Check Here Before Buying – Pot Size Matters...Not all websites offer the same. Plants in a 2-litre pot have twice the root system of a P9 or 1 litre pot.

 

Check Here Before Buying – Pot Size Matters...Not all websites offer the same. Plants in a 2 litre pot have twice the root system of a P9 or 1 litre pot.

March Gardening Jobs

March is the time when gardens start to burst back into life. Spring officially starts in mid-to late March and there are lots of gardening jobs to be done. With temperatures starting to rise and daylight hours getting longer, its more pleasant to start spending time outdoors again.

March is your last chance to plant bare root shrubs and trees as an excellent cost-effective way to fill gaps in beds and borders. Acid loving plants will appreciate an ericaceous feed, hardy annuals can be sown, roses pruned and seed heads removed from daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs. There is sowing to be done in the vegetable garden, herbs can be planted into window boxes and strawberries planted into hanging baskets. Start rejuvenating your lawn and protecting plants like hostas from slug damage. Don’t forget to feed the birds and provide shelter from invertebrates too!

 

Yellow daffodil

 

Across the Garden

Last chance to Plant Bare Root Shrubs and Hedging

  • March is your last chance to buy and plant bare root hedging, shrubs and trees until next winter.
  • Bare root plants are plants which have been nurtured on the nursery in the open ground and are supplied with no soil around the roots, as opposed to containerised plants supplied in plastic pots or root balled plants grown in the open ground and supplied with burlap around their roots.
  • Bare root plants can offer excellent value for money because they are cheaper to grow than the equivalent varieties grown in pots. They’re also quick to establish because more of the surface area of the root system is in direct contact with the soil when they’re planted and environmentally friendly as they don’t need to be supplied in plastic pots.
  • The roots will quietly establish below ground during the winter, ready to fuel a fabulous display of flowers and foliage once the soil warms up in the spring.
  • At Jackson’s, we offer an extensive range of bare root plants for delivery to anywhere in the UK. We offer bare root plant packs of 10, 20 or 30 plants which are perfect if you have some gaps in your border, as well as a wide range of hedging, shrubs, trees and roses to choose from.
  • See our guide on how to plant, grow and care for bare root plants for more information.

 

Shop bare root hedging

 

Feed Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Camellias and Pieris

  • These acid-lovers are generally trouble-free growers providing they’re planted correctly in a suitable position and given suitable feed and moisture. March is the ideal time to feed them.
  • Feeding in March helps newly planted specimens settle into their location and will encourage more established plants to put on their best flowering display later in the year.
  • Feed using a slow release granular ericaceous plant food. The type of plant food is ideal for acid loving plants including rhododendrons and azaleas, as well as camellias and blueberries.
  • The main feeder roots of rhododendrons are near the surface and at the edge of the rootball. For this reason, sprinkling slow release fertiliser around the top of your plants, avoiding contact with the stem, and gently hoeing it into the soil is an effective technique.

 

Ericaceous plant food

Tidying, Weeding and Feeding your Borders

  • Take the opportunity to tidy up your borders, removing any weeds that have started to germinate. It will be easier to remove them now than later and stop them from competing with your precious plants for light, water and nutrients.
  • Mulch around your shrubs, roses and hedging plants a generous 3-5cm (1.5-2 inch) layer of well rotted garden compost or manure to provide them with slow release nutrients over the year.
  • Scatter some slow release multi-purpose plant feed around your flower beds, roses, shrubs and hedging, raking gently into the top layer of the soil.

 

Raking soil

 

  • Check tender new shoots for aphids and remove infestations now before they get worse. Aphids are best removed by hand by spraying water or knocked them into a bucket of soapy water.  They can be controlled with a simple organic spray of soap mixed with water.

 

Aphids under leaves

 

In the Flower Garden

Sow Hardy and Half Hardy Annuals

  • Hardy annuals can be sown outdoors, directly into the spot where you want them to flower.
  • Hardy annual flowers perform best on ‘poor’ soils with low nutrients, making them an easy choice for novice gardeners without needing to worry about feed and fertiliser.
  • March is a good time to sow half hardy annuals such as busy lizzies, cosmos and marigold in the greenhouse, so they’re ready to plant out in late April/May when the risk of frost has passed.

 

Pink and white annual flowers

 

Sow Annual Wildflower Mixes

  • Planting annual wildflowers is an excellent way to introduce reliable, colourful and wildlife friendly plants to your outdoor space that will give a pleasing, naturalistic appearance.
  • Prepare the ground by removing weeds and large stones, then rake to a fine tilth. Do not enrich the soil - wildflowers prefer a nutrient poor soil and feeding will encourage grass to take over.
  • Scatter wildflower seeds thinly over the prepared ground, or in rows in a seedbed to transplant later as small clumps. Barely cover seeds when sown in rows.
  • Alternatively, sow directly into small modules of seed compost in tiny pinches as plugs.

