March Gardening Tips 2025
I look forward to March. It is when the days start to become noticeably longer and snowdrops are joined by crocus and daffodils bringing colour and hope not just to gardens and parks but to verges and roundabouts too. If you didn’t get round to planting bulbs in the autumn you can buy them ‘in the green’ now to pot into containers or fill gaps in your borders.
Dead head Daffodils and Tulips when their flowers start to fade. Cut the blooms and compost them but leave the foliage to die down naturally so it can go on photosynthesising to feed the bulb for next year’s flowering. Later in the month we will start to see trees full of blossom and Camelias coming into their own and Magnolias full of bud.
We have just launched our ‘Plant Discoveries’ range – a homegrown collection of exceptional plants, with different genus arriving in our garden centres each month. Working alongside the talented growers at our own nursery, Barnsfold Liss, has allowed us to select a really interesting range of plants for expert gardeners and new gardeners alike. The carefully chosen ranges celebrate the botanical excellence of the chosen plant genus, with many varieties being recipients of the RHS Award of Garden Merit and others selected because they are such interesting varieties.
The first collection of ‘Plant Discoveries includes Sweet Box (Sarcococca) – look out for exceptional varieties ‘Confusa’ and ‘Ruscifolia Dragons Gate’. This evergreen plant produces delicately sweet-scented white flowers in late winter and early spring, thriving in partial shade and fertile soils. Sarcococca is a fantastic choice for winter gardens. I challenge you not to be enthralled by its scent.
Also featured is Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles) – celebrated varieties include ‘Madame Butterfly’ and ‘Scarlet Storm’ much loved by bees. Chaenomeles is versatile and resilient, thriving in both sunny and shady conditions and suited to a variety of fertile soils.
Completing the line up for March is Rock Rose (Cistus)– with outstanding varieties including ‘Creticus’ and ‘Snowfire’. Cistus thrives in full sun and well-drained soils, making it a show-stopping addition to sun-drenched borders. With a rolling programme of plants grown in limited quantities for the year, the collection reflects our commitment to supporting British horticulture and sourcing locally and sustainably, highlighting the craftsmanship of our own growers.
Making a return in March is our Primrose Festival. Designed to bring a smile, our stunning collection of homegrown primroses includes varieties such as ‘Ringo Apricot Yellow’, ‘Starflame Violet’, ‘Ringo Cherry Blossom’, ‘Candy Cottage’, and ‘Chinese New Year’. With over 25 different colours and varieties to choose from, the festival is a true celebration of these cheerful and easy-to-grow plants. Grown on our own bedding plant nurseries, these primroses are locally cultivated to the highest quality.
I hope some of these plants have enticed you to get gardening this March, and if you need any more persuading then do join our new loyalty programme “Friends of Squire’s” which we launched on Valentine’s Day. As a thank you for signing up we will give you 50% off a plant when you download the app, so there is no reason not to get green fingered this spring. This is in addition to all the other offers and events you can experience through the programme.
Turning to the vegetable patch, Onion sets and Shallots can be planted now. Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Parsnips, Peas, Radishes and Spinach can be sown outside towards the end of March and then covered with cloches, or a little later in the season you can buy young plants to grow on. Many varieties of tomatoes and chillies can be sown now in the greenhouse, on a windowsill or in a conservatory. If you haven’t yet bought seed potatoes for this year, then now is the time to do so and then put them in a cool, light position to chit (sprout) for planting later. Early varieties can be planted towards the end of the month.
March is the time to prune established roses (other than ramblers which flower on last year’s wood, so you will lose this year’s flower if you prune now). Prune to an outward facing bud using a good pair of sharp secateurs. It is really important to keep secateurs clean to avoid spreading disease. I know I have mentioned before that pruning the roses is quite time consuming in our garden because we have a lot of them – some might say too many, but I don’t believe you can have too many roses.
March is a great time to sow a new lawn, or repair worn patches. Try to avoid walking on waterlogged lawns and working in sodden borders to avoid soil compaction. But I have rambled on for too long, so more on lawn care next month.
In the meantime I wish you a March full of hope for a wonderful gardening season ahead.
