Jobs to Do in the Garden - March

Photo: The bees were out in force last week

I found the garden photos on social media interesting last week.  They compared February gardens from 2018 to 1019 and the differences were startling. Temperatures were double that of previous years since records began.

 One image shows three feet of snow on the ground and then an image taken from the same spot was a garden full of spring bloom and colour. The warm spell we had did jolt me into action and I found myself doing clean up jobs I wouldn’t normally do until the end of April, even May.  Washing down, planting up, clearing, planting, weeding and at one stage I was actually sat outside on a sunbed drinking my cup of tea (I did have a hat on still) I think I was as confused as the plants, shrubs, trees and wildlife, the bees were out in force getting their nectar from open dandelions.  

Thankfully things are back to a more regular and predictable pattern which is dodging inside and out in between the hail showers and gusts of wind.

Let’s just say that you do get outside for a while. I’ve compiled a pretty exhaustive list of things to do this month. Think of it as a checklist and all of the things you don’t get around to can simply be added to next month’s list , we have time on our side.

Jobs to Do in March

Keep hoeing to keep emerging weeds under control whilst still small. You’ll find chickweed will grow a lot faster than your prized seedlings.

Mow the lawn on a high setting in mild weather and rake out thatch. I did mine last week and it’s an instant makeover for the garden which gives a real feeling of progress and achievement.

Tidy the borders and cover with 5-10cm of organic mulch

Hard prune buddlejas, hardy fuchsias and caryopteris to encourage lower, bushier growth. I’ve hacked back our bay tree so it forms a tighter bush too as they can get too big sometimes.

Cut back shrubby cornus and willow to two buds to encourage new stem colour next year.

Prune roses to encourage strong new growth and stop them rocking about in the wind.

Prune clematis - prune early-flowering varieties once their flowers have finished and summer-flowering ones before they start into active growth. 

Finish cutting back cornus and salix cultivars, and other shrubs grown for their colourful winter stems. Cut them right back to their bases, they will reward you with stronger colours next year.

Cut out the top rosette of leaves from mahonia shrubs after they have flowered, to encourage 

branching.

Finish cutting back dead foliage from perennials and ornamental grasses to make way for new growth. Leave them lying a day or two so the insects can find new homes.

Prune overwintered fuchsias back to one or two buds on each shoot.

Prune winter-flowering jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) after flowering, to encourage new growth for next year's blooms. Cut back the previous year’s growth to 5cm from the old wood.

Trim winter-flowering heathers as the flowers disappear, to prevent the plants becoming leggy.

Keep an eye out for slugs as the weather warms. Pay special attention to soft, new growth, which slugs love. 

Cut the old leaves off hellebores to remove any foliar diseases and make spring flowers more visible.

Continue to deadhead winter pansies to stop them setting seed. This will encourage flushes of new flowers throughout the spring.

Deadhead daffodils as the flowers finish and let the foliage die back naturally.

Deadhead hydrangeas before new growth appears. Cut to about one third of last season's growth.

In the Veggie Garden

Plant out chitted early potatoes towards the end of the month

Sow salads in cold frames or under cloches

Put supports in. If any of your garden plants need supporting this year, put them in now, so plants can grow up through them. Adding supports afterwards is trickier and often looks unattractive.

Cover strawberries with a cloche to encourage earlier fruiting.

Mulch rhubarb with a thick layer of well-rotted manure 

Here are the other jobs to be getting on with this month:

Get rid of slimy patches on patios and paving by scrubbing with a broom or blasting with a pressure washer.

Install water butts for the season ahead. Position them under a downpipe to make the most of rainfall.

Scrub watering cans to prevent fungal diseases.

Check compost bins to see if there is any compost ready to use, ours are full to the brim.

Bring bags of compost into the greenhouse to warm up for a week or two before you start sowing.