Right now onto the good stuff - pruning, dividing, and mulching.

March is the time to get the snips out and give your roses a quick trim to cut out any damaged and dead wood that has developed over winter. I recently heard that in the states they say an indicator as to when the time is right to do so in your area, is look out for when forsythia is in bloom. Cut any damaged and dead wood back to just above the next outward facing bud with a pair of sharp snips.

Prune late flowering shrubs like buddleia davidii, caryopteris and lavetera but be wary if you live in a colder area and wait another few weeks until things warm up a wee bit. Also prune shrubs like abelia, mahonia and nandina this month if they look like they need it.

You can prune mop and lace top hydrangeas by cutting off faded flower heads just above a good pair of buds. You might also want to look closely at the plant as whole and cut off old flowering stems at ground level to improve its overall appearance.

Wisteria is a really strong climbing plant and is unlikely to have been damaged over winter but now is a good time to tame that rampant wispy growth. Simply snip it back to 5 or 6 buds from the main branch. It is a great time to check all climbers in the garden and remove any damaged stems back to the last good bud.