MARCH The new season starts in earnest this month. Spring pleasures abound. Starry yellow forsythia and gold daffodils delude us into thinking it's sunny even on grey days and proclaim that spring is really here. A clamorous dawn chorus brings sleep to an early halt. Trees and shrubs are mantled with softest green. It's a wonderful time! How lucky we are to have four seasons. There's much to be done but it's joyous work. The stormy March is come at last, With wind and cloud and changing skies; I hear the rushing of the blast That through the snowy valley flies. ~Willam Cullen Bryant~ A lights exists in spring Not present on the year At any other period When March is scarcely here. ~Emily Dickinson~ I wonder if the sap is stirring yet, If wintry birds are dreaming of a mate, If frozen snowdrops feel as yet the sun, And crocus fires are kindling one by one. ~Christina Rossetti~ And the Spring arose on the garden fair, Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere; And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest. ~Percy Bysshe Shelley~ BULBS, SHRUBS and TREES It is also time to hard-prune late-flowering shrubs, such as caryopteris, buddleia davidii (butterfly bush), leycesteria and lavatera, but delay for another 3-4 weeks in cold areas that are still subject to regular frost. Lightly prune mophead and lacecap hydrangeas, taking off the old flower heads and cutting just above a strong pair of buds. Remove very spindly twigs. On old, congested bushes, take out some of the oldest stems at ground level. Hard prune Hydrangea paniculata and its cultivars, such as 'Kyushu' and 'Grandiflora', to leave two or three pairs of buds on each branch. The popular silver-leafed pear tree Pyrus salicifolia 'Pendula' has wiry, weeping branches that tangle into a bird's nest if left unpruned. You can take advantage of this habit and trim it into a dense, topiarised 'mophead', after its April flowering. But march is the best time to prune. If not already done lift and divide congested clumps of Snowdrops while still in leaf. March is a good time to plant or move evergreens, as the weather warms up and root activity commences, but before new shoots have opened. Evergreen hedges such as yew and cypress should also be planted now. Pot-grown hedging evergreens can be planted at any time, but they will establish better if planted now or in the autumn. Bare-rooted hedging evergreens should be planted quickly now, and should be watered well over the next three months. Cold winds can burn plants whose root systems have been recently disturbed, and it pays to protect very exposed plants from wind until they are established. Prune the butterfly bush Buddleia davidii hard back to a framework of older wood at 60-120cm. Shoots will already be starting to grow. No matter. Cut hard back to the size you require, even if it leaves the plant entirely leafless. Flowers will be on the ends of this year's growth. Buddleia globosa, which has orange spherical flowers, and the delicate weeping Buddleia alternifolia both flower on old wood, and should be more lightly pruned after flowering in late spring. Be patient still, and wait to prune back grey and tender shrubs damaged by winter cold, such as ceanothus, phlomis, helichrysum, salvia, artemisia, etc. Sage (Salvia officinalis) and many artemisias tend to layer themselves down, producing roots from twigs touching the ground. These can be severed and planted elsewhere next month. Cut out thin and crossing twigs of Spiraea 'Goldflame', and shorten back the main branches, to ensure a more telling flush of coppery spring foliage. Prune spring flowering plants like forsythia (yellow bells), spiera, breath-of-Spring (Winter Honeysuckle) and flowering quince after the flowers fade. Prune shrubs like abelia, mahonia and nandina this month if needed. FLOWER GARDEN AND ROSES Use clean, sharp secateurs to prune bush roses (hybrid teas and floribundas) now, if you haven't already done so. First cut off all dead, damaged or diseased stems and thin, spindly twigs. Note that hard-pruning increases strong growth, so cut back weak shoots hard (to leave only about 1in of last year's growth) cutting above an outward-facing bud; leave about 2-3in of last year's growth on stronger stems. Shrub roses need less radical pruning. Take out about one third of the oldest and thickest branches at their base, using a pruning saw. Tidy up the remaining stems by trimming over the top to reduce height by about 4in. This is a good time to dig out and divide large clumps of hostas, before the leaves expand. Use a spade to slice through the solid rootball, cutting it like a cake into several sections, each with some shoots at the top. Replant at the original level. Take the old flower heads off winter flowering heathers and trim the plants to shape. Pick off faded flowers of pansy and daffodil. Pansies will flower longer if old flowers are removed. Set out pansies as soon as the ground is ready. They'll happily withstand cold weather and will bloom steadily if the spent blossoms are kept picked. VEGETABLE, FRUIT and HERBS Provide wall-trained outdoor apricots, peaches and cherries with fleece or polythene protection to save their buds from frost damage. Assist flower pollination of open blossoms by dabbing a soft paintbrush over them, as there are few visiting insects this early in the year. Pull out weeds around fruit trees, bushes and strawberries. Lift, divide and replant clumps of chives in a sunny position. Sow chervil, fennel, dill and parsley outdoors. Sow broad beans in double rows or blocks outdoors, spacing beans 8in-9in apart, 1.5in deep. Thinking ahead to an exotic and colourful Hallowe'en, order seeds of unusual pumpkins, squashes and gourds now, for sowing next month. Mulch Raspberry canes with compost or manure. This is the latest time that bare-root fruit bushes and trees can be planted. In