Colin Evans

We are well into March already and the forecasters remind us that this is a dodgy month.

Just be patient and wait for April to arrive so we can really get going in the garden.

The fuchsia's bright....

The spring bulbs are in full bloom and filling gardens with their wonderful spring colour.

I have managed to get on well in my garden over the past week and have completely weeded the raised border and planted in some hardy Fuchias left over from last year.

Also a friend of mine has great clumps of Foxgloves in his garden which he no longer wants, so I have lifted dozens and planted them along the fence line in a narrow border at the front of my house.

This will wow the bees once they are in full flower in the summer months.

Create a buzz in your garden

It also reminds me that this is the time when it's worth considering what you can plant in the bare patches in the garden. Dense planting is what I aim for as it looks so boring when great areas of bare soil can be seen - so be bold and fill the empty spots.

Magnolia x Loebneri 'Leonard Messel' is a magnificent variety of one of my favourite flowering trees.

Colin Evans

The large bright pink flowers are borne on naked stems and will cover the tree from April through to May.

This tree will prefer a more acid soil but will tolerate a more neutral soil, providing plenty of ericacious compost is dug in a time of planting and then fed with an ericasious liquid feed during the growing season.

TOPICAL TIPS:

1. Install rainwater butts to collect precious water and make sure all
unwanted debris especially weeds and old plants that will absorb moisture from the soil are removed.

Cover borders with a mulch of either compost or forest bark. This helps to preserve moisture and keep the weeds down.

Make your greenhouse a clean house

2. On warmer days ventilate greenhouses to give them a good airing and wash down the glass with a weak solution of household bleach and water or a specially manufactured solution from the garden centre.

Make sure also that those tight little corners are cleaned as these are perfect places for harmful pests and diseases to thrive before they attack your plants.

Spring has sprung

3. Give all spring flowering bulbs a good feed of granular fertilizer
to give them a good boost while they are using up energy to make flowers. The feeding now will nourish them and help to prepare good flowering next year. Also bulbs need to be kept moist at this time so don't let them dry out.