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<p>With daffodils in flowers and leaf buds swelling on branches, spring is definitely in the air again. Get your garden into shape for the year with our <strong>top gardening tips for March</strong>.</p>

<p>With daffodils in flowers and leaf buds swelling on branches, spring is definitely in the air again. Get your garden into shape for the year with our <strong>top gardening tips for March</strong>.</p>
<h2>Top gardening tips for March</h2>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Now’s the time to plant your chitted first early potatoes. (You can also plant unchitted potatoes, but chitting them will give you a better harvest.) Plant onion sets, too, covering them with netting to stop birds pulling them up. &nbsp;</p>
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<li>
<p>Once the daffodils have finished flowering, deadhead them. Leave the foliage to die back naturally so that the plants can store enough food in their bulbs to produce next year’s blooms.</p>
</li>
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<p>Dig up large clumps of snowdrop clumps while their leaves are still green and divide them into smaller clumps for replanting. This will encourage them to spread.</p>
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<p>Choose a day when the grass is dry, and cut your lawn on a high setting.</p>
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<p>In parts of the country with milder climates, you can start sowing seeds outdoors towards the end of March. Hardy annuals like Californian poppies, Nigella, cornflower and nasturtium can all be direct sown outdoors now, as can carrots, parsnips, radishes and broad beans. If the ground is still frozen, sow them indoors in pots instead.</p>
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<li>
<p>Sow tomato seeds and chillies indoors in pots, and put them in a greenhouse or warm sunny windowsill to germinate and grow.</p>
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<p>Plant summer-flowering bulbs like gladioli, agapanthus and lilies in pots indoors, ready for planting out once the frosts are over.</p>
</li>
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<p>If you haven’t pruned your bush roses yet, do it now, cutting away all dead, damaged and crossing branches, removing spindly growth and cutting the remaining stems down by a third to a half.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Prune mophead hydrangeas, cutting back last year’s flowering stems to the first strong buds below the dried flowerheads.&nbsp; Prune fuchsia, too, cutting back last year’s flowering stems to one or two buds from the older woody growth.&nbsp;</p>
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<li>
<p>Lift and divide big clumps of perennials like daylilies, agapanthus and hostas. Lever fibrous clump apart using two garden forks inserted back-to-back in a clump. Use a sharp knife or the cutting edge of a spade to divide woody roots. Dividing overgrown perennials will rejuvenate them and gives you extra plants.</p>
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<p>Feed roses with general-purpose fertilizer and blueberries, camellias and rhododendrons with ericaceous fertilizer.</p>
</li>
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<p>Clear weeds from borders and dig compost or well-rotted stable manure into your vegetable beds to get ready for spring planting.</p>
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<p>Put in plant supports now, while your plants are still small, and it’s easier to work around them. As the plants grow, they can be trained into the supports.</p>
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<p>Get ready for summer by installing a water butt connected to a downpipe to collect the rainwater from your roof.</p>
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<p>Top-dress shrubs in pots by removing the top 5cm (2in) of old compost and replacing it with fresh.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>Visit our centre for tools, seeds and all your gardening needs, and get your garden looking great this spring!</p>

15 garden tips for March

<p>If you’re looking for a <strong>houseplant</strong> with sensational foliage, a <strong>Calathea</strong> is just what you’re after.&nbsp;Calatheas are prized for their beautiful leaves, marked with colourful geometric patterns that look as though they have been painted on by an artist.&nbsp;</p>

