Jobs to do for Gardening in March
The first month of spring has arrived at last and there is lots of gardening in March to be done! The clocks going forward will give us gardeners and extra hour to get things done in the evening after work. And it’s needed because there’s a lot to do this month.
What gardening can I do in March?
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.
What to do in the garden in March
Gardens and wildlife make perfect partners. Many of us gardeners are discovering that by choosing the right plants, any garden, whatever the size, can be dramatically brought to life and start to turn the tide on the seemingly endless gloomy news of world-wide habitat loss. The best, most cost effective way to stock your wildlife garden is to grow your own plants from seed in early spring.
For a riot of colour, in the garden this summer, search for wildlife seed mix with annuals included. These will give fast results and soon attract pollinators. Cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus) poppies (Papaver rhoeas) corn marigolds (Glebionis segetum) and nigella are just a few of the staples in my garden which seed themselves obligingly every year. Others to look for include the biannual foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, which, once established will keep on setting seed every other year.
What is the best thing to plant in March?
Sowing of hardy vegetables and annual flowers can begin in earnest this month. You can bring them on in a greenhouse or cold frame to give the seedlings a better start in life, but later this month they can be sown directly into the ground.
What vegetables to sow in March in the UK?
If you have a small garden, try growing vegetables among flowers and gardening in March means you get a good start on the year’s crops. Many vegetables are attractive plants, runner beans look fantastic in flower and can make wonderful contrasts to other ornamental plants in the garden. For example, the fine, feathery foliage of carrots contrasts well with bold Hosta leaves, globe artichokes and cardoons are striking architectural plants and stand out in any border. Plant in groups rather than more conventional rows and they will blend in perfectly.Growing fruit and vegetables with ornamental flowers can be very beneficial, especially if you don’t use chemicals in your garden. We’ve got an article on companion planting here to explain the benefits of growing certain plants together for good biodiversity in the garden. Other vegetables to sow in March, later in the month can go directly in the prepared ground and include broad beans, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, onions, lettuces, radish, peas, spinach, summer cabbage, rocket, leeks, and potatoes.
Do keep an eye on the weather though. If a sharp frost is forecast, protect tender young seedlings with fleece or a cover.
When to tidy garden for spring in the UK?
Cut down all growth from last year’s perennial plants that you 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. Perennial plants will also benefit from and application of a good general fertiliser now.
Prune Roses
This 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.
Prune Late Flowering Shrubs
Gardening in March should include giving attention to last year’s growth. Dogwood, shrubby willows, and ornamental Rubus, grown for their winter coloured stems, should be cut down hard. 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 Buddleias in the same way to give a better display in the autumn.
Watch out for Slugs they like gardening in March too!
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.
Time to get the lawnmower out gardening in March!
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 March with a lawn fertiliser. According to the national wildlife trust, nature is in crisis. However, there is much we gardeners can do to help and one of the best things is to leave our grass longer to allow the establishment of native flowers, essential to pollinators. Long grass is essential to attracting healthy and varied insect populations and it doesn’t have to be a huge area. Just leaving the edges of the lawn to grow longer is massively beneficial to nature. Or, even better, if you let your grass grow naturally, perhaps just mowing a narrow path through, a variety of wildflowers, such as cowslips, ox-eye daisies and meadow cranesbill have a chance to establish. To extend the season of interest, plant a succession of spring bulbs from early snowdrops and crocus to later flowering camassias, tulips and alliums. All will quickly naturalise.
What should I be doing in the garden now? Use Mulch!
If you’ve never used a mulch before this might be the year to consider becoming a garden mulcher. It is one of the best things you can do to improve the health of your garden, and, if you get creative, it can be got for free.
Mulches are basically ‘coverings’ placed on the surface of cultivated soil. They can be applied to bare soil, around plants, or to cover the surface of compost in containers. Common organic materials used as a mulch include compost, leaf mould, wood chips, bark, straw, and grass clippings. Alternatively, there are various types of decorative gravels and slates available to use as a mulch. Whatever your choice of covering, they all serving the same valuable purpose, which is to reduce the need for weeding in the garden. In addition, using mulch helps to preserve water, deters some pests, protects the roots of plants from extreme temperatures and gives a decorative finish.
Over the years, I’ve tried all sorts of materials as a mulch, including a disastrous experience with cocoa mulch, which my Labrador thought was a great idea to eat until subsequent, unpleasant ‘consequences’ emerged. Apart from that, all the organic mulches I have used and have been beneficial to the soil but I’ve found the best one to be well rotted bark, that’s the very fine sort, not fresh. Bark breaks down gradually to release nutrients into the soil and help improve its structure. It will need replacing when it has fully rotted down and the key is to apply a really thick layer. An 80L bag will cover an area of about 1 meter.
Before dormant plants have properly emerged from their winter slumber is the best time to apply mulch to the borders, working it around the spring bulbs. A perfect way to start the new gardening year.
March gardening jobs for beginners
If you have a new garden, and don’t know where to begin. It may seem counterintuitive but the best thing to do is nothing but observe. Look where the sunniest places in your garden are and the shadiest, give it time, it may change as the season progresses. Before rushing out to the garden centre to fill it with plants, do some research on what plants do best in what position. We find the RHS website to be an invaluable resource for checking out plants suitable for UK gardens, they have advice on what to grow in shade or sun or a mix.
If you live in the Oxfordshire area and need som advice contact us here, we’d be pleased to help.