What should I do in my garden in March?
The clocks going forward at the end of the month give gardeners extra time for March jobs in the garden – and there’s lots to do! A profusion of spring bulbs are already coming into their own, along with the first flowering shrubs and cherry blossom. We can really start to enjoy our gardens again now.
First things first…a warning!
If you’ve been slumbering in your armchair during the cold months of winter (and who could blame you) take it easy at first. If you get the sudden urge to rush into the garden putting things to right now that spring is here, be careful! Casualty departments up and down the country fill up with hapless gardeners at this time of year. The first sunny day of the year inspires hours of weeding, pruning, but can cause repetitive strain and back injuries, take regular breaks from repetitive tasks which can cause muscle strain.
What to sow in March in the UK?
Sowing of hardy vegetables and annual flowers can begin in earnest this month. If you’re not sure what to grow, and if space is limited, my advice is grow things that you can’t easily find in shops. Vegetables that can be directly sown into the ground this month include, carrots, spinach, beetroot, spring onions, beans and peas. There’s nothing like the taste of your own home grown new potatoes, so if space allows, get some prepared seed potatoes and plant up this month. If you have a green house or sunny window sill sow some tomatoes, peppers or cucumbers for planting out in the garden next month. In the flower garden, this is a very busy month for sowing seeds. The easiest way to do this for wildflowers is to use seed balls.
If you have a small garden, try growing vegetables among flowers. Many vegetables are attractive plants and can make wonderful contrasts to other ornamental plants in the garden. The fine feathery foliage of carrots contrasts well, for example with the bold leaves of a Hosta. Globe artichokes and cardoons are striking architectural plants and will stand out in any border. Sow or plant the vegetables in groups, not rows, and they will look natural and blend in well.
Top of March Jobs is the Garden is to Watch our for Weeds!
Many little jobs can be done at the gentlest of paces so while having a constitutional walk round the garden, keep a look out for germinating weed seedlings and take them out with a hoe. The best time to do this is on a dry sunny day so the weeds can be left on the surface of the soil to die. If you dig out perennial weeds, for example dandelions and nettles, while they are small, they will be easier to control later in the year.
After you’ve done all your weeding, you wouldn’t want the pesky things to return so it’s a good idea to mulch the borders with a thick layer of organic matter, for example bark mulch. This will also help conserve moisture when it gets hotter in summer. This is the best time of year to apply mulch, you really will save yourself hours of work later in the year if you do it this month.
March Jobs in the Garden Includes Rose Pruning
Early March is the best time of year to prune bush and shrub roses (not climbers or ramblers which should have been done in the autumn.) Remove all winter damage and don’t worry about pruning bush roses hard, it will help them produce really good growth and flowers in summer. By thinning overcrowded growth you’ll be letting in more light and air and avoid problems with pests and diseases. Cuts must be clean so use a good pair of SHARP secateurs, you might also need loppers for thicker shoots.
Cut out any shoots that are crossing or rubbing against each other. Always prune to the outward facing bud. The harder you prune the more vigorous the growth will be.
Other Pruning March Jobs in the Garden
Dogwood, shrubby willows, and ornamental Rubus, grown for their winter coloured stems, should be cut down hard. The reason is that the best stem colour is produced by year old shoots. Cut them down to about one or two buds of last year’s growth to leave a stubby framework. Prune late flowering shrubs, such as Buddleja in the same way to give a better display in the autumn.
Perennials
Cut down all growth left over winter, even if the seed heads are still looking good, you need to get rid of them now to make way for new growth.
You can also feed the soil now with a good general fertiliser.
Keep an eye out for Slugs! 
Protect young, tender shoots of Delphiniums, Hostas, Lupins and other vulnerable plants from slug damage. These pests can do a lot of damage to newly emerging shoots before they’ve barely emerged from the soil and you might not be aware of this until the leaves begin to open up. The best organic method of protection is to put a layer of coarse grit around vulnerable plants.
Lawn March Jobs in the Garden
Please get your lawn mower serviced, if you haven’t already. There’s already a waiting list for at the servicing agent we use, so sort it out NOW! There’s nothing worse than trying to cut a lawn with a blunt mower. The grass rather than being cut cleanly, is more likely to be torn with a blunt blade, which harms the grass. For other ideas on how to get your lawn looking good this spring see our article here.
Once the grass starts to grow, start mowing regularly. For the first few cuts set the blades at the highest setting. Collect the clippings so the air and rain can penetrate the grass.
Feed the lawn at the end of this month with a lawn fertiliser.
Repair damage to lawn edges. Cut out the entire damaged portion of turf and turn it around so the good side now becomes the edge. Fill the hollow edge with soil and sow grass seed onto this. You can seed any other damaged areas in the middle of the lawn in exactly the same way all through the summer.
What is the plant of the month for March?
I can’t choose just one, there are too many. But here are a few of my favourites that look their best in the March Garden:
Chaenomeles x superba ‘Knap Hill Scarlet’
Also known as flowering Quince, from March to summer, this spectacular plant bears clusters of deep scarlet flowers and later in the autumn it produces golden-yellow fruits. Chaenomeles x superba is an ideal plant for a shaded wall and it’s not fussy about soil.
To keep it in its place, against a wall or fence, after flowering shorten flowered shoots to strong buds and train with wires. If you prefer pink, Chanomeles ‘Moerloosei’ is the right choice for you.
Daphne mezerum
Every garden should contain at least one Daphne and mezereum Rubra is one of the toughest. It’s an upright, deciduous shrub with prolific beautifully fragrant pinkish-purple flowers that precede the leaves in late winter and early spring.
Although maybe not as sought after as the evergreen Daphne, this variety has the advantage over others of growing in most soils, including chalk and heavy soils. Growing up to 1.5m high, it has pale grey-green leaves and red berries that follow the flowers. Thriving in partial shade, Daphne don’t like being moved, so it’s important to position them correctly first time round.
Hyacinthus orientalis ‘City of Harlem’
Named after the Dutch city, this variety was first introduced in 1893 and has remained popular ever since. It’s easy to grow in most soils and bears dense spikes of highly fragrant pale yellow flowers on sturdy stems, contrasting well with the early flowering tulips.
Fritillaria imperialis
If drama is your thing, the crown imperial Lily, a robust perennial with stout, erect stems bearing whorled, lance-shaped leaves and with bell-shaped orange or yellow flowers beneath a crown of bracts is quite the star of the month.
Like most prima donnas they do require quite a bit of attention to flower well. Lack of success with crown imperials may be due to unsuitable soil conditions. Ideally, they need a deep, rich, well-drained – preferably alkaline – loam soil, and a warm, sunny position.
The depth of planting is also critical. Shallow-planted bulbs may flower in the first year but not subsequently. For reliable flowering they should be planted 30cm (12in) deep on a bed of grit.
Prunus Sargentii
This is one of the most beautiful cherries with rosy-pink flowers. The autumn colour is bright and usually scarlet or crimson and is often one of the first trees to colour up sometimes as early as September,
In ideal conditions it will grow up to 10 metres tall (30ft.) All ornamental cherries grow best in full sun on moist fertile deep loamy soils and will grow well in most garden positions. Poor soils should have organic matter added to the backfill during planting. They do not like waterlogged or permanently wet ground.It was found in the area around Mount Fuji in Japan and introduced to Europe around 1890 from Japan by Charles Sargent, hence the name. If you only have space for one tree in your garden, this is a good choice.
