March

Top jobs for March

• Mow the lawn on dry days (if needed).

• Feed all your plants with a balanced fertiliser to support new growth.

• Protect new spring shoots from slugs .

• Remember garden hygiene – regularly deadhead and clear up dead leaves etc.

• Don’t let pots become too dry – keep them moist but not water logged.

• Construct or modify rock gardens.

• Keep greenhouse heaters working efficiently.

• Re-pot houseplants into bigger pots.

• Plant hardy herbs e.g., >Mint, Sage, Thyme

 

Flowers

• Finish off pruning Roses and give them a good feed.

• Prune back autumn flowering Clematis.

• Take the old flower heads off winter flowering heathers and trim the plants to shape.

• Mulch any areas of garden missed in the autumn.

• Cut back Cornus and Salix stems to encourage new growth next year

• Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials.

• Plant summer-flowering bulbs.

• Cutting off the old leaves from hellebores at ground level will expose the flowers and reduce the chance of foliar diseases.

• Plant herbaceous perennials.

• Divide and/or plant snowdrop bulbs while they still have leaves on them - In mild areas you can sow Sweet peas outside.

• Cut back ornamental grasses and other perennials to make way for new growth.

• Divide clumps of herbaceous perennials that you want to propagate. Good examples are those that have grown too big or that are flowering poorly.

• Divide hostas before the leaves appear but don’t Divide hellebores until after they have flowered.

• Keep deadheading winter bedding plants such winter-flowering pansies to prolong your display.

 

Fruit

• Mulch Raspberry canes with compost or manure.

• This is the latest time that bare-root fruit bushes and trees can be planted.

• In warmer areas spray Peaches and Nectarines to help control Peach leaf curl.

 

Vegetables

• In mild areas plant early crop potatoes and shallots.

• Finish digging over ground.

 

Lawns

• Lay new turf when there is no frost - Don’t cut newly laid turf until the grass reaches 2in (5cm) in height. Turf can be laid but be careful not to compact the soil.

• If seeding a lawn prepare the area now.

• If cutting grass, cut with the mower set at its highest setting.

 

Greenhouse, Sheds and House plants

• Sow seeds of beetroot, leek, lettuce and summer cabbage in a heated greenhouse.

• Sow tender annuals in a heated propagator.

• Start Dahlia tubers into growth.

• Watch out for fungal diseases and spray if necessary.

• Deadhead amaryllis leaving the flower stalks to die down. If you keep feeding and watering them you may get further flowers in late summer as well as next winter.

• Passion flower and jasmine can be thinned out to keep them tidy. Cut last years growth back to two or three buds from the main frame.

• Prune back stems on pot-grown over-wintered fuchsias. Soft tip cuttings (these are the soft and bending stems) can also be taken from fuchsias this month.

• Top dress containers with fresh compost.

 

Trees, shrubs, hedges and climbers

• It’s still okay to plant deciduous hedging plants, shrubs and trees.

• Some shrubs such as Buddleja are usually cut back very hard (stooled) to keep them at a manageable size.

• March is a good month to plant roses especially if you live in colder areas but remember not to plant them where roses have been planted previously.

• Prune standard and bush roses as they start growing but before the leaves start to unfurl.

• Don’t prune any spring-flowering shrubs until after they have flowered otherwise you will lose this years display.

• Renovated deciduous climbers will be easy now – live stems will have buds so prune out the dead stems with no buds.

• If you have any plants with leaves that are two colours (Variegated - often green and white) cut out any branches with leaves that are all one colour or the whole plant will eventually revert to only one colour and lose its interest.

 

Soils, mulching and weed control

• Weeds come back in to growth - deal with them before they get out of hand.

• Place mulch around new plants to prevent weeds, retain moisture and improve the soil.

 

Pond

• Start feeding fish – a little and often is best.

• Check that the pumps are working, clean out the filters and start to feed the fish.

 

Plants which are at their best in March

  Helleborus Orientalis (Lenten Rose)

Camellia 'Donation'

Double Primula (Primrose)

Corydalis (Pere David)

Clematis Armandii

 

TOP TIP: If you didn’t do it last autumn it’s not too late to scarify the lawn – raking out dead moss and thatch. This will encourage new grass growth.

TOP TIP: If the soil is wet stand on a plank of wood rather than treading on the soil otherwise you may compact the soil.

TOP TIP: Try to protect any new growth on lilies, delphiniums, hostas and similar plants from slugs and snails.

TOP TIP: Remember to water azaleas with rainwater and not with tap water.

TOP TIP: If the leaves on your indoor Cyclamen start to turn yellow you may be over-watering it.

TOP TIP: Keep an eye on the water level of your pond to make sure the frost hasn’t caused any leeks.