Gardening in March: As spring approaches, the weather warms up and the days get longer, and the focus turns to planting and sowing.
Perennials and bulbs
If you haven't cleared away the dead stems in your garden from last year's perennials, now's the last chance to do it before the new growth comes through which makes it really tricky to see what's what. Get to grips with plants such as echinacea and rudbeckias and cut them back as close as you can to the ground.
'Roses can be pruned now. Train climbing roses into a fan shape; horizontal branches produce the most flowering shoots. Cut out some of the oldest branches. Shrub roses can be cut back to around 8ins (20cm) from the ground to just above a healthy bud,' says Angela Slater, Hayes Garden World's gardening expert.
Also keep an eye out for plants that you can divide. Look out for any congested clumps of perennials such as persicaria, geraniums, daylily and iris – in fact, pretty much anything with lots of stems.
Top tip: Dividing a plant will keep it healthy and enable you to double your stock!
Plant biennials such as Bellis, forget-me-nots, wallflowers and pansies; they will flower the following year.
Prepare to sow
If you've already done your winter digging, you only need to make final preparations to get your soil ready for sowing. 'Hoe off any weeds, take out any stones or bits of old roots and rubbish, sprinkle a light coating of general-purpose organic fertiliser over the area, and rake the surface down, leaving a seedbed the texture of cake crumbs,' advises Steve Guy, Category Director of Outdoor at B&Q.
Fruit and vegetables
'This is the time to be sowing vegetable seeds and placing in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame,' says Angela. 'Check the sowing conditions as some may need to be placed in a heated propagator, such as tomatoes, aubergines, chillies and cucumbers.'
Sow lettuces, tomatoes, salads and cauliflowers under cover. Outside, you can sow peas, carrots, beetroot, summer and autumn cabbages, herbs, leeks, spinach, turnips, spring onions, broad beans, Brussels sprouts and parsnips.
This is also a good time to start planting out early potatoes, onions, garlic and shallots. Permanent crops, such as asparagus and strawberries, can also be planted now.
'Most vegetables grow best in rich soil and you can enrich yours by adding things like bark, manure and grass clippings,' advises Chris Bonnett from GardeningExpress.co.uk.
Seeds to sow in March
lettuce 'Mixed'
Tomato 'Gardener's Delight'
Salad Leaves 'Speedy Mix'
Cauliflower Seeds - Cheddar F1
Pea 'Alderman'
carrot 'Early Nantes'
Beetroot 'Boltardy' (Globe)
Cabbage Seeds - Greyhound
De Ree Herb Collection
Leek 'Bleu de Solaise'
House Beautiful Spinach Missouri F1 Seeds
Turnip 'Sweetbell' F1 Hybrid
Bean (broad) 'Aquadulce Claudia'
Brussels Sprout Seeds - F1 Brigitte
Bare-root roses
March is the latest you should plant bare-root roses. These are usually purchased by mail order and arrive, as the name suggests, not in a container but with their roots exposed, so it's very important to get the plants into the ground as soon as possible.
Roses appreciate well-drained, rich earth, so pile in plenty of well-rotted manure or other soil improver before you plant.
Summer bulbs
'As spring settles in, the soil will be warming, making it a good time to plant bulbs so that they're ready for summer, giving you a beautiful and bright garden for entertaining,' says Chris.
Plant summer bulbs such as gladioli, crocosmia, lilies and agapanthus outside. You can pretty much forget about them once they're in and they'll be a wonderful surprise once August arrives. Or put some dahlias in pots under cover where they can start to grow – they can then be planted out once the danger of frost has passed.
Gladioli
Crocosmia
Agapanthus 'Donau' Flower bulb
Dahlia 'Silver Years'
Small space? Too much choice? This is what you should focus on in March
If you're short on outdoor space or you're spoilt for choice with all the varieties on offer, Marcus Eyles, Resident gardening expert and Horticultural Director at Dobbies, has shared several plants you should focus on in your garden this month.
Hardy plants: Blossom (e.g. Magnolias & Cherries & Clematis Montana)
Flower garden: Lupins, Delphiniums, Hollyhocks & Foxgloves
Bedding plants: Dianthus including Pink Kisses
Grow your own: Herbs & Strawberries
Magnolia 'Heaven Scent'
Prunus cerasifera
Lupin Seeds - Russell Mix
House Beautiful Delphinium Magic Fountains
Wildlife
Bees will start to emerge from their winter homes and look for new places to nest. To welcome bees into your garden, sow or plant pollinating plants such as lavender, foxgloves or euphorbia.
You can also create a safe haven for insects with a bug hotel. You can buy one or you can make your own: all you need to do is find a sheltered spot, and then fill with pots, pipes and natural materials. Follow our guide on how to make a bug hotel in five easy steps.
Don’t neglect the lawn
'Tidy the edges of your lawn and prepare any new areas for sowing grass,' suggests Chris. 'Treat unwanted moss that has grown over the autumn and winter. To get rid of moss simply apply some moss killer or lawn sand.'
National Trust CJ Wildlife Apex Insect House
Wildlife World Dewdrop Bee & Bug Hotel
Little Ladybug House
Clean the patio
After the winter months, there's probably a build-up of dirt and grime so the beginning of spring is a good time to get this all cleaned. 'This can be done with a jet wash, or by mixing water and vinegar together and scrubbing with a garden broom,' Chris adds.
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21 great gardening books for tips on plants, design and wellbeing
Most gifted gardening book
Gardener’s World: How I Garden: Easy ideas & inspiration for making beautiful gardens anywhere
Adam Frost's practical, no-nonsense approach will help you plan and build a garden that works for you. The Gardeners' World presenter takes you step by step through the whole process, whether you have a window box or a charming veg patch.
