March Tips
March Jobs
In the Garden
Pruning Activities
- Prune later flowering shrubs to establish new season growth.
- Cut back herbaceous perennials to ground level that have been left over winter
- Cut back deciduous grasses down to ground level being careful not to cut off any tips of new growthCut back dogwoods hard (to 20cm) to improve stem colour next winter
- If you haven’t already pruned your roses do so as soon as possible, it’s also a good idea to spray with RoseClear as soon as the leaves emerge to prevent black spot and aphids.
- Deadhead your pansies/violas and primroses to prolong flowering.
- Pruning Hydrangeas
Cut mopheads/lacecaps back to a healthy pair of buds, they flower on last seasons growth.
Cut H. paniculata and H. arborescens (Annabelle) back to 20cm for a shorter plant with sturdier flower stems or up to 60cm for a more natural look. These species are later flowering, they flower on this seasons growth.
Planting Activities
- Now is the perfect time to plant and we have a fantastic range of starter perennials – a cost effective way to to fill new beds or just to fill any gaps.
- Plant summer-flowering bulbs/tubers e.g. Dahlias, Nerines, Gladioli & Lilies
- Choose a dry day to mow your lawn. This wet winter has been tough on lawns and you may need to re-seed or replace bare areas with turf, now is the time to start preparing your lawn for this.
The Indoor Garden
- Re-pot pot-bound houseplants between now and early summer to allow the roots to fill the pot before winter, only go up one pot size and use a houseplant compost. Be careful not to over-water.
- Turn your plants to prevent leaning
- Remove spent flowers from Hippeastrum [Amaryllis]. Keep feeding and watering until the leaves start to turn yellow and die down. Don’t remove the leaves until they die back naturally. Then stop so that the bulb can rest.
- Start to feed citrus plants weekly when the clocks change. You can start to acclimatize them to being outside as soon as any chance of frost has passed. If your citrus plant is pot-bound then now is a god time to repot (either use citrus compost or John Innes No.3 with added grit)
- Start feeding houseplants with Houseplant Focus feed fortnightly to keep them in tip-top condition through the growing season.
The Kitchen Garden
- Prune blueberries, remove any damaged/dead stems, blueberries can be cut back by 25%.
- It’s your last chance to plant raspberry canes.
- No space/ time to grow veg from seed? Vegetable plug plants will be available from next week
- Sow tomato, peppers and cucumber seed ready for planting out in approx. 6 weeks time
- Other veggie seeds can be sown now including peas, broad beans, lettuce and carrots
- Apply Growmore around the base of soft fruit plants
- First early potatoes can be planted out now with caution (protect from frost if required)
- Protect early flowers on peaches, nectarines and apricots from frost. A curtain of polythene may be all that is needed. Hand-pollinate flowers with a very soft brush.
- Plant onion sets and shallots
Gardening for wildlife
- Don’t spray Dandelions in your garden, leave them alone for the bees. They are a great early food source, particularly for Pantaloon bees
- Keep feeding the birds
- Consider leaving a wild area when you are tidying up your garden this spring, it’s a fantastic way to help pollinators
- Hedgehogs emerge from hibernation in March, so leave out cat/dog food and water for them
- Plant nectar and pollen-rich plants in your garden. Avoid double flowers and sterile flowers. Possibilities include Lavender, Hebe, Cosmos, Aquilegias, Echinacea, Helenium, Scabious, Foxgloves.