Maintenance tips for March- Spring is here!

Cutting grass early in the season can help reduce the spread of seasonal weeds. The first cut will be higher than normal to avoid ‘shocking’ the lawn. Don’t cut newly laid turf until the grass reaches 2in (5cm) in height. Grass cutting will encourage new, healthy growth.

- This is a good time to define the lawn edges with a half-moon edger and create a 3in gutter between the lawn the flower border. This will stop the grass encroaching on the border and makes it easier to maintain the edges.

- Prune standard and bush roses as they start growing but before the leaves start to unfurl.

- Avoid pruning any spring-flowering shrubs until after they have flowered otherwise you will lose this years display.

- As a general rule, you can prune summer flowering deciduous shrubs between February and March i.e. before they flower in the summer. Some examples are Buddleja, Caryopteris, Hydrangea, Lavatera, fuchsia, and Ceanothus.

- Some shrubs such as Buddleja are usually cut back very hard (stooled) now to keep them at a manageable size.

- Prune out any reverting variegation (shrubs that have leaves that are two colours but where some branches are reverting to a single colour).

- Cutting off the old leaves from hellebores at ground level will expose the flowers and reduce the chance of foliar diseases.

- Cut back ornamental grasses and other perennials to make way for new growth.

- Keep deadheading winter bedding plants such winter-flowering pansies to prolong your display.

- Remember to water azaleas with rainwater and not with tap water.

- Passion flower and jasmine can be thinned out to keep them tidy. Cut last years growth back to two or three buds from the main frame.

- If your passion flower is overgrown or frost-damaged plants, carry out renovation pruning in spring by cutting back the stems to 30-60cm (1-2ft) from soil level. Cut to a bud or side shoot wherever possible. The plant will respond by sending out lots of new green shoots. These will need thinning out and formative training. Flowering will be reduced for a year or two.

- Deadhead amaryllis leaving the flower stalks to die down. If you keep feeding and watering them you may get further flowers in late summer as well as next winter.

- Hoe borders and apply weedkiller to keep weeds under control now. Weeds are self propagating. Less weeds now means less weeds later.

- Cut back Cornus (dogwood) and Salix (willow) grown for colourful winter stems

Planting

- It’s still okay to plant deciduous hedging plants, shrubs and trees.

- March is a good month to plant roses especially if you live in colder areas but remember not to plant them where roses have been planted previously.

- Plant herbaceous perennials.

- In mild areas you can sow Sweet peas outside.

- Plant summer-flowering bulbs.

Propagation

- Divide clumps of herbaceous perennials that you want to propagate. Good examples are those that have grown too big or that are flowering poorly.

- Divide and/or plant snowdrop bulbs while they still have leaves on them – this is called planting in-the-green and some bulbs preferred to be moved when the foliage is just dying down.

- Divide hostas before the leaves appear but don’t Divide hellebores until after they have flowered.

- Prune back stems on pot-grown over-wintered fuchsias. Soft tip cuttings (these are the soft and bending stems) can also be taken from fuchsias this month.

Treatments

- If you didn’t do it last autumn it’s not too late to scarify the lawn – raking out dead moss and thatch. This will encourage new grass growth.

- Wet weather can wash nutrients from the soil. A lawn feed might be necessary. Pots and borders may also need feeding.

- Adding mulch to surface of borders and pots will feed the soil and help to suppress weed growth.

Landscaping

- Turf can be laid but be careful not to compact the spoil. New turf may be hard to find if the weather has been wet.

- Erect trellis, pergolas etc before plants start to grow and use them for support.

- If the weather is dry paint fences and other wooden structures with a preservative. Some products are no longer legal so buy new if your shave been stored for some time.

- Was wet weather a problem for your garden? Talk to us about ways to manage water logging.

Pond care

- Check that the pumps are working, clean out the filters and start to feed the fish.

- You can also divide your marginal plants if you want to spread them around or if they are getting too big.

- Keep an eye on the water level of your pond to make sure the frost hasn’t caused any leeks.