Spring is starting to show itself in the garden, and March is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the garden coming back to life after winter. There’s plenty to do this month, from planting and sowing to pruning and tidying. Here are some of the key gardening jobs to focus on in March.
- Start by planting your first early potatoes. Ideally, seed potatoes should be chitted first by placing them in a cool, bright spot for around four to six weeks so they can sprout. If you haven’t done this, don’t worry — you can still plant them now.
- It’s also a good time to plant onion sets. Young shoots can be tempting for pigeons, so it’s worth covering them with netting until the plants are well established.
- If you enjoy growing vegetables from seed, March is perfect for sowing tomatoes and chilli peppers indoors. A sunny windowsill or greenhouse will give them the warmth and light they need to get off to a strong start and enjoy a long growing season.
- Summer-flowering bulbs such as gladioli, lilies and dahlias can be planted in pots indoors now. Starting them off early means they’ll be ready to move outside once the risk of frost has passed.
- As spring bulbs fade, deadhead your daffodils but leave the foliage to die back naturally. The leaves help feed the bulb for next year’s flowers, so avoid tying or plaiting them.
- Once snowdrops have finished flowering, it’s a great opportunity to lift and divide large clumps. Replant the smaller sections to encourage them to spread and give you an even better display next spring.
- March is also a good time to prune bush roses. Remove any dead, damaged or crossing stems, along with thin, weak growth. Then shorten the remaining stems by about a third, cutting just above an outward-facing bud so the plant grows into an open shape.
- Mophead hydrangeas can also be pruned now. Simply cut the old flowered stems back to the first strong pair of buds below the faded flower heads.
- Shrubby dogwoods benefit from a hard prune in early spring. Cutting the stems back to around 15cm above ground level encourages fresh new growth, which produces the colourful stems that brighten the garden in winter.
- Fruit trees will benefit from a mulch of compost or well-rotted manure. Just be sure to keep the mulch away from the trunk to prevent rot.
- Before trees and shrubs begin putting on new leaves, March is also a good time to move any deciduous plants that need repositioning.
- A bit of outdoor cleaning can make a big difference too. Take the time to clean patios and decking to remove moss and algae so they’re ready to enjoy in the warmer months.
- Give your roses a spring feed with a specialist rose fertiliser. Acid-loving plants such as blueberries, camellias and rhododendrons will also benefit from an ericaceous feed.
- Vegetable beds can be weeded and mulched with compost or well-rotted manure to prepare them for the season ahead.
- Finally, refresh the compost in pots containing shrubs. Remove the top few centimetres of old compost and replace it with fresh compost to give plants a boost.
With so much happening in the garden this month, it’s a great time to get started. We have a fantastic range of plants, seeds and garden tools to help you make the most of the season, so feel free to come in and see us at Carpenters Nursery.
