March Has Begun
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”
The first week in March’s weather reminded me of the quote above from Charles Dickens classic “Great Expectations”. There is plenty to do in the garden in March, so layer up and embrace the changeable temperatures. The jobs I set myself in the garden in February have been completed.
I have planted 3 beautiful standard holly trees Ilex “Nellie Stevens” and they look a picture adding height and structure to my herbaceous border.
My husband and I moved and emptied barrow loads of Supagrow Top soil onto the new raised beds and now I have a seed bed, fleeced so that it helps the crumbly soil to heat up ready for the seeds and seedlings to be I have also been doing a spring clean in the green house and garden generally, a little garden re organisation, moving some of my perennial plants here and there, my husband calls it faffing ! I have also been nurturing my windowsill seed trays and have lots of shoots.
If you like planting seeds it is the most exciting time in the garden, so relaxing and rewarding - enjoy ! In a nutshell, gardening is great for ones well being - completion of lists, retail therapy, forward planning and physical exertion(bags and bags of supagrow !) and oodles of fresh air and birds singing ! Brilliant.
March Plan
- Plant summer flowering bulbs
- Lift and divide Perennials.
- Put supports in place before the plants start growing including the bean run in the veg plot.
- Keep on top of the weeding now the weather is getting warmer and all plants are growing.
- Check out the mower, If needed mow the lawn on a dry day. Re seed or turf any bare areas of lawn ( I have a problem with pheasant scratching damage.)
- Get Greenhouse clean, clear and ready for the work ahead, soon it will be bursting with seeds and seedlings.
- Plant early potatoes, onions and garlic (usually, nearer mid end of the month)
- Re fresh potted plants with a top layer new compost.
- Prune bush and climbing roses.
- Look at your windowsill plants and see what is ready for potting into larger pots ( my sweet peas are ready to move into a 1 litre pot and pinch out the tips to encourage side shoots to grow.)
- Buy your seed compost and store in the greenhouse to get warm.
- Put in order all your seed packets into what needs starting under cover and what prefers direct sowing and then get started.