March

Gardening in March

March is the start of spring – the main gardening season – and there are lots of things to get on with in the garden, to get it ready for a long, glorious summer. But keep an eye on the weather, as frosts, cold weather and cold winds can all be prevalent, which can be damaging to the new growth of established plants and especially to young plants.

Things to do this month

Don’t overdo it this month. Take your time and concentrate on the most important jobs and the ones you enjoy doing most.

Sow seeds of all your favourite annual bedding plants for a summer of wonderful colour.

If you don’t have much success with seeds, it’s better to buy plug plants and seedlings for growing on.

Buy pansy, primrose and polyanthus plants plus potted spring bulbs for some instant colour.

If you spend a lot of time watering in summer, consider installing an automatic drip watering system.

Start sowing vegetable seeds outside in the ground.

Sow tomatoes, sweet and chilli peppers, cucumbers and aubergines indoors with warmth.

Mulch the soil around trees and shrubs with a 5-7.5cm (2-3in) thick mulch.

Prune summer- and autumn-flowering clematis. Leave spring-flowering clematis until after they’ve finished flowering.

Prune bush - hybrid tea and floribunda - roses.

Prune summer-flowering deciduous shrubs, such as Buddleja, Caryopteris, lavender, Lavatera and Perovskia.

Remove suckers from plants that are grafted onto a rootstock as soon as you see them.

Continue to feed garden birds - as they get into the breeding season they will need lots of food.

Put out suitable food for hedgehogs as they emerge from their winter hibernation.

Feed all your garden plants with a suitable plant food as they come into growth.

Stock up your borders with new shrubs and herbaceous perennials.

Buy summer-flowering bulbs, such as begonias, dahlias, gladioli and lilies.

Put plant supports in place around herbaceous perennials that start into growth early in the year.

Deadhead daffodils and other bulbs when the flowers fade and give them a liquid feed.

Tie in the shoots of climbers as they grow, spreading them out evenly over their support.

Make garden compost to produce your own soil improver and mulching material.

Start stocking ponds with new plants.

Feed fish regularly as the water warms up and they become more active.

Keep hoe blades sharp to make weeding quicker and easier.

Clean secateurs blades after use to help prevent spreading diseases between plants.

Take stem cuttings of half-hardy perennials and patio plants, such as fuchsias and pelargoniums.

Make sure you grow plants that are beneficial to butterflies, bees and other garden-friendly insects.

Sow hardy annual seeds outside for an inexpensive way to produce lots of flowers.

Start feeding lawns with a granular lawn food.

Rake out dead grass and other debris (thatch) with a spring-tine rake to improve conditions for grass growth.

Re-cut lawn edges with a half moon edging iron to give them a crisp and even look.

Treat weeds and moss growing in the lawn with a product suitable for lawns.

Mow lawns regularly as and when the grass is growing.

Repair damaged and bare areas with fresh grass seed.

Overseeding the lawn with new grass seed will help thicken it up and produce a darker green colour.

Hoe annual weeds regularly to stop them becoming established.

Treat perennial weeds with a systemic weedkiller containing glyphosate.

Check plants regularly for pests and diseases and deal with them promptly to prevent them becoming a problem.

Protect all susceptible plants from slug and snail damage.