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March Gardening Advice
1 March 2024

We are hopeful and excited for a summer full of socialising in the garden! Now let’s get our gardens ready…

Late March is a good time to move your evergreen trees and shrubs, providing the weather has warmed up slightly and the risk of frost is low. If the soil is waterlogged or frozen, it’s better to wait until next month. After moving, ensure you give your hedges and shrubs extra attention as careful watering is essential to their success in the first summer after moving. There is still time to plant bare root and root ball hedges as the dormant season lasts right through until the end of April. Hold off from pruning any evergreens until April as the warmer weather encourages stronger re-growth.

You can still plant bare root hedging, especially with the cold weather we are presently receiving, the plants are still very much dormant making ideal planting conditions. Bare root hedging is the cheapest way to achieve a hedge and also leaves you with a sense of pride watching it grow.

You can begin planting fruit trees now – apple trees and cherry trees are a good place to start. Plant these in a sheltered but sunny position. Protect your newly planted trees and shrubs by installing rabbit guards.

Golden Delicious Apple Tree
Cox Apple Tree
Bramley Apple Tree
Stella Cherry Tree
Cherry Tree
Sweetheart Cherry Tree

You will start to see more pests appearing now and they are likely to be attracted to any lush new growth, particularly slugs. You can use organic pellets, such as ferric phosphate to deter slugs and these will not cause harm to any other animals or insects. You may also see the emergence of caterpillars, aphids and flies during mild spells – always try to remove these infestations by hand before turning to insecticides.

 

If you want to carry out any maintenance on your hedges, do this now before the birds start nesting – always check for nests before you begin. To attract wildlife to your gardens, try planting a native hedge, see our full range here.

When leaving food out for birds, break it up into small pieces or use mesh feeders to prevent young birds choking on any pieces that are too big for them. If you haven’t done so already, hang bird boxes as it’s not long until nesting season begins.