Spring is on its way!

The new season starts in earnest this month. Nature stirs into growth as the weather improves and the soil warms. Drifts of bright yellow Daffodils proclaim that spring is really here.  Follow the tips below to get your garden into shape for the months ahead.

Flowers 

• Finish off pruning Roses
• If not already done lift and divide congested clumps of Snowdrops while still in leaf
• Prune back autumn flowering Clematis
• Take the old flower heads off winter flowering heathers and trim the plants to shape 
• Feed Rose bushes
• Mulch any areas of garden missed in the autumn
• Cut back Cornus and Salix stems to encourage new growth next year

Fruit

• Mulch Raspberry canes with compost or manure
• This is the latest time that bare-root fruit bushes and trees can be planted
• In warmer areas spray Peaches and Nectarines to help control Peach leaf curl

Vegetables

• In mild areas plant early crop potatoes and shallots 
• Finish digging over ground

Lawns

• Lay new turf when there is no frost 
• If seeding a lawn prepare the area now
• If cutting grass, cut with the mower set at its highest setting

Greenhouse

• Sow seeds of beetroot, leek, lettuce and summer cabbage in a heated greenhouse
• Sow tender annuals in a heated propagator 
• Start Dahlia tubers into growth
• Watch out for fungal diseases and spray if necessary

General Tasks 

• Construct or modify rock gardens
• Keep greenhouse heaters working efficiently
• Re-pot houseplants into bigger pots
• Plant hardy herbs e.g., Mint, Sage, Thyme

Plants which are at their best in March

• Helleborus Orientalis (Lenten Rose)   
• Camellia 'Donation' 
• Double Primula (Primrose)   
• Corydalis (Pere David) 
• Clematis Armandii