With days getting longer and the sun getting warmer, spring is just around the corner. Many spring bulbs such as daffodils, hyacinth, crocuses and early tulips will be in flower.

There are a few jobs to be done in the garden this month. Probably the most important is to prune your roses and clematis. So get out there in the spring sunshine with your secateurs. Don't forget to give the plants a generous feed after pruning. You can also feed established borders before mulching. Seeds can now be sown in the greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill.

ESSENTIAL JOBS CHECKLIST FOR MARCH

• Prune roses and clematis
• Give your lawn its first cut with the blades on highest setting
• Start sowing vegetables outside
• Sow seeds for summer bedding in greenhouse or indoors
• Start fuchsias and pelargoniums into growth
• Feed and mulch established plants
• Divide and replant thick clumps of snowdrops

Plant bare-rooted trees, shrubs, roses and hedging

• Herbaceous plants will start into growth this month. Fork a general purpose plant food around your plants as they emerge – choose J Arthur Bower's Growmore, or Fish, Blood and Bone if your prefer an organic product. Then cover the soil with a thick mulch using J Arthur Bower's bark chips or composted bark. This will keep the moisture in and keep weeds down, making your life easier. Be careful you don't damage plants that are not yet showing.
• Carry on pruning clematis. If warm weather means your late-flowering varieties have already made a lot of new growth don't worry about cutting them back – they will shoot again from buds lower down. Pruning will also have the effect of delaying flowering. You might choose to prune some clematis early and some late to give you continuity of flowering. Make sure you know which group your clematis falls into before you get out the secateurs. Feed your clematis after pruning and mulch them.
• Order summer-flowering bulbs, corms and tubers, such as gladioli, dahlias, eucomis, begonia, crocosmia, lily and schizostylis.

• Continue to prune large-flowered and cluster-flowered roses and then give them a feed. Shrub roses should not be pruned in the spring as you won't get flowers. However, you can feed and mulch shrub roses now.

• The grass will be starting to grow this month so you can give your lawn its first cut of the season – make sure the blades are set high.
• Carry on aerating your lawn and rake it to get out debris and dead grass and moss.
• If moss is a problem you can choose from one of the J Arthur Bower's extensive range of mosskillers. Lawn sand, with nitrogen, is a traditional treatment, which many gardeners prefer, or you can buy mosskiller on its own. Many gardeners prefer to kill weeds at the same time – in this case choose the Feed, Weed and Mosskiller from our Total Lawn Care range.

• Sow seeds for summer bedding in your greenhouse. If you don't have a greenhouse you can raise many seeds successfully on a warm, bright windowsill in the house or conservatory. Many people prefer to buy the seedlings that are now available in garden centres, and to grow these on themselves. However you choose to grow your summer bedding, you'll find a compost available from the J Arthur Bower's range to suit you.
• Carry on starting pelargoniums and fuchsias into growth. Don't forget to pot them into fresh compost to get them off to a good start.
• You can also start begonia tubers and canna roots. Begonia are best started by laying the tubers in a tray of moist compost. Once the shoots show you can pot them individually.

• Winter containers might be looking a bit the worse for wear by now. Clean out the containers ready for planting out summer bedding in May. To give a quick burst of colour until then look out for pots of exotic ranunculus in the garden centre, or plant some perennials that catch your eye. Once May comes, you can plant these into permanent positions in your garden.

• If conditions are suitable outside, you can start to sow seeds of broccoli, cabbage, kale, kohl rabi, parsnips, peas, radish and spinach. It's best to cover with cloches.
• Plant out onion sets and shallots
• Buy seed potatoes and put them in a cool light position to sprout. You can start plant early varieties towards the end of the month.

• Continue to sow parsley in small batches. You can use the same technique for coriander and chervil..
• Now's a good time to start a new herb garden. Herb plants are readily available in most garden centres. You need to decide whether your main aim is to grow herbs for the kitchen or for their decorative value. Herbs look good in a formal design, so spend a bit of time planning it out on paper before you buy the plants. Most herbs require an open sunny site and a light open soil. If your soil in heavy add grit or san to improve drainage and J Arthur Bower's Mulch and Mix to improve the structure.

• Now's your last chance to plant bare-rooted fruit trees into well-prepared soil.
• For an early crop of strawberries bring potted plants into the greenhouse. Water well and feed – try J Arthur Bower's liquid tomato food to boost flowers and fruiting.
• If your rhubarb is pushing through, cover it with an upturned bucket to exclude the light. This will encourage the plant to produce tender pink shoots.

• By the end of the month you can safely return your pump and filters to the pond. Marginal plants may need repotting into bigger baskets – use J Arthur Bower's Aquatic Compost for best results. It's a good idea to lift the top inch of soil of established marginals and replace with fresh compost.
• Water adds a whole new dimension to gardens. If you don't have a water feature, now's a good time of year to start. You don't have to have an excavated pond. Garden centres stock an enormous range of different features ranging from wall fountains and pebble pools to half barrels for miniature pools.

• If some of your carpeting alpines have outspread their welcome you can divide them now and replant into gritty soil

Look at our information pages. The aim is to cut out the mystique that surrounds many common tasks, and to explain in a simple way, why and how to do them. This way, we hope to help you enjoy your garden more, and get the best out of it.

Under each topic, you'll also find a guide to the wide range of J Arthur Bower's products available to help you with that particular task. The choice is yours.