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.

GARDEN CHECKLIST FOR FLORIDA

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

Impatiens
For foolproof color in shady areas, plant impatiens now, and enjoy them throughout the summer. They prefer moist, well-drained soil. Pinch the top inch or so off impatiens when planting to make them bushier. Fertilize according to label directions with a product such as Sta-Green 9-Month Indoor/Outdoor Plant Food 18-6-12. Outstanding impatiens include 'Impact Orange,' 'Deco Pink,' 'Impact Red Improved,' 'Impact Rose,' 'Infinity Salmon,' and 'Super Elfin White.'

Entire State

• Lawns--If you didn't fertilize your St. Augustine lawn last month, do so now. Use a product such as Pennington Centipede & St. Augustine Weed & Feed With Atrazine 18-0-18 or Scotts Bonus S Weed and Feed 29-3-4. Carefully follow label directions, especially if using a weed-and-feed product. Wait till April to fertilize centipede lawns because this grass will not make good use of the nutrients until the soil has warmed. Use a product such as those mentioned above.

North and Central

• Flowers--After mid-March, plant flowers that will give color from spring through summer. Ones that tolerate heat include angelonia, coleus, globe amaranth, lantana, melampodium, pentas, wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri), salvia, 'Mona Lavender' plectranthus, and narrow-leaf zinnia.
• Azaleas--When these shrubs finish blooming, prune them if they are too large or leggy. Water weekly during dry weather to encourage new growth. To learn more about this shrub, read "Azaleas Made Simple" on page 79 of the March 2004 issue of Southern Living.
• Vegetables--After midmonth, seed snap beans, pole beans, lima beans, cantaloupes, sweet corn, cucumbers, Southern peas, squash, and watermelons. Set out tomato and pepper plants, or put them in pots. Plant in full sun.

Central and South

• Palms--Use a product such as Vigoro Palm & Ixora Food 6-5-12 or Scotts Palm Food 15-5-15. If you use a weed-and-feed product containing atrazine on your lawn, keep it well away from palms because it can harm them.
• Citrus--Fertilize citrus with a product such as Schultz Expert Gardener Citrus & Tropical Granular Plant Food 10-4-10. Spread the fertilizer over the entire area beneath the tree's canopy and slightly beyond. Water young citrus once a week during periods of no rain.
• Hibiscus--New selections of tropical hibiscus include 'Bridal Veil' (single, white), 'Powder Puff' (double, white), 'Red Dragon' (double, scarlet red), and 'Full Moon' (double, pure yellow). Plant in full sun to partial shade in soil that is moist but well drained.

GARDEN CHECKLIST FOR TEXAS
By William C. Welch

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

Tropical Vines
Train them onto trellises, walls, fences, or topiary stands to add vertical interest and color to your garden. As soon as danger of frost has passed, plant allamandas, passion vines, mandevillas, and bougainvilleas. All of these bloom best in containers and thrive in summer heat. Select a pot 18 inches or more in diameter, and fill it with potting soil. Apply water-soluble fertilizer every few weeks, and provide a sunny location for maximum flowering.

Entire State

• Grass--Alleviate compaction by aerating your lawn. Aeration, or coring, is done with equipment that can be rented affordably at home-and-garden centers. The resulting small holes in the ground let water and fertilizer penetrate the soil more easily while bringing in additional oxygen. The small soil cores on the lawn surface can be pulverized with a mower or allowed to dissolve naturally, providing nutrients and microorganisms.

Panhandle

• Trees--Good choices include Chinese pistache, bur oak, Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), Arizona cypress, Eastern red cedar, and bald cypress. Container-grown trees are easiest to transplant. Set trees at the same depth that they were growing in their containers. To prevent frost injury, wrap trunks with tree paper, available in rolls at nurseries.

Central, East, and South

• Vegetables--Plant sweet corn, green beans, onions, lettuce, collards, mustard, potatoes, and cabbage. As the potatoes emerge, cover their bases with soil to make them more productive. Set out early tomatoes if you can protect them from frost; plant the main crop when the soil warms.

Central, West, and South

• Perennial salvias--For color from spring till frost, set out perennial salvias now. Taller kinds for the back of a border include 'Indigo Spires,' Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha), and anise-scented sage (S. guaranitica). Compact types include autumn sage (S. greggii) and mealycup sage (S. farinacea).

South

• Flowers--Plant zinnias, globe amaranths, marigolds, cleomes, and celosias now for summer color. Set out seeds in well-prepared soil, and thin young plants so they will have enough room to develop properly.

North and East

• Top-dressing lawns--Fine-tune the grading of your lawn by applying a thin layer of sand, compost, peat, or a mix of these products. Use 1 to 2 cubic yards of the material for each 1,000 square feet of turf. Rake evenly so the material will make good contact with the soil.