Gardening Tips for March

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We have reached March and spring flowers are at their stunning best to cheer us through, perhaps, the busiest part of the gardening year.

Jobs to do

All beds need a mulch both to retain moisture and to suppress those annoying annual weeds that need light to germinate.
Remove the top 1 to 2 inches of old compost from permanent pot plants and top-dress with fresh multi-purpose compost. The old compost could be used as mulch.

In the ornamental garden

Cut back Cornus, grown for their coloured stems, to 2-3 inches from the base because new growth has the best colour next winter. If that makes you nervous, cut a third of last year’s growth back and leave the rest until next year.
Cut down perennial grasses to make room for new growth.
Prune bush and standard roses and feed with proprietry rose food, fish, blood and bone or Growmore
Prune last season’s growth of Hydrangea panniculata to the lowest pair of strong buds – they flower on this year’s growth; but prune mop-head hydrangeas by removing dead heads back to the next pair of strong buds – they flower on last year’s growth; cut out a third of old growth at the base to encourage more stems to grow for next year’s flowers.
Prune Buddleia to a low framework; this will encourage the new growth that bears the flowers
Euphorbias give texture and colour but the sap can irritate skin.
Divide Hemerocallis, Astrantia, Hosta, Heuchera and Bergenia as new growth begins.