The Gardeners Almanac

The place to find out what to do in the garden this week
My Back Garden

The Ornamental Garden in March

Overview:

The weather is hopefully improving at this time of the year thus allowing the gardener to get on with planting and tidying up the garden.

However be warned: do not carry out any of the tasks listed below if the conditions are less than ideal.

Be patient! Plants have a way of catching up after late winters.


Note: As with most advice on gardening the advisors location will often influence the content of the advice.

To alleviate this problem I have produced this chart indicating how you can make adjustments to the timing of events as seen in this website.

I hope you find this useful! .......Tg


At any time this month:

If not already done, remove the remains of the previous years perennials and tidy the beds / borders and remove any emerging perennial weeds.

Cut back ground cover plants to expose new growth.

Divide established clumps of perennials if necessary.

Be careful not to damage emerging Spring bulbs.

Feed spring bulbs and perennials.

On completion Mulch the beds / borders to deter weeds and retain moisture.

Powdered and granular feeds require the right weather conditions to dissolve them, so a liquid feed is often the better option.


Week 9 - 26th Feb. to 4th Mar.

Continue with the tasks listed above.


Week 10 - 5th Mar. to 11th Mar.

Cut back prune wayward growths and generally thin out Actinidia, Buddlea, Celastrus, Cotoneaster plants as necessary.

If conditions allow, prune established Brugmansia / Datura plants back to 150mm (6") from the plant base.

Divide established Agastache plants or take Root cuttings to increase stock.

Collect Cistus seeds.

Plant out Camellia and Cornus, if conditions allow.

Feed Galanthus / Snowdrops.


Week 11 - 12th Mar. to 18th Mar.

If not done previously, plant out Lonicera and Clematis if weather conditions allow.


Week 12 - 19th Mar. to 25th Mar.

Divide Galanthus / Snowdrops if necessary.

Plant out Oxalis if conditions allow.

Divide established Oxalis if conditions allow.

Re-pot Brugmansia / Datura.

Lift self seeded Anacyclus seedlings and either re-plant them elsewhere or pot them up and grow on in a coldframe..

Protect flowering Auricula.

Prune / Tidy up Passiflora.

Feed Endymon.


Week 13 - 26th Mar. to 1st Apr.

If not done previously and conditions allow, plant out Clematis plants.

Similarly, layer Clematis and sever previous years layers.

Prune Group 2 and 3 Clematis and trim group 1 varieties if necessary.

Prune / thin out, Abies, Colutea, Hamamelis mollis, Phlox paniculata if required.

Tidy up Calluna/Heathers by dead heading, weeding, and applying a bark or peat mulch.

Prune out strong new growth of repeat flowering Shrub roses.

Hard Prune newly planted, or old neglected plants, and moderately prune established Bush roses.

Do not prune ramblers and weeping standards.

After pruning roses, tidy the beds and boost growth by applying a rose feed.

Divide and re-plant Hellebores and Pinks if conditions allow.

Tidy up Avena and Cordalyne plants.

Mulch Agrostemma, Lychnis, Potentilla and Rhodohypoxis.

Be on the look out for Slugs and Snails around Althaea.

Feed Camellia, Bearded Iris, and Climbing / Rambling Roses.