Garden jobs month by month
Garden jobs in March
In March you prune summer-flowering shrubs such as buddleja and shrub roses, cut back ornamental grasses and last year’s stems, and sow the first vegetables indoors. From mid-March birds are nesting: check a hedge for nests before you trim it, and leave a gap for hedgehogs coming out of hibernation.
Updated for 2027
What to do in the garden in March
March is the turn from winter to spring. Now is the time to prune shrubs that flower in summer, and keep an eye out for the first nesting birds.
- Cut back buddleia, rose of Sharon and shrub roses: they flower on new wood.
- Cut down ornamental grasses and last year’s perennial stems.
- Plant container-grown trees and shrubs, and sow a wildflower meadow.
- From mid-March, check carefully for nesting birds before you trim a hedge.
- Protect peach and apricot blossom from night frost.
What to prune in March?
109 trees and hedges from the guide. When and how for each plant in its pruning guide:
- Hawthorn
- Apple tree
- Pear tree
- Hydrangea
- Panicled hydrangea
- Butterfly bush
- Blueberry
- Holly
- Spiraea
- Hazel
- Pollard willow
- Elder
Nesting season (mid-March to mid-August): don’t prune hedges and shrubs hard, and check for nests first.
Pruning calendar for MarchWhat to sow and plant
- Sow indoors
- annual mallow, aubergine, basil, Black-eyed Susan, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celeriac and 28 more
- Sow outdoors
- broad bean, carrot, chervil, common poppy, cornflower, garden pea, leek, Loose-leaf lettuce and 9 more
- Planting out and planting
- catmint, chives, columbine, garlic, globe thistle, ice plant, lettuce, lily and 11 more
- Harvest from the vegetable garden
- chicory (witloof), chives, kale, lamb’s lettuce, leek, parsnip, spinach and thyme
What to harvest
From trees, shrubs and garden plants:
- Silver birch sap
- Downy birch sap
- Hop young shoots
- Hybrid black poplar resin
- Rosemary flowers
- Silver maple sap
- Bladder campion young shoots
- Bloody dock leaves
- Common evening primrose leaves, roots
- Common sorrel leaves
- Cowslip leaves
- Cuckooflower leaves
and 11 more
Recipes
- Tapping birch sap Silver birch
- Birch kvass Downy birch
- Hop shoots with poached egg Hop
- Poplar-bud salve Hybrid black poplar
- Rosemary and lemon salt Rosemary
- Tapping maple sap Silver maple
What’s flowering for bees?
Trees and shrubs with nectar or pollen for bees and bumblebees:
- Silver maple
- Goat willow
- Peach
- Hazel
- Bay laurel
- Oregon grape
- Japanese skimmia
- Cornelian cherry
- Blackthorn
- Gorse
- Laurustinus
- Osier
and 2 more
All speciesNature in March
- The nesting season runs from mid-March to mid-August: don’t prune hedges and shrubs hard now, as disturbing an active nest is against the law.
- Hedgehogs come out of hibernation hungry: a 13 × 13 cm gap under the fence lets them roam from garden to garden.
- Frogs and toads lay their spawn in the pond: leave it be.
What you can see now
- Blackthorn flowers white, even before the leaves appear.
- Willow catkins are one of the first food sources for bees and bumblebees.
- Forsythia and the first magnolias brighten up gardens.
Challenges of the season
All challenges- Put up a nest boxHang a nest box 2 to 3 m up, with the opening facing east or south-east, out of the strong sun and wind.
- Sow 5 vegetablesSow or plant 5 vegetables in your vegetable garden and mark them as sown or planted.
- Make a bee hotelHang a bee hotel in a sunny, dry, south-facing spot, or leave a patch of bare soil for ground-nesting bees.
Wildlife garden in March
All wildlife garden guidesRead more
All articles- Planting a tree: how to do it properlyThe right tree in the right place, the best planting season, the planting hole, staking and watering in the first few years. This is how your new tree grows into a healthy old one.
- Shrubs and trees for birds and beesWith the right shrubs and trees, your garden will be in flower from March to October and birds will find berries until deep into winter. How to choose plants for a garden full of life.
- When should you cut your hedge? The nesting season and the best timesMost hedges are trimmed twice a year, at the end of June and the end of August. How to take nesting birds into account, and when to trim each type of hedge.
Coming up
Garden jobs in May
Each monthly page is online six to eight weeks ahead, so you can plan in time.