This to do this month | April
April is a fantastic month for planting in the garden. From trees and shrubs, fruit trees and bushes to your favourite cottage garden plants such as Lupins, Hollyhocks and Delphiniums. By planting now you are giving them a full growing season in your garden and a great display this summer. In the veg garden (or in your Veg Trug) you can be planting broad beans, salad crops, spring cabbage and your early potatoes.
There is still time to plant your summer flowering bulbs such as Gladioli and Lilies but delay planting Dahlias until you are sure there is no further frost likely. Deadhead your daffodils and feed these early flowering bulbs with something like Fish, Blood and Bone or Vitax Q4 to guarantee good flowers next year.
April is the month for looking after the lawn. Start by giving it a good feed, something like Evergreen 4 in 1 is great as it weeds, feeds and kills moss in one application. If you have had significant moss growth during the winter, rake this out once it dies and re-seed these bare patches with Johnsons Quick Lawn grass seed. Start cutting the grass weekly from now on to keep your lawn looking perfect.
You can start planting up your summer hanging baskets and pots now but keep them in a frost-free greenhouse or conservatory until its safe to put out permanently later in May. Use a good quality compost such as Miracle Gro Moisture Control compost and add in a good handful of Miracle Gro Slow Release Fertiliser to ensure your plants do not run out of feed during the summer. You will be well rewarded!
Look out for some unwanted visitors to your garden too. Those pesky weeds can be treated with Roundup or Resolva, start spraying roses with Rose Clear to protect against blackspot and watch out for the first slugs and snails! But also hopefully you will see the first ladybirds out and about as they look for some greenfly to feast on!