Foxgloves have lovely shaped furry leaves and from September onwards tall stately flower spikes. They are also grown for medicinal purposes in the treatment of heart conditions. This was discovered back in 1785, a time now considered the beginning of modern medicine. So why mention them in March? Well that’s because you need to plant them now to have them big enough to flower in six months time.
Gardeners become experts at thinking ahead. You just have to. There are differing seasons that bring differences in temperatures and day lengths. These are the things that trigger plants to do certain things. The foxglove will never flower while the days are getting shorter, but once that day comes in June when every day after it becomes longer, that is the signal. A change encourages change.
If you’re not sure what is in season, it doesn’t matter, as we are experts at pre-ordering what is required for the current month. Sometimes at the very start or the very end of a season the boundaries may be stretched a little, so be sure to ask if it is the prime time for a particular product to be in season.
For example March is early for garlic, but April and May are perfect. In June it is getting a little late and you will have missed that nice little bit of warm weather growth before winter. Maybe you will harvest them in January rather than early December. Maybe the bulbs will be a little smaller. Only experiencing the seasons in your location and your soil will tell you when the optimal time is; and even then the weather may make or break the season. It’s all part of the mystique of gardening. There is no exact science. This year for example garlic is in short supply because of the boggy paddocks limiting the harvest. Best off to get them in early.
Some flowers to consider growing this month are sweet pea, pansies, primula, and bulbs such as tulips and daffodils. In the vegie department you must consider broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower and maybe even a late batch of carrots. Watch out for cabbage moth on the broccoli. Yates Success is a naturally occurring bacteria that that can be sprayed onto leaves and gives the little larvae a stomach ache and they die. It worked well for us last year.
Some of my vegie patch is a little bit shaded by neighbouring palms. I am going to start a new one somewhere else and use one of the raised metal ones we sell. That way there will be less bending and weed control should be easier. A 2 metre by 1 metre by 44cm high raised garden bed is now available for under $200. The old vegetable patch is going to be converted into a banana plantation with a couple of fig trees weaving in between. It should be a real talking point in a year or two.
We have also just cut back the hydrangeas, dead headed and thinned out the canna lilies, pruned the 2 year old apricot tree that didn’t fruit and cleaned around the rose bushes. A few daggy looking statice have been removed and this week I will feed some hungry looking citrus. All in all there are plenty of things to do in the garden at this time of year. Enjoy.
Bulbs to plant this month: Anenome. Daffodils, Dutch Iris, Freesia, Hyacinths, Jonquils, Tulips, Ranunculus
Flowers to plant this month: Aquilegia, Calendula, Cineraria, Delphinium, Holyhock, Foxglove, Linaria, Nemesia, Pansy, Primula, Polyanthus, Poppy, Viola
Vegies & Herbs: Beetroot, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrots, Coriander, Garlic, Lettuce, Leek, Parsnip, Onions, Oregano, Radish, Turnip, Thyme