Welcome to March, an exciting time in the garden! The weather may be extra unpredictable at this time of year, but there are lots of jobs to do both indoors and out to start bringing your growing spaces to life. Read on for inspiration and some of our top tips for the month ahead...
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Gifts for Mother's Day
Believe it or not, Mother's Day will soon be here - 10th March! Just in time for the run-up we have taken delivery of some truly gorgeous spring colour. Ranunculus (aka Persian Buttercups - a customer favourite) are now in, in a decadent array of colours. We also have the first of the Senetti, which will keep on flowering right through spring. Both make wonderful gift plants on their own, or can be combined with other stars of the season, such as Campanula and spring bulbs.
We are also putting together special Mother's Day potted arrangements. These will be planted up right here at Riverside by our creative staff over the coming days and will be on sale from Friday the 8th.
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Riverside's wildflower collection now in
At this time of year pollinating insects begin to emerge on warmer days to feed on nectar, making the presence of flowers extra important. Planting native wildflowers, many of which flower from late winter to early spring, is a great way to help them out. They are also very pretty to look at and easy to grow, and can add a naturalistic element to the garden. Our wildflower collection is now on sale and includes early flowers like Cowslips and Primroses, as well as Foxgloves, Red Clover, Viper's Bugloss and many more. One way to use these plants is as plugs to add into an area of grass to start a small meadow.
Other good sources of flowers at this time of year include Heathers, Hellebores and many of the alpine plants which begin flowering from now and into the spring. To find out more about planting for pollinators across the seasons, have a look at the info sheet on our website.
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Pond life
Now is also an excellent time to start a wildlife pond or develop your existing one. We have a wide range of marginal plants now in stock, as well as water lilies and oxygenators. All of these types of plant play important roles in the pond ecosystem, helping to provide shade cover, habitat, oxygen and food to many different species over the course of the year.
Our aquatic plant range includes several native species, such as Ragged Robin, Water Mint and Water Forget-me-not.
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Jobs in the garden for March
Cut back and tidy
This month is a good time to cut back any hardy perennials that you've let stand over the winter (such as Sedums, Japanese Anemones and deciduous grasses) and have a gentle tidy in the borders. If you have a pond, you can remove any debris from the surface to help the plants beneath to get more light.
Invest in 9cm perennials
If you are not already a firm fan of our range of 9cm hardy perennials, now is the time to become acquainted with them! They are fantastic value, especially at this early point in the growing season because if you grow these young plants on now yourself in a couple of month you will have a strong, healthy plant that would cost you much more to buy later on!
Keep feeding the birds
If you have been feeding the birds this winter, keep at it. As supplies of winter berries in gardens and in the countryside begin to run out, your feathered friends will really appreciate your help. When you visit our shop, keep an eye out for our fantastic new range of bird feeds from the RSPB.
Sow and plant hardy varieties
In March you can continue to sow tender veg and half hardy annual flower seeds in a warm environment. It is also time to start sowing hardy veg such as Brassicas, Beetroot and Broad Beans in trays or modules. Don't be in a rush to sow into the soil too soon - give the soil a chance to warm up over the coming weeks and you will get better germination and healthier seedlings. Or skip the sowing stage altogether and buy some of our hardy veg seedlings, on sale now. Sweet Pea seedlings have also arrived and, being quite hardy, can also be planted out this month.
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Happy to help.
If you have any questions at all then please feel free to contact us, we'd love to hear from you!
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