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I find that the days start to speed by in March and in gardening terms it’s important to get off the starting blocks, so to speak, as soon as possible.
Below are my top 10 tasks, which should help you to keep on top of things as the garden starts to come to life.
1.Cut down any growth left on perennial plants and grasses over winter. Even if seed heads still look good they need to be removed as they will be getting in the way of new growth.
2. Move any evergreen shrubs that have outgrown their positions. Ensure that as much of the plant’s rootball is retained as possible, by carefully digging a trench around the plants and easing the plant roots gently out. Replant straightaway in a pre dug hole and keep the shrub well watered.
3.There is still time to plant bare root trees, hedges, shrubs and roses. When planting roses sprinkle Mycorrhizal fungi onto the damp roots and into the planting hole to help root development.
4. Prune established shrub roses by removing any dead, damaged or diseased stems and any that are crossing. Help the rose to stay healthy by thinning growth at the centre, to increase air circulation. Use a slanted pruning cut, just above an outward facing bud. Give the rose a good feed with some proprietary rose feed after pruning.
5. Prune deciduous shrubs grown for their coloured stems such as Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’. Pruning encourages the plant to produce vigorous young stem growth which will be the most brightly coloured the following winter. Wait a couple of years after planting before pruning and prune in March when you start to see buds developing. Prune back a maximum of a third of the stems hard, to about 5cm above ground level.
6. Start mowing the lawn with the mower blades at the highest setting initially. Remove thatch, (moss and dead grass), by using a spring tine rake to rake over the lawn or use a scarifier on a larger lawn.
7. Plant summer flowering bulbs such as Gladioli, Lilies and Agapanthus in sunny parts of the garden. Plant in batches over the next two months to enjoy successional flowering over the summer.
8. Lift and divide summer flowering perennial plants that have outgrown their space in the border or have stopped flowering well. A good sign that a plant needs dividing is when the centre is getting bare and all new growth is around the edges. Create a rhythm in your borders by replanting the new stock of plants in repeated drifts. Keep an eye on new plants and water regularly if necessary. Your borders are replenished without you needing to spend a thing.
9. Pests such as slugs and snails start making an appearance, so take precautions by protecting the new shoots of plants they like to snack on, such as Hostas . There are many unpleasant ways to eradicate slugs and snails which this genteel blog will not go into. Before completely annihilating all of the snails in your garden, bear in mind that they are a great source of protein for the many other animals in the garden who help to maintain its natural balance.
10. Last but not least … start weeding in earnest. Higher temperatures and rain mean that weeds really start to take off at this time of year. Weeds have evolved to survive and out compete all other nearby planting. Wage war by weeding regularly and make sure that all parts of the roots of perennial weeds such as ground elder or dandelion are removed, (otherwise you will find that you have unwittingly helped the weed to breed by dividing it’s root into small pieces, each of which will spawn a baby weed).
If you haven’t had time to plan your garden over the winter then there is still time to take a good look at the structure of your borders before your perennial plants start to make significant growth. Take a critical look out from the house and consider your views into the garden and whether any changes are necessary.