- Cut ornamental perennial grasses back to between two and four inches from the ground. DO NOT prune the evergreen varieties. Simply comb any brown or broken leaves out with your hand. Be sure to wear gloves as some varieties have seriated leaf edges.
- Divide Rhubarb that has been growing for a few years. Split the crown with a spade, remove one half of the plant and leave the other half undisturbed. Further divide the piece removed from the ground into pieces. Each piece should have a visible emerging crown.
- Plant summer flowering bulbs now and next month; gladiolas, dahlias and lilies.
- Start cool season crops indoors, under lights, to be set out in April. Cool season plants are: Arugula, Asparagus, Bok choi, Broccoli, Cabbage, Celery, Chives, Eggplant, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Onions, Parsley, Peppers, Tomatillo and Tomatoes.
- As soon as flower stems are visible, old leaves on Helleborus can be pruned off to give full view of the flowers. After flowers have been open for several weeks new leaves will begin to appear.
- Check dahlia and Gladiola bulbs in storage for mold or rot. Discard any that are soft or diseased.
- Plants seeded in the fall as a cover crop on your vegetable garden beds are likely in bloom or getting ready to bloom. Trim off the foliage with hedge shears into lengths of about two to four inches. Trim as close to the ground as possible. Using a shovel or garden fork, turn under the remainder of the plant so that the rooted ends are facing up and the whole clump is upside down in the hole it came out of. This will begin the decomposition process and should be done about two weeks before planting begins.
