The important job you should be doing in your garden this month says gardening guru Monty Don

As we say goodbye to the icy cold weather of the winter months and look towards sunnier spring days our gardening to-do lists begin to grow. Gardening legend Monty Don has shared which gardening task should be on the top of your list this month. 

Now's the time to start deciding what garden trends we'll be partaking in this year and preparing our garden to be enjoyed in the warmer months ahead. 

With most of the colder weather hopefully behind us, we can finally begin pruning certain plants in March, planning what seeds to sow and tending to our best plants so they can grow to their full potential in the summer. 

With that in mind, when we saw that Monty Don had shared his advice on what he felt was most important to do in our gardens this month we were all ears. 

Monty started his March blog post with a welcoming statement about what we gardeners can expect from the spring weather, he said, "March changes from day to day, even hour to hour. We often have snow, frost, wind, rain and warm sunshine and always have daffodils, blossom, fritillaries, the hedges breaking into leaves and the grass growing." 

With spring finally arriving and everything to plant in February in the ground, what's next? Well, Monty says March is the perfect time to divide any herbaceous plants in your garden. 

Incidentally, he also says now is the time to prune buddleia, with Monty sharing his advice on attracting butterflies into your garden at this time of year.

Monty Don's advice for dividing herbaceous plants

"Dig the whole plant up and discard the centre section to the compost heap, replanting the more vigorous outside parts of the plants in groups which will grow together to make one large plant," he explains. 

Separating herbaceous plants like this is a great sustainable garden idea, not only does it maximise the amount of thriving plants in your gardens but it will also help ensure that your plants will come back stronger next year after dying back in the winter. 

Monty went on to say that this dividing of herbaceous perennial plants should be done every three to five years but only if your soil is ready. Not sure how to tell if the soil in your garden is ready? Monty shared an easy gardening tip for beginners and seasoned green thumbs alike.

To check if your soil is ready for you to start planting and moving plants around, Monty says, "The only way to know this is by touch. Pick up a handful of earth. If it feels cold and clammy to the skin then seeds will not germinate and roots will not grow" 

The Gardening Book by Monty Don: was £30 now £14 | Amazon 

Want more gardening tips straight from the man himself? Monty Don's gardening book is chock full of tips and tricks to get your outside space looking its best with successful blooms. With advice for potting strawberries, caring for succulents and feeding birds, you'll be a master green thumb in no time. 

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If however, the soil feels warm and holds together when squeezed but can still be easily crumbled then he says it's ready for you to get to work. With your soil at the ready, you can begin splitting up your peonies, poppies and fox gloves to name a few. 

Once again Monty has shared invaluable advice that makes heading into the garden all that more enticing, between last month's bulb lasagne method and his unusual lawn-scratching tip we'll be gardening pros in no time.  

If like us you're constantly awaiting the next tips and tricks from the gardening guru Monty's Instagram, is a great place to stay updated on his latest gardening advice.