\n\t \n<\/p>\n
\n\tAre we all raring to go as Spring really starts to kick in? The Winter was so wet and, on most days, too miserable to be bothered doing anything in the garden. Feeding the birds is probably the most I did. I was disappointed by the variety of birds at our feeders on the three days of the Big Garden Birdwatch, unlike Mrs Hoy who ticked loads of boxes. Next year I'm spending the weekend at The Wildfowl Trust Slimbridge to even things up, not that i'm a poor loser. The forced bulbs that we have in the house should be planted in the garden. Do not cut the leaves back but do take care of the root system. Buying snowdrops in the green at this time of year is the best way of naturalising them in to the garden.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe R H S things to do list for March –<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t1. Protect new spring shoots from wind, frost and pests.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t2. Plant shallots, onion sets and new potatoes.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t3. Plant Summer flowering bulbs.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t4. Lift and divide large clumps of perennials.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t5. Top dress containers with new compost.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t6. Mow lawns on dry days.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t7. Cut back Dogwood and Willow.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t8. Hoe and mulch weeds to keep under control early.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t9. Start feeding the fish and using the pond fountain.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t10. Prune bush and climbing Roses.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhile top dressing containers with new compost, look out for the Vine Weevil larvae and, if found, treat early with a pesticide. Don't delay on this or the plant will be ruined. Trim Winter flowering Heathers with shears as the flowers start to fade as this will stop them getting leggy and promote strong new growth. Cut off old leaves of Hellebores to expose the flowers. You can divide Hostas now before they come into leaf and Primulas after they have flowered. Dahlia tubers can be potted up now and, when the new shoots reach three to four inches, cuttings can be a taken. Dip the end in rooting powder and pot up and seal in a plastic bag until roots start to show. New plants grown this way will give you more Dahlias and a better display. Sweet pea seeds can be planted directly into the soil at this time of year, which will prolong the flowering season, along with the the plants you have grown on under glass. Hardy annuals can be sown in pots to give great colour to the garden and they are good for filling in any gaps you may have. The Village Show in September is a fantastic annual event in Wenvoe with some outstanding exhibits and is well attended. To keep this show running it needs some volunteers so if you could help in any way it will be very much appreciated.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tGarden centres will be tempting us with all their new season young plants which are very hard to resist. Caution is needed as these plants have been grown in a strictly controlled environment so care will be needed when you get them home, especially from the cold and wind. When buying your compost check the bags are not too light as this will mean the compost is dry. It is quite difficult to get it back to the right moisture content and will mean a lot more work before you can use it. If you're buying mulch then the opposite is true – the dryer it is the easier it is to spread and it will go further.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t \n<\/p>\n \n\tTake care and happy gardening<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t \n<\/p>\n \n\t <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Are we all raring to go as Spring really starts to kick in? The Winter was so wet and, on most days, too miserable to be bothered doing anything in the garden. Feeding the birds is probably the most I did. I was disappointed by the variety of birds at our feeders on the three days of the Big […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-17p","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16703,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16703","url_meta":{"origin":4303,"position":0},"title":"Desperate To Go Out into the Garden","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st March 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Desperate To Go Out into the Garden March brings longer days but not necessarily better weather. We are desperate to go out into the garden and get it ready for Spring. We need to be sowing annuals and getting veg beds ready to plant carrots, turnips, beetroot,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Items for March 2026"","block_context":{"text":"New Items for March 2026","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=431"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5161,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5161","url_meta":{"origin":4303,"position":1},"title":"November tips from the RHS","author":"Alan Williams","date":"21st December 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"November tips from the RHS 1. Clear up fallen leaves, especially from the lawn and pond. 2. Raise containers off the floor to prevent water-logging. 3. Plant up Tulip bulbs for Spring displays. 4. Prune Roses to prevent wind rock. 5. Plant out Winter bedding. 6. Cover Brassicas with netting,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13743,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13743","url_meta":{"origin":4303,"position":2},"title":"Tips from Residents of the Old Rectory et al.","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Tips from Residents of the Old Rectory et al. Old Rectory 1. Plant garlic now, it\u2019s supposed to increase the flavour by sowing in the Autumn. 2. Keep the lawns clear of leaves, tedious but necessary. 3. Be sure to open greenhouse door on nice days to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15032,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15032","url_meta":{"origin":4303,"position":3},"title":"The RSPG Big Garden Bird Watch","author":"Alan Williams","date":"9th January 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Wenvoe Wildlife Group THE RSPB BIG GARDEN BIRD WATCH The Big Garden Birdwatch is the UK\u2019s largest garden wildlife survey and it is run by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). It has been running since 1979, and every year, over half a million people take part.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe Wildlife Group"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe Wildlife Group","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=48"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Picture5-230x300.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2318,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=2318","url_meta":{"origin":4303,"position":4},"title":"The Final Garden Notes","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd February 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 It\u2019s never easy for our birds to find all the right nutrition they need and it\u2019s even more difficult in the cold days of winter and early spring. It\u2019s up to us to help out by making sure we always provide nourishment and water, and we\u2019ll be rewarded by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4406,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4406","url_meta":{"origin":4303,"position":5},"title":"Birds Don’t See Windows","author":"Alan Williams","date":"28th March 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A recent BBC item highlighted the problem of birds crashing into windows mistaking them for openings or seeing a tree reflection with tragic consequences. The city of Toronto in Canada sits on a major migratory bird route and every year is witness to huge numbers of bird deaths due to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=49"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4303"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4303"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4304,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4303\/revisions\/4304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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