warmer areas spray Peaches and Nectarines to help control Peach leaf curl. In mild areas plant early crop potatoes and shallots. Sow onions, leeks, celery and celeriac indoors. Celery can usefully be sown in individual small pots or modules. Complete the planting of new raspberry canes, putting them in shallowly at 40cm apart, with 2m between the rows. Cut them down to 20cm. A generous mulch of old compost will help to suppress weeds and will reduce the need for vigorous hoeing between the rows, which can induce the formation of distant suckers. Established raspberries will benefit from feeding now to ensure strong canes for next year. Sulphate of ammonia is a cheap source of artificial nitrogen, and 20g to the square metre applied now will give the plants a quick lift. Sulphate of potash, applied at the same rate, is also beneficial for fruit production in this year's canes. If necessary, spray apples and pears against scab and gooseberries against mildew with carbendazim. If you intend to spray a all, start spraying at bud break. When choosing fruit trees, remember that apple, apricot, and pear trees need two varieties present to ensure pollination. If space is limited, try peach, nectarine, or sour cherry, which will bear fruit on a single tree. LAWN and GREENHOUSE Clean all greenhouse window and cold-frame glass to ensure seedlings receive maximum light. Also, of course, windows indoors where plants are being grown. Start over-wintered geraniums (pelargoniums) back into growth, potting on into fresh compost and watering well. Prune back over-leggy stems. Apply liquid feed every 10-14 days and take cuttings from the new shoots when they are around 3in long. Sow root crops under glass in modular trays rather than open seed trays, to reduce disturbance to roots later on. Sow basil, cucumbers, aubergines and tomatoes under glass in a heated propagator. Lily bulbs are still available in the shops. Potted lilies make excellent stand-alone flowers for patios and terraces or sneaky fillers to brighten gaps in borders. It's much cheaper to plant them now than to buy them later, half-grown. Plant into deep pots; single bulbs need 7-8in diameter pots, or plant three per 12in container. Cover the soil surface with a half-inch layer of grit. If you have sown seeds recently, don't forget to separate the seedlings and pot them up carefully as soon as they're large enough to handle. Overcrowded seedlings rapidly become leggy and weak when left unattended, resulting in inferior plants. Grow your own tomatoes, seeds of outdoor varieties need to be sown now in pots of soil-less compost. Sow indoors, for planting out after the risk of frost has passed. Check plants under glass and new shoots outdoors for signs of aphids, which are easily destroyed between finger and thumb. Take cuttings from new shoots on fuchsias and potted-up dahlias. Begin to water greenhouse cacti again very gradually from below, and repot them where necessary. Ventilate greenhouses well on sunny days or the temperature will soar. Sow asters, nemesia, petunias, and marigolds in pots or trays in a greenhouse or on a window ledge. Sweet peas should be sown in individual pots. Check your greenhouse plants for aphids. As the weather warms up, they will begin to breed on soft shoots and under leaves. LITTLE EXTRA'S It isn't too late to improve heavy clay soils for better yields this season, but act quickly. Dig plenty of coarse grit into the top 18in of soil over the whole area to be improved, incorporating one large wheelbarrow-load per 3-4 sq yds. Watch out for slugs and snails now, how you deal with them is up to you. But if not dealt with they will strip young growth as it appears. Windowsill cacti often look bedraggled at winter's end, but quickly recover when set in new soil. Use proprietary cactus compost, which is free-draining and pot-on into a slightly larger pot. To avoid piercing your hands on the spines, use a strip of folded newspaper or card, wrapped around the plant to lift the plant safely. Water sparingly around the edge of the pot, but try to avoid wetting the plant. Keep the blades set high for early spring mowings. Mulch any areas of garden missed in the autumn. Water African violets from the bottom, avoiding getting any water on the leaves. Dust the leaves with a small, soft brush. Where the season is prematurely warm but also dry, do not be tempted to water established garden plants. Early dryness may just save them from breaking buds only to be hit by frosts later on. Bulbs of amaryllis in 12cm pots should be potted on into bigger 16-17cm pots so that they can be well fed and watered through the summer months and encouraged to perform again well next year. Re-pot houseplants so they will grow well during spring and summer. Garden work should begin when a lump of soil squeezed in the hand is dry enough to fall apart slowly. Water newly started seedlings carefully. A mist sprayer is gentle but can take a long time. Try using a meat basting syringe, which will dispense the water effectively without causing too much soil disruption. Before your perennials come up and shrubs and trees start leafing out, take one last look at your garden to assess winter interest. If you're bored by what you see, consider adding some plants with interesting bark, late winter flowering or colorful winter berries. Coral Bark Maples, Witchhazels and Nandinas are a few of the plants that can add year-round interest to you garden. If you didn't get around to labeling all your bulbs when you planted them, now's a good time to label those bulbs. Take inventory of what's blooming when, and make notes of spring flowering bulbs you'd like to add and where. I have removed my guestbook for the moment, but do write to me via e-mail if you wish, would love to hear from you. Enjoy your gardening this month both indoors and outdoors. FastCounter by bCentral