Another good week with a hint of rain, I want it to really rain but I have another wedding in the garden tomorrow so maybe not just yet.

This week I have been moving the hoses around as much as I can, so many of the plants are suffering right now with the dry conditions customary with March weather.

March is such a mellow month and the colour of all blooms intensifying as the growing slows down, seeds ripen along with fruit and vegetables.

This is when I take note of where the weeds are and get them out before their seeds pop every where, I do not want to be faced with all the biddy bids and convolvulous I had this growing season in the next one!

I am also looking at the spent tired areas of our garden and taking note of what is looking good right now in other areas with a view to dividing those perennials to plant in the dull places when the ground is moister.

Drifts and mass plantings really work in the garden from now on, the agapanthas and hellebore leaves in mass have such a cooling effect on a dry garden.

Both these plants can be divided and planted out after we have had a rain, they are wonderful gap fillers for maintenance free gardens. I am just a bit tired of dead heading flowers now and really appreciate the foliage gap fillers.

Because the growing season is winding down plants do not require the same amount of fertilising, except for late flowering annuals and hanging baskets, keep folia feeding these to get the best out of them.

I am ready with the blood and bone for when I divide and transplant plants but will stop all fertilisers like nitrofoska which is designed to encourage new fresh growth.

This goes for roses as well, no more fertiliser and dead heading is not important from now on. Roses need to be able to make seed to harden them off for the cold months ahead. I will dead head my roses for another couple of weeks as I still have a lot happening in the garden and need the roses to look tidy but after that I will let them make seed and harden off.

This week I cut all my English lavender and have started to bunch it, the fragrance is so powerful even one bunch left in a closed room is enough. I bunch it and leave it to dry then later in the year I will rub it and it will probably find its way into lavender bags and pillows.

I will give the lavender plants a dressing of lime before winter to sweeten the ground before spring when they will start to preform again.

I put some grass seed in spots that I missed getting a spring strike, in spring more weed is likely to come up than grass. Autumn after rain, when the soil is warm is the best time to sow a lawn. We have a good two months left before the ground starts to chill off so new grass will shoot up in no time.

With the lack of rain my lawns are full of thatch so I plan to get the dethatcher on to them next week then go over them with a fork to airate them as much as I can. It is a time consuming job but at the end I value all the thatch I am left with to use as mulch around the gardens.



Keep planting out veg plants if you think you can beat the white butterflys!! try using frost cloth over them, it lets the light and rain in and keeps the butterfly off. it just looks a bit strange at this time of the year.


Leeks go in now, but to get the best results plant them in a well drained and sunny position, add some lime to the soil a few days before you plant to help raise its pH level.

if you want to give them a really good head start, add a general fertiliser, to the soil prior to planting. This will encourage growth and ensure lovely, luscious leeks come harvest.

Dig a small trench. Next, place the seedlings in the trench, approximately 10cms apart. Leeks need space to expand, and grow best when planted in rows.

Fill in the trench with soil to the top of the stems, leaving the leaves at the top exposed then give a light water. Try to keep the soil constantly moist, without being too wet.

leeks are a little fussy. They loath water-logged conditions but need constant moisture. So, for the first few weeks after planting, you will need to check on the soil every couple of days until they are well established.

As the plants grow, regularly fold in the soil around the stems. Doing this will ensure they increase in size and will help to achieve white, chunky, stems.

They dislike tightly compressed soil. Hoeing the soil gently on a regular basis will keep the soil light and fluffy and your leeks happy.



Cheers, Linda