March

Meteorologically speaking, winter has now passed us by and spring has welcomed slightly longer days with brighter mornings and afternoons. There will still be some weather challenges to keep us on our toes such as frosts and rainy showers, so we must hold off bringing out our tender plants and less hardy seedlings. That said, there is plenty for us gardeners to be getting on with as we prepare for the growing season ahead.

1. Plant bare root roses. We are now at the point where March is the last chance to plant bare root roses and fill gaps in our borders in readiness for the growing season. With a wide range of tea roses and floribunda shrubs along with climbing and rambler roses, there is a rose that can bring colour and scent into every garden. Our plant centre team can show you our range and help you to select the perfect rose for your garden.
2. Rose pruning. Prune your rose bushes and shrubs this month unless you got a head start last month. The main reason for pruning roses is to build a healthy framework of shoots that produce a good display of flowers. Thinning overcrowded stems allows light and air to enter, reducing the chance of pests and diseases and encouraging strong and healthy growth. Make sure you have a sharp pair of secateurs for the job.
3. Spring cleaning. Give your greenhouse and cold frames a good clean. Keeping the glass clean allows for more light, assisting with photosynthesis and allowing any seedlings you have to grow into sturdy, healthy plants. It’s surprising how much dust and dirt accumulates on the glass even in dry weather.
4. Scarify your lawn. If you did not get a chance in autumn, rake out any dead grass known as ‘thatch’ and any moss with a spring-tined rake on smaller lawns. For larger lawns, use an electric or petrol scarifier. Removing thatch and moss improves air movement and drainage through the grass and also helps you to identify any problem areas affected by disease or compaction. It may make the lawn look worse than it did initially but take heart, it will soon recover and look vastly improved.
5. Harden off hardy annuals. Any hardy annuals sown under cover can be hardened off now to acclimatise them to outdoor conditions. Place them in a cold frame with the top closed for a few days and then gradually increase ventilation until the lid can be left off or up, usually after 10 days or so. Hardy annuals can now be safely sowed outside in our area.
6. Deadhead daffodils. As the flowers fade, deadhead your daffodils but leave the foliage alone. If the old flowers are left on, the plant’s energy will be used for seed production. At this time, the important thing is to build up the bulbs’ reserves so that a new flower bud forms inside it for flowering next spring.
7. Move any evergreen shrubs. With the soil beginning to warm up and the shrubs soon beginning to grow, it is a good time to move them. They will lose less water and will be able to establish in their new home quickly. When moving shrubs, take as large a root ball as you can manage. Protect the shrubs from cold winds and keep well-watered and it should grow well.
8. Plant hardy perennials. They will grow quickly if they are planted now. Feed and mulch them after planting and keep them well-watered until established.
9. Protect young shoots. The young tender shoots of plants such as delphiniums and hostas, which are prone to slug damage, need proactive protection. Slugs and snails can do a lot of damage to young buds before they have barely emerged from the soil. A product such as Neudorff Sluggo Slug and Snail Killer, which is methaldehyde free, is certified for organic use and is safe for other wildlife and pets.
10. Plant early potatoes. Good potato crops to plant now are the rocket or swift varieties. These varieties offer a quick yield and are often ready in around 10 weeks. They are also a good variety to start with if you are new to growing potatoes. Ensure you purchase certified disease-free seed potatoes to ensure a healthy start for your crop.

February

Now that we can put what always feels like the longest month of the year behind us, we can settle into February. In fact, as I write this, there is a distinct feeling of spring in the air and we are already seeing small signs, with the lighter evenings and snowdrops popping up here and there. While it certainly does feel like the weather is beginning to turn, we need to be careful not to get too ahead of ourselves. Frosts are still very much on the agenda, so keep tender plants under cover and don’t be too surprised if a few cold, rainy and windy spells still hit us – sorry! However, there are still jobs to be getting on with and before you know it, the lovely warmth of spring will officially be upon us.

