Introduction
Even though 2024 is a leap year, February seems to have flown by and March has arrived just like that. The beginning of the new month can be described as rain, rain, and more rain. The weather has certainly been unpredictable with sunny spells giving you false hope of a beautiful day ahead, only to be followed by excessive rain that never seems to stop. This past week we have seen the river Rother rise and fall several times over from our office windows. Let’s hope that there will be at least a few ideal spring days in March so that you won’t have to carry out this month’s gardening jobs wearing a wetsuit and wellies.
Lawn Care
If the weather allows it (not too cold or wet), March is a good time to seed your lawn, and to lay turf. Make sure that your lawn has the best possible foundation by using a good quality topsoil suitable for seeding and turfing. Avoid having to deal with a yellowing and patchy lawn caused by nitrogen deficiency by applying a Spring & Summer Lawn Fertiliser. Due to the recent heavy rainfall your existing lawn might be prone to waterlogging. To help avoid this, aerate your lawn by spiking the lawn with a garden fork in straight lines, leaving roughly 15cm between the incisions.
Weed control
Start early with weed management now to save yourself work later in the year. Apply a mulch such as compost or a bark mulch after removing the existing weeds. This helps to keep new ones at bay by blocking sunlight from reaching the seeds, which hinders germination. Were you planning on making your own compost this year? If that is the case, now is a great time to start as you have the whole season ahead to add garden waste to it. If you don’t have an existing compost bin, check out our self-assembled compost bin kits. Add extra protection from weeds by using a Weedtex Weed Membrane. Lay the membrane underneath the mulch after removing the weeds which will prevent new ones growing through.
Rose Care
Late February to March is usually the best time to prune your roses. Pruning has many benefits such as encouraging new growth, controlling the frame of the plant, and can even prevent disease by improving air circulation by pruning to open up the centre of the rose bush. Remove any stems completely that might have died during the winter. A general tip for pruning roses is to cut just above the bud that is pointing in the required direction. To get rid of the cut off stems, put them in a waste bag and make the most out of our waste bag collection service. After pruning, give your roses a boost for the coming season by adding Rose food fertiliser which contains the required nutrients needed to support healthy root growth and flowers.
Spring Planting
To give your garden some eye-catching colours come summertime plant out some summer bulbs such as Freesias, Lilies, Alliums, Dahlias, and Crocosmias. Plant them into your beds and borders, or into a container in a suitable compost. The benefit of planting summer bulbs into a container is that you can move them into your greenhouse if the temperatures drop as many of them are not frost hardy. March is also the ideal time to plant certain vegetables such as some carrots, broad beans, summer cabbage, onions and early potatoes. Again, many of these are not frost hardy so always check the weather forecast beforehand to avoid damaged crops.
Cross fingers the weather improves and we are able to get out to enjoy our gardens!
Alicia Paaso
Gardenscape Sales Team / RHS Level 2 Horticulturalist