Spring is on its way

Winter is on its way out and spring is just around the corner, we have had Narcissus flowering since the beginning of February! Lets hope that the stormy weather and endless wet ground is over so we can start the year with a strong productive spring. Now we are in March it is a great time to plant your bare root roses and hedging, make sure you plant them to the correct depth and with a good mulching. An organic slow release fertilizer can be used to aid root establishment, you can look for a specialized rose fertilizer in the shops. Photo below is a hornbeam hedge we planted last March.

If you have any shrubs in the garden that need to be lifted and moved, now would be a good time to do so, just make sure the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. You can also still split and divide herbaceous perennials. This can actually improve your plants performance because you are removing the congested competition for space as well as the competition for nutrients. A general fertiliser like fish, blood and bone can be used on your shrubs or hedgerows to help improve their growth. Lightly fork the fertiliser in to the top of the soil, or sprinkle the fertiliser directly on the bed and mulch over the top.

Staking plants is essential for certain plants that can not support there own weight when they flower, or to get a better display over a larger area. There are a variety of ways to make your own supports in the garden by using hazel. You can make structures of all different shapes and sizes using solid stakes as main supports, or use multiple branches to create a web of support throughout the plant. There are also dozens of training and support systems on the market which can be used on walls or free standing, just be sure to buy solid metal items so they withstand the elements for a long time. The hollow tubed variety's do not last long in my experience.

For anybody wanting a nicer lawn this year now is the time to fix and repair the edges, use a sharp half moon edger to get a good line. If moss is present in the lawn use a moss killer and rake over once it has done the job on a small lawn or on larger lawns use a driven scarifier. Also remove any tap rooted weeds by using a dandelion puller or spray off with a selective weed killer which will not effect the lawn.

Don't forget to feed the birds throughout March as they are starting to build there nests.