March

Trees

If the soil is still moist, finish planting bare rooted trees in the garden while they are still dormant. If the ground is not frozen or waterlogged you can also plant container-grown trees. Dig out a hole twice the size of the root ball and loosen the soil in the bottom of the hole. Mix into this loose soil some Rose, Tree & Shrub Compost. Position the root ball into the hole and add some Bone Meal to the soil and compost mix. Fill in around the roots with a mix of the surrounding soil and Rose, Tree & Shrub Compost, and firm gently around the roots. Water thoroughly even if it has rained as this will settle the soil and compost around the roots and help the tree establish more quickly. After a week or so, top up the compost around the roots where it has settled and mulch the area with an appropriate mulch. Use Mini Chipped Bark or Cocoa Shell for small areas and Chipped Bark or Pine Bark for large areas.

Feed garden trees with Growmore applied around the base of the tree. This general-purpose plant food is a balanced formula to promote good all-round growth.

Check tree ties and loosen any that are too tight.

Check your trees after the winter for any wind damage and carefully prune out any affected stems and branches taking care to prune back, close to the supporting branch or trunk so that the wound will heal quickly.

Check and top up mulches around the base of trees. Use one of the Westland mulches such as Pine Bark, which will last longer than many chipped barks and are ideal for larger areas.

Apply mulch around the base of trees after heavy rainfall to suppress weed growth, improve the soil moisture retention and insulate the roots from extremes of temperature. For the best results and great appearance, opt for a large, chunky mulch such as Chipped Bark or Pine Bark for large borders and areas, and a finer mulch such as Cocoa Shell or Mini Chipped Bark for small borders, containerised trees and around specimen trees in the lawn.

Roses and Shrubs

Feed new and established rose bushes and flowering shrubs with Rose Plant Food. It's designed to support healthy roses, encouraging plenty of rich green foliage and masses of wonderful flowers. It can also be used to feed trees.

Prune roses by removing any dead and diseased stems. Open up the centre of the bush by removing any overgrown stems and any that are rubbing together. Always prune just above an outward facing bud, as this encourages the plant to grow out rather than in and creates a much better shape overall. An overcrowded bush is much more susceptible to pest and disease problems.

Toughen up existing roses and shrubs and help them to become more resistant to adverse weather and plant diseases by treating them to a tonic of Sulphate of Potash. This traditional formula is well-known by experienced gardeners to encourage stems to ripen and mature and also to promote healthy growth and flower production.

Many shrubs can be pruned in March. Dogwoods (Cornus) respond particularly well to hard pruning, as this encourages plenty of fresh coloured stems to develop. Spring flowering shrubs such as Forsythia, flowering currants, Weigela, Deutzia and early Clematis should all be pruned after flowering as they all actually flower on stems made last year. If you remove these stems before the flowers have opened you will stop the plants from flowering this season.

Plants that flower on this year's stems should be pruned in early spring to encourage plenty of new growth and flowers this season, these include Roses, the butterfly bush (Buddleia), Hydrangea paniculata, and Caryopteris. Feed after pruning with Rose Plant Food.

After heavy rainfall or when the ground is still wet from the winter rain, mulch around garden shrubs and roses. Smaller areas and ornamental beds such as rose borders look better with a finer mulch such as Cocoa Shell or Mini Chipped Bark. Large shrub borders merit a larger mulch such as Pine Bark or Chipped Bark.

Fruit and Vegetables

Start sowing vegetable seeds. For sowing in pots and trays always be sure to use fresh, clean compost that has been allowed to acclimatise to room temperature. Seed & Cutting Compost or John Innes Seed Compost are specially formulated to nurture your precious seedlings and cuttings. It's a matter of personal preference which formulation you choose. The Seed & Cutting Compost is a peat-based compost that contains fine horticultural sand to ensure excellent contact with your seedlings and added vermiculite for improved drainage. John Innes Seed Compost is a loam-based compost with added peat, horticultural grit and nutrients and is the preferred choice of many experienced gardeners. Both will give excellent results.

