Gardening in March

 What a busy month March is in the gardening calendar! I can confirm that I’ve absolutely loved it. I've seen so many visiting bees and butterflies already 🥰 

It’s safe to say there’s no way I'll be able to remember EVERYTHING I’ve been up to… Doing a roundup at the end of the month was not the best idea I've ever had! 

Spring and Summer bulbs

All of my dwarf iris and crocus have been and gone. I enjoyed every second of them. My daffodils put a lovely little display on for me! The first one opened on the 9^th of March. Last week, I bought some lovely little Narcissus 'Avalanche' from Thornbridge hall after a little jaunt around the gardens, which smell wonderful.

25 double snowdrops were delivered, in the green. I wanted to get them straight outside, but the weather was terrible so I couldn’t be bothered to faff around unlocking the multiple locks on the shed. So, I ran outside with a spoon on my lunch break! 🙈

Scilla popped up, and then my Muscari. I didn’t realise I had quite so many! The scilla is pretty much over already, and a few of my daffodils were deadheaded this morning too!

Snake’s head fritillary is one of my favourite things to behold at the moment. The ‘Ice stick’ tulips I bought from one of the RHS flower shows last year are as fabulous as I’d hoped they be!

Some dutch iris and gladioli have made it into the ground now. I also purchased more bulbs from Home Bargains; spider lilies and Bowdenii Nerines. I’m just hoping I popped them in deep enough to have protected them from the nasty frost we’ve had recently!

March seed sowing

• Sunflowers – standard and red sun
• Gaillardia aristata
• Dwarf aquilegia
• Poppy ‘Ivory castle’
• Nigella ‘persian jewels’
• Perennial sweet peas
• Normal sweet peas
• I had lots of wildflower packets, which I mixed together with all of the remaining poppies, aquilegia, cornflower etc. These were sowed directly into the wildflower patch. I even discovered some after the initial sowing, mixed up with my plant labels!
• Salad leaves; spinach, mizuna, rocket, and lettuce are in my kitchen window. My mum got me a little kit for Christmas!

I’ve been tending to my tomatoes and peppers, and I’ve had to support the tomatoes already due to their size!

I also noticed life in a seed tray I’d sown hellebore seeds in, quite some time ago! After closer inspection, I can confirm that they are indeed hellebores, so I’m looking forward to seeing what those flowers look like in the future – albeit possibly muddy brown! Talking of hellebores, a friend sent me a picture of some he had picked up, and I felt I needed some. No idea what they’re called, but thankfully I have fab friends and he went back to the garden centre to pick me some up!

Climbers

Super excited to see all of the new buds on all of the clematis! I've given them a feed and am hoping they'll soon take off! 

I painted the arbour and moved a honeysuckle to trail over it. My passionflower didn’t survive the winter, and where the honeysuckle was, a gate is going.

The rest

I got rid of two big planters that were outside the front of the bungalow. They were full to the brim on pansy seedlings, so I scooped a handful out and transplanted them into the back garden. My bleeding hearts are all up, as is the rhubarb. The strawberries have also had a bit of a tidy up. I’ve planted up some lavender in pots for either side of the front door. I also have two new hostas - another Home Bargains unplanned purchase!

I also moved a “Queen Bee” rose that wasn’t getting enough sun, and I also planted a rose that I bought in memory of my grandma. A floribunda variety called Iceberg.

I was shocked to find a planter of anemones ready to flower, as I was certain I’d dug them all up. I dug a hole in the wildflower patch, the size of the planter, and dumped them straight in there.

The pond also had an overhaul! The bottom edge needed to be raised, so all of the rocks were moved and then replaced. A new small planting area also grew from the rhododendron border.

My cheap ass grow house has been erected. I don’t expect it to see it through to next year, but I’m hoping it will see my tomatoes through this one!

I had to empty a HUGE trough planter, because it wasn’t fit for purpose. It had started bowing in the middle! So, a clematis, some lupins, and some aquilegia seedling had to moved. They all seem pretty happy, thankfully. Just need to get the decking a good blast with the pressure washer!

We also got rid of the table and chairs that have served as a perch for my many trees over Winter, and replaced them with a gorgeous new mosaic bistro set! Who knows, maybe I will actually sit in the garden one day!