Monkton Elm News, Events and Tips Blog

On a decent day, if you’ve got the urge and your secateurs are handy, it’s time to get out into the garden and give a few things a haircut.

We will be offering free gardening advice to all of our customers on all aspects of gardening as part of National Gardening Week from Monday, April 10 until Saturday, April 15.

Now that the evenings are lighter and the weather is slowly improving, it’s time to think about giving your garden a spring clean. Many people spring clean the home so why not the garden too?

We asked our top plantsman, Andrew Pitman for his gardening tips for the month and this is what he said…

Our gardening experts say if you’re making a ‘to do’ list for February here are a few things to pop on it:

  Feed Due to the longer days, houseplants may start growing again. You can begin feeding them again, but use a dilute 50% fertiliser mix until the growth is well established.

  During January, your garden could need protecting from all sorts of weather conditions from frosts and snow flurries to heavy rain and wind. It is important to make sure you check any ties, stakes or other supports for damage and replace them if necessary. 

  Wondering what to do in the garden this month?  There are lots of adventures to be had and here are a few of our suggestions:

Don’t let your garden go into hibernation this autumn and winter. Instead pick mixed planting in containers to add colour and life to even the darkest and shortest days of the year.

Autumn is the traditional time of year to tidy the garden before the onset of winter but there are still plenty of fun things to be getting on with too.

Here are three top tasks you could be getting on with next month and planning for now to get ahead of the game:

Tubs can be cleared of summer-flowering plants this month and can be planted with biennials and bulbs for a gorgeous display of spring colour.

Now is a great time to sit back, relax and plan your autumn planting.

  If you’re off on holiday soon or want to make the most of long days in the garden, use your time wisely and read a good gardening book or two.

    For anyone with a greenhouse or polytunnel there are a few things to be getting on with this month to help keep production up together:

It’s time to get out in the garden and give your crops and plants some attention.

  With plants gradually coming to life, March is a busy month for the gardener. If the weather begins to warm up this could mark the start of greater activity in the garden. Now is the time to get back outdoors and do the jobs that couldn’t be tackled during the winter months.

  Time to prepare for March with eight easy things to be getting on with:

If the weather remains mild in February then here are some tasks to tackle, giving you a great opportunity to get outdoors: