The Potting Shed

March 2021

Spring is on its way!

Working

Jobs to Do in the Garden this Month

March - the Start of Spring

  • Now really is the last opportunity to cut back any old stems of herbaceous perennials

  • It is also necessary to be ruthless to those semi-evergreen perennials such as Penstemon and cut them right back – it seems drastic, but this will encourage vigorous new flowering shoots from the base of the plant

  • March is also the time to be dividing congested perennials. For most, wait until the first signs of growth then lift and split. Discard the dead or woody centre of the clump and replant the younger vigorous parts from around the edges. Hostas should be divided before they break into leaf.

  • Save any spare plants you have as we are hoping to have a Plant Sale for the Club in May

  • The fresh growth of new shoots and new roots will also be a magnet for pests. If your Heucheras seem to suddenly die and stems become detached from the base of the plant, this is probably the grubs of the Vine Weevil munching away at the roots. A good biological control is the use of a nematode wash and products such as Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer should be applied now and then again in the autumn.

  • Similar biological control with a different type of nematode is available for the control of Slugs. Biological control such as this is not harmful to birds or other wildlife.

  • Shrubs grown for winter colour of their stems such as Cornus should be cut back (stooled) now.

  • March is also the season for seed sowing in earnest. Many hardy annuals can be sown outdoors now, with half-hardy annuals and tender vegetables being started off indoors or under cover.

  • Continue to nurture stored Dahlia tubers back into life for early displays by watering lightly and storing the tubers in the light to encourage new shoots prior to planting

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Trim Penstemon right down to the base
Grow on seedlings in good light

Relaxing

What's Looking Good in the Garden

Crocus Focus - Use the arrows on the pictures to browse

  • Crocus

  • Crocus

  • Helebore

  • Crocus

  • Crocus

  • Scilla siberica

  • Hyacinth 'Woodstock'

  • Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis

  • Moth Orchid

  • Narcissi cyclaminineus 'Tête-à-tête'

  • Crocus 'Victor Hugo'

  • Primrose

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Thinking

This month's wordsearch with some topical words

Visiting and Seeing

Places to Go and Things to Do - In Person or On-Line

  • The Tender Shoots Garden Club Network is a new collection of garden clubs and like-mined individuals that meet for informative Zoom talks and social Question and Answer sessions every fortnight. More information on the talks they provide are available on their Facebook page and in the Surrey Horticultural Society Early Spring Newsletter.

  • Tickets for the SHF Talk by Adam Frost postponed from last year and now cancelled for the 25th March this year will now be valid for the Chris Beardshaw talk booked for 10th March 2022. If you have been clutching those tickets since last Spring, just keep them somewhere safe for another year…

  • Plant Heritage have seven different Zoom talks throughout March including talks on Monardas, Gertrude Jekyll, Eryngium, Flowering Cherries, and the Asteraceae family. Please see their website for more information on all the talks, the cost (typically £4), and the timings which vary between talks.

  • There are several gardens within 25 miles of Guildford that are opening in March as part of the National Garden Scheme, including The Sculpture Park in Churt (9th March 10am-5pm) and Albury Park, Albury (21st March 2-5pm). Prebooking essential.

  • We are hoping to hold our own Plant Sale at Worplesdon Memorial Hall on Sunday 2nd May – please make a note in your diaries and start collecting any excess seedlings and divided perennials for the sale. More details will follow as we get nearer the date.

  • RHS Shows of 2021 are now available including Chelsea Flower Show (Now postponed to 21st-26th September) and the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival (5th-11th July)

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Sharing

What's been happening on our Facebook page, Blog, and Elsewhere

From Facebook...

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Remembering

The Old 'Potting Shed' Pages

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