ZONE	CLIMATIC DESCRIPTION
	Zone 7	Warm Summer - Humid Continental Monthly Averages for Seneca, SC (29672) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Average Temperature (°F) High   Low   Minimum Period of Record: 30 years Month Avg. High Avg. Low Mean Avg. Precip. Record High Record Low Jan 52°F 30°F 41°F 5.59 in. 80°F (1949) -5°F (1940) Feb 57°F 32°F 45°F 4.84 in. 82°F (1930) 1°F (1958) Mar 64°F 39°F 52°F 5.81 in. 89°F (1995) 4°F (1980) Apr 73°F 47°F 60°F 3.91 in. 92°F (1980) 24°F (1971) May 80°F 56°F 68°F 4.36 in. 100°F (1941) 32°F (1989) Jun 87°F 64°F 75°F 3.70 in. 105°F (1952) 42°F (1984) Jul 91°F 68°F 79°F 4.24 in. 105°F (1952) 49°F (1933) Aug 89°F 67°F 78°F 4.66 in. 104°F (1983) 53°F (1931) Sep 83°F 61°F 72°F 4.09 in. 102°F (1954) 34°F (1967) Oct 74°F 48°F 61°F 4.01 in. 98°F (1954) 23°F (1954) Nov 64°F 40°F 52°F 4.22 in. 86°F (1931) 10°F (1950) Dec 55°F 32°F 44°F 4.58 in. 81°F (1955) 2°F (1962)       Moody Gardens Before planting this spring, think of what emotions and feelings you want the garden to project. While this may sound a bit New Age, colors in the garden can impact our feelings. Want to create a retreat where one can relax and unwind after a busy day? Use the cool shades of blue, delicate pinks, rose and lilac or creamy white. Need a jolt in the morning to get you moving? Try hot colors like bright orange, vivid reds and radiant yellows and purples to cheer you up and get you started for a great day.

• March garden to Do's
• Plant your cool-season veggies such as lettuce, carrots, turnips, spinach and radishes.
• Growing annuals from seeds usually offers the largest varieties for gardeners. Now is a good time to start up the seed trays indoors.
• Trees and shrubs that are beginning to stir will benefit from an application of time-release fertilizer now.
• Do mild stretching exercises daily to tone up winter-weary muscles for the pushing, pulling, reaching, grabbing, bending and digging to come.
• As new leaves start to appear on roses, begin regular fungicide applications to prevent rust, black spot and powdery mildew.
• Want to try an Earth-friendly fungicide on your roses? Mix a tablespoon of baking soda and a drop or two of liquid detergent into a gallon of water. This should be sprayed on foliage regularly throughout the growing season.
• Many summer-bloomers such as althea, crape myrtle, oleander, buddleia, pomegranate and vitex flower on new wood, so prune early this month to encourage more blooms.
• Early-blooming shrubs such as spirea, forsythia and flowering quince are best pruned after their flowers fade.
• New plants and fresh foliage attract old enemies. Watch for aphids attacking the developing leaves, and cutworms cutting down young annuals as they emerge from the ground.
• If your Camellia japonica specimens are still lighting up the landscape, rake up the spent flowers weekly and dispose of them to prevent camellia petal blight.
• Migrating birds will soon be returning, so clean old nests out of birdhouses, wash the birdbath and remove old seed from feeders.

How late can you plant in Zone 7

As long as the plants are fully hardy for your zone and your soil is not frozen, you can plant at ANY time during the winter months. While it doesn't get quite as cold in winter as zone 8, I have still installed a complete landscape in mid-December, just hours before the temps plummeted to the teens and stayed there for a week. Never lost a plant.

Click on Clemson for this month in your Garden

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