Florida Garden Checklist
Texas Garden Checklist

Spring-Blooming Trees
Redbuds, Oriental magnolias, flowering cherries, dogwoods, serviceberries, peaches, and fringe trees can add seasonal color to your yard. Plant three o five of the same selection to create more impact in the landscape.

You can also cut the branches and use them for bouquets. To learn how, see "Spring's Early Gifts" on page 68 of the February 2004 issue of Southern Living.

• Weeds--Remove these pesky plants from dormant warm-season lawns by hand-pulling or applying a broadleaf weed control such as Weed-B-Gon or Weed Stop. Use a granular crabgrass preventer, such as Sta-Green Crab-Ex or Scotts Halts, to kill the crabgrass just as it is sprouting. To learn more, read "Zap Winter Weeds" on page 72 of the February 2004 issue of Southern Living.
• Orchids--For color indoors that lasts for six weeks or more, try moth orchids (Phalaenopsis sp.). They can be purchased at garden centers, nurseries, and grocery stores. When selecting orchids, choose plants that have just one or two flowers open with lots of buds.
• Forsythia--It's starting to bloom now and is easy to grow. Folks who are captivated by this shrub's bright yellow blooms often plant several forsythias without realizing how large they will grow. These people end up pruning their plants harshly, destroying their graceful form. Just remember to give them room, because the 1-gallon pots you buy today can produce 8-foot-tall plants in just a few years. Their natural form is fountain-like and best displayed in woodland borders. 'Spectabilis' is a larger growing, showy selection. If you do not have a lot of room, try planting smaller ones such as 'Goldtide' or 'Fiesta,' which grow 4 feet high or less.
• Peas--Sow English or sugar snap peas in your garden now. Seed while the weather is cool to give plants time to grow, flower, and set fruit before it gets too hot. Try 'Maestro' English peas and 'Super Sugar Snap' peas. For more information on sugar snaps, read "Peas That Please" on page of the February 2004 issue of Southern Living.
• Soil preparation--Now is a good time to do a test to determine soil pH. You can send a sample to your local Extension office or purchase a testing kit from a garden center. The mild days of winter are perfect for getting soil ready for next season's vegetables. Use a garden fork to turn small areas or a tiller for larger spaces. Incorporate organic matter such as peat, rotted compost, or shredded leaves. Add lime or gypsum, if necessary.
• Roses--Good selections are available now at garden centers. If you purchase bare-root roses, soak roots overnight in water. When planting, add organic matter to help the soil retain moisture as new roots become established.

GARDEN CHECKLIST FOR FLORIDA

Garden Checklist (for all Southern states except Florida and Texas)
Texas Garden Checklist

Flowering Trees
Add color to your landscape by planting blooming trees. In North Florida, saucer magnolia hybrids (Magnolia x soulangeana) brighten February days with large tulip-shaped flowers in lavender, purple, or white. Red maple (Acer rubrum), native to all of Florida, has small red blooms from late January to February. In Central and South Florida, orchid tree (Bauhinia sp.) provides purple or white blooms year-round. African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) shows its orange-red flowers in South Florida from late winter to early spring. You can also cut the branches and use them for bouquets. To learn how, see "Spring's Early Gifts" on page 68 of the February 2004 issue of Southern Living.

North and Central

• Blueberries--Plant in a well-drained spot in full to partial sun. Blueberries need acid soil. Mixing 1 part peat to 2 parts soil will help to lower the pH. Choose selections such as 'Beckyblue,' 'Brightwell,' 'Chaucer,' 'Woodard,' 'Bluegem,' 'Bonita,' and 'Climax.' Plant more than one type to aid in pollination.
• Ground covers and ornamental grasses--Prune tired plantings of liriope and mondo grass early in the month to remove old, spotted, or blighted growth. Cut the plants back to just above the light green new growth, which will be emerging from the center of the base. Trim ornamental grasses such as miscanthus, removing old growth just above emerging new growth. To trim Asiatic jasmine, set the lawnmower on the highest setting or use a blade trimmer to cut it to a height of about 4 inches.
• Shrubs--Add spring-flowering shrubs such as azaleas, Chinese fringes, and gardenias. Water several times a week if they don't receive enough rainfall. Continue to water twice weekly into the summer.
• Pruning--Before the end of the month, finish pruning all evergreen plants except for those that flower in the spring, such as azaleas. Trim spring bloomers after they flower.

Central and South

• Vegetables--By the middle of the month, you can plant seeds of beans, cucumbers, and squash and set out tomato and pepper plants. Place in full sun. Be prepared to cover them in the event of a late freeze. Or plant vegetables such as cherry tomatoes and peppers in containers that can be brought inside during freezes.

South

• Lawns--By late in the month, it is safe to apply a pre-emergence herbicide for weed control in lawns. Combination fertilizer/herbicide products that contain atrazine and a 15-0-15 fertilizer, such as Sta-Green Centipede Weed & Feed and Vigoro Ultra Turf Centipede Weed & Feed, are good choices, even for St. Augustine lawns.

GARDEN CHECKLIST FOR TEXAS
by William C. Welch

Garden Checklist (for all Southern states except Florida and Texas)
Florida Garden Checklist

Petunias
Choose brightly colored selections for sunny areas of the garden, and mix them with sweet alyssums and the silver foliage of dusty millers. Set them among spring-flowering daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and snowflakes (Leucojum sp.). As the bulbs complete their bloom cycles, the petunias will conceal their yellowing foliage while providing continuing color.

Petunias are cold hardy and usually make it through our winters. They are also effective in containers. Small, single-flowered petunias are more successful in our climate than double or large ruffled types.

Entire State

• Fruits and berries--Pears such as 'Orient,' 'Ayers,' and 'Warren' are great as stand-alone trees or in borders. Japanese persimmons, such as 'Tanenashi,' 'Eureka,' and 'Fuyu,' are dependable producers and are handsome as small trees. Thornless blackberries, such as 'Navaho,' 'Arapaho,' and 'Apache,' provide delicious fruit during late spring and early summer.

Panhandle

• Bird boxes--Install new and renovated bird boxes. Each one should be mounted on a post 4 to 5 feet above the ground. When buying or making bluebird boxes, be sure that they can be opened for cleaning.

Central, East, and South

• Potatoes--Choose a sunny, well-drained site, and work soil to a depth of 8 to 10 inches. Make rows 2 to 3 feet apart, and stagger holes at 1-foot intervals. Cut the seed potatoes into large chunks, each with at least one eye. Let them dry for several hours before placing in the holes and covering. Even if frost damages new shoots as they emerge, plants usually recover.

Central, West, and South

• Ground covers--Plant evergreen ground covers in shade. Asiatic jasmine, vinca, purple-leaf Japanese honeysuckle, liriope, and mondo grass are good for our area. Lay out a shape with a garden hose; then remove turf and weeds. Add 3 to 5 inches of organic material, such as composted pine bark, peat, or compost, and till or turn under as tree roots allow. Space plants 12 to 15 inches apart, mulch, and water well.

South

• Small trees--Among the best flowering types are chaste tree (Vitex sp.), Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora), desert willow (Chilopsis linearis), wild olive (Cordia boissieri), and crepe myrtle.

North and East

• Peaches--Prune trees annually to keep them healthy. Begin by opening the center of the tree to let light penetrate; then shorten topgrowth and side branches so that all the parts are accessible. Remove lower limbs and water sprouts (shoots growing vertically from the base or larger branches).