MARCH

ESSENTIAL JOBS CHECKLIST FOR MARCH

TOPICAL TIPS FOR MARCH

Flower Garden

Herbaceous plants will start into growth this month. Fork a general purpose plant food around your plants
as they emerge – choose Westland’s Growmore, or Chicken Manure Pellets, Fish, Blood and Bone if your
prefer an organic product. Then cover the soil with thick mulch using Westland’s bark chips or composted
bark. This will keep the moisture in and keep weeds down, making your life easier. Be careful you don't
damage plants that are not yet showing.
Carry on pruning clematis. If warm weather means your late-flowering varieties have already made a lot of
new growth don't worry about cutting them back – they will shoot again from buds lower down. Pruning
will also have the effect of delaying flowering. You might choose to prune some clematis early and some
late to give you continuity of flowering. Make sure you know which group your clematis falls into before
you get out the secateurs. Feed your clematis after pruning and mulch them.

Going Green

Have you got your water butt cleaned out and ready for the summer, if not this is the month to get all
systems ready for the months ahead.

Roses

Continue to prune large-flowered and cluster-flowered roses and then give them a feed. Shrub roses
should not be pruned in the spring as you won't get flowers. However, you can feed and mulch shrub roses
now.

Lawn

The grass will be starting to grow this month so you can give your lawn its first cut of the season – make
sure the blades are set high.
Carry on aerating your lawn and rake it to get out debris and dead grass and moss.
If moss is a problem you can Sulphate of Iron. Many gardeners prefer to kill weeds at the same time – in
this case choose the Feed, Weed and Mosskiller range.

In the Greenhouse

Sow seeds for summer bedding in your greenhouse. If you don't have a greenhouse you can raise many
seeds successfully on a warm, bright windowsill in the house or conservatory. However you choose to grow
your summer bedding, you'll find compost available from the Westland range to suit you.
You can also start begonia tubers and canna roots. Begonia is best started by laying the tubers in a tray of
moist compost. Once the shoots show you can pot them individually.

Containers

Winter containers might be looking a bit the worse for wear by now. Clean out the containers ready for
planting out summer bedding in May. To give a quick burst of colour until then look, out for pots of Senetti
in the garden centre, or plant some perennials that catch your eye. Once May comes, you can plant these
into permanent positions in your garden.

Vegetable Garden

If conditions are suitable outside, you can start to sow seeds of broccoli, cabbage, kale, kohl rabi, parsnips,
peas, radish and spinach. It's best to cover with cloches.
Plant out onion sets and shallots
Buy seed potatoes and put them in a cool light position to sprout. You can start planting early varieties
towards the end of the month.

Herb garden

Continue to sow parsley in small batches. You can use the same technique for coriander and chervil.
Now's a good time to start a new herb garden. Herb plants are readily available in most garden centres. You need to decide whether your main aim is to grow herbs for the kitchen or for their decorative value.Herbs look good in a formal design, so spend a bit of time planning it out on paper before you buy the plants. Most herbs require an open sunny site and a light open soil. If your soil in heavy add grit or san to improve drainage and Westland’s Mulch and Mix to improve the structure.

Fruit Garden

For an early crop of strawberries bring potted plants into the greenhouse. Water well and feed Scotts liquid
tomato food to boost flowers and fruiting.
If your rhubarb is pushing through, cover it with an upturned bucket to exclude the light. This will encourage
the plant to produce tender pink shoots.