It’s March –
don’t panic! There are some years when you can hardly get outside during
January and February, so March is busy catching up with all the clearing and
preparation tasks that can be ticked off by now in milder years.
However, that’s
the reality attached to the vagaries of our climate and it’s not the end of the
world, you just have to concentrate on what needs to happen now and catch up
later.
There are an
endless number of maintenance tasks, but you will know best what needs to be
done in you garden before new growth makes it impossible.
Sowing and Planting
You can sow hardy annuals outside now in their allocated position.
Shrubs and bare-roots can still be planted happily in March and if the
weather is mild, perennials can go out at the end of the month. You are often
safer waiting a couple of weeks until spring is well established.
Pruning and plant
management
Deadhead
your spring flowering plants such as Pansies to keep them flowering. Remember
to take the whole head, or stem if it looks untidy and this will force the
plant to keep producing new flowers.
Tidy up Hydrangeas now. The brown flowerheads can now be taken off, cutting
down to just above a pair of healthy buds. You will know the time is right when
those buds start to swell. If the shrub requires renovation, cut a quarter of
the older stems down to the base.
There
are some vigorous shrubs which can be pruned now to avoid too much growth over
the summer. Here is Glasgow a great example is Elder, which can grow large,
overtake everything and give little back. Buddleja, Dogwoods and Cotinus are
other examples. You will know in your own garden what starts to take off around
this time!
Divide
and replant Snowdrops whilst they are ‘in the green’ which helps them to
establish better.
Divide
larger clumps of Hostas and other herbaceous perennials such as Rudbeckia and
Heleniums. This way you can increase your stock and extend the reach of each
plant by creating swathes and groups which blend into each other, enrichening
your borders.
Take
off the top layer of compost/detritus/moss etc. from your pots and apply a
layer of fresh compost to give those plants a boost and to make the pots look
smarter.
Sow
broad beans outside, if you have not started them out under cover.
Feed
all your established fruit trees and bushes. Potash will encourage fruiting.
Chit
potatoes in a warm bright position to develop nice strong shoots. Rub off all
but a couple of strong shoots and concentrate on developing those.
You
can still move dormant shrubs at this time, before they burst into new growth.
Maintenance
and Planning
Get on top of
weeds from the word go! Use your hoe to lightly scrape off the new young shoots
in your flowerbeds, leaving them on the surface to die and rot back into the
soil.
Power-wash
your slabbed areas and terraces and then treat your gravel and paved areas with
weedkiller before the weeds start to grow.
Dig manure
into beds where you will be growing crops (carrots do not like this, so avoid
that area).
Prepare seedbed if you intend to sow areas of your garden. Dig over the
bed, breaking up clumps of soil with the back of your rake and then rake to a
fine tilth.
Keep buying your
Summer-flowering bulbs!