Minders for March – what to do in the garden this month

March is always a difficult one; sometimes it really feels like spring has sprung and you can get out in the garden and start getting things spick and span. Other years you’re faced with driving rain, wind or even snow all the way through to April, so with that in mind, a March to do list depends very much on the conditions you’re presented with!

Hoping for the best, if your lawn has been left uncut since the beginning of winter, it’s about time for its first cut of the New Year. As soon as the weather allows, and the lawn is dry enough, get out there and trim it up; you’ll be surprised at how much of a difference a tidy, neat lawn can make to a garden that’s suffering from winter hangover.

If you have any Cornus (Dogwood) plants in your garden, get them cut back in late March so that you get the colourful stems these woody plants are well known for. They are a hardy plant that can thrive in damp conditions (usually that’s just as well) but they do need a little TLC at this time of year. Leaving the pruning until late March/early April means that you still get the pretty winter display but without the negative consequences from cutting off any new growth.

Keep these weeds at bay – hopefully there won’t be too much weed growth if you’ve managed to keep on top of things but you’ll probably find that you look out at the garden one weekend and notice there’s been a proliferation seemingly overnight after a few days of nice weather. Nip it in the bud early and save yourself the work later, get the weeds while they are still young and haven’t taken hold yet!

 

While you’re there, it’s also a great time to plant your spring flowering bulbs – dahlia, gladioli and begonia are just a few flowers that will brighten up your garden later in the season if planted now.

If you have a pond, you’ve probably taken the pumps out over the winter to protect wildlife and water quality? It’s time for them to go back in now, as long as the threat of frost and ice has well and truly receded. Get them in as the weather starts to warm up ready for a new season.

If you have a greenhouse, it’s fine to start leaving it open to vent the growing plants inside as the chill wears off the weather, and you can happily potter in there or the shed, while top dressing your pots and containers with compost, ready for the warmer weather.

Enjoy the first rays of spring sunshine!

Native wild flowers in Scotland

While animals and birds are often quite rightly singled out for conservation projects, endangered plants often tend to be overlooked when it comes to preserving our natural wildlife. The Cairngorms Rare Plants Project aims to redress that balance and has already gone some way towards protecting
some of Scotland’s rarest native flora.

The project was launched in March 2010 to take action to help protect four threatened plants in the Cairngorms National Park, and one part of the project, aimed at protecting the twinflower - one of Scotland’s most endangered and iconic wildflowers - was even shortlisted for a RSPB Nature of Scotland Award in 2013.

The twinflower, which thrives in native pine woodlands, has been declining in number for some time, mostly because the patches of plants are too far apart for them to successfully pollinate. The plan, quite simply, was to move them closer together and let nature take its course.

The team used a pioneering new translocation method, developed by the team behind the Cairngorms Rare Plants Project which involved very carefully moving selected plants closer together, making it easier for them to cross pollinate and produce seeds. It’s hoped that moving the existing plants closer together will help to ensure the long term survival of this pretty native bloom.

Justin Prigmore, Cairngorms Nature Officer explained: "The twinflower may only be small but it is one of Scotland’s most charismatic plants and the Cairngorms National Park is a stronghold for the remaining population”

The Rare Plants project was well supported locally and involved land managers working alongside ten key conservation partners, rangers and local volunteers.

"It is an excellent example of how groups and individuals can come together to make a positive difference, which is what Cairngorms Nature is all about," said Andy Wells, Chair of the Cairngorms Nature Strategy Group.

Signs were good last summer, as the first transplants survived the winter – some of them even flowered at the beginning of July 2013. The transplanted plants may not have produced a large number of flowers, but quite a few of them were showing signs that they had set seed, so things are looking good for this summer!