March gardening: transplant window
March is the last reliable window to transplant certain shrubs if you want this season’s blooms—experts warn moving them later risks losing flowers []. Planting staples for long‑lasting spring color right now: daffodils, tulips and pansies—plus pros say prune at the right time, give roses early attention, and prep hydrangeas for a strong summer [][].
Gardening Know How flagged the item this week under author Tyler Schuster; the piece appeared online in mid‑March 2026 and is credited to Schuster. (gardeningknowhow.com) The article highlights species‑specific handling: lilac (Syringa vulgaris) should be dug with a wide rootball rather than a narrow one, should not be fertilized immediately after transplant, and should be watered and mulched to settle the root zone. (gardeningknowhow.com) The write‑up stresses urgency by noting some shrubs break dormancy quickly — “wait three weeks” is framed as a meaningful difference — and it echoes RHS guidance that specimens in the ground for more than five years are much less likely to survive a move, while evergreens are best shifted in October or late March. (gardeningknowhow.com) Companion coverage on spring plantings ran on Gardening Know How this week, but bulb‑timing guidance from the Old Farmer’s Almanac and Missouri Botanical Garden still recommends planting tulip and daffodil bulbs in autumn (about 6–8 weeks before the first hard freeze), while pansies are routinely staged as cool‑season transplants in early spring. (gardeningknowhow.com)
