March is incredible as it’s the beginning of spring, and growth is accelerating quickly in the garden at this time. Primroses are flowering, apple blossom is bursting, and perennials are blooming upwards in vivid green.
Monty Don recommends planting woody shrubs so that the roots can start to grow before the demands of new foliage become too stressful, and this is especially true of any bare-root plants.
You can always rely on a fabulous woody shrub for early spring flowers. Striking, spring-flowering shrubs are like that, effortlessly elegant and dependable, and whilst many are tempted by spring-flowering perennials, grow a shrub, and you pretty much have a garden plant for life.
Shrubs are incredibly versatile too, making incredible screening, pretty flowering hedges or exciting garden features.
Planting just one shrub this spring will endow your garden with instant maturity, beautiful flowers and foliage, and for the most part, shrubs are pretty much problem-free.
However, as woody shrubs are plants that will hopefully “remain in the garden for years to come”, Monty pointed out that it is worth taking some time with planting them.
He instructed: “Make sure that every scrap of perennial weeds are removed and dig a wide but shallow hole about nine inches deep. Loosen the subsoil, but do not add any compost or soil improver.”
Monty noted that he likes to dust mycorrhizae over the roots to help establishment and “plant slightly proud of the soil level, but firming the roots well to form a slight cone”.
After planting, gardeners will need to water generously before mulching thickly with good compost.
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