The real gardening season starts in March. Certain plants are ready to be grown, you can sow almost anything, and there are a lot of maintenance jobs to prepare your garden for the summer.
Pruning
Pruning in March will encourage most deciduous shrubs and trees to grow stronger. And the more you prune, the more vigorous the new growth will be. Choose a day without frost and get your pruning shears. Most plants pruned in March flower on the new wood and are called shoot bloomers. Usually, those flowers appear after June. The best-known examples of such flowers are the panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) and the butterfly bush (Buddleja). Other plants that can be pruned in March include hibiscus, lavender, leadwort, summer heather and roses. For rose pruning, cut the branches back to 10 to 15 centimetres above the ground (or the grafting point of a standard rose) and then about an inch above an outward-facing eye. This eye will sprout and form a new branch. Prune away any thin twigs, as they will not form flower buds, and fertilize the plants after pruning. Are your pruning shears still sharp? Read here about how to sharpen your pruning shears.
Planting
March is the ideal time to plant bulbs of summer flowers such as dahlias, gladiolus, and lilies. You can also plant trees and shrubs with a root ball until the leaves sprout, ensuring the roots spread better and grow further in the soil. Gently loosen the root ball with your hands or a trowel. Once you have loosened the root ball, cut off any broken or damaged roots. Use sharp and clean pruning shears to create smooth wounds that heal well. Large clumps of perennials can now be divided and planted out.
Vegetable garden
March is also the perfect month to start the vegetable garden. Remove weeds and plant debris and incorporate compost into the soil. Since the soil has started to warm up a bit, you can start sowing vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, radishes, carrots, onions and basil. If you have a compost pile or compost bin, now is the time to turn it over with the fork and mix in fresh organic material.
Lawn
At temperatures of 6 degrees and above, the grass starts to grow again, so the first mowing is coming up. Have you had your lawnmower serviced and sharpened before winter storage? Fertilize the lawn or spread a thin layer of compost over it. You can either scarify the lawn, decide to sow a new one or do something about the bare spots.
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