March Garden Guide & Landscaping Tips

Key Garden & Landscape Supplies for March: Aggregates | Bark & Mulch | Concrete & Cement | Decorative Pebbles & Stones | Fertilisers | Firewood | Garden & Lawn Soils | Grass Seed | Ground Stabilisation | Sand, Metal & Drainage | Paving & Retaining | Sleepers & Ponga Logs

Landscaping Project Ideas for March

Create a Relaxing Pebbled Area

• Make a pebbled area using some of the options from our beautiful range of decorative pebbles & stones. Place chairs, plant some favourite plants, either in the pebbled area or in pots and sit back and relax! 

March Lawn Care

• Lawn a bit tragic in this heat? Try de-thatching first, then starting a ‘pep-up’ our Lawnganics ‘Roots’. This fertiliser will send all the right goodies for the grass to begin recovery.
• Later in the month, when the heat lessens and there’s more rain, over sow thin areas with appropriate Grass Seed and ProLawn Turfmaster Starter.

• Give your lawn a gentle tonic after a hot summer with Lawnganics ‘Roots’ Towards the end of March it will hopefully be cooler and you can fertilise with ProLawn Lawn Booster, and re-sow bare patches. 

General Gardening Tips for March

De-stress potted plants 

• Cut back any finished flowers, and trim untidy, diseased foliage, then liquid feed. Exposed roots on the pot should be covered with potting mix or a layer of mulch. A regular deep water several times a week will see the plants stage a recovery. 

Green Cover Crop and Brassicas

• Sow a green cover crop like lupins or mustard seed in unused garden beds over winter. These plants help fix nitrogen in the soil.

Weed Control

• Remove weeds before they go to seed to prevent future invasions around the garden.

Plan Ahead

• Remove annual plants that have finished their summer season and apply compost over the empty soil, ready for autumn planting.

March in the Ornamental Garden

Autumn Planting in March

• It may pay to wait until April with deeper planting such as shrubs etc. If you need to plant now, make sure the planting hole is draining well by filling it with water and checking it drains quickly, and soak plants in a bucket of water until the bubbles stop rising. Mulch after planting then continue to water regularly until it cools down.
• Many NZ plants have autumn-tones and mix well with exotic trees: tawny-coloured NZ grasses and coprosmas to name a few. 
  
  

Spring Flowering Bulbs

• Early flowering varieties include ranunculus, freesias, anemones and crocuses.
• Choose from tulips daffodils and hyacinths for early spring flowering bulbs.
• Pre-chill tulips, hyacinths and narcissi in paper bags in the fridge until planting in late May
• Early flowering varieties are available to purchase now including ranunculus, freesias, anemones and crocuses. Bear in mind that the soil is still warm and aim to plant around Easter this year.

Should I fertilise Winter Flowering Shrubs?

• Yes, but leave the granular fertilisers until the ground is wetter. For now liquid feed from our great range of organic fertilisers that will help revive the roots and the soil biology. Recommended: Aquaticus Garden Booster, Lawnganics Roots. 
  
• Adding layers of compost, then mulch will cool the roots and help azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons and daphnes to get active as autumn begins.

Pest Control during March

• Control Kowhai caterpillar with organic Bugtrol.
• Brown scale on citrus can be sprayed with Aquaticus Glow.

March Drainage Matters

• Landscape with drainage channels filled with Drainage Metal, Gabion Rock or River Boulders.

Fruit & Vegetable Gardening in March

Prepare for Winter Growing

• In raised beds where vegetables are finished for the season, ensure any sizeable roots are removed to free up soil space. Top up them up with more Vegetable Mix or Premium Garden Mix and add our favourite mussel shell product: Aquaticus Soil & Plant Conditioner.
• Add Compost, Premium Garden Mix, and Sheep Pellets to sunny, sheltered areas for winter food growing.
• Plant out cauliflower, broccoli seedlings, and sow carrot, parsnip, and silverbeet seeds.

Citrus and Other Fruit Trees in March

• Side dress citrus with Sheep Pellets or citrus fertiliser.
• Feed feijoa, and fig trees as fruit develops.
• Cover late-season blueberries, raspberries, and grapes with bird netting.

March Seed Saving

• Sieve and dry heritage tomato seeds for next year.
• Other heritage vegetable seeds that can be saved include beans, peas and peppers.

March Pumpkin and Melon Care

• Place Pea Straw under pumpkins and melons to prevent contact with damp soil and rot.

Vegetable Gardening in March

• Plant seedlings of various vegetables like cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower and spring onions.
• Consider edible flowers for the vegetable patch: calendulas, violas and Iceland poppies.

March Herbs Gardens

• Sow parsley and coriander, using curly parsley as a vibrant edging for winter vegetable gardens.
• Coriander grows well in cooler months - don't forget to use the stems in your cooking too.
• Trim hard rosemary stems, remove leaves and use as aromatic kebab sticks on the BBQ.

Pruning in March

• Stone fruit trees, especially plum trees, are best pruned after the fruit has been harvested, to avoid disease setting in.

More Landscaping Ideas for March

• This is the perfect time to deal with muddy areas that cause parking issues in the middle of winter. Turn a disaster area into a functional area with Jakmat Geocell for parking access that has a smart, decorative pebbled finish. 

Remember, these are general guidelines, and specific plant care may vary based on local conditions and plant varieties.