Gardening

Edition Twelve - March 2007

Wildlife and plants might be quite confused with the recent weather we've been having, which included snow and unseasonably warm sunshine.. However, you don't need to worry about garden plants as they'll find their own level and all but the tenderest will survive the worst conditions..

March marks the start of the gardener's eight month active season. In general, now is the final chance before the autumn to plant shrubs, ornamental and fruit trees.. 

Some more new releases from Thompson and Morgan, seed specialists:-

• Largest flowered Thunbergia from seed
• Sweetest Lettuce challenge or your money back
• Teeni Beanie Runner Beans

Jobs for the month - March

Bulbs

Plant lilies in pots for placing around the garden and patio areas in the summer. Take indoor hyacinths, daffs and tulips that have finished flowering into a spare room or light airy shed and cut off the flower stems at the base. Continue watering them very sparingly until the foliage has died down, then plant them into the garden..

At the end of this month you can plant gladioli corms directly into the garden

Greenhouse

Start overwintered begonia tubers into growth in trays of compost, keeping them barely moist..

You can still take cuttings of geraniums (pelargoniums) this month, using young shoots about 4" long..  And Fuschia cuttings, using young shoots about 2" long..

Your greenhouse will need to be heated gently, especially if you have started growing bedding plants from seed.

Houseplants

By now your houseplants will be making considerable new growth and it is a good time to give them a thorough overhaul as follows:-

• Check the plants are free of disease or resident pests, and treat if necessary.
• Prune any dead wood out.
• Check their roots and if potbound re-pot them into bigger containers, using a good quality houseplant compost and adding slow release fertiliser in either tablet or granular form. I use Miracle-Gro
• Clean the leaves with a misting spray or damp cloth, depending on the type of leaves. (For hairy leaved small plants, use a soft pastry brush to clean the leaves.)
• Keep out of draughts and don't over water

Trees and shrubs

You can continue planting shrubs this month.. Prune existing shrubs, especially dogwoods that are grown specifically for their winter bark. Tidy borders by giving them a light going over with a hoe or fork and add mulch or bark if required.. It is more practical to spread bark on top of weed suppressing membrane to avoid it getting washed into the earth by the weather.

Ponds

March is a good month for cleaning, repairing or making your pond safe for young children. Take care not to disturb frogs if they've got a head start with their mating and put any fish into large containers filled with the existing pond water. If you have a large pond to clean out vacuums can be hired or bought. Pond plants can be re-potted this month, using aquatic compost in open containers, with a final covering of gravel to stop the compost from floating away, or being disturbed by the fish..

Lawns

An application of lawn Weed and feed can be applied from April - September, but if the weather is suitable during March you can prepare the lawn by scarifying it, either with a rake or an electric scarifier specifically for this purpose. This will rid the lawn of any moss and dead stuff (thatch) that has built up over time and allow the lawn to 'breathe' again.

Lawn edges can be cut this month which will set off your lawn nicely. I think ragged edges spoil even the most manicured of lawns!

 
Happy gardening till next month....

RHS Flower Shows 2007

Tickets for RHS members

Privilege rate tickets are available for RHS members to all RHS shows, but tickets must be booked in advance. Click on the individual show links below for further information.
RHS members are not charged a booking fee for tickets purchased except for advanced tickets to the Malvern shows. To find out how to become an RHS member click here