March
Our top jobs and advice for the month:
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Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials.
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Top dress containers with fresh compost.
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Start feeding fish and using the pond fountain.
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Open the greenhouse or conservatory doors and vents on warm days.
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Keep on top of pruning climbing plants and tidy up Winter shrubs. March is a great month to prune varieties such as Sambucus, Buddleia, Hydrangea or Fuchsias. Rose bushes will need pruning from mid-March, making sure any dying or diseased stems are removed as well as shoots which have become damaged. Fertilise soil well with organic compost and rose feed to their base.
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Service the lawnmower to make sure it is good for purpose and your blades are still sharp. The first lawn trims, lawn feeding and lawn sanding should start in March during dry weather in order to promote healthy lawn growth through the year.
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Lawn edges also need tidying up to define border edges. Avoid cutting too low and scalping the grass! Lawn sanding will help prevent moss and also contains feed.
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Bare patches in your lawn can attract weeds so new turf or re-seeding now along with good watering will repair these patches and prevent any new weeds from becoming a problem for your lawn. Lawn sand, seed, patch repair and lawn feed all available in store.
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Protect new bulb shoots from insects and slugs with organic pellets.
Preparation
Once the last of your Winter jobs are done, it is important to prepare your garden as March is an important month for planting. Deal with weeds before they get out of hand, clear the remains of last year’s beds and borders before bulbs come through, and dig compost into your beds, especially with heavy clay soil as planting will become easier and more effective with this preparation. If very clayey soil, use Clay Breaker to break the soil up.
Plant your Veg and Fruit
Once the soil starts to warm up again, you should also start to plant early varieties of seed potatoes, shallots and onion sets in your vegetable garden. Other Seed potatoes require a little more chitting. March is an ideal time to plant Strawberry plants, Raspberry canes and other soft fruit such as Loganberry or Taberry. Why not try in a hanging basket which will create a beautiful yet edible display later in the year.
