With Spring quickly approaching and the list of gardening jobs increasing the further into the year we get, we have decided to create a list of jobs you should aim to have completed by the end of March (weather permitting of course!) From cutting and preparing your lawn to protecting your newly sprouting plants from slugs and snails, read on to find out what’s included in our March gardening guide.
General Tidying
Due to the harsh winter weather and recent frosts, our gardens may need some serious TLC. Enduring freezing temperatures and high winds can leave your lawn, plants, flowers and garden features needing some extra care before they look their best for spring.
It’s a good idea, once the weather is warm enough to venture out into of course, to clean your paths, paving areas, patios, steps or decking with a pressure washer to remove all dirt or mould that may have taken residence over winter.
Be sure to also wash any cloches, frames, or greenhouses inside and out with soapy water to remove dirt build-up and allow every bit of precious sunlight to pass through the glass or plastic.
Finally, if you haven’t done so already, ensure all your garden tools are checked over and still working for the coming season. Discovering a broken lawn mower or hedge trimmer on the day you plan to use them is never the best situation to find yourself in!
Weed Control
Weeds can be a persistent nuisance if not controlled throughout the year. There are manual ways of removing weeds without using harsh chemicals that pose a threat to wildlife and other plants in your garden. You can hoe the ground over the entire flower bed or between plants to effectively kill most weed seedlings. It is best to do this on a dry day to ensure the seedlings don’t reroot in the moist soil.
Hand pulling or weeding with a gardening fork is the best option for removing visible weeds before they set seed, but weeds that have been there longer have to be pulled out with the full root, or else they will just grow back.
A good way to prevent weeds from growing in the first place is to use deep, organic mulches such as wood or bark chip, which smothers weeds around your plants and stops their growth.
Bulbs & Flowers
The beginning of Spring is the perfect time to plant your summer-loving bulbs that will flower and brighten up the garden even more once the hotter months arrive. Some bulbs require a special sitting to allow them to flower but most hardy bulbs just prefer a sunny, warm site with good drainage due to originating from warmer climates.
The method of planting bulbs can be applied to almost all, it is recommended to plant them in groups of at least 6 to create a better showing as the more grouped together, the better the end result. Dig a hole deep and wide enough for all of your bulbs, they should be buried at a depth of 2 or 3 times their height (for example, a bulb measuring 1 inch should be buried at a depth of at least 2 or 3 inches). Place them into the hole with their nose point upwards and space at least twice their width away from each other. Water straight after planting and continue to regularly.
Lawncare
The centrepiece of most gardens, your lawn must be taken care of all year round and March is a great month to prepare your lawn for the rest of the year.
Provided the ground is not too wet, it’s an ideal time to start preparing areas for sowing in April. However, on established lawns, the first cut of the season can be made but ensure that your lawn mower setting is for a higher cut. Taking just the tips of the leaves off is the result you want to aim for. If you have any issues with moss or worn areas you can use moss killers to remove it and use lawn repairing seeds to create hard-wearing lawns where the worn areas once were. There are lots of options on the market for both so researching is the best way to find the correct products for your garden.
When mowing your lawn always make sure the conditions are correct or you may end up scalping your lawn. Avoid mowing when on soft ground (wheels may sink), with too low of a setting on the blades and on uneven surfaces. You should also take care when turning, if done too fast can also scalp the lawn!
Do you need help with your garden maintenance tasks?
We still have a couple of weeks before the official start of spring, so there is plenty of time to get your garden spring-ready if it’s still a little too chilly to be venturing out with your gardening gloves! If you’re in need of some help to prepare your garden this season, then the team at Rosewood Garden Maintenance can help. We offer a wide range of garden maintenance services; from flower planting and lawn maintenance to fence building, pressure washing and shed building.
Please do get in touch with us to see how we can help you, let’s get your garden ready for the warmer months ahead!
