insideKENT Magazine Issue 48 - March 2016 | Page 91

OUTDOORLIVING

YOUR GARDEN: march
Spring arrives
Spring usually arrives by mid March and the frequent sunny days provide
the opportunity for an increasing range of gardening tasks. It's time to get
busy preparing seed beds, sowing seed, cutting back winter shrubs and
generally tidying up around the garden.

TOP 10 JOBS THIS MONTH
Protect new spring shoots from slugs
Plant shallots, onion sets and early potatoes
Plant summer-flowering bulbs
Life and divide overgrown clumps of perennials
Top dress containers with fresh compost
Mow the lawn on dry days (if needed)
Cut back Cornus (dogwood) and Salix (willow)
grown for colourful winter stems
8. Weeds come back into growth – deal with
them before they get out of hand
9. Start feeding fish and using the pond fountain;
remove pond heaters
10. Open the greenhouse or conservatory doors
and vents on warm days
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TOP TIPS
Flowers
Hardy annuals can be sown in pots or modules
to provide colour in the garden. In mild areas you
can sow directly outside. Marking out irregularly
shaped seedbeds and broadcasting drifts of
different seed gives a more natural look.

Sweet peas can be sown outside this month.
Place autumn-sown sweet peas in a sunny
position, perhaps on a high shelf in the
greenhouse that gets plenty of light. Sow summer
bedding plants in a heated propagator or under
glass.
Early spring is an ideal time to plant herbaceous
perennials, including Geranium, Astrantia and
Oriental poppies.
Plant summer-flowering bulbs. Prepare the soil
first, to ensure that drainage is sufficient to prevent
the bulbs rotting. Anemone coronaria tubers need
particularly well-drained soils.
Plan a continuous crop of cut flowers for this
summer. Perennials such as delphiniums and
annuals can be grown to produce a useful and
beautiful display.
When space becomes available in the
greenhouse, pot up cuttings of tender perennials
taken last summer and at the beginning of this
year. Bulk up plant numbers by taking more
cuttings from the largest of the new plants.
Indoor forced bulbs that were in the house for
winter displays, but which have now finished

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flowering, can now be planted into the garden,
taking care not to disturb the roots.

Trees & Shrubs
Continue to plant deciduous hedging plants,
shrubs, trees and climbers. Stakes and rabbit
guards should be put in place at the time of
planting trees, to prevent damage to the rootball
or bark.
This is the best month for planting roses in heavy
soils or in cold areas. Avoid planting in areas
where roses were previously grown, otherwise
new introductions may suffer from replant disease.
Towards the end of the month, you can plant
evergreen shrubs and trees left unplanted since
the autumn.
In warmer areas, evergreen trees and shrubs can
be moved in late March. It is better to wait until
early April in colder areas. Make sure the soil is
not waterlogged or frozen solid, and bear in mind
that they will need careful attention to watering
if they are to survive their first summer after
moving.