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Peter’s Gardening tips for March 2018

By Peter Mills Mar 4, 2018

The Beast from the East visited us last week and caused havoc all over the UK, but hopefully, most of us have recovered now, and the snow melt is in full swing.

Spring still appears elusive at the moment but the signs are there…. snowdrops almost finished, daffodils popping up and showing colour, a few primroses, occasional Queen bumble bees, the odd butterfly on a warm day, and the birds pairing up looking for nesting sites and the start of the dawn chorus when the weather allows! Frost, snow, hail, rain, gales and a bit of sunshine it is the ‘fickle’ month of March.

Queen Bumble Bee

Jobs to do and some I have been tackling:

  • Walk the garden with pen and paper, record and photograph where possible what has been happening after the Winter months, this may help if you want to split snowdrops etc and re-site.
  • Check damage to shed roof, trellis, loose climbers with broken stems, moss control in the lawn, algae on the path
  • Check the state of your lawn. If ready, you can make the first cut with the blades set high.
  • Prune roses, apples, pears and wisteria.
  • Herbaceous plants can be dug up and split.
  • Plant roses, fruit trees and bushes.
  • Rake up twigs, leaves and detritus.
  • Clean bird baths and feeding stations.
  • Put up or clean out nest boxes for the birds.
  • Tickle over borders with a border fork – Rootle or Firkle!
  • Mulch herbaceous plants and roses.
  • Set about weeding – they pull out of the ground very easily when the ground is wet and after frost in the ground.
  • Start sowing indoors – tomatoes, peas, broad beans, sweet peas, peppers, aubergines, some will need a heated propagator or a minimum temperature of 16 – 21ºC to germinate – check packets for timing of seed sowing and temps, some require constant night and day heat.
  • Buy your seed potatoes, shallots, onion sets and seeds.
  • Check all machinery, book a service and sharpening and a good old clean up, wire brush and oily rag.

Seed sowing time

I know the weather is frustrating and a lot of gardeners want to get on with seed sowing and ground preparation. We’ve just got to wait! Seeds won’t germinate in the cold wet soil.

I am very happy to answer your gardening queries as usual.

Enjoy the big outdoors whatever the weather and armchair gardening too.

RHS Spring Plant Fairs at RHS Gardens near you this month. Go to RHS website for details.

Happy Gardening!

P.S  I am happy to answer any of your gardening questions too, so feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to reply! 

Visit my website too ←

Peter

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Peter Mills

Peter has spent his life gardening, working in garden centres and advising in all aspects of gardening, wildlife, and bio-diversity in horticulture. He managed Clandon Park Garden Centre in Surrey at the age of 23 and was a gardening radio presenter with the BBC. This continued for 15 years, running live broadcasts from Chelsea & Hampton Court Flower shows, South of England & Surrey County shows. Now self-employed, Peter works on a wide variety of gardens from private to large estates and also concentrating on consultancy and advisory work to fellow gardeners. He works with the RHS Gardening Advice team at Chelsea, Hampton Court, Wisley Flower shows and is an RHS External Gardening Advisor

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