<p>If you’re looking for a <strong>houseplant</strong> with sensational foliage, a <strong>Calathea</strong> is just what you’re after. Calatheas belong to a genus of plants that come from the tropics, mainly in Brazil. They have many common names, including zebra plants and peacock plants, but are most often called prayer-plants. This name comes from the way some species move their leaves, closing them up at night like praying hands and opening them wider during the day.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Calatheas are prized for their beautiful leaves, marked with colourful geometric patterns that look as though they have been painted on by an artist.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Where to grow calathea</h2>
<p>In their natural environment, calatheas grow in the dappled shade cast by tall trees in tropical forests. When grown as houseplants, they do best in bright but indirect light and will cope quite well with low light conditions. In fact, too much direct bright light is likely to burn their leaves and affect the colourful leaf markings.</p>
<p>Calatheas prefer soil that is moist but not sodden. When planting them in pots, use a pot with good drainage holes and a good potting compost that retains moisture. Water regularly to keep the compost moist but don’t allow them to stand in water for long periods, as this can cause root rot. Ideally, use rainwater or filtered water.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Being tropical plants, calatheas like high humidity and a warm environment. To raise the humidity around your plant, stand the pot on a drip tray filled with pebbles and topped up with water. Mist occasionally, spraying the leaves from below to avoid water collecting around new leaf buds.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Aim for a reasonably constant temperature, anywhere between 18-30°C (65-86°F), away from cold draughts, and don’t let the temperature around the plant drop below 15°C (59°F). Drooping leaves are a sign that the plant is too cold – if this happens, move the plant to a warmer place as soon as possible.</p>
<h2>Caring for calathea</h2>
<p>Feed your calathea plant once a month from spring to autumn, using a liquid houseplant fertilizer&nbsp;diluted to half strength.&nbsp;</p>
<p>There is no need to prune a calathea, simply cut off any dead leaves as they appear. If your plant loses all its leaves as a result of stress, such as underwatering, don’t give up hope straight away - calathea are surprisingly resilient plants and it may well put out new leaves once the problem has been resolved.</p>
<h2>Calathea problems</h2>
<p>Once you have found the right location for your calathea plant, the most likely problems are likely to be caused by either over-or under-watering. Here are the signs to watch out for:</p>
<p><strong>Under-watering:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Wilting</li>
<li>Curling leaves</li>
<li>Leaf edges browning</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Over-watering</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Yellowing leaves</li>
<li>Rotting stems&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<p>If you’re looking for a houseplant to brighten up your home, come and see the exciting range available in our centres. We’ve got the perfect plant for you!</p>

Calathea houseplant

<p>Find out our t<strong>op 10 scented plants</strong> and&nbsp;enjoy the spread of natural scent in your garden. We have a wonderful range of plants with a nice fragrance. Fill your garden with scented plants and your garden will not only look fantastic but also smell fantastic!&nbsp;</p>

<p>Find out our t<strong>op 10 scented plants</strong> and&nbsp;enjoy the spread of natural scent in your garden. We have a wonderful range of plants with a nice fragrance. Fill your garden with scented plants and your garden will not only look fantastic but also smell fantastic!&nbsp;</p>
<h2>1. Honeysuckle</h2>
<p>The sweet fragrance of Honeysuckle brings a heady scent to the garden. Not just beautiful with flowers varying from white to cream and salmon pink but also a wonderful climber, ideal for pergolas and archways. It’s especially good where you might be able to sit near or walk by to fully appreciate it, along with the many beneficial insects that it will attract.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>2. Lemon Balm</h2>
<p>One of the most fragrant of herbs and great in a cooling glass of water to refresh you on a hot day in the garden. Lemon Balm is very easy to grow and ideally in pots or contained well, as it is similar to Mint with respect to taking over. Lemon Balm can be used to calm and ease anxiety as well.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>3. Nicotiana</h2>
<p>A wonderful annual for beds and borders and highly fragrant in the evening time. Protect seedlings and young growth from slugs and snails, otherwise, they are really easy to grow. A variety of colours from lime green to white, pink and red. You will even find some moths are attracted and will put on quite a display at night.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>4. Lilac Bush&nbsp;</h2>
<p>The stunning Lilac gives out an incredible late spring fragrance with pretty flowers, perfect for using in baking or sprinkled on flowers. Often used for hedging, they just need pruning after flowering and watering when first planting.</p>
<h2>5. Daphne</h2>
<p>The sight and smell of Daphne is a staple late winter/early spring plant for the garden. The clusters of pinkish flowers can be smelt quite far away so they are great for entrances, driveways and anywhere you walk by to breathe in the beauty.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>6. Eucalyptus</h2>
<p>Not just for bouquets of flowers! Eucalyptus looks great in the garden, especially in pots. Trim the stems and hang up in your home. Not only smells great but even helps medicinally as well.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>7. Gardenia</h2>
<p>The pretty white flowers of Gardenia are unmistakable not just for their beauty but for their gorgeous fragrance. They grow well in containers when planted in ericaceous compost and if you stand your container by the front door, it will be an entrance full of perfume.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>8. Sweet Box</h2>
<p>A welcome sign in late winter, as the flowers dangle from long stems with glossy foliage. But it is the fragrance that will really hit you. The wonderful sweet fragrance that is a sign of the garden coming alive again for the seasons ahead, is most welcome.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>9. Rose</h2>
<p>The classic fragrant garden plant! With the many many varieties available there is a rose for everyone. From the intoxicating ‘Etoile de Hollande’ to the delicate and well-known fragrance of ‘Gertrude Jeykll’.</p>
<h2>10. Stocks</h2>
<p>The cottage garden favourite, Stocks are incredibly fragrant with pretty flowers and full of colour. Equally, they look perfect in a bunch of flowers as they do in pots.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Get sowing your seeds, nurturing plug plants and fill your garden with fragrance from our range of seeds and plants in store.&nbsp;</p>

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