In a cool greenhouse or propagator you can sow tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, courgettes and half-hardy annuals. Sow into small flowerpots full of Seed & Cutting Compost, or for large seeds such as sweet peas, beans and peas use Root Trainers that allow the roots to develop undisturbed until they are ready to plant out.

Outdoors, if the soil is crumbly and not stodgy, sow carrots, broad beans, leeks, summer cabbages, radish, peas, celery, lettuce, parsnip, beetroot and Brussels sprouts, under cloches in March. Make a shallow trench in the soil about 1in (2.5cm) deep, line the base with Multi-Purpose Compost with added John Innes, water gently and then sprinkle the seed thinly on top. Cover over with more compost.

Feed permanent crops such as herbs, asparagus, rhubarb and fruit in early spring with Organic Growmore.

From mid March plant potato tubers 5-6in (12.5-15cm) deep and about 12in (30cm) apart. Cover over with fleece to protect emerging shoots from frost. As shoots appear cover them over with more soil. This encourages more tubers to form underground.

Keep the vegetable and fruit beds weed free. Weeds not only compete for any available food and water, but they also provide shelter for a number of garden pests and diseases. Dig out any perennial weeds making sure to remove all the roots, and hoe off any annual weed seedlings as they appear. Always hoe when the soil is slightly dry and on a sunny day so that the decapitated seedlings will quickly wither.

Lawns

As the weather warms up the grass will start to grow more rapidly. Don't be tempted to cut it if the soil is very wet or there is frost or snow on the ground. Be gentle with the first cut of the year and simply trim off the top third of growth, with the mower blades adjusted to their highest setting. Allow the lawn to recover for a few days and then cut again with the blades on a lower setting. At this time of year the lawn may only need cutting about once or twice a fortnight.

Make a check on the condition of the lawn, in particular for weeds and moss that may have invaded the lawn. It's very important to keep these problems in check or they will take over the lawn completely, competing with the grass for all the available nutrients and moisture.

Occasional weeds can be dug out with a hand tool, but be sure to get out all of the root system. If there are lots of weeds and moss too then save time and effort and use the triple action Lawn Feed, Weed & Moss Killer. The added weed killer quickly deals with a variety of common and persistent lawn weeds, encouraging them into fast and uncontrolled growth until they literally burn themselves out and die. It also contains fertiliser to boost the grass and help it to compete with weeds and moss and since moss thrives in low nutrient levels, by feeding the lawn you actually help to deter further moss invasion.

If moss is taking over the whole lawn then although killing it will make the lawn look better, you really need to deal with the underlying causes. A poorly fed lawn is unable to compete with moss for food and water, low nutrient levels in turn, encourage the growth of moss, so the problem is then compounded. If the lawn is poorly drained and compacted then this also encourages moss to grow and if it's in shade too this creates the perfect conditions for moss to thrive. So if the lawn is shady then try to alleviate this by pruning overhanging trees. When you have dealt with the moss by treating it with Moss Killer, or Lawn Feed, Weed & Moss Killer, over-sow any bare patches or thin areas in shady spots with Shade & Drought Lawn Seed. This is a special mixture that contains grass species adapted to grow in shady, difficult spots and is ideal for under trees.

Moss Killer and Lawn Feed, Weed & Moss Killer will turn any moss in the lawn black after about 2-3 weeks. Rake out the dead moss and use the Lawn Repair Kit to treat the bare patches.

Compacted lawns can be aerated in spring if the soil is moist. You'll know if your lawn is compacted because it will be rock hard, slow to drain after rainfall and may also have to bear heavy foot traffic. Paths across the lawn are often quick to compact. Opening up the structure of the soil improves the drainage around the grass roots and encourages healthy growth. Ideally you should remove plugs of soil using a hollow tine aerator and fill these with Lawn Dressing. You can also use a normal garden fork and push the tines into the soil to a depth of 7-10cm if possible and then brush Lawn Dressing into the holes. Lawn Dressing contains a mixture of 50% sand, 25% peat, 25% soil and fertiliser, which together add exactly the right ingredients to the soil for premium grass growth.

