Gardener's Calendar - March
Things to do in...
Time to get into your garden. With the weather becoming milder and day length increasing, March usually marks the start of the Spring gardening season. Days can be filled with warm sunshine to warm up 
the soil, stirring a host of Spring bulbs from Winter dormancy into leaf and bloom.
Trees start to reveal their canopy, some showing impressive, vibrant colours and Daffodils can be seen in gardens and roadsides everywhere, their trumpet shaped flowers and unmistakable colour lift your spirits and encourage you to get into the garden.
Flower Borders
There is a lot of work to get you busy in the garden during this month. Preparation before the season starts is essential. Some shrubs should be pruned now to encourage new growth and late Summer flowering Clematis should be pruned back to the first pair of buds. This is also the traditional month 
to prune back all your roses. This is done to maintain vigour in the plant and also to improve the shape. Always prune to an outward facing bud. When pruning is finished sprinkle a rose feed such as ‘Toprose’ around the base of the plant.
Snowdrops that have finished flowering can now be lifted then divided and smaller clumps planted in other areas of the garden, this should only be done whilst the plant is still in leaf, or ‘in the green’.
Any areas of the garden that need to be mulched can be done this month, it will help keep moisture in your borders and also suppress early weed growth.
Finally use the opportunity to have a good Spring clean, good husbandry will pay dividends when the season gets into full flow.
Fruit and Vegetable Gardens
It is the beginning of a busy time for the fruit and vegetable grower. Raspberry canes should be mulched with manure, as should Rhubarb. This should also be covered with a pot or growing tower to encourage early large, sweet stalks. This month is also the last chance to plant any bare root fruit bushes or trees. Any last minute shaping or cleaning of Apple trees must be done now, before the middle of the month. Protectant sprays for fungal 
infections that can lay dormant in the leaf buds should be applied now, to catch it just as they open. Peach leaf curl should be treated now as well.
Depending on what vegetable you intend to grow, a lot can be sown outside in March. Carrots, Peas, Parsnips, Broad Beans and Leeks to name a few, can be sown now from seed or transplanted from cell trays. Make sure your vegetable patch is well manured, double dug and a fine tilth before you start. Early potatoes can be planted from late March onwards.
Lawns
Now is the time you can finally get back and tend that lawn. If the weather has 
been mild, but more importantly dry, you can do the first cut of the season. The setting of the blades for this cut should be high to prevent any damage to your lawn. Keep it at this setting for your second cut also.
If moss is a problem in your lawn, treat now with a granular or liquid lawn moss killer. When moss has died, rake it away and prepare ground either with sand or fine grade topsoil for seeding. Aim to sow the seeds or lay new turf towards the end of the month.
Patio and Greenhouse Gardening
You can now start to sow a selection of hardy annuals in pots and place even in an unheated greenhouse for planting into flower borders in Summer. If you have a heated greenhouse now is the time to get a head start on your basket and patio plants. You can often buy these in small cells or pots and by starting them early you will have a long and colourful summer display. Lettuce, Cucumber and Tomatoes can be started now too.
This year why not try a Strawberry pot started in the greenhouse. These plants are hardy but will establish much quicker if kept under protection.
One area to watch in the greenhouse at this time of year is fungal infection. Warm days and a lot of moisture are excellent for breeding mildews and wilts. Spray on a regular cycle to prevent this and also maintain good husbandry in the greenhouse,however, try not to over water.
General Tasks
Continue to feed the birds with the 
many products available in store now. Start to think about slug prevention, it’s Spring for them as well.
If you haven’t one already, now is a good time to purchase a water butt, to take advantage of the Spring showers.
March is a great month to be in the garden, and if you’re looking for ideas or a bit of inspiration visit us at Redfields where our staff can help you with all of the above and MUCH MORE.
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