Seasonal
Garden jobs by month: what to do in March and all year
March is for the first mow on a dry day with the blades high, dividing tired perennials, planting summer bulbs and guarding new shoots from slugs. Every other month has its own short list below.
March, the month that sets up the year
Soil warms through March and grass starts to grow again, so the first cut is made on a dry day with the mower at its highest setting. The aim is to tip the grass, not to tidy it. Cutting short this early stresses a lawn that has only just woken up and opens gaps that moss fills by May.
Borders take most of the month. Perennials that have formed congested clumps with a dead centre can be lifted and split with two forks back to back, and the young outer pieces replanted. Dogwoods and willows grown for coloured winter stems are cut hard back now so they make fresh, bright growth for next winter. Summer flowering bulbs such as lilies and gladioli go in, and slugs get attention as soon as the first soft shoots show, because a single wet night in March can strip a row of emerging delphiniums.
The kitchen garden starts too: shallots, onion sets and early potatoes go into ground that is workable rather than sticky. A handful of soil that holds its shape and then crumbles is ready. One that smears is not.
The year at a glance
The Royal Horticultural Society publishes a list of jobs for each month. The table below picks the ones that matter most in an ordinary domestic garden, with lawns, pruning and hedges given priority over greenhouse and vegetable work.
| Month | The jobs that matter most |
|---|---|
| January | Winter prune apple and pear trees, brush worm casts off the lawn on a dry day, clean pots and the greenhouse |
| February | Winter prune wisteria, cut back winter flowering shrubs once they finish, renovate overgrown deciduous hedges |
| March | First mow on a high setting, divide perennials, cut back dogwoods, plant summer bulbs, protect shoots from slugs |
| April | Sow or patch bare lawn, feed roses and hungry shrubs, tie in climbing roses, keep on top of weeds |
| May | Mow weekly, check hedges for nests before cutting, water early or late, plant out bedding late in the month |
| June | Prune shrubs that flowered in spring, hoe borders, stake tall plants, use water carefully |
| July | Summer feed for the lawn, deadhead repeat flowerers, keep pots and new plants watered |
| August | Summer prune wisteria and trained apples and pears, keep deadheading, collect seed |
| September | Scarify, aerate and top dress the lawn, plant spring bulbs, divide perennials, net ponds before leaves drop |
| October | Lay new turf, last mow and hedge trim in mild areas, prune climbing roses, cut back dead perennials |
| November | Rake leaves off lawns and beds, plant tulips, shorten tall roses against wind rock, wrap pots against frost |
| December | Prune free standing apples and pears, plant bare root trees and shrubs, lag outdoor taps |
Winter: why so much pruning happens then
Deciduous trees and shrubs are dormant from leaf fall until the buds swell, and pruning in that window removes wood without cutting off a season of growth the plant has already invested in. Without leaves, the shape of an apple tree is also easy to read, so crossing branches and congested centres are obvious in a way they are not in July.
Not everything follows that rule. Acers, birches and grapevines bleed sap heavily if cut once the sap rises, so the RHS advice is to prune them before Christmas, while they are fully dormant. Plums and cherries are left alone in winter entirely. Bare root trees, hedging and roses are only sold and planted between late autumn and early spring, which makes November to March the planting season for anything that arrives without a pot.
Summer: mowing, watering and the second prune
From May the lawn needs cutting about once a week, and fine, closely kept lawns more often than that. The rule that keeps grass healthy is to take off no more than a third of the leaf at any one cut, which is far easier to follow by cutting often than by raising the mower after a fortnight away.
Water goes where it makes a difference. Established lawns go brown in a drought and recover when rain returns, so a hosepipe is better spent on containers, new plants and anything planted in the last twelve months. Watering at the start or end of the day loses less to evaporation, and stored rainwater does the job as well as mains water for almost every plant.
August is the second wisteria prune and the month for summer pruning apples and pears trained as cordons, espaliers or fans. Cutting this year's long shoots back now keeps the shape tight and encourages fruit buds rather than more leafy growth.
Autumn: the lawn's key months
September and October are when a tired lawn gets its renovation. The soil is still warm, rain is more reliable and weeds are slowing down, so scarifying out thatch, spiking or hollow tining compacted ground and overseeding the gaps all recover before winter. Spring lawn work is possible but the grass then has to recover going into summer heat.
Leaves are the November job. Left on a lawn for weeks they block light and hold moisture against the grass, which yellows it and invites moss and disease. Raking or mowing them up on a high setting and stacking them in a wire bin turns them into leaf mould in a year or two.
What a gardener can take off the list
A regular round covers the repetitive work: mowing, edging, hoeing, deadheading and clearing up. Fortnightly visits run £30 to £60 outside London and monthly ones £40 to £70, and the timetable above is what a good round follows without being asked.
The heavier seasonal jobs are usually booked separately. Scarifying a lawn of about 100 square metres costs £55 to £95, a domestic hedge cut runs £60 to £150, and a crown reduction or a fruit tree too tall to prune from the ground goes to a tree surgeon. Booking autumn lawn work in August and winter pruning in October gets a slot before the diaries fill.
Common questions
What should I do in the garden in October?
Lay new turf while the soil is still warm, give lawns and hedges their last cut in milder areas, prune climbing roses and cut back perennials that have died down. Tender plants go under glass before the first frost.
When is the first lawn cut of the year?
Usually March, on a dry day once the grass is growing, with the mower on its highest setting. In a cold spring it can wait until April. The blades come down gradually over the following weeks.
Is there anything to do in the garden in January?
Winter pruning of apple and pear trees, brushing worm casts off the lawn, cleaning pots and the greenhouse, and putting out food and water for birds. Keep off frozen or waterlogged grass.
Which month is busiest for a gardener?
May and June for mowing and growth, and September and October for lawn renovation, hedges and planting. Booking the heavier autumn work in late summer is the way to get a date.