We would like to wish all our customers a Happy St. Patrick's Day!
If you're looking to take advantage of the long weekend by spending some time in the garden, there are a number of jobs you can be doing at this time of year.
For those keen to 'Grow Your Own', St. Patrick's day is traditionally the time to plant first early potatoes with second earlies to follow in early April and maincrop usually planted mid to late April. Broad Bean seeds can still be planted in pots or root-trainers for spring planting, early peas and carrots can be sown outside under cloches if the soil is workable and indoors, this is a good time to start off tomato and pepper seeds.
Hardy annuals such as poppies, cornflower and borage can be sown direct on well prepared ground, free of seeds and raked to a fine tilth. Sweet Peas can be sown under cover and there are a range of summer bulbs which can be planted out in March,
March is also a good time to tidy up perennials and cut back old growth. Shrub roses can be pruned removing anything that looks unhealthy and after pruning, this is also a good time to apply some rose feed. You can also prune back Buddleia and Lavatera quite hard and give Cotinus a light prune to encourage new growth. Cutting back dogwoods/cornus will also provide next winter's colour.
As the soil starts to warm this is also a great time for planting just about anything else from roses and perennials to trees and shrubs. We are also approaching the end of bare-root season, so it's a good idea to get these in as soon as possible before the growing season really takes off and they exit their dormant spell.
Finally this is also a great time to start thinking about lawns. We have everything you need for that perfect patch of green so be sure to visit us in-store.
Our Garden Centres are open on St Patrick's day and Bank-Holiday Friday from 12pm to 6pm and Ardcarne Garden Café will be serving teas, coffees and lunches from 12pm to 5pm.