1. Stakes and supports: Take stock of all your plant supports and replace any that have broken. Ensure you are adding new supports if you have increased your plant stock.
2. Raspberries: Prune down your autumn fruiting raspberries and tie in the summer fruiting raspberries to their canes. If the raspberry canes are taller than the wire support, you can prune them back by cutting down the cane to one bud above the wire support.
3. Prune woody plants: Any woody shrubs that flower on new wood in late summer can be pruned now.
4. Pruning shrubs: Get all of the pruning done on the deciduous hedges and trees if you need to. Birds will be looking for nesting opportunities so make sure you get the necessary pruning done before they settle in so that you are not disturbing them during their nesting season.
5. Apply organic-based fertiliser to your borders. Organic fertilisers release their nutrients slower than inorganic feeds so the plants will have the complex feed they need in the soil when they start to grow in the spring.
6. Keep off very wet soil and lawns: February can still be a cold, damp month so it’s best to keep out of the borders if the soil is waterlogged and off the lawns if you have flooding. Working in waterlogged soil can compress it which can lead to the soil becoming anaerobic. Oxygen is vital in healthy soil and healthy soil is vital for plant growth, so protecting your soil with the simple act of not compressing it at this time of year is quite important for long-term soil health. If you must walk on the lawn and it’s waterlogged, use a plank to even out the weight a little and reduce compression.
7. Sow early vegetable crops such as lettuce, beetroot and peas. 
8. The soil will soon start warming up, so make sure you plant up your bare root plants this month. Do not plant if the soil is frozen or waterlogged though – wait a little for the frost to pass, the water to clear and then plant up a storm.
9. Winter flowering Jasmine: When the flowers have gone over, prune back your winter flowering Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum). First, prune out any dead, damaged and diseased wood. Select the stems you would like to use and tie those onto your framework. Then, cut back the side growth to around 5cm from the main stems and finish off by feeding and mulching.
10. Sow your sweet peas outside: To help speed up germination, you can put a cloche over them. This will help to protect the seedlings too when they emerge.

January

A very warm welcome to 2024 from the gardening team, but crikey what a soggy few weeks it’s been! Far from inviting, the weather certainly does feel like it’s against the gardening community. However, at this time of year, there are still lots of bits and bobs to get done and it’s time to look closely at the structure of your garden and plan for the season ahead. Take care to prune the right plants at the right time and consider maintenance of structures and equipment to ensure longevity. 

Without further ado – brace the cold, pull on your woolly hat and wellies and brave the garden!

• Make sure that your tender plants are properly protected from the frost. With the wind whipping around, it’s possible that the fleece or protective covering may have moved, leaving parts of the plant exposed to the elements.
• Check that your containers are properly watered. In particular, the containers that might be in a rain shadow. The wet weather might deceive you into thinking your outdoor container is getting sufficient water, but if the container is under a porch or at the base of the house under an overhanging eave, this might prevent the rain from reaching the soil. Be sure to keep an eye on this during the winter months when it’s less obvious to think of watering. 
• Continue to lift and divide herbaceous perennials and plant up, but not when the soil is too wet or frozen. 
• Hoe weeds in borders and weed burn on gravel paths. The milder weather has given way for some of the braver weeds to rear up, so they need to be dealt with sooner rather than later. 
• Buy your bare root roses and plant them up. Remember to only plant if your soil isn’t prone to waterlogging or if there is a frost that day. This gives them plenty of time to snuggle down, ready to burst into action when spring arrives. Our Plant Centre has a beautiful selection of bare root roses – pop in to speak to our knowledgeable team. 
• Send all your gardening equipment in for servicing, ready for the growing season ahead. 
• Steer clear of waterlogged soil and lawns. Compression will result in anaerobic soils which will affect plant productivity. 
• Clean down and disinfect your greenhouse. This helps with photosynthesis when you want to start propagating your seeds and cuttings. Disinfecting your greenhouse helps to control the spread of disease in the greenhouse and through your garden. 
• Clean and disinfect all your pots and propagating equipment if they are stored in your greenhouse. Ensure the greenhouse is free of any leaves, especially if they are diseased.  Remember to ventilate your greenhouse to control any evolving or pre-existing fungal issues such as botrytis.
• Prune wisteria and continue to prune fruit trees, red and white currents, gooseberries, blackcurrants and your grapevine this month – the sap will start rising soon enough.
• If soil conditions allow, plant out your deciduous hedging. 
• Check your tree ties to ensure they are not broken, rubbing and constricting the bark on the tree. Remember to also check that tree stakes are intact and that they have not snapped in the high winds.
• Chit any early potatoes. 

November/December

This autumn, we have been spoilt with the seasonal colour on display. The autumnal hues have been exceptionally striking and have made otherwise stormy days rather beautiful. However, there are still several jobs to get through this year and putting the garden to bed for the colder months is top of the list.

