March

Prune Roses, Buddleia, Hydrangea and more 

It is the perfect time to give your perennials a little trim before the new growth becomes advanced, this includes your Bush and Shrub varieties of Roses, as well as Buddleias, Honeysuckles and Hydrangeas. It is also your last chance to prune your Wisteria, which is vital to ensure it keeps flowering. 

Plant Snowdrops for next year’s displays 

If you are a lover of Snowdrops, March is the best time to plant them for next year’s display. They are best planted as small plants and not as blubs, as they are hard to establish. Remember, they are a woodland plant, which means they do not like too much sun, so plant them in a shaded area or under a shrub. 

Prepare the veg plot

March is the time to prepare your vegetable plot, it is worth spending time improving the soil to raise your crop yields. Vegetables are hungry feeders, so you need to enrich the soil with compost or rotted manure, digging it in to break up the soil to ensure that it is not compacted.  

Plant summer bulbs 

If you missed the Autumn window to plant your summer bulbs, early spring provides you with another opportunity. Plants such as Alliums make beautiful displays and if you plant them in February they will flower in late spring and early summer. Once established they will return reliably each year. Lilies can also be planted in February and March, they dislike heavy, wet soils, so you may wish to plant them in containers instead. 

Slugs 

The emerging shoots of Hosta’s and Lupin’s are the perfect food for slugs, so start protecting your plants. There are a few ways in which you can do this, from beer traps, picking them off, slug pellets (make sure you choose the wildlife friendly ones) and barrier methods like copper rings. Or you can make some small changes to your garden from raised beds to encouraging in wildlife. Thrushes and Frogs are a gardener’s best friend when it comes to getting rid of slugs and snails, place bird feeders around your garden or try and incorporate a small pond.