Garden Jottings for April

The haze of yellow leaves on the willow tree hanging over the pond hints of better weather to come when we can sally forth into the fresh air to begin another month full of opportunity and pleasure to be gained from the therapeutic activity of gardening. How glorious it is to see all the hard work of planting pots and borders come to fruition in a blaze of golden yellow. Another spring joy is the doronicum or Easter daisy, though they seem to be a particular favourite of slugs or snails, just like delphinium and lupin shoots. A collar of sharp grit, crushed eggshells or soot seems to deter most pests. Try not to resort to slug pellets although there are some “bird friendly” ones available.

As you continue to tidy and plant borders prior to mulching when the soil is moist, keep a lookout for seedlings especially in the gully at the edge of the lawn which can be relocated elsewhere in the flower bed. Prepare supports for planting around perennial plants for them to grow up through. Herbaceous plants can be moved or split, replanted, and new selections placed in groups. Sweet Williams, foxgloves, gladioli, lilies and montbretia can be planted in groups among other plants, and hardy annual seeds spread about now the soil is moist. Here again it is useful to keep a notebook to jot down the need for plants and bulbs to enhance the gaps in borders. Deadhead pansies and polyanthus and seed pods on daffodils but allow them to die down naturally.

Hanging baskets and pots should be in mind now. Planting baskets can be undertaken later in the month keeping them inside until all chance of frost is past. Any plants that have been protected from cold should be carefully acclimatised to the weather after uncovering and feeding.

Cut off old hydrangea flower heads down to the first pair of fat buds removing any old wood, maybe 3 or 4 branches to encourage new growth from below. Prune straggly camellias and remove reverted green shoots from variegated shrubs such as elaeagnus, euonymus and hollies. Dogwood grown for its coloured stems, red and yellow, should be cut to the ground each Spring to encourage new stems for the best colour effect.

Trim over heathers lightly to remove old flowers on winter flowering varieties to ensure neat, compact plants. Cut down hardy fuchsias to about 6 inches removing weedy growth completely. If you have overlooked treatment of Wisteria which should be pruned in late summer after flowering and again in winter/early spring take off any long straggly shoots and cut other shoots down to three to four buds or leaves. This will stimulate flowering; however if the flower buds are very much in evidence it is too late in the season but do remember to renovate the plant in the late Summer keeping only the trailing shoots needed to cover trellis or fences, removing all others as before. All other pruning that has been delayed by cold weather should be completed now, removing any long untidy branches and damaged or broken twigs. Roses should be sprayed against blackspot and aphid infestation.

Pull soil up over potatoes planted last month, gradually building up a ridge to cover emerging leaves. Prepare trenches or holes for courgettes, marrows and runner beans using plenty of well-rotted manure or compost. Sow French and runner beans starting with French or dwarf beans first in trays or in small pots. These will therefore be ready before the runner beans are ready to crop. Sow leeks, peas, beetroots, carrots, parsnips, lettuce and radish. These last two should be sown little and often to ensure continuity of crops throughout the season. Marrow seeds should be sown two to a pot keeping the strongest seedling to grow on. Start the runner beans next in the seed tray to be ready to plant out in May as will the small tomato seedlings which now need to be replanted into larger pots to be planted outside at the end of May.

Plant parsley and keep some herbs near the kitchen door. If not possible then they could be used among flowers. Chives with their purple blooms and parsley look good planted beside garden paths. Keep weeding the vegetable patch and flowerbeds, hoeing small annual weeds on sunny days as they will dry up and die quickly. Add any other weeds to the compost heap but not couch grass, nettles, docks and dandelions, as these should be burned. Any bonfire ash can be added to the compost area or sprinkled around Raspberry canes which need tying into their wires now.

Plug plants are becoming available and will need to be planted up along with homegrown seedlings, handling these carefully by their leaves not their stems, and watering gently before setting them out, adding water to holes before planting out larger plants. Cuttings of marguerite, geraniums and fuchsias will also need to be potted up now in individual pots.

Keep full cans of water in the greenhouse to warm and so avoid the shock of cold water on young seedlings. Watch the weather forecast for a cold drop in temperature which may affect new growth and take precautions to cover with fleece or newspapers. Keep greenhouse doors open when the weather is clement.

Finally, and importantly, it’s time now to revive the bare patches in the lawn after scarifying and top dressing with fine compost. Any thatch produced can be composted. Roll any areas that the frost has lifted. Very wet areas should be spiked with a fork. This should be wiggled to enlarge the holes which should be filled with horticultural sand to improve drainage. Turf on any large dips or hollows can be peeled back, the low area filled then the turf replaced and rolled or flattened by banging with the flat side of a large spade. Some “weed and feed” should be applied preferably when rain is forecast but well-watered if no rain has fallen by the next day or two. Mowing should be carried out a few days before any treatment.

Remember when working on borders or beds to use a rubber lawn rake to lift the grass and remove any debris afterwards. The final touch to make a garden look its best – edge up with a half moon edge cutter. Try to slip the cut towards the border or bed to avoid breakage of the edge. If there are any badly damaged edges cut a section in a square, lift the turf reverse it and fill in the bare area with the soil and seed and water well after firming down.

Looking forward now to Easter and all the joys of seeing wallflowers, forget-me-nots and tulips planted last year in pots and beds underneath shrubs and trees now in leaf and bloom. Take some time to enjoy this lovely time of year in the garden.