March Garden Jobs: Get Ready for the Growing Season

With longer evenings and warming temperatures, March is a crucial time to get your garden in shape for the season ahead. Here’s a checklist of essential tasks to ensure your plants thrive in the months to come.

Prune Shrubs and Roses 
Early March is the perfect time to grab your secateurs and tidy up any overgrown or unruly shrubs. Pruning encourages healthy growth, improves shape, and boosts flowering.

What to prune now:
Buddleia, Caryopteris, and Hydrangeas – Trim to promote fresh growth.
Winter-flowering shrubs (that have finished blooming).
Evergreen shrubs – If frost has damaged new growth (such as on Hebes), prune back to healthy wood.
Roses – Ensure all rose pruning is completed by mid-March to encourage strong new stems.

Tackle Slugs & Snails Before They Strike 
With temperatures creeping up, slugs and snails will soon be out in force, feasting on tender new shoots. Start protecting vulnerable plants now with slug barriers, organic pellets, or natural predators like hedgehogs and birds.

Mulch & Feed Your Borders 
Mulching is one of the best things you can do for your soil in March. Adding a 2–3 inch layer of organic matter (such as garden compost, well-rotted manure, or bark) will:
✅ Improve soil structure
✅ Retain moisture for the drier months ahead
✅ Suppress weeds

💡 Tip: Don’t forget to refresh containers with fresh compost to give potted plants a nutrient boost!

First Lawn Cut of the Year
If your lawn is dry enough, now’s the time for the first cut of the season. Keep the mower blades high—just trimming the tips to avoid stressing the grass.

Prepare & Improve Your Soil 
March is an excellent time to dig in compost or well-rotted manure to improve soil structure. If you have heavy clay soil, adding organic matter will boost drainage and encourage beneficial soil life.

💡 If you’re planning new beds, start clearing weeds and digging over the soil in preparation for April sowing.

Start Chitting & Planting Seed Potatoes 
Even if it’s too wet to plant, you can chit (pre-sprout) your seed potatoes by placing them in a bright, frost-free space. This gives them a head start when they go into the ground next month.

Plant Summer-Flowering Bulbs
Now is the time to plant summer-flowering bulbs for a burst of colour in the coming months. Buying bulbs early is often more cost-effective than buying established plants later in the season.

Top summer bulbs to plant now:

Gladiolus
Lilies
Ranunculus
Dahlias
Wallflowers
Hyacinths
💡 Tip: Bulbs do best in free-draining soil—if your soil is heavy, mix in some grit when planting.

By tackling these key jobs now, you’ll set your garden up for a thriving and beautiful growing season.

Happy gardening!