March saw the start of spring, and with longer days and warmer weather the garden begins to get growing. In particular, the grass will start growing more strongly now, so get your mowers ready. Keep the mower blades quite high to start with to avoid stressing the grass plants. A high nitrogen feed will also help to improve the overall quality of the sward. Many gardeners are now letting lawns grow longer and allowing more weeds/wildflowers (delete according to choice), so tidy according to your own preferences.
If you grow potatoes, then a good place to put your early batches of mown grass (provided it is free of herbicides) is in your prepared potato trenches. As the grass breaks down it helps the soil to retain moisture and creates slightly acidic conditions, which can protect against common scab.
One of the joys of spring is the re-emergence of herbaceous perennials. However, the succulent new foliage on plants like Hostas and Delphiniums is a delight for slugs and snails, so be ready with your preferred defence.
This is a great time to pay attention to herbaceous perennials generally. Cut back any dead growth to create space for this year’s shoots and if clumps are over-crowded or too big it is the perfect time to divide them. This is not a difficult job, lift the whole plant and cut the root ball into a number of smaller pieces, making sure that you’ve got both roots and shoots on each piece. A spade or an old saw are perfect tools for the job. Re-plant the selected divisions immediately and water in well. Also cut back semi-evergreen perennials such as Penstemons to a low framework of sturdy stems.
As plants get back into active growth, it is a good time to feed them, this applies to most plants, but is particularly relevant for permanent container planting where there is no natural renewal of nutrients. Scrape away the top couple of cm of older compost, top dress with new compost with some slow release fertiliser mixed in. We use a multi-purpose liquid feed for most established plants/containers.
The flowers on the earliest spring bulbs will have started to die off by now, so be sure to pinch off the dead heads so that the leaves feed the bulb for next year, rather than encouraging seed formation. Leave the foliage for 4-6 weeks after flowering to get as much photosynthesis as possible, again this will help to feed the bulbs.
In the vegetable garden you can get your early potatoes in the ground and spring sown planted onion and shallot sets can still go out. If you have a propagator, a greenhouse, or even a warm window ledge, you can sow tender fruiting vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines etc.). Don’t overwater seedlings, especially those of smaller plants to avoid the fungal diseases that cause “damping off” – which can quickly kill off most of the contents of a seed tray.
Finally, if you haven’t already done so, now is a good time to clean and disinfect used pots and greenhouses to prepare for the busy growing season ahead. You should remove all debris and wash with a mild solution of a disinfectant such as Jeyes Fluid. This will help to avoid fungal diseases such as dampening off, and get rid of any pests which have taken advantage of your hospitality over the winter.