As warmer weather approaches, many gardeners are eager to prepare their outdoor spaces for upcoming barbecues and social gatherings. Fortunately, experts have disclosed the key plants to prioritise during March to ensure a flourishing garden throughout the spring and summer months.
March Gardening: The Perfect Time for Preparation
With the cold weather gradually thawing, now is an ideal moment to start setting up for a productive summer and create space for blossoming flowers to welcome the spring season. Speaking to the Daily Mail, specialists from Barnsdale Gardens emphasised that completing a few crucial tasks is essential while 'the soil is waking up', as temperatures are expected to rise steadily.
'March is one of the most exciting moments in the gardening calendar, the grand warm-up act before the main growing season bursts onto the stage,' they explained. 'A little effort now will set your garden up for a spectacular show in the months ahead. So grab your gloves, dust off the secateurs, and let's get growing! Spring is stretching, the soil is waking up, and it's time to get your hands delightfully dirty.'
Essential March Gardening Tasks
Read on to discover which plants require extra attention over the next few weeks, according to gardening professionals.
Feed Your Asparagus
If you enjoy asparagus, now is the time to take action for a delicious harvest. 'This isn't a heavy-feeding plant, so simply apply a fairly thin layer of compost over the asparagus crowns each year before they begin to shoot,' the experts advised. 'Combined with allowing the feathery foliage to photosynthesise from midsummer onwards, this will provide plenty of nourishment for a strong crop of tender, juicy spears.'
Dig Up Rhus Suckers
Gardeners revealed that while Rhus shrubs are beautiful, they require ample space because they enthusiastically produce suckers. Consequently, 'when maintaining your borders, you'll need to dig these out regularly; otherwise, they can quickly take over.' It is recommended to remove them as close to the parent plant as possible to prevent overgrowth.
Start Pruning Prunus
Although fruits are often associated with summer, providing a little extra care this month will help ensure you get the best results from your trees. 'If you need to remove any shoots from fruiting trees, such as cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, damsons, or apricots, now is the ideal time, as they are actively growing,' experts shared. 'At Barnsdale, we usually prune flowering cherries after they finish blooming, but if a tree is encroaching on a pathway, it's fine to cut it back once it has started shooting. Pruning these trees during active growth also helps reduce the risk of silver-leaf disease.'
Heel In Snowdrops
You can even take steps to ensure beautiful flowers for the next year. Gardeners have indicated that as the flowers start to fade and turn brown, it is the perfect time to lift, divide, and replant them. 'Because drying bulbs can be detrimental, it's much safer to buy snowdrops "in the green", which almost guarantees that they will return and bloom next year,' they clarified. 'If you got a little carried away and lifted or bought your snowdrops before the planting area is ready, don't worry, they can be "heeled in" temporarily.'
Simply dig a hole or trench, depending on the number of bulbs you have, place the snowdrops in a clump at the same depth they were originally planted, and backfill with soil. Firm them gently with your boot, and they will remain healthy for several weeks until you are ready to plant them properly.
