Although I’ve been out in the garden a fair bit in February, it feels like we’ve hit March and we’re still on the cusp of spring officially arriving. I shared my big plans for the garden this year in last month’s post, but most of my progress in February has been maintenance and preparation for the coming season, rather than having the joy of anything really blooming yet or seeing any huge accomplishments.

But all around the garden are the signs of the promise of new blooms - the hydrangeas are looking good, and the long border is looking promising with the lupins just starting to take off now. And in the Mediterranean border, the grasses have all been cut back and the Allium Purple Sensation which I planted last year are looking like they’ll be early bloomers again - they’re all looking very healthy!

Raised bed progress

Unfortunately the company I ordered the bits from to make our raised beds had a delay and the order won’t arrive until this week. Which isn’t really the end of the world, as the two remaining shrub roots that sat in the space I’m using for this proved rather stubborn and took a lot of hard work to uproot. We finally got the last one up last weekend, and now the ground is ready for levelling and then the raised bed can go in!

On the plus side, my onion and leek seedlings are doing really well indoors. I planted them up in seed trays, and being my first attempt at growing anything from seed, I didn’t expect much (if anything) from this, but they’ve sprouted up fantastically and I’m really excited to pot them on (we don’t have much space to grow seeds, so these are just positioned next to our sink in the kitchen - hence the rather poor photo! But I’m just so excited they’re growing!).

I’ve also bought a strawberry and a blueberry plant (£2 in Tesco - you can’t go wrong!) - so I’m hoping that we’ll be able to enjoy some lovely fruits this summer (if the birds don’t get to them first!)

Planting plans

I’ve been making a planting plan for the back border, which is where I’m planning on situating these poppies that I picked up in Waitrose - they look a beautiful colour, don’t they? I’m struggling a bit with anything I plant in this particular corner, as we have a local fox who uses the fence as a cut through (it’s our neighbours rather than ours, so we can’t really do much about this). He likes to dig though - he and I fight an ongoing battle! I love oriental poppies, and they’ll sit amongst grasses (Calamagrostis Brachytricha), Sea Holly, and Eryngium, and also an established peony that I can’t bear to risk moving.

I’m looking forward to the rest of March when more and more things start to bloom and I can spend more and more time in the garden.

Jobs for March

• Treat the soil - work in compost or well rotted manure into your soil to ensure it has plenty of nutrients for the growing season
• Now is the time when weeds will start popping up - get to them early to stop them taking hold
• Roses need to be pruned and to fed with rose feed or other fertiliser
• It’s the start of slug season. Keep an eye out for them, especially around new shoots, or plants like hostas and lupins that slugs seem to love, and use whatever slug deterrent is your preference. This year I’m thinking of trying nematodes and seeing how effective they are
• It’s time to dead-head hydrangeas ready for this year’s growth
• If you’ve loved the sight of snowdrops this year, then now is the time to plant them for next year

 

What’s looking good in your garden in March? Do you have any exciting plans for your garden this year? I’d love to hear!