Garden Centre

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

March Garden Tasks

This is the time to start feeding and repotting houseplants, which is something that can be carried out whatever the weather outside is doing.

If you have container-grown citrus trees, report them now, before the warmer weather causes them to start growth, but don’t feed them for another month or so so that their roots reach out into the soil and fill the pot.

This is also a good time to prune your roses, cutting out dead, diseased or damaged stems. And if you have early flowering mahonias, cut back one or two of the flowering shoots from really large plants after flowering to bring on replacement shoots from the base. You have a choice of cutting them right down to ground level or staggering the height to give a more varied shape. And you can also cut back dogwoods, willows and hardy fuchsias by the end of this month too.

Assuming, like me, you have recently come in for a deluge of rain, or even snow, try to avoid walking on the wet soil in the garden – if necessary lay down some old planks to walk on, especially to protect the lawn.

And of course, you’re already germinating the warm season vegetable and flower seeds you want to grow, aren’t you? This can be done on a garden windowsill or in a greenhouse.

Labels: David Austin roses, fuchsia, houseplants, lawn care, mahonia

The All Seasons Gardener at 8:06 AM

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