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What to do in March

March
  •   Pick off any developing seedheads on daffodils and other spring bulbs, but leave the foliage to die back naturally
  •   Finish pruning roses early in the month
  •   Cut dogwoods, willows, cotinus and paulownia right down to the base to promote vigorous new growth
  •   Start sowing hardy annuals outdoors, including California poppies, nasturtiums and opium poppies
  •   Tidy up alpines as they start to flower, removing dead foliage, then mulch with grit to keep the foliage off damp soil
  •   Avoid carrot root fly by sowing an early crop of carrots under cloches or fleece
  •   Sow tomatoes, chillies, sweet peppers and aubergines in pots indoors
  •   Plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, at a depth of 10-15cm, spaced about 30cm apart
  •   Buy young herbs to plant in containers near your back door, for handy pickings
  •   Plant onion and shallot sets, spacing them 10-15cm apart, and keep the bed free of weeds
  •   Get crops off to a good start indoors to transplant into the garden later, such as celeriac, celery, lettuces and parsley
  •   Take down bubble insulation in the greenhouse once temperatures start to rise, to let in more light
  •   Sow a selection of vibrant annual climbers, such as Spanish flag (Ipomoea lobata) and black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata)
  •   Buy good value young bedding plants for growing on to a larger size under glass, or sow your own in a heated propagator
  •   Sow dwarf French beans in a large pot for an early indoor crop in June
  •   Mow lawns once they start back into growth, and re-cut the edges with a half-moon edging tool
  •   Build or buy a new compost bin, ready to recycle the coming season's garden waste
  •   Dig out a new pond, or install a water feature, to attract more wildlife
  •   Apply residual path weedkillers to paved and gravel areas during a dry spell
  •   Put slug barrier products around the new shoots of hostas and other susceptible perennials