Gardening Tips for March
Well as I write this towards the end of January, we have had a few days of nasty fog and frost, so no gardening possible unless you have a greenhouse! However it will now be warming up, I hope, so lots to be done.
If you have cornus (dogwood) or salix (willow) varieties grown for their colourful stems, now is the time to ‘stool’ them. Cut back low down to encourage new growth or take out some of the older stems at base and cut remainder back by half. Bush and climbing roses can be pruned if you haven’t already done so. If there is any frost damage after earlier pruning, this can also be tidied up.
With mature plants of summer jasmine, a couple of old stems can be removed from the base – but don’t cut the remainder back hard or you will lose this year's fl ower. Buddleia davidii, hardy fuchsias, caryopteris, perovskia, ceratostigma, etc, can be pruned now by also being cut back hard. Eucalyptus trees can also be cut back hard to produce nice young shoots, but this may be a job for a tree surgeon. Winter fl owering heathers should be sheared over after fl owering.
It is a good time to plant new shrubs or perennials as the soil starts to warm up. If you have lots of snowdrops they can be split now while they are still green. Hostas should be split before they come into leaf. Deadhead daffodils by removing the fl ower heads, but leaving foliage to die back naturally. It should be left for about six weeks to feed the bulbs for next year’s fl owers.
Weeds will be growing fast soon in borders, so try to keep on top of them. If you have couch grass, if possible lift plants where it is growing and make sure you get rid of all the little white roots of the couch. You may need to wash the earth off the plant roots to get rid of it all. Any little bit left in the soil will regrow. Divide any plants that have become too
big, and fork in a general fertiliser before adding a mulch to keep weeds down and moisture in. If you grow plants permanently in pots it is a good idea, if possible, to remove the top few inches of compost and add a fresh layer and again some fertiliser. Look out for summer bulbs such as gladioli, ixia, lilies, etc, to add interest to the borders – and for late fl owering, nerines make a lovely splash of colour in September and October.
Slugs and snails will be getting ready to feast on new young shoots. There are a number of ways to try to control them. Torchlight trips round the garden to pick them up, various pellets, sheep wool and garlic sprays are amongst the remedies!
In the vegetable garden, plant onion sets and shallots and later in the month, early potatoes. It is worth covering some soil with black polythene to warm it up ready for seed sowing, or they can be grown in the greenhouse in modules ready for planting out later.
Lastly the lawns will be growing again, so as long as it isn't wet or frosty you can start mowing – but not
too short. Denise Hill Broadstone in Bloom Mick Bushaway Landscaping Services
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Locksmiths.indd 1 01/03/2016 17:03
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