Things to Do in the Garden this March Part 1

It's hard to believe that it's already March! It's a great time to get active in the garden and plan for a fabulous summer garden in a few months time. Our Garden Pavilion Manager Claire Hayes has put together a gardening to do list for the month of March. Here goes! Sowing, Growing and Planting Continue to plant deciduous hedging plants, shrubs, trees and climbers. This is the best month for planting roses in heavy soils or in cold areas. Avoid planting in areas where roses were previously grown, otherwise new introductions may suffer from replant disease. Feed trees, shrubs and hedges with a balanced fertiliser (such as Growmore or blood, fish and bone), sprinkling it over the root area before hoeing into the soil surface. This will particularly benefit young, weak, damaged or heavily pruned plants.

Roses will benefit from feeding with a granular rose fertiliser as they come into growth. Hardy annuals can be sown in pots or modules to provide colour in the garden. In mild areas you can sow directly outside. Marking out irregularly shaped seedbeds and broadcasting drifts of different seed gives a more natural look.

Early spring is an ideal time to plant herbaceous perennials, including Geranium, Astrantia and Oriental poppies. Plant summer-flowering bulbs. Prepare the soil first, to ensure that drainage is sufficient to prevent the bulbs rotting. Anemone coronaria tubers need particularly well-drained soils. Plan a continuous crop of cut flowers for this summer add Perennials such as delphiniums and annuals to produce a useful and beautiful display. Pot up houseplants showing signs of being root-bound or top dress large containers with fresh compost. Indoor forced bulbs that were in the house for winter displays, but which have now finished flowering, can now be planted into the garden, taking care not to disturb the roots. Pruning and Propagation Divide and/or plant bulbs, such as snowdrops (Galanthus) and winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis), if not done last month. Divide clumps of herbaceous perennials that you want to propagate, those that have become too large for their allotted space, and those that are flowering poorly or have lost their shape. Continue to deadhead winter-flowering pansies and other winter bedding. Pansies will carry on into the spring and even to early summer, if attended to frequently. Deadhead the flowers of Narcissus (daffodils) as they fade, but allow the foliage to die down naturally. More gardening advice will follow from Claire later this week!