Struggling to keep your houseplants alive? Wondering why leaves are turning yellow? This is the book for you. Sarah, also known as @theplantrescuer, is a self-taught houseplant obsessive who fills each page with her top tips on how to revive wilting plants. It has been described as a book to 'help your plants not only survive but thrive'.
Wellbeing gardening book
Gardening for Mind, Body and Soul: How to Nurture Your Well-Being with Nature
Gardening for Mind, Body and Soul celebrates the benefits of gardening — and how nature can boost our wellbeing. Highlights include learning about birdsong, exploring which plants release scents to soothe the mind, and how we can all promote feelings of balance and calm.
Modern gardening book
The Modern Gardener: A practical guide to gardening creatively, productively and sustainably
Slip on your gardening gloves...Francis Tophill's book is packed with everything the modern gardener needs. You'll find plant advice, plant-based recipes, and tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint. Create a space that looks beautiful and attracts wildlife.
National Trust gardening book
The National Trust GROW: Fill your world with plants (National Trust)
Whether you want to create a mini wildflower meadow or make the most of your houseplants, this beautifully illustrated book from the National Trust is a fresh take on gardening. Plant lovers, this one is for you...
Nancy Birtwhistle's The Green Gardening Handbook does what it says on the tin. Featuring over 100 tips to help you grow with confidence, chapters include composting, seasonal recipes, guides to freezing, storing and preserving, and basic gardening equipment. It also features clever tips that will help you save money and reduce waste at home.
Container gardening book
Modern Container Gardening: How to Create a Stylish Small-Space Garden Anywhere
Isabelle Palmer shows you how to make the most of every little space with a series of projects for small gardens, singular containers and window boxes, that can be completed in a day or weekend. Perfect for novice gardeners, Modern Container Gardening offers beautiful photography and clear step-by-step instructions.
Expert gardening book
National Trust School of Gardening: Practical Advice from the Experts
The National Trust employs over 500 gardeners with an extraordinary wealth of expertise. And now, in this in-depth guide, they pass on their wisdom and provide the answers any new and seasoned gardener is looking for. This book is intended to give you inspiration and confidence to make the most of your garden, without being overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail.
Gardening Books
Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month
Veg In One Bed explains how to build your bed and grow from seed, as well advice on planting, feeding, and harvesting. YouTube gardening star Huw Richards shows how to guarantee early success by starting off young plants on a windowsill and suggests what to grow in each part of the bed.
Create a beautiful wildlife haven at home with the RHS' Little Book of Wild Gardening. Divided into sections for different areas — including lawns, flower beds, edibles, trees and water features – you'll find tips, tricks and helpful ideas for every space.
The Practical House Plant Book by the RHS contains a dozen step-by-step projects to help you assemble an eye-catching terrarium, create a floating kokedama 'string garden', or propagate succulents. Complete with 175 in-depth plant profiles, this is an essential practical guide for indoor gardeners.
Small garden gardening book
Small Garden Style: A Design Guide for Outdoor Rooms and Containers
A small garden space – an urban patio, a tiny backyard, or even just a pot by your door – doesn't have to sacrifice style. In Small Garden Style, garden designer Isa Hendry Eaton and lifestyle writer Jennifer Blaise Kramer show you how to use good design to create a joyful, elegant, and exciting yet compact outdoor living space.
No dig gardening book
Charles Dowding's No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly: Course 1
Charles Dowding, innovator of no dig, teaches you everything you need to know about this method of organic gardening. With 19 chapters, you'll learn how to use no dig on different soil types, recognise and massively reduce the different types of weeds, know the difference between soil and types of compost, and grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method.
Flowers gardening book
In Bloom: Growing, harvesting and arranging flowers all year round
Get all the inspiration you need for planting cut flowers, and fill your home with colour and the gorgeous scent of the garden year-round with In Bloom. Clare Nolan reveals her secrets for growing a bountiful harvest as well as styling spectacular homegrown displays in this beautifully designed book.
The RHS' Complete Gardener's Manual will help you choose plants that will thrive in your space, design a border for year-round colour, grasp different pruning techniques, discover how to protect your veg patch from pests, and make the best compost.
Do you want to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden? In Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything, Kate Bradbury teams up with the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you discover how you can make your garden, balcony, doorstep or patio a haven for garden wildlife. You'll find handy charts, practical projects and fact files.
Houseplant and wellbeing gardening book
My House Plant Changed My Life: Green wellbeing for the great indoors
Gardener and TV presenter David Domoney is a firm believer that indoor plants can make 'a practical and emotional contribution to our wellbeing'. In this book, David explains the hard science behind the positive effect of the humble houseplant on wellness, and provides expert tips on how to keep your plants thriving, plus shares his top 50 life-enhancing houseplants.
Garden design book
RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design: Planning, Building and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space
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If you're looking for new garden ideas, the RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design will guide you from planning to planting, such as choosing the correct materials for your structures and assessing your drainage, to laying patios, making ponds, and planting perennials.
Eco gardening book
How to Create an Eco Garden: The practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening
This planet-friendly book is filled with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale, from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment. Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity, learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping, and take on simple projects such as making a pond and a wildlife hotel.
Drawing on expert advice from the RHS, this best-selling reference book – organised by colour, size, and type, rather than as an A-Z directory – will help you select the right varieties for your outdoor space.
Vegetable gardening book
Build a Better Vegetable Garden: 30 DIY Projects to Improve your Harvest
Joyce and Ben Russell have devised 30 kitchen garden projects, devised to either extend the season, protect crops from pests or improve yields. These projects transform your vegetable plot into somewhere more productive, more attractive and more secure.
