Southern Gardening - Potpourri for March

As we have always heard, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb and it is also known as the windy month. This is also the month of St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated on Monday March 17th.

Who was St. Patrick? He was a much loved fifth century Roman British Christian missionary and Bishop of Ireland who later became the Patron Saint of Ireland. He was supposedly the one who banished all snakes from Ireland, and even today, there are no snakes in Ireland. Later this holiday evolved into a celebration of Irish history with a culture of parades. Irish dancing, special food, music, drinking and lots of green. The shamrock later became associated with this day and if viewed as a symbol good luck.

PLANT OF THE MONTH - SHAMROCK

Trifolium dubium, Shamrock, is a short flowering plant in the pea family and clover family Favaceae. This species is generally accepted as the primary plant to represent the Irish Shamrock.

Although it is native to Europe, it has been introduced to many areas of the world. Another interesting fact is that the Shamrock almost always has 3 leaves, as opposed to other clovers which can have 4 leaves.

Many times, we see fields of pink, purple, and red clover. This ground cover is a beautiful sight and is basically a legume. Legumes are planted to fix nitrogen in the soil. In other words, they collect nitrogen from the air, and make it available in the soil for plant growth.

Gardening chores for March.

If the temperatures are still cold, and the plants, shrubs, and trees have not put out new growth, then you must spray with a winter dormant oil such as Volk Oil. This one task will rid your yard of white flies, which turn the leaves black with a film and depletes the leaf of chlorophyll. These pests are very difficult to banish once established.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY AND GOOD GARDENING.