Blue wildlfowers

 

Prune Roses in early March

  • Correct pruning helps improve the health, vigour and productivity of your roses. Late winter (February to mid-March) is the right time to prune most roses but check for your specific variety.
  • Prune to an outward-facing bud so encourage an open, goblet-shaped framework of stems. The exception is roses with a spreading growth habit that you want to contain to a smaller space, in which case prune to an inward-facing bud to encourage more upright growth.
  • Prune no more than 5mm (quarter of an inch) above a bud. Cuts should be made at an angle, sloping downwards and away from the bud, so water does not collect on the bud.
  • Use clean, sharp secateurs to minimise the risk of disease. Use loppers for thicker branches to give you extra leverage and consider a pruning saw for the thickest stems of mature roses.
  • Remove older wood that has stopped flowering and saw away old stubs that are not producing any new shoots to help rejuvenate your roses and encourage new growth.
  • Trace suckers back to their roots, remove them at the lowest point possible and discard.

 

Pink rose flowers

 

Remove Seedheads from Daffodils and Spring Bulbs

  • Removing seed heads from behind the finished flowers of your daffodils and other spring bulbs will encourage them to invest their energy into the remaining blooms. It also gives you the opportunity to harvest the seeds and sow them to grow more daffodils later in the year.
  • A few weeks after a flower has died and dried off, the seed head behind the faded flower will have swollen, like the top picture below. Once the seed heads have turned a darker colour and feel firm to the touch, they are ready to harvest.
  • To remove the seed heads, use your fingernail to pull them off gently. If you’re worried about harvesting them too soon, pick them off one at a time and harvest as you go.
  • Once you’ve picked the seed heads, open it up with a tray underneath to capture the seeds.
  • Seeds of yellow daffodils are normally black; the seeds of white daffodils are normally white.
  • If you find your seeds are clear of gel-like, you’ve picked them a bit too early, so leave it another few weeks and try again with a different seed head.
  • There will be 4-6 sections in the seed head of each stem containing around 50 seeds in total. Harvested seeds will last for 1 year and are best sown in September of the same year.

 

Daffodil dried flower head

Daffodil seed pod

 

Deadhead Alpines and Mulch with Grit

  • Keep alpines looking tidy as they start to flower, removing any dead foliage and ensuring fresh flowers are not resting on and being dirtied by bare earth.
  • Mulch with grit to keep the foliage and flowers off damp soil. If you’re growing alpines in a gravel or rock garden, consider whether you need to replenish the supply of gravel to show your plants off at their best.
  • If you don’t have any alpines in your garden yet but want to consider growing them, popular varieties include Arabis for its shape and delicate flowers on stems, Aubrieta which trails and spreads quickly and creates a sea of colour when in flower, Saxifrage which is able to grow almost anywhere including amongst rocks and Sedums with their interesting succulent foliage.

 

Arabis white flowers

 

Plant up a ‘Lasagne’ Container of Summer Bulbs

  • Most summer flower bulbs such as Bergenia and Lilies are ideal for growing in containers.
  • Use a good quality multi-purpose compost in your containers combined with a handful of grit to improve drainage. Specialist bulb compost is also available.
  • A popular technique is to grow multiple rows of bulbs in a “lasagne” arrangement in a deep container, providing a stunning, full display with a mix of bulbs that flower through the summer.
  • Choose flower bulbs for your lasagne that grow to different heights for the best display. Most types of bulbs work well, just make sure their colours and styles combine well together, avoid clashing colours and consider the surroundings of where your lasagne container will go.
  • Choose a relatively deep container to accommodate at least 3 layers. The larger the container the better, as it will allow you to fit more bulbs in each layer. Plant up where you want it to stay.
  • Start with a 5cm (2 inch) layer of grit at the bottom of your container. Then add a layer of bulbs suitable to grow at a deeper depth. Cover that layer of bulbs with compost and continue layering bulbs to their required depth, finishing with the smallest and earliest in the top layer.

 

Flower bulbs

 

Vegetable Garden

Sow Vegetables

  • There are lots of vegetable seeds that can be sown in March. Some types of veg such as broad beans, beetroot, carrot, spinach, turnips and peas can be sown directly into the ground. A good way to avoid carrot root fly is by sowing an early crop of carrots under fleece / cloches in March.
  • Others such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, aubergine, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts can be started off in pots in a greenhouse or indoors with a propagator to give them the best start.
  • Fast growth crops such as radish and lettuce can be sown directly into the ground but under cloches to provide the early season protection they will need to delivery a bumper crop.

