April Gardening Tips
A busy month is ahead in the garden, as the weather begins to warm, days are a little longer and blossom surrounds us! Now's the time to get sowing and planting.....
Flower/Plants
- Sprinkle fertiliser around roses
- Tie in clematis shoots as they grow
- Plant gladioli corms
- Cut away the dead stems from hardy shrubs
Fruit/Vegetables
- Sow outside: carrots, parsnips, lettuces, broad beans, peas, Swiss chard, leeks, spinach and kohl rabi
- Harvest early rhubarb
- Plant out onion sets and shallots
- Cover strawberries with cloches to encourage earlier fruiting
Greenhouse
- Sow in a heated propagator in the greenhouse: tomatoes, celery, chilli peppers, melons and aubergines
- Take cuttings from over-wintered fuchsias and pelargoniums
- Continue sowing seed of summer bedding plants
- Bring strawberries in pots under cover for early crops
General
- Cut back poinsettias to encourage new shoots
- Cut back any overgrown ivy
- Check borders for weeds and tackle any problem areas
- Spread mulches of bark or compost over flower-beds
The slower winter months have passed and by mid-March we’re ready to welcome Spring and start the new season in earnest! As the weather improves our gardens stir into growth - these are the jobs to complete now:
May has arrived and it really is a lovely month in the garden! Days are getting warmer and longer, we're surrounded by trees in leaf and blossom and our pots, borders and baskets burst with wonderful colour! We can really feel that Summer is on the way and it’s time to tidy up spring plants, plant out summer flowers and get planning for Autumn...
As Summer arrives, we can relax outdoors enjoying the long, warm days surrounded by our gardens in full growth, colour and fragrance! There’s plenty to harvest in the vegetable garden and keeping on top of weeds is a key task!
The garden is in full bloom, full of mid summer colour, texture and fragrance! Now is the time to maintain the blooms, providing your garden with the care it needs to prevent drying out during the warmest months
With long, hot summer days, August is the time to relax and enjoy the beauty of the garden. Regular watering, feeding and tidying are keys to keeping your garden looking beautiful... .
September is the perfect time to take stock of your garden after the busy summer period. Now is the time to establish new plants and make plans for the coming seasons... .
In October, with colder nights and shorter days, we can enjoy the last splashes of autumn colour in our beds and borders. With the prospect of first frosts, there are plenty of jobs to be done in the garden....
Winter is on the way.... As the days shorten, we enjoy the array of autumn colour as leaves fall and shrubs reveal berries and can be busy with these jobs:
As our gardens quieten and still for the winter period, we can still enjoy them on milder winter days to complete the following important jobs: