In some countries spring is just a flash in the pan after a long winter, no sooner sprung than it's all over in two weeks and full summer, with its attendant water shortages and intensive watering campaigns, is fully arrived. But here in our well-tempered climate springs are long-drawnout lush affairs, increasing in glory and trailing fresh excitement right up to the first movement of early summer.

The trick with gardening in a changeable climate is to seize the hour, whenever it presents itself. If you keep at something, it will get done.

Then you'll be in the swim, not always trying to catch up.

If you can't quite face the garden proper yet, then look to your outdoor pots and other containers, which will be in need of attention now.

The winds can be quite vicious in March, and very drying, so you could start gently by checking all your containerised plants. They could quite easily be dried out . . . particularly in terracotta pots . . .

and crying out for water. Rain doesn't always get down to the roots where it's most needed and besides, it's been a very dry winter overall.

Believe it or not, a lot of plants are killed by winter drought, so douse them really well if they appear at all dry, to kindle their fire, but don't leave them standing in water for too long or the roots will rot.

Where lots of pots are clustered it's good hygiene to move them out and sweep under them, as evil vine weevil adults, for one, love to live their secret lives in these places.

March is also the month when the weeds begin to sit up and look at you balefully. If you dither and don't get back into the garden until Easter, you'll be surrounded by them and, while some are welcome and many are beautiful, there are certain places where they are not allowed, such as in beds and borders dedicated to cultivated plants, particularly vegetables and other annuals, which have a short growing season and don't need the competition, thank you very much.

Weeding by hand is quite satisfying and even therapeutic for some. It gets you in close to see what's actually happening in the earth. With the soil still damp, weeds will be easier to root out too . . . and you should get to the roots of perennial weeds, such as dandelions. Also, if you weed early there'll be less disturbance to the roots of those plants you value and want to keep.

Vegetables While it's also the beginning of the vegetable-growing year, established plots will already have stately plants of purple sprouting broccoli and tall leeks coming to maturity to fill what's known as "the hungry gap" in the vegetable year.

Shallots, fast becoming a kitchen staple here as they've long been in France, can go in now, as can potatoes, chitted (sprouted) or not, though in a heavy clay these delicate shoots usually break off, weakening the tuber and the yield.

This year I'm trying a yellow-skinned shallot called Topper, recommended by John Hosford of Hosford's go ahead garden centre in Co Cork, which has a wonderful flock of geese and other birds, including Australian black swans. Make sure the soil is loose and reasonably fertile for all onions, not wet and sticky or they'll rot.

Shallots shoot up satisfyingly quickly and make a good, strong-looking temporary edging around a herb or vegetable bed. The leaves can be picked very sparingly if you run short of scallions.

In Season This is the time, as the crocus fades and the wood anemones have yet to open properly, when the wild Celandine, Ranunculus ficaria, a buttercup by another name, opens all around and sits implacably massed and shining yellow all around. Don't be daunted, though it can give you quite a fright to see how far it can spread in one year.

If you need to get rid of it from a particular bed or border, now is the optimum time to remove each plant whole, while it's in full flower and leaf and all its energy is concentrated on doing that. Otherwise, in wilder parts of a garden, I am grateful to the wild Celandine for carpeting the spring ground in its gold and spotted green livery and simply leave it alone until it disappears underground for another year.

WHAT'S ON Thursday 23 March, 8.00pm: 'Trees & Landscape of the Phoenix Park', an illustrated talk by John McCullen. Organised jointly by the RHSI & IGPS.

Admission is free. All welcome.