Monty Don's March Gardening Guide: Essential Border Weeding Tips
Monty Don, the esteemed horticulturist and lead presenter of BBC Gardeners' World, has unveiled a crucial gardening task perfectly timed for March. With the month's arrival imminent, his expert guidance offers a timely reminder for garden enthusiasts to prepare their outdoor spaces for the growing season ahead.
Monthly Gardening Checklist: Tidy Up Borders
As part of a comprehensive monthly gardening checklist, BBC Gardeners' World Magazine emphasises that now is the ideal moment to plan and execute garden maintenance. The publication's website strongly recommends gardeners to tidy up borders and remove both established and newly-germinating weeds. This proactive approach helps ensure healthier plant growth and a more aesthetically pleasing garden environment.
In an instructional video featured on the same website, Monty Don demonstrates practical methods for manual weed removal. His step-by-step guide reassures viewers that this March task is probably easier than you think. Don explains the fundamental principle: The important thing to realise is that a weed is simply a plant in the wrong place. This perspective reframes weeding as a selective gardening practice rather than a tedious chore.
Identifying and Removing Common Weeds
Examining a weed growing among peonies, Don highlights several common invaders: nettles, dandelions, and chickweed. He notes that these plants can quickly overrun garden borders if left unchecked. For effective removal, you need an implement of some sort. Demonstrating with a small, curved tool, he stresses: Quite honestly, anything will do. What matters is getting in there.
The technique involves using a sharp tool to gently loosen the soil beneath the weed, ensuring the entire root system is extracted. This method prevents regrowth and maintains border integrity. While some weeds develop slowly, others proliferate rapidly, making timely intervention essential.
Expert Advice on Specific Weed Types
Regarding chickweed, Royal Horticultural Society experts caution that its seeds spread easily on muddy boots and in topsoil and garden compost. They advise maintaining good garden hygiene and avoiding soil transfer from infested areas to control its propagation.
For dandelions, the RHS suggests that gardeners with borders and beds might want to limit their numbers if they are growing small or young plants that could be swamped or outcompeted. Strategic removal protects vulnerable plants from being overwhelmed by these vigorous growers.
Concerning stinging nettles, there is actually some good news: gardeners can easily control the spread by deadheading and removing seedlings. Regular monitoring and prompt action keep these prickly plants in check.
Practical Weeding Strategies and Additional March Tasks
Monty Don emphasises the importance of timing: It's very important to do it now so they don't seed and they don't take over. He advocates for a methodical approach: Do one metre properly, and that's far better than doing ten metres half-heartedly. This focused strategy ensures thorough weed removal without overwhelming the gardener.
The Gardeners' World website also recommends additional March duties: clear old crops and weeds from the vegetable plot, then dig over the soil, mixing in compost as you go. Another key task is to dig over any gaps in borders, removing the roots of perennial weeds. These actions collectively prepare the garden for robust spring growth.
By following Monty Don's expert advice, gardeners can effectively manage their borders this March, creating a healthier and more vibrant outdoor space. His practical tips demystify weeding and empower enthusiasts to maintain their gardens with confidence and efficiency.
