Jobs to do in the garden this April

By now, Spring is definitely in the air – the woodpeckers are knocking and the birds are singing! Plants are beginning to show strong shoots and Spring bulbs and tree blossoms are in full bloom. This is a busy time in the garden and there are lots of jobs to be getting on with:

Lawns
It is an ideal time to lay turf if you have areas that need replacing or even a complete overhaul. A cheaper option is seeding and now is the perfect time. If you sowed lawn seed in Autumn, a  new lawn will be ready for its first cut now. Mow twice a week and roll to firm the seeding, if required. If your lawn is already established, it is a good time to scarify it to remove moss and thatch, to aerate it to reduce compaction and to give it a spring feed to help it through the summer months. Continue to mow it frequently, gradually lowering the blades to ½” cutting height. Level humps and fill in hollows and apply selective weed killers.

Roses
Complete your winter pruning and feed with a special rose feed. Tie in new growth on ramblers and climbers. Weed around them and mulch with well rotted manure or garden compost. It is a good time to plant container grown roses.

Shrubs
Once the flowers are finished prune the early flowering shrubs such as forsythia and flowering currants, Hardy herbaceous plants – Finish pruning back any dead top growth from last year, taking care not to damage any new growth showing. Lift and divide late flowering herbaceous like rudbeckias and monadas. Weed borders and begin to stake tall herbaceous plants such as delphiniums.

Dahlias and Gladioli
Dormant tubers and bulbs can be planted out at the end of this month.

Lilies
Finish planting the bulbs. Watch out for Lily beetles which will decimate any new growth. They are bright red and easy to spot.

Sweetpeas
Plant out seedlings once they are large enough and hardened off. Pinch out top growth to encourage bushiness. Ensure supports are in position for the plants to climb up.

Flowers grown from seed
Sow hardy annuals outdoors – it’s not too late to plant those sweetpeas now! Use a general fertilizer on the borders before sowing. Complete sowing half hardy annuals. Move batches of half hardy perennials to the cold frame to harden off for the summer. Feed plants.

Spring Bulbs
Weed between bulbs. Dead head when top growth has turned brown (six weeks after flowering).

Ponds
Clean out pond of leaves and any sludge. Top up water levels.  Replace your pump if you removed it for the winter. Lift and divide any remaining overgrown pond plants and add any new plants, planting into sand or subsoil as any nutrients in the soil will leach into the water and cause green algae growth. Take care not to disturb frog/toad spawn.

Greenhouses
Any half hardy plants overwintered in a greenhouse should be hardened off now ready for placing them outside for the summer. Remove bubble wrap insulation from the inside of the greenhouse, if used. Clean the glass inside and out to allow maximum light into the greenhouse and to remove any harbouring insects. Sow bean, courgette, cucumber, pumpkin and squash seeds in pots the greenhouse or on a window sill to plant out in May when all frost is finished. Prick out any seedlings sown earlier that are big enough.

Vegetable Garden
Continue to plant potato tubers, onion and shallot sets, salad crops for succession harvesting such as lettuces, radish and spring onions. Peas, carrots and parsnips can still be planted now. It is a good time to plant up new asparagus beds, prepare the ground well by digging and adding plenty of well rotted manure. Buy fresh asparagus crowns and plant carefully, following the instructions.

General Jobs
Check tree ties are not too tight and loosen if necessary. Cut back or clear ivy, but take care not to disturb nesting birds.

Once you have done all of these jobs in your garden, you probably deserve a medal! Why not treat yourself to a visit to Nicholsons to buy some border fillers, then put your feet up and ENJOY your garden.

Happy gardening!!