When the grass is growing vigorously apply Lawn Feed to support this growth. Strong healthy grass will be better able to compete with weeds and moss.

Gently scarify the lawn with a wire rake; this will remove any debris that has built up around the grass roots. Top-dress the lawn with Lawn Dressing, brushing it in with a stiff broom. This will improve the drainage and add a balanced fertiliser around the roots of your grass.

If the lawn is thinning, or there are many bare patches then over sow the whole lawn with an appropriate lawn seed mixture to suit your lawn and the existing conditions.

If the weather is cold, delay sowing new lawns from seed and repairing bare patches until next month.

Recut the lawn edges with a half moon edging iron.

Beds and Borders

Pot up Dahlia tubers, Begonia corms and rooted cuttings and keep in a frost-free environment until the last frost has passed.

When the soil is moist and crumbly and has warmed up from a little spring sunshine you can start sowing annual bedding plants in their flowering positions in the garden. If you are new to gardening it may be better to sow them into pots of Seed & Cutting Compost or John Innes Seed Compost as these are formulated to give the seeds the very best possible start and everything that they need to start growing. It doesn't matter which seed compost you choose, it's more a case of which you prefer to use. Many experienced gardeners will only use the loam based John Innes composts and the seed compost is perfect for raising seeds. The Seed & Cutting Compost is a peat-based compost that has been specially mixed to ensure good contact with your seeds and to speed germination.

Don't be tempted into putting out half-hardy plants into the garden. A warm spell can be very encouraging; especially to beginner gardeners, but at this time of year a cold snap won't be far away. If your plants are shooting early they may need a little additional protection. Place a layer of horticultural fleece over any plants that are unexpectedly beginning to develop strong spring growth, especially if a frost threatens.

Keep an eye on any new plants in the garden and be sure to water them if the weather is dry. They need time to establish a good root system before they can fend for themselves in a dry spell.

Dead head any early spring flowers and bulbs as they die off. Feed the plants after flowering with Growmore or Feed-all Slow Release Granular plant food so that the plants can build up the bulb for next years' flowers.

Divide overcrowded perennial plants and replant the pieces around the garden using Multi-Purpose Compost with added John Innes or John Innes Compost No3.

Plant Gladioli corms and Lily bulbs around the garden borders using Bulb Planting Compost. It contains added grit to keep the soil around the bulbs well drained and so helps to avoid fungal problems caused by waterlogged soils.

Pots and Containers

Check on overwintering patio plants such as Geraniums and Fuchsias. It's too early to put them outside but they may be sprouting new growth that is perfect for taking cuttings. Pot them up into fresh compost such as John Innes No3 and start to water them gently, ensuring that they are not too wet and not allowed to dry out either.

Keep a look out for early signs of pests and disease that may affect these plants, especially in a greenhouse and use your favourite control method to deal with them. Likely problems are greenfly and botrytis.

Outdoor containers may still need watering, check the soil and compost first and add water if they feel dry.

Containerised trees and shrubs should be fed using a suitable plant food such as Feed-all Slow Release plant food, choose the granular option for flexible feeding.

When the container compost has been thoroughly moistened, mulch over the top with Mini Chipped Bark or Cocoa Shell to conserve soil moisture and keep the containers looking neat and tidy. These ornamental mulches have finer pieces than other mulches and look more to scale when used to mulch containers.

Plants that have outgrown their pots should be repotted now before they spring into growth. Use Tub & Basket Compost as it contains a special water retaining gel that reduces the need for frequent watering and holds the moisture in the compost around the plant roots. Incorporate Feed-all Slow Release plant food into the compost to provide your plants with a constant feed for the rest of the season. Alternatively just push the appropriate number of Feed-all Slow Release plant food tablets into the surrounding compost, which are designed for use in patio pots and containers.

Seeds and Cuttings

Take softwood cuttings of Fuchsias, Geraniums and other over-wintered plants. Alternatively purchase one or two well-grown plants now and take plenty of cuttings to grow on into flowering plants this season. Use a quality cuttings compost such as Seed & Cutting Compost, or John Innes No 1.

