March - Sevenoaks garden maintenance jobs to do now

Sevenoaks gardens are starting to wake from the winter and now is ther perfect time to get outdoors and do a few important jobs that will help some of your plants grow better throughout the summer months.

If you're stuck on what Sevenoaks garden maintenance jobs to do in March, here are a few suggestions:

Ornamental grasses:

Deciduous ornamental grasses will have held onto their brown leaves throughout the winter. Now is the time to cut back the old grass to allow the new green shoots to grow. Simply take a handful of the old dead grass as though you were holding a pony tail, and cut it off near the base, being careful not to damage any new leaves already coming through. Some examples of deciduous ornamental grasses to cut back now are Hakonechloa (pictured), Miscanthus, Pennisetum and Deschampsia

Dead leaves of Hakonchloa

Hakonchloa macra summer leaves

Dead leaves of Hakonechloa macra, and the green leaves later in the summer.

Prune roses:

Roses can be pruned now to help encourage a good shape for the year. Cut above a new shoot or existing stem, as shown here.

Prune Hydrangeas:

Now is also the time to cut back Hydrangeas. As with the roses, when you're cutting back ensure that you leave some buds on the stem below the point where you're cutting. Cutting back Hydrangeas now will allow them to grow in the summer without becoming 'leggy', and to maintain a good overall shape.

Prune late flowering Clematis:

Late flowering Clematis can be cut back hard now. Cut all stems down to a pair of healthy buds, around 30-60cm from ground level. They should then have vigorous new growth throughout the summer until they flower.

Rake out moss

Now is a good time to rake moss out of your lawn.

Use a spring tine rake or a scarifier to remove dead moss and thatch from the lawn. If necessary you can then re-seed the patches to improve your lawn for the summer.

Divide perennials plants:

If you have perennial plants in the garden that have taken up too much space, now is a good time to dig them out, split them, and replant the smaller sections. This can be done with plants like Alchemilla mollis and Geraniums, for example. Dig out the plant retaining as much of the roots intact as possible, position a sharp spade blade above the root ball and push down with your foot to cut the roots. You will now have more plants that you can use around the garden.

Layout:

Take a look at the garden and see where the bare patches are, think back to what didn't work very well last year and think about how you would like it to work differently. Perhaps the balance of evergreens and flowers wasn't quite right, or some areas of plants were really struggling. Now might be a good time to rearrange things, or, if you're not sure how to make the right changes, contact a Sevenoaks garden designer to tweak the layout and get it right for the year ahead.

General maintenance for Sevenoaks gardens:

• Check tree ties and stakes - you may need to replace, loosen or tighten where necessary.

• Remove newly emerging weeds

• Feed shrubs, trees, hedges and climbers after pruning to give them energy for the growing season

• Apply mulch to the ground to help suppress weeds and to feed the soil.

• Prune and tie in overgrown climbers.

• Cut lawn edges while the ground is soft, to maintain the shape and line of your beds.

• Scarify the lawn - Sevenoaks gardens can be prone to waterlogged clay soil, with threads of sand. Fully scarifying including aerating and adding sand can help the quality and growth of your lawn through the year.