• Clear up fallen leaves from lawns to prevent dead spots. Where possible, consider using these in a sheltered corner of your garden to create a ‘habitat pile’ for garden wildlife, such as amphibians, reptiles or hedgehogs.
• For those of you lucky enough to have a pond in your garden, now is the time to clear over-excessive vegetation or silted areas before the amphibians start coming back early in the New Year. Small amounts of leaves in ponds are not a problem for wildlife but if they are plentiful, try to remove them before they sink to the bottom.
• An environmentally friendly option to avoid your pond freezing over is to place a floating tennis ball in the pond. The continual bobbing action allows oxygen to enter the pond and delays the freezing process. Ensure wildlife ramps are still in place to allow for easy entry and exit.
• Plant those tulips! Temperatures are now consistently below 10 degrees at night so tulips can be planted. You then have something exciting to look forward to in spring.
• Be careful with your ornamental grasses when cutting back faded herbaceous borders. They can serve as effective winter interest so check which cultivar you have and see if you can wait to cut it back in early spring.
• Look after your ceramic containers that are not frost resistant by covering them with hessian or fleece. You can also put them onto “feet” to help avoid the container sitting in water which can add to the pot cracking and breaking.
• Remember to hand weed the perennial weeds (roots and all) and hoe any annual weeds. This will help you in the spring when keeping on top of weeds can be a real chore.
• Planting bareroot is often more economical than planting containerised plants and it gives the plant the winter season to bed in, ready to grow in the spring.
• Fleece protect your tender plants, whether they are kept outside or in sheltered areas i.e. greenhouses or potting sheds.
• Winter prune your “pips” fruit trees i.e. apples and pears but not your “stones” fruit trees i.e. cherry trees or any espaliers.
• Irrigation timers: make sure your irrigation timer is removed, the battery taken out, the timer cleaned and wrapped up if storing in the shed or greenhouse.
• Be careful with your bonfires – any piles of logs or brash can be a magnet for wildlife. Always dismantle burn piles and restack before burning to allow hibernating animals such as hedgehogs to seek shelter elsewhere.
• Feeding the birds now, during the coldest part of the year, will be very welcome. Ensure that bird baths are regularly topped up but remember to clean feeders and bird baths weekly with mild disinfectant to prevent the spread of disease. Now is also a good time to clear out droppings and old nest debris from any bird boxes so they are ready to be taken up again in spring.

October

It is fair to say that September brought us quite a variety of weather, with the hot spell at the beginning of the month seeming to confuse things in the garden. Now, as we inch further into autumn, rather than our gardens winding down, it seems to have given them one last hoorah. So far, the temperature has been quite mild, but the leaves are definitely changing and starting their autumnal display with gusto. Aside from enjoying the beautiful colours, please find below some suggestions for gardening jobs to complete at this time of year.

• Once the frost has come, lift dahlias and store. If you overwinter your tubers in the ground, remember to protect them with straw or mulch.
• Raise ceramic containers onto pot feet for the winter.
• Clear borders of frost-affected herbaceous planting and remember to remove all the stakes and supports, unless they are kept in for ornamental purposes.
• Pre-order (where possible) any bare root or root-wrapped shrubs and trees, ready to be planted in November. This is a more affordable way of creating impact through quantity in your garden i.e. a new hedge.
• Prune back buddleja by half to help prevent root rot.
• Hardwood cuttings can be taken now and propagated on for the New Year’s planting.
• Check tree ties are stable and secure before we are faced with heavy winds. However, it is crucial that they are not too tight.
• If you’ve had black spot or scab in the garden during the growing season and are now clearing leaves, ensure the leaves are destroyed and not composted. Any diseased leaves should always be removed from the garden. Otherwise, the problem can be exacerbated the following year.
• Mow only when necessary and ensure the mower height isn’t too low.
• Continue to remove leaves from lawns and out of ponds. Leaves in the borders are fine as long as they are disease free and don’t stop air flow around woody plants (i.e. roses and lavender). The little creatures living in our gardens benefit from leaves left over. As they decompose, they benefit the soil and worms.
• If you haven’t already got one in place, consider creating a leaf pen so that you have a good amount of carbon (brown material) to add to your compost when you need it.

September

Despite the increased temperatures in early September, there are already signs that autumn is on the way.

With a wonderfully colourful time of year ahead of us, fresh, bright mornings and evenings are something to look forward to. I personally find autumn an exciting and pleasing time of the year to be out in the garden. It is a time of reflection and an opportunity to start planning for the next growing season.

• This is a good time of year to plant new perennials, especially towards the end of September, as the soil is still warm, but moisture levels are increasing.
• Continue cutting back perennials that are fading and dying down. Make sure you look at areas you might otherwise not, like marginal plants around ponds.
• Spring-flowering bulbs are now available in plant centres, garden centres, and online.
• Keep an eye out for vine weevil damage to plants and grass, and do a nematode treatment while the soil is still warm enough to break the lifecycle and control the population.
• Give evergreen shrubs and hedges a final trim before winter.
• Start planning for shrub and tree planting in the autumn.
• Start cutting the grass a little higher as it will start to slow down its growth now.
• Plan for, and book in, autumn lawn treatments i.e. winter care and scarifying and aerating.
• Collect leaves out of ponds and continue to do so until all the leaves have dropped – it pays off to be diligent in this task and makes pond maintenance much easier in the long run.
• Continue to deadhead, but slow down feeding – September is the last month for feeding really, but if you have Dahlias, now would be good to do a folia feed so that they can maximise photosynthesis for storing in their tubers before the first frost hits (make sure you feed your Wisteria to get that flower display in for next year!).