March In Your Garden…

We officially welcome Spring this month, and Chris is on hand once again with his garden tips for March!

• Protect new spring shoots from slugs especially things like lupins and delphiniums.
• Plant your onions and shallots – we sell these at Thorngrove is you need some!
• Remember last month you started chitting your potatoes, now is the time to get your first earlies planted in the garden, or if you don’t have space grow some in a potato sack or large pot! There really is such a good feeling when you’re able to dig up your own potatoes.
• If you read last month tips you can now plant your dahlias gladiolas and lilies.
• Weed and top dress your containers top up with fresh compost. We have a special off on of compost right now. 3 bags of multi-purpose for £15 or 3 bags of organic for £10!
• Lift and divide overgrown perennials like Leucanthemums Alstroemerias (day lilies) etc

• Mow lawns on dry days if needed, if you have moss problems apply moss killer mid March then scarify early April  When the moss has died if its only a small area you can use a metal lawn rake if it’s a large area use a motorised scarifier.
• If  you have a pond with fish in it you can start to feed them because the weathers warming up so the fish are starting to come up to the surface again.
• Prune your Bush and climbing roses.
• Hardy annuals Can be sown in pots or modules to give you colour in the garden. In mild areas you can sow directly outside marking out irregularly shaped seed beds and broadcasting drifts of different seeds to give you a more natural look.
• Sweetpeas can be sown outside, or purchase sweetpea plants from Thorngrove and plant out making sure you protect them from slugs and snails. It’s also a good time to plant herbaceous perennials here at Thorngrove we have a large selection to choose from.
• Cut back ornamental grasses and other perennials left for winter interest if you have not already done so, even if they look good you need to do it to make way for the new growth
• Dead head Narcissus (Daffodils) as they fade but allow the foliage to die down naturally.
• Perennials putting on lots of new growth may need supporting this will probably be towards the end of the month.
• Check whether containers need watering even at this time of the year they can dry out especially if they are protected by the eaves of the house.
• Watch out for Aphids as they can soon multiply during mild spells

For any advice on how to get the most out of your garden space or planters, please get in touch! We’re happy to help!