Gardening Tips for March

March is a guessing game in the garden. Will it warm up soon? Will it stay warm? Will the rains start/stop? About the only thing we can count on is that March will soon turn to April when hopefully we can all get out and about in the garden.

Planting

This month roses will begin that first bloom.

Azaleas and camellias are best planted while blooming. They began their blooming in February, so March is right in the middle of their blooming season. Please don’t feed your camellias until they have completed their blooming. If you do, they will drop all remaining buds. Fertilise to reward the plant after the blooming ends.

Spring colour plants are arriving! Brighten up your gardens with perennials and annuals. Look for perennials such as campanula, columbine, coral bells, delphinium, foxglove (digitalis), diascia, penstemon, salvia, yarrow and so much more. Great annuals to pick from include celosia, coleus, dianthus, linaria, lobelia, marigolds, nicotiana, petunias, salvias, and verbena.

There is still time for planting bulbs!

And, don’t forget to start your vegetable gardens! Veggies as the cabbage family (cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli), squash, lettuce, spinach, peppers, and cool season tomatoes will be in this month. This is also a good time not only to prune back herbs from last year, but also add in new plants such as chives, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme.

Maintenance Duties

Fertilise your lawns and roses.

Snails will coming be out to munch on the tender new growth. So stay alert.

Now is also the time to divide perennials such as agapanthus, callas, daylilies, rudbeckia, and daisies. Those with fuchsias can cut them back two-thirds toward the main branches. Remember to leave 2-5 leaf bud/scars for new growth.

You can begin pruning your ornamental shrubs (pittosporum, boxwood, etc.) for hedges. Wait to prune spring-flowering shrubs and trees until their blooming is over.

And if anyone has any specific gardening questions they would like answering, please feel free to email us; info@davidcheethamgardens.co.uk

Happy Gardening!!

Regards
David Cheetham MSGD

Bedding Plants

Bedding plants can provide colour in your garden all the year round by replacing Summer flowering plants with selections for Autumn and Winter. They are ideal for planting on their own or with most other plants in a whole range of situations such as hanging baskets, tubs and pots, window boxes, troughs and of course in borders in the garden.

Preparation

For a colourful display thorough preparation is essential. Ensure you have good drainage in containers and good potting compost for plants to grow in. Prepare borders in the garden, first by well forking over to a depth of about 30cm (12in), adding a general fertiliser and some form of planting compost before planting starts.

Selecting your plants

Plants are grown in all sorts of trays and pots from small starter plants to larger plants which offer instant colour. Whatever you choose select sturdy plants which are green and healthy. Check that the leaves have not been eaten and are free from pests and diseases. Never buy plants that are dry or have been allowed to dry out.

Planting

1. Water plants well before planting.
2. Taller plants will give height and trailing or bushy plants will give depth and width.
3. Take care when removing your plants from their tray or pots so as not to damage the roots or shoots. Watering them before removal will help prevent this.
4. Never plant too firmly as roots need to breathe and expand the area they are covering.
5. Plant to just below the depth they were grown in their original container.
6. Plant so that they will just touch each other when fully grown - refer to the plant label but as a general rule plant shorter growing types 10-15cm (4-6ins) apart and taller varieties 23-30cm (9-12ins) apart.

Borders

In borders place tall plants to the rear reducing heights gradually using compact edging plants at the front - do not over crowd - all plants need room to grow.

Colours

It is important to blend colours together - try planting drifts of colour in borders. Use 'hot' colours - reds, yellows, oranges, or 'cool' colours - blues, lavender, silver and white for different effects. The garden is an extension of your home - use colour schemes as you would indoors

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Feeding

Plants are like people and need feeding to give the best results. Use a dry controlled release fertiliser at planting time which should feed for most of the growing and flowering season. Use a liquid feed towards the end of the Summer as a pick-me-up but water well first to ensure good take up.

Watering

Hanging baskets may require watering more than once a day, especially during hot weather. If the compost does dry out, water thoroughly and repeat. Create good drainage to prevent water logging in containers. After planting new plants, water thoroughly.

Plants Suitable for Drought Conditions

Drought tolerant plants are plants that can sustain significant periods of drought without suffering undue harm. However, even drought tolerant plants will need watering after planting until their root systems become fully established.

Annuals & bedding

Alcea
Alyssum
Amaranthus
Brachycombe
Calendula
Cosmos
Eschscholzia
Felicia
Gazania
Lunaria annua
Mesembryanthemum
Papaver somniferum
Portulaca
Salvia farinacea

Ornamental grasses

Cortaderia selloana
Festuca glauca
Helictotrichon sempervirens
Panicum virgatum
Pennisetum
Phalaris arundinacea
Pseudosasa japonica

Stipa

Herbaceous perennials

Achillea
Alchemilla mollis
Anaphalis
Asphodeline lutea
Baptisia autralis
Carlina acaulis
Catananche caerulea
Centaurea cineraria
Centranthus ruber
Cerastium tomentosum
Crambe cordifolia
Crepis incana
Cynara cardunculus
Dianthus (border carnations; pinks)
Echinops
Erodium
Eryngium
Euphorbia
Geranium

Gypsophila paniculata
Heuchera
Linum perenne
Liriope
Marrubium vulgare

Climbers/wall-trained shrubs

Abutilon
Acacia

Caesalpinia gillesii
Campsis
Cotoneaster horizontalis
Eccremocarpus scaber
Eriobotrya japonica
Erythrina crista-galli
Euonymus fortunei 'Silver Queen'
Fallopia baldschuanicum
Fremontodendron
Garrya elliptica
Hedera
Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris
Jasminum
Lathyrus latifolius
Lonicera japonica
Lycium barbarum