April Hints and Tips

Spring  Show

April is the month that inspires optimism in gardeners, I think. Plants that have been dormant for months start to show new growth, seeds are germinating and the risk of frost is minimal.

Some of the most spectacular shrubs put on their show in April, including magnolias, azaleas, rhododendrons and Forsythia – they will all need dead heading next month!

Ornamental garden

• The main risk of frost is past, so you can direct sow sweet peas and plant out Dahlias, Cannas, Gladioli, lilies and Nerines.
• Prune Forsythia and Chaenomeles after flowering and, if you like the look of striking large leaves on your Cotinus (smoke bush), prune it hard back; you will not get any ‘smoke’ i.e. flowers, though.
• Dead head daffodils and tulips, but leave the foliage to feed the bulbs
• Trim back frost-damaged evergreen foliage and renovate broadleaved evergreens like Pittosporum, Photinia, Hebe, Fatsia and It is a good time to plant new evergreen shrubs
• It is safe now to cut down the old stems of Gaura, Penstemon and Verbena bonariensis.
• Remove old foliage from Pulmonaria (lung wort) at flowering time to make room for new, more decorative leaves that will develop.
• Direct sow sunflowers, poached egg plants, California poppies and pot marigolds.
• Apply weed & feed to lawns on a day when the leaves are dry but rain is expected

Kitchen Garden

• Keep planting potatoes and keep sowing beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radish, turnip, peas, spinach and parsnips. Sow brassicas into a seed bed or pots.
• Sow sweet corn, courgettes and beans indoors; wait until May to sow them direct.
• Prune young plum and cherry trees as leaf buds open.
• Open doors and vents of greenhouses during the day to prevent overheating.

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