The Start of Spring...

• Hardy annuals can be sown outside where they are to flower, or you can sow in trays undercover or in a sheltered spot. 

• Sow vegetables that require a long growing season, such as Chillis, in a propagator or warm window sill.

• Finish cutting back all dead tops of perennials to make way for the new growth. 

• Any flowers left on hydrangeas over the winter should be removed now, cutting back to the first, strong, healthy pair of buds under the faded flower.

• Mophead hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) flower on old wood, so do not cut stems back too far or you will forsake flowers for this season.  Rather, cut one or two of the oldest stems right out to encourage new stems to be produced from the base, but without adversely affecting the flowers from the remaining stems.  

• Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) and smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) bloom on new wood.  To produce larger flowerheads, prune back to healthy buds about 12” (30 cm) from the base (or 2-feet /60 cm for a taller plant).

• When pruning, remember that early-flowering shrubs like Forsythia and Weigela should not be pruned until after they have flowered.

• Bush roses should have been be pruned by now.  See the February Potting Shed for more details.

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

• Mow lawns when necessary, but raise the cutter height so as not to remove too much of the grass blade for the first few cuts.  Dedicated moss treatments or combination treatments of moss and spring ‘weed and feed’ can be applied towards the end of the March.

• Fill in any depressions in the grass and over-sow any bare patches with new seed.

• Divide congested perennials - wait until the first signs of growth then lift and split, discarding the dead or woody centre of the clump and replant the younger vigorous parts from around the edges

• If you have any indoor bulbs (hyacinth, amaryllis, narcissi) that have finished flowering, move these to a very sheltered outdoor area or ideally a cold frame or unheated greenhouse and continue to water and feed until the leaves die down naturally in a few months’ time.

• Ventilate greenhouses on warmer or sunnier days if you are overwintering plants or perhaps give it a pre-Spring clean inside and out and ensure that the glass is clean to allow as much light in as possible.

• Chitted seed potatoes should be planted from late March through April, especially first-early potatoes that will be ready to harvest in about 12 weeks.

• The old canes from autumn fruiting Raspberries should be cut back to ground level, but do not cut the canes from the earlier, summer-fruiting varieties.

• Dahlia tubers and Lily and Dutch Iris bulbs can also be started back into life under cover but do be careful of any cold weather