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Seasonal Tips for Feb & Mar- Beds & Borders

While many garden borders can be self sufficient, you will get much better results if you are able to attend to their needs at the right time. General care and maintenance of your border plants will keep them in good health, reduce pest and disease problems and allow the plants to reach their full potential.





  • Remove all decayed leaves, twigs etc from beds and borders and feed your plants with a general fertiliser such as Bone Meal Root Builder. Hoe it in carefully, taking care not to disturb emerging bulbs.
  • Buy and pot up Dahlia tubers, Begonia corms and keep in a frost-free environment until the last frost has passed. Check out the new range of fabulous summer flowering bulbs and tubers from Unwins. These are available now at many garden centres nationwide.
  • When the soil is moist and crumbly and has warmed up from a little spring sunshine you can start sowing annual bedding plants in their flowering positions in the garden. If you are new to gardening it may be better to sow them into pots of John Innes Seed Sowing Compost with Sure Start as it is formulated to give the seeds the very best possible start and everything that they need to start growing.
  • Don’t be tempted into putting out half-hardy plants into the garden. A warm spell can be very encouraging; especially to beginner gardeners, but at this time of year a cold snap won’t be far away. If your plants are shooting early they may need a little additional protection. Place a layer of horticultural fleece over any plants that are unexpectedly beginning to develop strong spring growth, especially if a frost threatens.
  • Keep an eye on any new plants in the garden and be sure to water them if the weather is dry, even in early spring, rainfall can tail off and the topsoil can dry out quickly. New plants need plenty time to establish a good root system before they can fend for themselves in a dry spell.
  • Dead head any early spring flowers and bulbs as they die off. Feed the plants after flowering with Growmore or Feed-all Slow Release Granular so that the plants can build up the bulb for next years’ flowers.
  • Divide overcrowded perennial plants and replant the pieces around the garden using Multi-Purpose Compost with added John Innes or John Innes No 3. Mature Plant Compost.
  • Plant new Gladioli corms and Lily bulbs around the garden borders from March using Bulb Planting Compost. It contains added grit to keep the soil around the bulbs well drained and so helps to avoid fungal problems caused by waterlogged soils. Check out the wide range of beautiful summer flowering bulbs at your local Unwins stockist.
  • Keep an eye out for weeds in the borders. In milder weather new seedlings may start to germinate and get a head start on your border plants. Hoe these off before they become established. Use Westland Resolva 24 ready to use weedkiller on persistent weeds such as docks, dandelions and other weeds with deep roots. Always read the label. Use pesticides safely.
  • Early spring is a very good time to move established plants in the border. Many plants are still dormant from the cold weather and the ground is moist so they are easier to dig out. It’s very important to dig the plants up with as much of their root ball and associated soil as possible. Choose a time when the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. Prepare the planting hole first so that you can reposition your plant straight away, this will limit any stress to the plant. Dig out the planting hole so that it is larger than the root ball of your plant. Loosen the soil around the edges and at the base of the hole so that the new roots can grow into this soil easily. Choose a planting compost such as Rose, Tree & Shrub Compost with added John Innes and mix this thoroughly into the base of the hole. Add some Bone Meal Root Builder to the planting hole to feed your plant as the roots re-establish.
    When the hole is ready, completely dig up the plant to be moved with as much soil and root ball as possible. Place it straight into the prepared hole making sure that the top of the root ball is at the same level as the surface soil. Replace the soil around the edges of the root ball, firming in gently with your foot. Add more soil until the root ball is completely covered and firm in again. Water thoroughly after planting, this will wash the soil in between the plant roots making sure that the roots have excellent contact with the soil/compost mix.

Other useful tips for this season:

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