In the garden... APRIL

By the time April arrives the clocks have gone forward and we have more daylight hours to get out into the garden, especially in the evenings. The garden starts to burst into colour, it seems that daily there is something ‘new’ to enjoy.

Drifts of daffodils will be providing us with a carpet of yellow and cherry blossom will be blowing in the wind like pink snow.

On the whole in April we can expect warmer day temperatures and more hours of sunshine, but don’t be fooled night time
temperatures can be low enough for frosts to occur.

Snow can occur in April, but it rarely lasts long and of course we can expect some ‘April Showers’.Tasks are plentiful, but please bear in mind that we have had a lot of  rain this winter and the ground is saturated - so please don’t work
any soil that is wet and sticky, you will do more harm than good. Be patient and wait until it dries out before you attempt some of April’s tasks.

Planting and Sowing
• Plant out autumn sown sweet peas and sow vegetables outdoors. 
• Seed any bare patches in the lawn.
• Plant out all summer flowering bulbs by the end of the month.
• If you have a greenhouse or protected space, plant up your summer containers and hanging baskets towards the end of the
month, BUT don’t be in too much hurry to put them out much before the end of May.

Pruning and Tidying
• Spend a little time tidying your borders and weeding - annual weeds can be pulled out by hand or give the border a quick hoe, perennial weeds are deeper rooted and will need digging out.
• Prune hydrangeas, lavender and other grey foliaged plants.
• Prune and shape fan trained fruit and tie in new growth on climbers.
• Of course the lawn may need mowing more regularly - trim it lightly with the blades set high. Pests etc
• All this lush growth makes a veritable feast for aphids, slugs and snails so keep a lookout for them and deal with them swiftly. If you’re not an ‘organic’ gardener use slug pellets. Organic gardeners have several ways to control slugs, including a biological control using nematodes. Traps are also effective and my favourite is the ‘beer trap’. Try to encourage hedgehogs, frogs, toads and thrushes into your garden - they all enjoy a meal of succulent slugs and snails.

Jane Dale of ‘Designed Gardens’. Tel: 07983 392 411.