GINA PARKINSON finds signs in the garden that spring is just around the corner

IT IS the first day of March and although not technically the beginning of spring, one look in the garden confirms that the season is on its way. Snowdrops are fading and their place is being taken by early daffodils, pulmonaria and primroses. There are jobs to be done as days lengthen and the rate of growth increases.

An important task to be tackled as soon as possible is pruning late-flowering clematis, if it wasn't done last month. Cutting back all growth to a pair of strong buds 30cm or so from the ground encourages new growth from the base of the plant, which will carry the blooms later in the year.

However, gardening rules are made to be broken and some late-flowering clematis benefit from less severe chopping. These are usually the more delicate plants such as Clematis viticella, which are best with an annual light prune followed by hard pruning every ten years. This regime allows the long thin stems to reach their full size after which the plant will need refreshing with the new growth hard pruning brings.

Coloured stemmed cornus also can be cut back very hard this month, usually to within 5cm or so of the old wood. Last March my son was horrified when our red stemmed dogwood was pruned and didn't believe it would ever recover - it is now almost two metres tall. Keep the prunings in a dry shed; they are very useful in borders as discreet plant supports or to bend into hoops at the front of the bed to stop wayward creepers spilling on to the path or lawn.

Weeds start sprouting in the empty spaces in beds and borders and even in pots and containers. Pull them out as soon as they appear before they get established and become more difficult to remove and before they flower and set seed.

Beds can be lightly hoed and covered with a mulch of spent mushroom compost, chipped bark or cocoa shells. The latter looks very attractive, is easy to apply and gives a lovely sweet smell to the garden for a while but it can be expensive if there is a large area to cover.

Mushroom compost is relatively inexpensive and suppliers can usually be found in the small ads. Most suppliers will deliver this compost - but remember not to use it around acid-loving plants.

Planting can begin this month if the weather is fine and fairly mild and soil easy to work and not frozen. Deciduous trees and shrubs, herbaceous perennials, climbers and summer bulbs such as lilies can all be planted.

Most perennials will flower this summer if they are large enough although patience will be needed with smaller, less mature specimens which may take a couple of years before they put on a good display of blooms.

If there is a poor display of spring bulbs or you forgot to plant the bulbs last autumn, buy pots of ready-grown daffodils to fill the spaces. Choose ones that are just coming up and plant them as deep as possible to ensure they grow again next year. If this is difficult, make a note of where they are and replant them at the correct depth after flowering.

Updated: 16:41 Friday, February 28, 2003