Blog: Taking a great leap forward into spring
March is a month of hope and growth, and all the more so this year. From wintery start to springlike end – here’s my March garden in photos. It’s been a busy month, and I’ve managed my joint problems well for once. Instead of doing long stints until I become exhausted, I’ve been out more often and for shorter periods.
As always, I haven’t achieved everything. I’d planned to have the winter clean-up jobs done and any plants moved by the end of the month, but that hasn’t happened (see below). Do check out My Garden in Pictures – March. Read about what to sow in early March.
Ornamentals
I’ve been steadily plugging away, dividing herbaceous perennials to fill gaps in the borders and moving self-seeded biennials, sweet rocket and foxgloves to avoid overcrowding. As part of a long-term plan to decrease the amount of overall work in the garden, I’ve ended up doing far more! Hey-ho. Once these perennials and self-seeders get established, there’ll be less weeding and filling blank bits of soil.
Although these areas look bare now, it won’t be long until they fill the gaps. The new bulbs planted last autumn will be out next month, as will the tulips and daffodils in the winter pots.
General views
Once again, almost every view of the garden is ruined by an abandoned blue trug (sorry). It’s been lovely to have the company of the resident robins as I’ve been digging. There is dodgy photographic evidence of this!
It annoys me that the garden looks so open at this time of year. I want it to look more mysterious and packed with big-leaved beauties – sadly, most of these die back in winter. My hopes for the Chinese rice-paper plant (Tetrapanax papyrifer Rex) were knackered after such a cold winter. It’s now a short stick – the RHS says it can reshoot from the roots even if the stem is damaged.
Edibles and under glass
As always in March, the conservatory is packed, with tomatoes, chillies, peppers, Coleus and various exotics grown from seed. Yesterday, the two gingers became six, forcing their way out of the terracotta pots.
I haven’t even started potting on the geraniums (Pelargoniums) and succulents. I have no idea how I’m going to get everything through to the end of May! Everything in the greenhouse needs potting on – mainly Agapanthus, Cannas and some geraniums.
Outside, the blood plum Lizzie has started flowering (very late), apricot Kioto is in bud, and the autumn-planted garlic still ploughs on. Hope you’ve enjoyed my March garden in photos!
