Wednesday 7 March 2012

March

March always feels like the start of spring to me. No matter what the weather is doing bulbs are well and truly making their mark with many already opening into flower from the first snowdrops breaking the snowy confines of winter to the spring daffodils lighting up the garden on St.Davids day. This is most likely to be the month where we get our first real glimpse of the sunny days ahead, our first chance to be out in our t-shirts and feel the sun on our backs, the chance to spend a full day out and embrace the elements rather than wrapping up against them.
This is the month the garden starts its big push into the year. Ponds are bursting with frogspawn, the lawn is beginning to look like it needs a trim and if you’ve any ash trees near you there will be a million and one tiny sprouting ash seeds to find and weed out. Plus with the added daylight we’re now enjoying there’s even more chance to be out enjoying the garden even if it’s just having a quiet pootle round in the morning, tea in hand before heading off to work.

Jobs this month:
Finish planting of deciduous trees and shrubs.
Prune dogwoods and willows grown winter stem colour.
Look at rejuvenating herbaceous plants. Lifting and dividing any that have got too big.
Resist the temptation to rush out and buy tender bedding until the end of the month.
Check sheds and fences for repairs and consider any wood treatments on warmer days.
Give mower its maintenance checks and get ready for the first cut.
Raise blades on mower and cut at highest setting first.
Keep an eye out for emerging hedgehogs and if you’ve and strimming to do take extra care.
Any actively growing houseplants can start to be fed.
Now’s one of your last chances to prune the roses before the years growth takes over.
Check compost heaps. Now’s a good time to mulch beds and let the worms work it into the soil.