Plant of the month: The fknverii^ cheny (pninus).


^yCHRIS TAYLOR of Barton Grange


T t j r ARCH must be l Y / l one o f my


Two lambs etyoying an afternoons sunshine. BySue Bristo, Loi^ltHige.


It may be March, but we can still get the odd snowstonn, as these pictures taken inlxu^ridgea couple of weeks ^ s h o w . By Marfan Cowey.


I- < -


X T JLfavourite''’"- months in the garden. A long, hard winter is draw­ ing to a close and plants are beginning to grow. Cherry trees give us our first big splashes of colour, daffodils are at their best, and there is a real feel of freshness around the garden. 5 By April, things are -;


rocketing, changing al­ most by the hour, but ; in March the pace is usually more sedate, giving you time to enjoy every subtle change. First of all, though,


make some time for weeding. Getting rid of annual weeds now


while they are small, and growing relatively


slowly, will save you hours of work later in the season. Another good reason to


weed now is that, by April and May, herbaceous '; plants will have spread v considerably, making ac- - cess to borders difficult;: I know I say this almost


A view of Pendle Hill taken between Downham and Chatbum.


: . = By Tony Braitfawaite


(bocus in the churchyard at S t VKlfrid's in Kbchester. By Sue Bristo, Longridge


every month, but apply a good mulch of organic matter to the soil after : weeding, to keep weeds ' down and moisture in. De-' spite the past two years, it is still sensible to prepare for drought.


deners, but it need not pro­ viding you know when the Clematis flowers. Very early-flowering Clematis, such as Montana and : alpina varieties, need not be pruned at all, mid-sea­ son Clematis can be left unpruned or lightly ,


■ pruned, and very late flow­ ering Clematis can be cut hard back. Follow these . rules, and again cut back to > a healthy bud, and you won’t go far wrong. ; By the end of the month,


■ snowdrops will be finishing ' Another round of prun­


ing can be done this month. Late March is a good time to prune roses, reducing the stems on bush roses by at least a third, making your cuts above a strong growing, outward­ facing bud. Clematis can also be


pruned this month. The pruning of Clematis causes confusion for many gar­


flowering and this is the best time to lift and divide congested clumps. Moving them ‘in the


green’ i.e. when the leaves are still on the bulbs, means they will re-estab­ lish well and flower next year. Another good idea is to


label clumps of bulbs, as there is nothing more frus­ trating than putting your spade through dormant bulbs in midsummer. If things warm up, it may


be time to start mowing the grass, but be gentle with your first cut, keeping the blades on your mower fair­ ly high. You can lower them


after a few cuts but remem­ ber, if you want a really tip­ top lawn, mow more fre­ quently with the blades higher. If your lawn tends to look a bit yel­ low and bald after cut­ ting, then you’re cut­ ting too close. A close cut doesn’t


necessarily mean it won’t need cutting again for a fortnight - a harsh cut can shock the grass into producing a flush of growth, where­ as lighter cutting leads to more sedate growth. . After the first cut,


it’s a good idea to redefine the edges of your lawn, ide­ ally using a half moon spade to cut well defined edges.


. ; TTiis not only looks bet­


ter but stops grass en­ croaching into the beds. It’s also a good time to add some spring lawn treat­ ment, to control weeds and moss, and feed the grass. Growing your own plants


from seed is one of the most rewarding tasks a gar­ dener can undertake, and by following some simple


steps, can be fairly easy. There is lots of informa­


tion available about grow­ ing seeds, but none is a substitute for trial and error - just get stuck in and have a go. Whether growing on a


windowsill or in a fully fit­ ted, heated greenhouse, try to remember that seedlings


need a certain temperature and level of light to grow well. Too warm with not


enough light and seedlings stretch, becoming weak and leggy; too cold and nothing will happen. Keep an eye on your plants - if nothing is happening, warm them up; if they are


the


getting leggy, get some more light to them. • Plant of the month for March is the flowering cherry (Prunus). Cherries give a bigger


splash of colour than al­ most any other plant. Com­ ing in all shades, shapes and sizes, no garden should be without one.


Friday 20th March


THE LOVES AND LAUGHS OF HENRY BLOFELD


Commentator Henry Blofeld returns with a brand new show


7.30pm £12.50


Sunday 29th March PROMENADE


CONCERT ORCHESTRA Music For You from the Paim Court


3pm£12/£10 Family £30


Tuesday 14th April GOLDILOCKS & THE THREE BEARS Easter fun


for all the farhily 3pm and 7pm


£6 or £20 Family ■'VKir' A 'c ir r i? I Pnwottpg City, Coast A Coutatyskh I


Saturday 21st March


THE HOUGHTON WEAVERS


Lancashire foik music with gentle humour '


7.30pm £11/£10 Saturday 4th April


LAKELAND RECORDS LIVE EXPERIENCE 01 Showcase event with local popular bands 8pm £10 -


Wednesday 15th April LUNCHTIME CONCERT - FIVEINABAR


; Popular female. a capella group


12.45pm Free but donations welcome


Saturday 28th March TIPITINA Top Quality


New Orleans Jazz 8pm E11/E10


Also Singing Workshop 6.30pm


Saturday 11th April BRASS IN CONCERT


Traditional Brass Band concert with


. Morecambe Band 7.30pm


£7 (Doors 7pm)


Saturday 18th April MARK STEEL


; Stand up comedy . -o v e r 18s only 8pm £13


• Robinson's Newsagent - Lancaster University BOX OFFICE 01524 582803


iP!n!!!n!i!Uii!in!!|ii!!:;m-‘' ' available from Lancaster & Morecambe TIC &


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