March brings warmer weather, longer days and endless possibilities in the garden. While there’s still time to tackle most tasks on your to-do list, don’t miss this one important job before it’s too late: planting your loose-root perennials.
“There’s plenty of planting that can begin in March, including getting any loose-root perennial plants, such as Agapanthus, Geraniums, or Iris, in the ground,” says gardening expert Paul Parker from J. Parker’s.
“If you have loose-rooted plants, remember to soak the roots in water for 24 hours to rehydrate the plant and prepare it to go into the ground. After your plants have had a well-needed drink, they are ready to be planted out in the garden.”
Thanks to the cool, moist soil, roots can quickly establish before spring and summer growth begins. Earlier planting means stronger plants with a head start against summer stress. Plus, bare-root plants are often cheaper than their potted counterparts.
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Despite warmer weather on the horizon, Paul says to keep an eye on unexpected dipping temperatures.
“Although you can get started planting these perennial plants in March, they won’t fare well in the cold, so they may need some protection from frost using cloches or fleeces if cold weather is forecast.”
As well as perennials, Paul says now is the ideal time to plant your dahlia tubers indoors.
“Dahlias are popular for their showy blooms and make for a colourful summer display. For the best results, get ahead by potting dahlia tubers in separate containers in March,” he says. “Although you can wait until late spring and plant your dahlia tubers directly outside, this method will allow you to plant them outside in mid to late May.”
Place your pots in the sunshine (a windowsill will suffice if you don’t have a greenhouse).
“When all risks of frost have passed, usually around mid-May, you can move your containers into the garden or dig up and transplant the bulbs into the ground, beds or borders.”
16 great books for gardening and indoor plant inspiration
Garden book
RHS How to Create your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming your Outdoor Space
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Adam Frost’s practical, no-nonsense approach will help you plan and build a garden that works for you. The Gardeners’ World presenter takes you step by step through the whole process, from simple garden design ideas to a full garden makeover.
Garden book
Modern Container Gardening: How to Create a Stylish Small-Space Garden AnywhereCredit: Amazon
Isabelle Palmer shows you how to make the most of every little space with a series of projects for small gardens, singular containers and window boxes, that can be completed in a day or weekend. Perfect for novice gardeners, Modern Container Gardening offers beautiful photography and clear step-by-step instructions.
Garden book
National Trust School of Gardening: Practical Advice from the Experts
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The National Trust employs over 500 gardeners with an extraordinary wealth of expertise. And now, in this in-depth guide, they pass on their wisdom and provide the answers any new and seasoned gardener is looking for. This book is intended to give you inspiration and confidence to make the most of your garden, without being overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail.
Garden book
Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month
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Veg In One Bed explains how to build your bed and grow from seed, as well advice on planting, feeding, and harvesting. YouTube gardening star Huw Richards shows how to guarantee early success by starting off young plants on a windowsill and suggests what to grow in each part of the bed.
Garden book
DK The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of GardeningCredit: Amazon
Monty Don offers straightforward gardening advice in this book, revealing the secrets of growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs, while respecting the needs of the environment by gardening organically. You can also enjoy a tour of his Herefordshire garden, including his flower garden, herb garden, kitchen garden, and more.
Plants book
DK RHS Practical House Plant Book
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The Practical House Plant Book by the RHS contains a dozen step-by-step projects to help you assemble an eye-catching terrarium, create a floating kokedama ‘string garden’, or propagate succulents. Complete with 175 in-depth plant profiles, this is an essential practical guide for indoor gardeners.
Garden book
Ten Speed Press Small Garden Style: A Design Guide for Outdoor Rooms and ContainersCredit: Amazon
A small garden space – an urban patio, a tiny backyard, or even just a pot by your door – doesn’t have to sacrifice style. In Small Garden Style, garden designer Isa Hendry Eaton and lifestyle writer Jennifer Blaise Kramer show you how to use good design to create a joyful, elegant, and exciting yet compact outdoor living space.
Garden book
No Dig Garden Charles Dowding’s No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly: Course 1Credit: Amazon
Charles Dowding, innovator of no dig, teaches you everything you need to know about this method of organic gardening. With 19 chapters, you’ll learn how to use no dig on different soil types, recognise and massively reduce the different types of weeds, know the difference between soil and types of compost, and grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method.
Plants book
Kyle Books In Bloom: Growing, harvesting and arranging flowers all year round
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Get all the inspiration you need for planting cut flowers, and fill your home with colour and the gorgeous scent of the garden year-round with In Bloom. Clare Nolan reveals her secrets for growing a bountiful harvest as well as styling spectacular homegrown displays in this beautifully designed book.
Garden book
DK RHS Complete Gardener’s Manual
The RHS’ Complete Gardener’s Manual will help you choose plants that will thrive in your space, design a border for year-round colour, grasp different pruning techniques, discover how to protect your veg patch from pests, and make the best compost.
Garden book
Bloomsbury Wildlife Wildlife Gardening: For Everyone and Everything
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Do you want to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden? In Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything, Kate Bradbury teams up with the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you discover how you can make your garden, balcony, doorstep or patio a haven for garden wildlife. You’ll find handy charts, practical projects and fact files.
Plants book
DK My House Plant Changed My Life: Green wellbeing for the great indoors
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Gardener and TV presenter David Domoney is a firm believer that indoor plants can make ‘a practical and emotional contribution to our wellbeing’. In this book, David explains the hard science behind the positive effect of the humble houseplant on wellness, and provides expert tips on how to keep your plants thriving, plus shares his top 50 life-enhancing houseplants.
Garden book
DK RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design: Planning, Building and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space
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If you’re looking for new garden ideas, the RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design will guide you from planning to planting, such as choosing the correct materials for your structures and assessing your drainage, to laying patios, making ponds, and planting perennials.
Garden book
Lorenz Books How to Create an Eco Garden: The practical guide to sustainable and greener gardeningCredit: Amazon
This planet-friendly book is filled with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale, from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment. Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity, learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping, and take on simple projects such as making a pond and a wildlife hotel.
Plants book
DK RHS Encyclopedia Of Plants and Flowers
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Credit: Amazon
Drawing on expert advice from the RHS, this best-selling reference book – organised by colour, size, and type, rather than as an A-Z directory – will help you select the right varieties for your outdoor space.
Garden book
Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd Build a Better Vegetable Garden: 30 DIY Projects to Improve your HarvestCredit: Amazon
Joyce and Ben Russell have devised 30 kitchen garden projects, devised to either extend the season, protect crops from pests or improve yields. These projects transform your vegetable plot into somewhere more productive, more attractive and more secure.
Deputy Daily Editor, Country Living and House Beautiful
Lisa Joyner is the Deputy Daily Editor at House Beautiful UK and Country Living UK, where she’s busy writing about home and interiors, gardening, dog breeds, pets, health and wellbeing, countryside news, small space inspiration, and the hottest properties on the market. Previously, she has written for Conde Nast Traveller, House & Garden and Marie Claire magazine. Lisa studied at University For The Creative Arts, where she completed a BA in Fashion Journalism.
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