March gardening jobs

Post-summer assessment

Your checklist could include:

• Which plants burnt in the heat? Do they need to be replaced with something more sun-hardy?
• Which plants constantly needed watering? Should they be removed, or grouped together (for more efficient watering and to create a beneficial microclimate)?
• Do your plants show signs of nutrient-deficiency? If so, do they need fertilising?
• Should parts of the lawn be replaced with groundcovers or ornamental grasses?
• Do some areas need shade? If so, is there room to plant a tree or erect a pergola?
• Observations and decisions made at this time help future summer gardening success.

It’s time to …

• Use a garden fork to aerate the soil in dry patches of lawn; follow up by sprinkling grass seed mixed with sand onto bare sections
• Sow seed of winter and spring annuals such as native everlastings, poppies, calendula and nigella in trays of seed-raising mix
• Make a wire-mesh cylinder as a collection bin for autumn leaves
• Re-pot last year’s cyclamen, which has been resting over the warm months, into fresh mix, adding some slow-release fertiliser pellets
• Prune damaged foliage from any sunburnt plants and feed to promote quick replacement growth
• Watch for snails, which become more active as the weather cools; set up beer traps next to seedlings and other vulnerable plants
• Fertilise orchids, especially winter-blooming cymbidiums, with flower-promoting orchid food
• Dig bags of compost or aged manure into tired soil to prepare for autumn planting
  
  And there’s plenty more to do this month. Get your copy of our March issue to read more. New issue – on sale now
  Image: iStock