 

Carrot ready to harvest in ground

 

Buy Herbs to Grow in Containers or Window Boxes

  • March is the ideal time to buy some herb plants for plant them into a pot, container or window box close to the kitchen so you have delicious fresh ingredients on hand whenever needed.
  • Growing herbs, or even creating a herb garden, is easier than you might think. All you need is good light conditions in a weed free, well-drained soil or even on a windowsill.
  • When the right growing methods are used, growing your own herbs can be a culinary delight, which we guarantee to taste better than anything you find in the shops.
  • Even if you don't intend to use them in the kitchen, many herbs boast a beautiful aroma and wildlife-attracting flowers, as well as adding a splash of colour.
  • Our most popular herbs are chives plants, bay laurel, peppermint plants and parsley, whilst tarragon is another old favourite. Lavender Munstead offers a wonderful, strong fragrance and looks superb when planted across the front of your home, around a patio of near seating areas.

Chives flower heads

 

Sow Early Potatoes in the Vegetable Patch or Large Tubs

  • There’s nothing more rewarding than pulling fresh potatoes out of your very own soil. Seed potatoes are unfussy and easy to grow with March being a great time to order and plant them.
  • Seed potatoes are specifically selected, disease-free potatoes that are tested and kept in a cool, dark room until they’re required to plant for the following years crop.
  • Seed potatoes grow best if they have started “chitting” (sprouting after being put in a cool, light place) before being put in the ground.
  • For the largest possible crop of small to average sized potatoes, leave on all the chits. If you prefer a smaller crop of giant potatoes, pick off all but two of the chits before planting.
  • We offer some of the most delicious and highest quality seed potatoes and potato tubers available, from the perfect salad or new potato ‘Arran Pilot’ to the red, multi-purpose potatoes of the ‘Mozart’ variety.
  • First early potatoes are planted in late March for a harvest in May onwards, while maincrops are planted in mid-to late-April to be ready to harvest from August to October.

 

Seed potatoes

 

Sow tomatoes, sweet peppers and chillies indoors

  • Tomato seeds are easy to grow, germinating within a couple of weeks.
  • Larger cordon varieties are well suited to grow bags and raised beds, while compact cherry tomatoes can be grown in pots and hanging baskets.
  • Fill a two litre pot with seed compost to 2cm below the rim, place tomato seeds evenly about 4cm / 2 inches apart and cover with vermiculite.
  • Water thoroughly and cover with clingfilm or a clear plastic bag to help retain the moisture.
  • Remove the cover when seedings appear. When each seedling reaches about 10cm tall, carefully prick them out and pot each one on into a 9cm pot, planting deeply.
  • They should be ready to harden off outdoors by late May, before you plant them into their final position outdoors.

 

Tomato seeds

 

Fruit Garden

Plant a fig tree in a large container or in the garden with a root barrier

  • The easy-to-grow, trouble free and enduringly popular fig tree makes a stunning ornamental garden feature and produces bountiful crops of succulent fruits.
  • Native to warm, Mediterranean climates, it thrives in sheltered positions with lots of sunshine and becomes drought tolerant once fully established.
  • Fig trees are best planted just before dormancy is broken in late winter or early spring. Ideally, locate your fig tree along a sunny south or south-west facing wall or fence - this will help to constrain the roots on one side, as well as keeping them warm as the brickwork will retain heat from the sun during the day then radiate it during the cooler evenings.
  • Fig trees prefer a well-drained soil, so ensure the ground does not become saturated at the planting location. If you have a warm city microclimate such as a sheltered courtyard or patio this is particularly well suited to growing figs.
  • For more details, please see our article on how to grow your own fig tree.

 

Fruit fruit cut open

 

Plant strawberries in handing baskets

  • Strawberries offer a quintessential taste of British summertime with their characteristic aroma, bright red colour, juicy texture and sweetness.
  • Strawberries will grow in the border, growth bags, containers, window boxes or even hanging baskets and make an easy and highly rewarding fruit to grow with children.
  • Strawberry plants prefer full sun during the major growing period; they will succeed in dappled shade but tend to be less prolific. Select a sheltered position protected from frost pockets and cold or strong winds - north-facing sites are best.
  • Strawberries are best planted into grow bags and hanging baskets in spring or summer using potted strawberry plants. Position your grow bag against a wall to improve drainage and to allow it to be raised slightly, away from potential pests.
  • Planting strawberries in a container has the added benefit of preventing the fruits from lying on the ground, so they are protected from snails, slugs, vine weevil and small mammals.
  • See our article on how to grow your own strawberries for more details.

