- Prepare any gardenflower beds you have. Remove weeds and have a good dig over the area. Then work in some fresh soil, possibly some manure or fertiliser, depending on what you are going to plant.
- Start planting summer-flower bulbs like Ranunculi’s and Dahlias. Roses should also be planted, so they have time to establish.
- Bedding plants will be in the garden-centres now, and will provide some early spring colour. Deadhead for a longer flowering season.
- Hardy Annuals can generally be sown in April and May, like Marigolds and Geraniums, and will reward you with summer colour. Equally April is the perfect month for sowing wildflower seeds – a fantastic way to encourage insect life into the garden.
- Any Sweet Peas you have been bringing along, can be planted out in April. If you’ve got young children, then they love nothing more than planting Sunflowers. Put them directly into a flowerbed, ideally with a support behind like a wall or fence panel.
Of course, you also need to look after what is in your garden already, so it is time to:
Deadhead Hydrangeas
Cut back Buddleia
Look at winter flowering shrubs – tidy and remove any dead stems
Cut back or pull-out dead growth from grasses (depending on the variety)
Lift any snow drops and divide (those that have finished flowering)
Mow the lawn (if weather permits), re-edge where necessary and aerate
- Don’t forget the birds just because the weather is milder. Mealworms and Sunflower Seeds provide much needed protein to help them get through the breeding season. You could also put up a nesting box.
- Cut and Come Again Lettuce and Salad Leaves can be grown outside from April.
- To attract Bees and Butterflies, here are just a few plants to think about: Forget-Me-Knots, Rhododendrons, Lavender, Erica Heathers, Primula Vulgaris to name a few.
- Start planning any pots, containers and hanging baskets. Look at garden positioning, and what level of sunlight they will get. Then choose your plants, from bedding, to trailing, to stand up flowers, shrubs and trees. Nowadays there are plant varieties for even the smallest of gardens. Think Lobelia, Fuchsias, Petunias, Million Bells, to small Roses, compact Hydrangeas, to Viburnum.
- Perhaps now is the time to get more adventurous, and plant something new in your garden. Albeit something that might require a little bit more of your attention to nurture. Perhaps Delphiniums, Lupins or Alliums?
- You may want to add some scent to your garden, there are obvious choices like Lavender or herbs like Rosemary, Thyme, Mint etc. But you could also plant shrubs like Daphne, Broom or Syringa.
Here’s to many hours enjoyed in the garden…
Tweet