March: warming up

Is it really happening? Is spring really knocking on our door?

Everything always look a bit of a disaster area in the garden at this time of year. The only things that seem to be stealing a march on everything else are glowering green weeds making their claim on the border. All, however is not lost.

If you need courage, inspiration and motivation then seek out, sniff out and look out for the spring stars. They are of course the unmissable Daffodils, Crocus and varieties of Cyclamen and small Anenome. More strikingly many Hellebores are coming into their own and on a larger scale the Daphne family are giving off a striking scent. Spring flowering cherries are beginning to flower and on acid soils Fothergilla is coming out.

I realise that for many, these plants are probably just unpronounceable names in an already over-complicated world.

A great way to introduce yourself to them is to go around a garden with an established collection and, importantly, a garden where the plants have labels with the full Latin names. I can't think of a better place than the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Braishfield in Romsey where play areas for children have recently been upgraded. You also get a cracking tea there!

Importantly the soil at the Hillier gardens is neutral to slightly acid. This means you will discover and enjoy range of plants you would never find on chalky soil. Many National Trust properties and estates tick all those boxes too.

So, if you are like me and find excuses to do anything but the garden chores, you may be encourged to know that there are some quite simple and satisfying tasks to do this month:

• Get stuck into those Hybrid Tea and Floribunda roses by pruning them back a third to just above a bud. If you didn't get to do the Autumn prune of a third then you will need to take them back two-thirds. This is to encourage new, healthy growth and to tidy them up. By the way - most of your garden roses will be Hybrid Tea and Floribunda roses.
• Prune those strikingly colourful Cornus (Dogwood) stems unless you have the 'Sibirica' cultivar, which is best done every 3 years.
• Cut back the tender perennials that missed the autumn cut back in order that they got the winter protection they needed. Perovskia and Penstemmon fall into this category.
• Get a head start on the weeds by hoeing out what is there ( mind out for the emerging Forget-me-nots) and spreading mulch onto the borders. You need to lay down a decent depth of mulch to about 2"-3" in order for it to be last through the summer and for it to be effective. 
• Divide clumps of perennials that have become too dense. You will doing them a favour as the more overcrowded they are, the less healthy they are. As a rule of thumb, look to do this every 4 years or so.
• Plant out your pond plants either directly into the marsh areas or into baskets with enough gaps to allow the water through. Ensure they are planted deep enough so they are still submerged when the pond levels drop in the summer.
• The birds are beginning to nest. Wool, pet hair or even your own Goldilocks will all help and encourage them.

The garden will soon be coming to life and be a stage for all sorts of hidden dramas and less-than-hidden ones too. To be honest I prefer these dramas to the Hollywood ones. 

Less chance of getting causing a stir among all those delicate flowers when you get the names wrong.