 

Strawberries in metal bucket

 

Garden Maintenance

Lawn Care

  • Your lawn will welcome a boost in the spring, just like many other plants in the garden.
  • Scarify, aerate, tidy and fertilise to rejuvenate your lawn and keep it growing strongly.
  • Scarifying means using a lawn rake to remove dead grass and other debris from your lawn that looks unsightly and prevents healthy growth. As a minimum, scarify at the start of the season in March/April, then again as the leaves fall from the trees in autumn and once again in November.

 

Lawn scarifier

  • Compaction can be a big problem with lawns. Without air spaces the soil is unable to hold air or water thus producing a lifeless unhealthy lawn. Aerating improves drainage, reduces water logging problems and helps your lawn grow thicker and stronger. Sections of grass around the clothes line, near the kids play area and next to the patio are generally in most need of aeration.
  • Aeration should be done in spring and autumn using a garden fork or hollow-tined aerator. Simply drive your fork or aerator into the ground as deep as possible at 15cm (6 inch) intervals across your entire lawn.

 

Lawn care aerating

  • Mow lawns when they start growing again and cut edges with an edging tool to keep them looking sharp.

 

Protect Hostas from Slugs

  • Hostas are popular and distinctive, shade-loving perennials with large, lush tropical foliage that makes a beautiful addition to any garden.
  • It’s important to protect hosta plants from slugs and snails. Copper rings can be an effective way to do this. When a slug tries to cross over the ring, it receives an ‘electric shock’ forcing it back.
  • Bury the copper ring as deeply as possible as slugs may try to reach hostas from underneath.

 

Hosta variegated foliage

 

Helping Wildlife

Add Wildlife Attracting Plants to your Garden

  • As temperatures are starting to warm up, more of us will be happy to venture out into the garden and consider adding new plants to our beds and borders.
  • A great way to make your outdoor space a haven for wildlife is to choose wildlife friendly plants, providing you with the opportunity to watch native wildlife up close at your leisure, whilst also helping to keep unwanted pests at bay.
  • For butterflies, plant large groups of nectar-rich varieties which flower at the same time; red, orange, purple, pink and yellow flowers with short flower tubes or flat tops are best.
  • Bees love striking colours and fragrances, elaborately shaped petals and ample nectar with lots of different flowers close together. Anemone and Chives plants are both good choices.
  • Native hedging such as holly plants provide essential cover and corridors that join up green spaces for small mammals, whilst night-scented plants such as Buddleia are great for moths, which in turn are a feast for bats.
  • Bird tables or bird boxes, positioned near to prickly bushes to deter unwanted predators and away from places where cats can get to easily, are the best way to attract birds. Dense evergreen trees, conifers, clematis and honeysuckle climbers also offer shelter for nesting.

 

Wasp in purple flower

 

Provide Invertebrate Shelters

  • While the birds are singing, bulbs are blooming and some shrubs are starting to come into flower, March can actually be a difficult time for garden wildlife.
  • March night-time temperatures often still fall below zero, so invertebrates such as beetles, caterpillars and earth worms will still be in need of shelter.
  • Piles of logs is one common way to provide shelter, but is far from being the only option. Fallen leaves and timber also provide cover. Additional help for invertebrates can be provided by buying or building invertebrate shelters.
  • Simple structures of hollow canes held together in a bundle and placed in a suitably sheltered part of the garden away from frost pockets in a simple and effective option.

 

Invertebrate shelter

 

Feed the Birds

  • Continue feeding the birds in your garden in March. They will have survived through the winter but by now will have likely devoured all available winter berries and may lack sustenance with less invertebrate food available, just as they need to be in good health for the breeding season.
  • Sunflower seeds, mixed feed bags and fat or suet balls are all good options at this time of year. Avoid peanuts as adult birds will feed them to their young who may choke on them.

 

Blue tit eating seeds

 

Leave food for hedgehogs

  • March is the time when hedgehogs will start emerging from their winter hibernation, feeling hungry and in need of building up their fat reserves for breeding.
  • Help them by leaving out meat and water-based dog or cat food at dusk (chicken is a good choice) and discarding any that’s left in the morning.
  • If you’re keen to attract and support hedgehogs in your garden, consider buying a hedgehog house to provide them with somewhere to nest, sleep and take shelter from predators.

 

Hedgehog house

 

Other March Gardening Jobs

  • If you forced any spring bulbs to flower early indoors over the winter (such as Hyacinth for Christmas or daffodils indoor for a late winter ray of sunshine), these will have now faded. Plant the bulbs outdoors in the garden so they’ll deliver you blooms again next year.

 

Sunflower secateurs

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