Jobs For March

Pete's Top 5 Garden Jobs For February

Gardens are starting to come to life after what seems like a very long cold period!
Pete, our plant manager is on hand to give you his top tips for this coming seasons gardening.

• Now is a good time as it is still not too late to be planting bare-root hedging, available in pots of ten plants so great value.
  Varieties available include Beech both green and purple great because it holds onto its brown leaves through the winter, if your soil is a little heavy use hornbeam for the same effect.
  Hawthorn, easy to grow and thorny, forming a good barrier a mass of fragrant white flowers in Spring (May) followed by red haws in autumn loved by birds.
  Privet popular choice suitable for a medium hedge has fragrant flowers and semi evergreen.
  For something different try Rosa Rugosa makes a fantastic security barrier and has large extremely fragrant pink flowers followed by glossy hips. Hedges make great homes for wildlife.
• Plant summer flowering bulbs. Lillies planted in pots can be moved to patio or placed by a door to bring perfume to your garden this summer. Gladioli and Dahlia can be used in borders for height with their dramatic flowers and bold colours, plant gladioli at two week intervals to extend flowering period.
• Start planting seed potatoes this month (first earlies). Chitting can lead to an earlier harvest place seed potatoes in an open container, egg boxes are ideal and place in a light frost free position. If you don't have a garden or the space grow some potatoes in a potato gro bag on your patio or balcony.
• It is also the perfect time for planting soft fruit.
• Divide perennials that need splitting. When you start to see a bald spot in the centre of the clump, lift the whole clump and tease apart with two forks. Use only the strongest divisions and discard the rest.