Florida Garden Checklist
Texas Garden Checklist

Vines
These plants add color, fragrance, and shade while softening the edges of walls, fences, and arbors. Good choices include 'Tangerine Beauty' crossvine (Bignonia capreolata 'Tangerine Beauty'); fragrant, yellow-flowering Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens); red- or yellow-flowering trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens); fragrant, white-flowering Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides); and orange-flowering common trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans).

• Azaleas--This shrub is blooming now, so this is a great time to select and add it to your garden. For best results, plant one color en masse. Azaleas like acid soil that is moist and well drained. They also prefer high, filtered shade like that under pine trees. Mulch with pine needles, pine bark, or similar material to protect their fine fibrous roots. Evergreen azaleas and deciduous natives add beautiful color to your garden. To learn more about this shrub, read "Azaleas Made Simple" on page 79 of the March 2004 issue of Southern Living.
• Lawns--Fertilize cool-season lawns, such as Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass now while they are still growing rapidly. Feed with a slow-release, high-nitrogen fertilizer, such as 29-3-4. Wait to fertilize warm-season lawns, such as Zoysia, Bermuda, and St. Augustine, until after they turn green. If you have centipede, use a product that contains iron and is especially formulated for that type of grass.
• Dogwoods--These symbols of spring deserve a place in every garden. They have been decimated by anthracnose fungi in their native range. Disease-resistant selections include 'Appalachian Spring' and 'Cherokee Sunset.' This tree will bloom best if located in light shade, although it can take more sun with additional mulch and moisture.
• Herbs--Plant thyme, mint, and oregano now so they can get a good start on the season. Be sure to wait until all danger of frost has passed in your area before planting dill, fennel, and basil.
• Early-flowering shrubs--Prune deciduous shrubs, such as spirea, quince, and forsythia, once they have completed blooming. If you wait until summer to prune, you will remove next year's flowers.
• Spring equinox--The first day of spring is March 20. If you have not started a garden journal, begin one now. Note the weather, plants in bloom, chores completed, and plants you add to your garden. Over time these monthly observations will sharpen your gardening skills.