Cytisus praecox

With the cluster of Bank Holidays rapidly approaching, now’s the time to get into the garden.

Flower Borders

Apply a general purpose fertilizer to borders anytime now, ideally it should be done before you add any mulches of compost or well rotted manure, so it goes straight into the ground to the roots. Use an ericaceous fertilizer on such plants as Camellias, Rhododendrons and Azalea. Apply sequestered iron to any lime haters that have yellowing leaves.

 If we get a prolonged spell without rain make sure that newly planted trees and shrubs are kept watered.

Dead head bulbs to stop them producing seeds, add a dressing of Bonemeal or bulb booster to encourage them to send food back to the bulb for a good flower display next year.

Plant summer flowering bulbs and tubers outside now. Always plant lilies on their side so that water doesn’t lie in the scales of the bulb. Dahlias can either be started off in pots inside or put straight out into the garden once the danger of frosts has receded.

Annual seeds such as Calendula, Candytuft and Godetia can be sown directly were they are to flower. Mix the seed with silver sand so that you see where you have sown it.

Now that the weather is getting better, it’s easier to tell what has survived the bad winter and what hasn’t. Cut back any branches that aren’t growing and consider replacing plants that are obviously dead.

Start spraying Roses fortnightly against black spot and mildew, use something like Roseclear 4 or Multirose, these will also give some control over greenfly and other pests.

Persistent weeds such as ground elder and couch grass can be treated with a weedkiller containing glyphosphate once they have some young growth on them – this way it’s taken quickly to the weeds root system.

Watch out for signs of slug and snail damage on young herbaceous shoots, especially in damp conditions. Use a liquid slug killer or pellets – there are several organic based ones on the market.

Lawns

Treat lawns now for any moss – there are various products available from garden centres. If your lawn has weeds in it, use one of the complete products that do everything – feed, weed and moss. Remember the golden rule with lawns is never try to rake up moss while it’s still alive, you’ll just spread it everywhere. If you’ve only got moss in your lawn use a mixture of iron sulphate and sulphate of ammonia at a rate of 1 part of Iron to 3 parts of Ammonia mixed with 10-20 parts of silver sand and applied at a rate of 140gm/m². Once the moss has died and gone black it can be raked out. Aerate the lawn with a fork or spikes on shoes to improve drainage. Any bare patches can then are reseeded, fertilize regularly through the growing season.

Vegetable Garden

Clean up strawberry beds now, removing any old or dead plants and replace with new ones.

Asparagus can be planted in mid April, but remember it can take unto 4 years to get your first crop! It’s well worth the wait though.

Annual herbs can be sown now – fennel, parsley, savoury, dill all need replenishing every year. Perennial herb varieties can also be planted now, remember to water and feed regularly so you can keep cropping throughout the year.

Watch out for late frosts if you’ve got potatoes in tubs with plenty of leaf growth – always protect at night. Sow your first and second early potatoes followed by maincrops, again watching out for late frosts once the foliage appears.

Carrots, celery, beetroot, leeks, onions, broad beans and lettuce can all be sown or planted outside during April. Sow at intervals to give yourself a regular supply of vegetables.

Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumber should only be grown in a heated greenhouse at the moment. If it’s too cold for you at night without heat, its too cold for the likes of Tomato and Cucumber!

Don’t plant summer flowering bedding plants out until the end of April, beginning of May. They are far too tender for the late frosts we always get.

Happy Gardening.