The calendar says that Spring starts this month! Winter this year has been a traditional one with snow and hard frosts and it is likely that there is still much to be done as a result.

March is one of the best months for planting trees, shrubs, roses and fruit trees. Bare-root nursery stock, such as hedging plants, cannot be planted once the sap has started to rise, so this month is probably the last opportunity to get this done before the next dormant season in autumn. Of course container-grown hedging can be planted in the summer but it does cost more. Herbaceous plants can be planted this month too.

March is the right month for pruning many roses plus Buddleias, evergreen Viburnums and Clematis varieties such as The President and Jackmanii. All these need hard pruning but there are a lot of shrubs which benefit from gentle trimming. The herbaceous borders will need to be tidied and plants such as Pentstemmons should now be trimmed. At the end of March lilies and gladioli can be planted in the garden. Begonias, Cannas, Dahlias and Acidantheras should be planted now in a peaty compost in pots or containers and put in a frost-free place until safe to plant out in May.

The vegetable garden should be ready now for planting onion sets, shallots and early cabbage plants. Seed potatoes can also go in towards the end of the month. Broad Bean seed should also be sown now.

Plug plants are arriving in the garden centre and these should be potted up and put in the greenhouse as soon as possible. After such a miserable winter the lawns are likely to need attention. Moss needs to be killed using either Lawn Sand or special lawn feed/weedkiller with moss control, such as Evergreen or Gem. It is better to use a fertilizer distributor to do this job properly and a good one to buy is the Scott Lawn Spreader. The moss, once killed, will need to be raked out or removed using a scarifier.

March is the month when the daffodils, crocus and early tulips come out. Early hyacinths should also be showing colour. Forsythia, Viburnum burkwoodii, Daphne mezereum and many heathers will be looking a picture. And the first of the flowering cherries, Prunus subhirtella autumnalis, will enhance the garden with their delicate pink flowers.

Terry Simmonds

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