Spring provides the opportunity for a wide range of gardening tasks, as seed beds enter the beginning stages of growth.
With winter coming to a close, however, Britons will have to ensure that the wet conditions of the past months have not given way to unwanted diseases or draining issues.
Fortunately, British horticultural Monty Don has mapped out specific tasks to complete over the next month for a successful garden, citing lawn maintenance as a pivotal job.
“February is my garden - and most gardens across the UK - was unrelentingly and miserably wet,” the expert explained. “When it was not actually raining, it was muddy, with constant flooding.”
Gardeners nationwide should be getting their gardens ready for growth
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With relentless rain, many households were left with copious amounts of rainwater that had nowhere to go. This type of waterlogging disturbs outdoor plants by filling up the pockets of air found in soil, which are essential nutrients.
A key sign of poor drainage is moss, according to Monty, and it is made worse by shade. Failing to deal with these issues imminently could pave the way to lawn problems in the coming months.
“The grass will need mowing in March but do not cut it too short,” explained the gardening. “Just give it a light trim for the rest of this months," explained the expert.
“This will encourage good root growth and as a result, the grass will be a lot healthier and better able to resist summer drought.”
The best grass enjoys good draining, which gardeners can create by sticking a fork into the ground once a year and wiggling it about.
In terms of feed, Monty Don suggests mixing up equal measures of sieved topsoil, sharp sand and sieved leaf mould.
They should also ensure there is no fungus lurking, as an additional inconvenience of excess rainwater is the wet and humid environment it creates.
“The combination of wet and warmth in winter is [...] the perfect environment for fungi to flourish,” Monty Don wrote. “This need not be a complete disaster - we need fungi for our gardens to thrive - but there are also fungal diseases, such as box blight.
“[These] have become unmanageable and I now believe clipped box to be not viable in my garden as the fungus enters through the wounds caused by clippings. This dramatically changes the way my - and so many gardens look.”
According to Monty, March is a month that encompasses all types of weather conditions, from sunshine to frosty, making it hard to navigate.
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The British horticulturalist has mapped out important tasks to complete in March
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“Put the debris on the compost and then mow,” Monty added. “It will look a little bald for a week or so but will grow back thicker than ever.”
Ensuring all the aforementioned tasks are completed in the early stages of Spring will help boost the welfare of your lawn as plants start to grow.
“Whatever the weather brings, March changes from day to day, even hour to hour,” explained Monty.
“We often have snow, frost, wind, rain and warm sunshine and always have daffodils, blossom, fritillaries, the hedges breaking into leaves and the grass growing!”