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What to do in the garden in March

March 10, 2016 By Jill Anderson 2 Comments

Can you feel that change in the season as spring gradually approaches?

The biggest change is the lengthening daylight, it makes a big difference to plants, perking them up from winter.

The roses are gradually waking up in my garden and looking more sprightly. They were to be pruned last month, but I never got round to it, but it’s on the list for this week-end. I know that the longer I delay doing it, the more new growth I’ll have to cut off, which is a bit disheartening for me and the roses.

What to do in the garden in March-rose-bed, cropped

roses in my garden last year

I’m hardening off plants in the cold frame, getting them used to the big outdoors by leaving the lid open all day and closing it at night for the next week or so. So long as it isn’t freezing cold, they’ll be planted in the garden at the end of the month. Meanwhile I’ll be getting their new space ready for them, weeding and giving the soil a covering of compost.

What to do in the garden in March- plants growing in the cold-frame

The cold-frame with the open lid, getting the plants acclimatised

I didn’t mean to be protecting slugs along with new plants, but there they were lurking under plant-pots when I tidied up the cold frame earlier this week, it does show initiative, slugs are good at this, but they can devastate small, new plants overnight. Instead of using slug-pellets, I’m always on the look-out for snails and slugs when I’m in the garden, and birds are encouraged into the garden with bird-food and water, they are my little allies in the battle.

Terracotta bird feeders for the garden

swanky bird feeders from Green & Blue

Bulbs are great plants, they need so little attention. I haven’t got many spring flowering bulbs in the garden, I’ve promised myself lots for next year, but I recommend dead-heading daffodils, iris reticulata and the like, leave the foliage to wither away naturally because it’s doing a great job of helping to feed the bulbs for next year.

If you’re lucky enough to have big clumps of herbaceous perennials, like geranium, heleniums or sedum, it’s your last chance this season to dig them up and split them into smaller clumps, to be re-planted. They look good planted in a big group, rather than dotted around the garden on their own. Enrich their new planting holes with compost, water them in if the soil is dry.

what to do in your garden in March, sedum and grasses

Sedum look wonderful with grasses, this photo was taken on The Highline in New York.

What to do in the garden in March- pink sedum flowers

Sedum Autumn Joy, the flowers start of a lovely pale green and gradually become pink towards the end of the summer, a great plant for butterflies and bees

Oh, and spread some compost, well-rotted manure over any bare-soil, your plants will be very grateful.

Have a look here if you want to know what to do in the vegetable plot this month, the smart bird feeders are from

Green and Blue.

Happy gardening, Jill

all photos by Jill Anderson, bird-feeder photo from Green and Blue.

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Filed Under: Blog, Gardening, Plants, Recycling & Sustainability Tagged With: what to do in the garden in March

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Comments

  1. Sophie Wyndham says

    March 21, 2016 at 12:11 pm

    Lovely ideas! I just finished with seed starters and we are currently preparing the new beds’ soil. Your post gave me some more ideas what to prepare and make in the garden. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Jill Anderson says

      March 21, 2016 at 6:52 pm

      Hello Sophie, good to hear that you found it helpful, it’s getting to be a busy time in the garden!

      Reply

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Hello, I’m Jill Anderson.
This is where you’ll find good, solid information about gardening, growing fruit & vegetables and how to keep it all looking good.
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The healing, calming power of nature in one photo. The healing, calming power of nature in one photo.
These wonderful autumn colours won’t be around for much longer. But that’s ok, because now is what matters, & their fleeting beauty makes them even more precious.
It’s easy to see how being among trees & nature is so beneficial for our health & wellbeing. 
Have a great Sunday.
Savouring all the autumn colour, & doesn’t it lo Savouring all the autumn colour, & doesn’t it look spectacular with this bold front door.
Today has been hard work, after a lovely time last week in Norfolk. The north coast there is spectacular. Realising these last few months, that there are so many beautiful places here. 
Have a nice evening.
Charming glasshouse at Houghton Hall, Norfolk. Vis Charming glasshouse at Houghton Hall, Norfolk. Visiting to see the Anish Kapoor sculptures, which are amazing, but unprepared for the beauty of the grounds & garden. 
Such a treat, worth coming to Norfolk for this alone!
Hope you’re keeping well, & managing to smile some of the time. x
P.S. more of Houghton Hall & Anish Kapoor on my stories
We stopped off on the way home to pick blackberrie We stopped off on the way home to pick blackberries, after coffee & cake, sitting in the churchyard - the cafe was full, & the churchyard is a quiet, peaceful spot..... as you’d expect.
-
One little advantage of lockdown is walking so much more, rather than using the car. Though it shouldn’t have taken something as momentous as this, for me to change bad habits 🙁
Hope you’re weekend is going well.
My hazel arch, a bit lopsided 🙄 using wood from My hazel arch, a bit lopsided 🙄 using wood from a random clump of hazel on the garden. Now looking much better covered in winter squash plants, so you can’t see just how ramshackle it is. I like to think it has a certain home-spun charm .

Great for small space gardening, imagine how much room you need to grow these without vertical supports.

I’ve got 2 Uchiki kuri, lovely nutty flavour.
1 Turks turban, for its flamboyant shape & colours, though it also tastes good.
One unknown, grown by my grandsons in their homeschooled science lesson.
Close-ups of the squash over on my stories.
Stay cool my friends x
I wanted to show you this lovely lily ( Lilium reg I wanted to show you this lovely lily ( Lilium regale) which is flowering right outside our bedroom window. 
It gets sun for about 4 hours only, you can order the bulbs now for planting in September. It’ll reappear every year & waft delicious scent around your garden, or through your windows.
Have a very happy Monday x
It’s British Flower Week, there’s a lot to be It’s British Flower Week, there’s a lot to be said for fabulous seasonal flowers that haven’t travelled thousands of miles ...... & are wonderful for biodiversity
A bit of rain, nice long days (it’s almost mid-s A bit of rain, nice long days (it’s almost mid-summer!) & it’s, mostly, all growing nicely.

Spinach, courgettes & garlic in shot here. 
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday x
Hope is a decision I’ve thought long & hard abou Hope is a decision
I’ve thought long & hard about how to view the tumult in the world we’re living in now. 
The only thing that works for me, is to choose hope.

It’s a tall order, but avoiding mainstream news & speculation helps avoid the anxiety, that’s often waiting in the wings.

One day soon there’ll be grandchildren clambering over this again.
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