What to Prune in Your Garden from March to May (And a few Other Tasks)

What to Prune in Your Garden from March to May (and a few other tasks)

·         Fruit Trees, Kiwis and Grapes: You should still be able to do these in early March if you didn't get to them in February. However, if they've started to flower or leaf out, you can aim for a summer prune instead.

·         Buddleja: Don't be afraid to cut it down to 3 feet. It will come back.

·         Cotinus: Coppice Continus to renew the colourful growth

·         Groundcovers: If you're trying to establish groundcovers, careful formative pruning will encourage response growth for fuller plants that suppress weeds more effectively.

·         Salix and Cornus species that are grown for their colourful winter stems can be cut to the ground every 2-3 years.

·         Cut roses and fuchsia back by 1/3 or more.

·         Edge your lawn with a half-moon edger to create attractive lines that can be maintained by a string trimmer for the rest of the season.

·         Transplant crowded spring bulbs after flowering. Remove bluebells before they overtake other bulbs.

·         Help pollinators by adding some early food sources like fruit trees, snowdrops, hellebores, heathers, and crocuses to your garden.

·         If you're a newcomer to starting seeds indoors, remember to refer to planting charts for the proper time to sow seeds, to sow seeds sparingly if you have limited garden space, and to use heat mats to warm the soil for tender crops like tomatoes, peppers, and basil.