March is one of the most exciting months in the garden. The days are stretching out, the soil is slowly warming (and hopefully beginning to dry after all the recent rain) and everywhere you look there are signs of life returning. It is a month of preparation, gentle maintenance and the first real burst of activity after winter.
Whether you tend a wildlife-friendly cottage garden, a neat suburban lawn, a productive vegetable patch or a pond brimming with frogs, March sets the tone for the entire gardening year. With a little organisation now, and a well-timed visit to our garden centre, you can make the most of the season ahead.
Here’s a practical guide to March gardening, focusing on the key jobs to tackle now and how to approach them.
What to do:
March is the time to clear away winter debris and make space for new growth. Cut back dead stems from perennials if you have not already done so and gently clear fallen leaves from borders.
Resist the temptation to make everything immaculate. Leave some areas slightly undisturbed for wildlife, as insects may still be sheltering in hollow stems.
Avoid walking on waterlogged soil and try to stay off saturated lawns, as this can compact the ground and damage structure.
What to do:
Early March is ideal for pruning most roses before vigorous new growth begins. Cut stems back to an outward-facing bud and remove any dead, diseased or crossing growth to encourage an open shape.
This is also a good time to divide large clumps of perennials such as hostas, daylilies and hardy geraniums. Dividing rejuvenates plants and provides you with extra plants for other areas of the garden.
Useful tools to purchase:
– Sharp secateurs
– Gardening gloves
– General purpose fertiliser
– Well-rotted manure or compost for mulching
After pruning and dividing, apply a mulch around plants to help retain moisture and suppress weeds as temperatures rise.
What to do:
Once beds are weeded, apply a balanced general-purpose fertiliser to give plants a strong start. If you are gardening in peat-free compost, a liquid feed can be especially helpful.
In the vegetable garden, remove weeds and add compost or well-rotted manure if the soil is workable. Lightly fork over the soil, but avoid compacting wet ground. If beds are still waterlogged, leave them for a week or two before working them.
What to do:
March is a pivotal month for the kitchen garden, although patience is still important if the soil is cold.
Outdoors, you can sow broad beans, peas and spinach. Carrots can be sown under cloches and beetroot towards the end of the month. Keep horticultural fleece on hand to protect young seedlings from late frosts.
Indoors, start tomatoes, chillies, peppers and aubergines on a bright windowsill or in a greenhouse.
Chitted seed potatoes can be planted out now. As shoots grow, earth them up to protect against frost. If you have not yet prepared your potatoes, place them in trays with the “eyes” facing upwards in a cool, frost-free position before planting later in the month.
Useful items to purchase:
– Seed potatoes
– Onion sets and shallots
– Vegetable seeds
– Seed compost
– Module trays and plant labels
– Horticultural fleece and netting
What to do:
March is the time to gently wake your lawn from winter. Apply a spring lawn feed and reseed any bare patches.
Lightly scarify if moss is an issue and edge borders neatly to tidy the overall appearance. If grass is actively growing and conditions are dry, you can begin mowing, but keep the blades high for the first cut and avoid cutting too short.
Useful items to purchase:
– Lawn feed
– Grass seed
– Lawn rake
– Moss treatment
What to do:
March is an important month for wildlife emerging from winter.
Continue feeding birds with sunflower hearts, fat balls and mealworms, and clean feeders regularly. Install nest boxes before breeding season gets fully underway.
Plant nectar-rich flowers such as crocuses, hellebores and pulmonaria to support early pollinators. Leave a small log pile or undisturbed corner for insects and amphibians.
If possible, create small gaps in fences to allow hedgehogs to pass between gardens.
Wildlife-friendly items to purchase:
– Bird seed and feeders
– Nest boxes
– Wildflower seed mixes
– Bug hotels
What to do:
March is awakening season for ponds. Frogs may already be spawning and pond plants will be beginning to stir.
Reconnect and clean pond pumps and filters if they were disconnected over winter. Gently remove fallen leaves and debris, taking care not to disturb frogspawn.
Overgrown marginal plants and water lilies can be divided and repotted using aquatic compost. Top up water levels with rainwater where possible and consider adding oxygenating plants to help balance the pond as sunlight increases.
Useful items to purchase:
– Aquatic compost
– Pond plant baskets
– Barley straw for natural algae control
– Pond net
– Water test kit
Never completely empty a wildlife pond unless absolutely necessary, as this disrupts the ecosystem.
What to do:
As light levels increase, houseplants begin to wake from their winter rest.
Resume monthly feeding with a balanced liquid fertiliser. Repot any rootbound plants, moving them up by just one pot size and using fresh compost.
Increase watering gradually but avoid overwatering in cool conditions. Wipe dust from leaves to improve light absorption and inspect regularly for pests.
Useful items to purchase:
– Houseplant compost
– Liquid houseplant feed
– New pots
– Sticky pest traps
Rotate pots weekly to ensure even growth towards the light.
If winter bedding is starting to fade, refresh containers with spring bedding plants for instant colour. Summer-flowering bulbs such as lilies and gladioli can also be planted now.
Deadhead winter pansies and violas to prolong their display and keep borders looking fresh as the season progresses.
March is a month of optimism in the garden. Every cleared border, every sown seed and every mulched bed is an investment in the abundance of summer.
Work with the weather, pace yourself and take time to notice the birdsong, the first bees and the unfurling buds. Spring has begun, and the gardening year is well underway. 🌷
Clyst St. Mary
Sidmouth Road, Clyst St. Mary,
Exeter, Devon, EX5 1AE.
Telephone: 01392 876281
Email: gardening@stbridgetnurseries.co.uk
OPENING HOURS
Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm*
Sundays 10.00am to 4.00pm*
Bank Holidays 9.00am to 5.00pm
*Cafe open until 4.30pm each day and until 3.30pm on Sundays.
We are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day and Easter Sunday.
