty in pink, heather always a favourite, primroses bright and beautiful, spring flowering perennials, gotta get me some of those, pieris japonica from white to shades of pink and red, tulips and daffodils of course.

Well I must get back to planting, although I think a fresh cup of coffee and a muffin bout now sounds pretty good, as I contemplate how to turn my garden into a lush tropical eden.

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Trina Mattson runs the Ordinary Corner Nursery in Tofino.