Start sowing seeds. If you don't have much room to pot up and grow on lots of plants then delay sowing until next month. Many half hardy annuals and vegetable seeds can be sown in March.

Sow annual flower seeds such as Ageratum, bedding Salvias, Tagetes, Diascia, annual Stocks, Nemesia, Nicotiana, annual Phlox and bedding Rudbeckia in pots in gentle heat.

Sow Nasturtiums, Alyssum, Clarkia and Lupins in pots in a frost-free greenhouse or on the windowsill.

Ericaceous Plants

Feed acid-loving plants now with Ericaceous Concentrated Plant Food. Dilute in water and apply liberally around the roots of your plants. If the soil is dry water it thoroughly first.

Treat containerised Azaleas and Rhododendrons to an early feed of Ericaceous Plant Food.

Top-dress around all ericaceous plants such as Pieris, Heathers, Rhododendrons and Azaleas with Ericaceous Compost.

House Plants

Repot root bound houseplants using Indoor Plant Compost. It contains added perlite to improve the drainage around the roots and open up the structure of the compost.

Top-dress other houseplants with Indoor Plant Compost.

Start feeding houseplants that are beginning to grow more vigorously such as foliage plants. Use Feed-all Plant Food and choose the ready to use formulation for quick and easy results.

Feeding

As the weather starts to warm up many plants are bursting into growth. Early spring bulbs will already have built their food reserves for this year's display so delay feeding until they have finished flowering. This will help to boost the bulbs and help them build up food reserves for next years' flowers.

Trees and shrubs will benefit from an early spring feed to support strong and healthy growth. Use Growmore for a general balanced feed, it's granular so can be sprinkled around the base of your plants. Organic gardeners can opt for Fish, Blood & Bone or Bone Meal; both are ideal for use all around the garden for established and new plants. Follow the instructions on the pack.

For more targeted feeding choose a plant food specially formulated for your plants from the extensive Westland Garden Health range. For example Rose Plant Food is specially formulated for roses, trees and shrubs and is a particularly good choice for flowering shrubs.

Feed the lawn when it spurts into its spring growth with Lawn Feed. Apply with a Spreader for fast and accurate application.

Don't be tempted to feed newly raised seedlings and cuttings until they get a bit bigger. If you use Seed & Cutting Compost or John Innes Seed Compost to grow seeds and cuttings, the compost contains everything your protégés need for the first few weeks of growth. The tiny roots and root hairs on these developing plants are very susceptible to scorching from fertilisers, so let them establish before treating them to your favourite plant food.

Soil Matters

The secret to healthy garden plants is predominantly in the soil. Get the soil right and the rest is much easier. If your garden soil is poor or depleted from active plant growth then improve it using one of the specially formulated soil improvers from Westland. For example the new Premium Garden Soil is a carefully selected rich clay loam soil with a high content of organic matter, vital for healthy soil and added fertiliser so it's great for new beds and borders and replacing existing soil. It's ideal for planting specimen garden plants such as Topiary sculptures. Farmyard Manure is ideal for conditioning the soil and adds vital nutrients and water holding organic matter to garden areas where heavy feeders deplete soil nutrients quickly such as the vegetable plot or rose beds. Organic gardeners can opt for Organic Garden Compost or Soil Conditioner to improve the soil and add vital structure and organic matter to support healthy plant growth.

For general soil improvement, or to replace depleted top soil, use the specially selected and sterilised Top Soil that is graded to ensure the very best results in the garden.

Mulching

When the ground is wet after a heavy rain shower it's a good time to apply a mulch. Make sure the soil is really wet right down into the ground, so that the mulch conserves soil moisture.

Water Gardening

March is a bit too early to start transplanting water plants but it is the ideal time to plant around the outside edge of the pond. Use Aquatic Compost, even in the borders around the pond, as it is designed to hold its fertiliser content to prevent the build-up of algae in the pond.

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