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HINTS & TIPS

MARCH

​​courtesy of Gardeners World magazine https://www.gardenersworld.com/what-to-do-now-march/

Flowers

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  • Pick off any developing seedheads on daffodils and other spring bulbs, but leave the foliage to die back naturally

  • Finish pruning roses early in the month

  • Cut dogwoods, willows, cotinus and paulownia right down to the base to promote vigorous new growth

  • Tidy up alpines as they start to flower, removing dead foliage, then mulch with grit to keep the foliage off damp soil

  • Plant faded forced bulbs out in the garden for blooms next year

  • Plant lilies and other summer-flowering bulbs in pots and borders. 

  • Feed ericaceous shrubs, such as rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and pieris, with an ericaceous fertiliser

  • Tidy up borders, removing established and newly-germinating weeds. 

  • Mulch borders generously with garden compost

  • Plant new roses and other shrubs and climbers

  • Sow wildflower seeds in trays or modules, to produce plants for your own mini-meadow

  • Check tender new shoots for aphids, and remove before infestations get out of hand

  • Continue deadheading spring flowers and any remaining winter bedding so they don't set seed

 

Greenhouse

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  • Get crops off to a good start indoors to transplant into the garden later, such as celeriac, celery, lettuces and parsley

  • Take down bubble insulation in the greenhouse once temperatures start to rise, to let in more light

  • Sow a selection of vibrant annual climbers, such as Spanish flag (Ipomoea lobata) and black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata 'Arizona Glow')

  • Buy good value young bedding plants for growing on to a larger size under glass, or sow your own in a heated propagator

  • Sow dwarf French beans in a large pot for an early indoor crop in June

  • Plant prepared freesia bulbs in pots of rich, loam-based compost, for fragrant flowers indoors this summer

  • Pot up overwintering cannas into fresh compost, water in, then place in a warm spot to spur them into growth

  • Sow sweet peas in deep pots and keep them frost-free in a greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill

  • Take cuttings from dahlia tubers planted last month to raise new plants

  • Protect greenhouse sowings of peas, mangetouts and sweet peas from hungry mice

  • Be vigilant for greenhouse and houseplant pests, such as mealy bugs, and treat straight away

  • Open greenhouse vents on sunny days to prevent humidity building up. 

  • Take basal cuttings from perennials, such as delphiniums and lupins, to root in a pot indoors

Fruit and veg

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  • Avoid carrot root fly by sowing an early crop of carrots under cloches or fleece

  • Sow tomatoes, chillies, sweet peppers and aubergines in pots indoors

  • Plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, at a depth of 10-15cm, spaced about 30cm apart

  • Buy young herbs to plant in containers near your back door, for handy pickings

  • Plant onion and shallot sets, spacing them 10-15cm apart

  • Make the first outdoor sowings of hardy veg, such as spinach, covering with cloches or fleece - find out how else to protect young veg plants

  • Plant early potatoes in trenches on the veg plot, or in large tubs if space is limited. Find out more about the different types of potato

  • Sow parsnips as soon as the soil starts to warm up, as they're slow to germinate and need a long growing seasonPlant a fig 

  • Feed cabbages and other brassicas with nitrogen-rich fertiliser, such as pelleted chicken manure

  • Plant bare-root asparagus crowns in well-drained soil or raised beds, in an open, sunny spot

  • Start hoeing veg beds as soon as the weather starts to warm up, as weeds will germinate quickly

  • Plant strawberries in a hanging basket to keep the fruits away from slugs

  • Give blackcurrant bushes a high-nitrogen feed​

                                                                       Garden maintenance

  • Find out how to give your lawn a spring boost

  • Build or buy a new compost bin, ready to recycle the coming season's garden waste

  • Put slug barrier products around the new shoots of hostas and other susceptible perennials. Find out how to deal with slugs and snails organically

  • Replant pots of bulbs from indoors into borders, once the display is over, then water in well and apply liquid feed

  • Check that tree ties aren't too tight and that stakes are still firmly anchored in the ground

  • Prune out any wind-damaged branches on trees and shrubs

  • Fork up emerging shoots of perennial weeds, such as ground elder, removing every bit of root

  • Place bug boxes or bundles of hollow stems in sheltered corners, where insects can lay their eggs. Find out how to make a bug box

  • Keep putting out food for garden birds, as the breeding season gets underway

  • Chop down winter-grown green manure and dig into the soil, to get the veg plot ready for sowing

  • Cut back winter-flowering jasmine to keep it within bounds and encourage flowers next year

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