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

Gardening- No Thanks

Gardening – No thanks

As I review a plethora of gardening calendars for this month I keep coming to the same conclusion. It’s just too cold and wet! We can expect sub-zero temperatures, gale force winds, frost pockets and a deluge of rain.

However, for those of us willing to brave the outdoors this is the month to batten down the hatches and make sure everything is secure, well staked and protected. And, if you are feeling particularly adventurous then you could always ventilate the greenhouse on sunny days, dig over vacant plots, prune apple and pear trees and reshape the lawn.

Vegetables – Yes please

Alternatively, why not start thinking vegetables. I started growing ‘my-own’ last year on a small scale and was truly amazed at the results. Ok, we never became self-sufficient, but picking your own ripe tomatoes in October was a real sense of achievement, if not slight odd!

You don’t have to have masses of space to grow vegetables, a small sunny area in the garden is ideal or alternatively you can use a range of containers. From my experience last year, the amount of success you have or yield, very much depends on the time you want to invest.

If you’re not an experienced grower, then I would advise keeping it simple and manageable at least in the first year. Select some of the basic family favourites, but don’t be put of experimenting with some of the Classic Mediterranean vegetables such as tomatoes, aubergines and peppers especially if you have a sheltered hot spot such as a sunny patio.

Seed or Seedlings
Again, this rather depends on your time. There are a host of seeds available and a large number are now ‘sow direct’ which as the name suggests can be sown direct into your plot or out into your containers. Alternatively, you can sow into seed trays and shelter them during the colder weather before planting them out later.

Seedlings are obviously more expensive but provide greater flexibility as you simply plant them out as and when they are available at your local garden centre. However, you maybe limited on choice in some instances.

General care

• For containers most crops will grow perfectly well in a multi-purpose compost, either peat based or peat free.

• If sowing into the ground, then ensure the plot is weed free, has good drainage and dig in a soil improver or manure to give you crops a kick-start.

• Maintain an even water supply and ensure good drainage to prevent water-logging.

• Apply a high nitrogen liquid fertiliser if growth flags and high potassium liquid fertiliser for flowering and fruiting crops.

• Ensure any pest and disease control products you use on your vegetables or fruit are suitable for edible plants.