Weeding Earlier Rather Than Later, By Tony Tomeo

Your March Horoscope Times Publishing Group, Inc. ••• www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aries (March 21-April 20) It can be difficult to put effort into the most important connections, especially when an emotional lethargy comes over you early in March. This makes it hard for others to deal with you while you’re in this mood, and makes it difficult for you to find the energy to care. You’re feeling much more energized mid-month. In fact, you feel like you’re your best self right now! But your reversed motivation is still a bit myopic. Do your best to not loose site of those helping you to your success and cheering you on. Late in the month you’re feeling a bit reckless. It can be fun to take risks, but you should still make sure you know what the consequences might be. Taurus (April 21-May 21) You find yourself struggling with a sense of loneliness as the month begin. There are times you want to be alone, but it can be difficult when you don’t seem to have a choice. There is change in the air mid-month, which is nice after the last week or two. Whatever doesn’t feel right in your life is a good target for starting a new path for your life. Romance is filling the air as March comes to a close. Have you met someone new? Are you ready to step up in a current relationship? This feels like a good time to take a step forward.

Gemini (May 22-June 21) You’re in a social mood early in the month. Doesn’t matter if you’re life-long friends or you just met: your conversations are not to be missed. “Life of the Party” indeed. By mid-March, you’re still in a mood to talk, but now is the time for tackling issues one at a time. The more people you have to deal with at the same time, the more difficult it will be to communicate properly. Your focus moves to the downtrodden as you look for new tasks to take on at the end of the month. Time for a fundraiser!

Cancer (June 22-July 22) You’re in an imaginative and inventive state of mind as March begins. So many ideas are flowing through you; now is the time to act! You’re ready to get organized through the middle of the month, something that hasn’t been your forte recently. In fact, maybe everyone suggesting you should has finally penetrated, but you’re in the mood to do the work now. Something has made clear late in the month how much you have to be thankful for. All the positive energy surrounding you is bleeding out, and thanking those who help make your life amazing feels like a natural act right now. Leo (July 23-Aug. 23) Some think a bit of strangeness can be daunting, but you’re reveling in your own weirdness as the month begins. The attention you’re drawing isn’t unwanted either. Your competitive genes are straining for action mid-month, and your friends and family find themselves on the receiving end. And you’re not in the mood to be affable if you’re not winning. You’ve calmed down by the end of March, which will be helpful if there are any relationships you may have put a strain on this month. Talking through any problems that have arose is the best thing you can do. Virgo (Aug. 24-Sep. 22) You’re looking ahead early in the month, thinking about new things and brainstorming new ideas. Find some other people that can help you gather those thoughts and make them reality. Whatever comes out of those sessions could be very useful mid-March, and you could be ready to capitalize on the results. Time to go from theory to practice. Late in the month, your energy continues to push you forward. But it’s also a time to reflect on what your doing, because you’ll likely succeed, for better or for worse.

Libra (Sep. 23-Oct. 23) There is stress in your life early in March; a sour energy that makes interacting with others dif- ficult. It’s hard to find your balance when it feels like everything is against you. Try to find some positive as you push through the miasma. You’re feeling a bit caged mid-month, and yet you’re also not looking to spend much. If there was a better time for finding the best deals on things you could use, we can think of it. Late in the month a feeling of optimism starts to replace the stress and fog from the before. You can finally see the positive things in your life and how to take the next steps forward.

Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) You feel smart! The start of the month is a perfect time to dive into projects and new ideas you’ve been ruminating on recently. Your usual circle may not be able to follow your plans though, so finding some like-minded people to bounce ideas off could help. Mid-month is the time to act upon your ideas. All the planning and discussion from before are ready to put into motion. Time to make dreams come true! As March comes to a close, you still find yourself focused and driven, but you also have a confidence and sense of self that others seem to be drawn too. They can see your bright future, too. Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) There’s an intellectual air about you early in the month, something that you’re having a hard time reigning in. You don’t mean to talk over people’s heads, but you do seem to be explaining yourself more than usual. You always have a desire to succeed, but the fire lit late in March is pushing you harder than ever. You know your goal, and you’re ready to put in more effort than you ever have to achieve it. As the month comes to a close, even you are surprised by what you’re accomplishing. Now isn’t the time to be distracted, but a short break to offer those less fortunate some help does feel important.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) It’s a rough time for you early in March. You’re not the most enjoyable companion at the moment, but that’s not the worst thing in the world. You’ve been here before; you’ll come out of it again. You’re feeling more social mid-month, but you’re even more interested in working though tasks you’ve let linger. You’ll be in a much better place when all these chores are behind you. As the month comes to a close, your diligence has left you with a rare sense of freedom to pursue some frivolous indulgences. It’s time to have some fun! Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb. 18) You’re thinking about the future as the month begins. Not just yours, but your friends, your family, maybe even the whole world. You want to make everything better, so don’t keep your ideas to yourself. You’re feeling a need for freedom mid-month. You know there are parts of your life that seem to be holding you back, and it’s going to take some work to find your way out. Late in March, the desire to break free grows stronger. It’s harder to be polite now. Time to make something happen! Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20) Your desire for beauty is strong as the month begins. A beautiful sunrise, a lovely art exhibit, a gorgeously-set table, a perfect necklace; any form of beauty is calling to you, and you’re not thinking about the cost (at least, not right now). Your shyness is coming to the forefront midMarch, making it hard to socialize or put yourself forward. This isn’t the best time to be on a podium, although you could probably push through individual interactions. You’re feeling much more social as the month comes to a close … in fact, your desires are embarrassingly strong, leaving you looking for alternative outlets.

FEATURED COLUMNIST Weeding Earlier Rather Than Later

By Tony Tomeo

Weeding is not much fun. Some of us might enjoy the relaxing monotony of productive weeding. Realistically though, most of us would prefer to do something else in the garden. There is certainly plenty of other chores that need to be done now, after earlier rain, and before the weather gets significantly warmer. However, such weather is why it is important to start weeding earlier than later.

By definition, weeds are weeds, because they are unwanted. They get to be unwanted by dominating space and exploiting resources more aggressively than wanted plants. Some innately grow faster and more aggressively than most other plants. Some are innately prolific with seed. Some employ multiple tactics to gain unfair advantages. Weeding is how we help our gardens compete.

Weeds grow throughout the year. Most slow down through the dry warmth of summer, and many die off then. However, there are always some weeds growing somewhere. When they die off, it is only after they have dispersed seed for their next generation. Some generate a few generations annually. Some are perennial weeds, or even shrubs, vines and trees, which survive for many years.

Weeding is more of a concern now because the majority of weeds grow so much more aggressively after the earliest rain of winter. Warming weather later in winter accelerates their proliferation. This is the time of year that weeds start to crowd desirable plants. If weeding is delayed for too long, weeds eventually bloom and toss seed. Some weeds extend stolons to disperse vegetatively.

The good news is that the same rain that promotes the proliferation of weeds

also facilitates weeding. Weeds are easier to pull while the soil is still damp than they will be as the soil dries later in spring and summer. Also, while weeds are still fresh and turgid, they are less likely to leave roots or stolons behind in the soil. They are more difficult to pull intact as they begin to deteriorate later.

Furthermore, weeding should be done before weeds bloom and disperse seed for subsequent generations. Some are sneaky and quick.

••• Silk Tassel W ith so many exotic species to enjoy in our gardens, it is easy to miss what might be growing wild just beyond. Silk tassel, Garrya elliptica, is endemic to coastal slopes within 30 miles of the ocean, between San Luis Obispo and Newport, Oregon. Yet, it seems to be more popular abroad than it is here at home. It is more adaptable to refined landscapes than most other natives are.

Silk tassel is more tolerant to supplemental irrigation than most other species from the same region are. It actually prefers to be irrigated at least occasionally through summer, particularly in drier and warmer climates. However, as a native, it is resilient to lapses of irrigation too. If necessary for form or confinement, awkward and obtrusive stems can be selectively pruned out after bloom.

Long and elegantly pendulous catkins of tiny pale grayish white flowers bloom late in winter or early in spring. After bloom, dried catkins linger prettily into summer. Garden varieties are male, with longer blooms. ‘James Roof’ can produce catkins nearly a foot long. Female plants in the wild bloom with shorter catkins. Glossy evergreen leaves are two to three inches long with wavy margins. n ••• Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at tonytomeo.com . Rain makes weeds grow like weeds.