Garden Maintenance: APRIL
Top gardening jobs for April
1.Keep weeds under control.
2.Tie in climbing and rambling roses
3.Sow hardy annuals and herb seeds
4.Start to feed citrus plants.
5.Increase the water given to houseplants
6.Feed hungry shrubs and roses
7.Sow new lawns or repair bare patches
8.Prune fig trees
9.Divide
bamboos and waterlilies
10. Have you cut your grass yet? Cutting early
will encourage new, healthier growth.
Buying new plants during the bank holiday? Why not buy plants that will
benefit local wildlife?
-
Plants that attract bees
and butterflies
- Plants
that attract birds into your garden
Lawn Care
- Mow lawns - the aim is to maintain a constant height; not necessarily
short! Do what is best for your lawn.
- Cut the lawn edges and create a
3in gutting between the lawn and flower borders.
- You can sow new lawns
or over-seed dead patches from mid-April to early May.
- Apply a high
nitrogen spring lawn fertiliser to encourage good, strong growth.
- If
you have a problem with moss you can choose a combined fertiliser and
mosskiller when feeding the lawn but beware that moss killer can stain
clothes.
- April is the best month to apply lawn weedkillers as the weeds
are inactive growth.
Trees, shrubs and climbers
- Tie climbing and rambling roses as near to horizontal as possible to
restrict sap flow thus causing more sideshoots to grow along the stem
resulting in more flowers.
- Mulching rose and shrub beds with a layer of
organic matter will help retain moisture and reduce weed build-up; even
improving soil structure over time.
- Delay pruning any spring-flowering
shrubs such as Forsythia until after they have finished flowering or this
year's display will be lost.
- You can still plant deciduous hedging
plants, shrubs, trees and climbers.
- Prune evergreen shrubs such as
Choisya ternata and evergreen Ceanothus.
- Remove frost damaged shoots
from evergreens damaged by wintry weather.
- Remove green shoots on hardy
variegated evergreens that are reverting to a single colour.
- Take
cuttings of conifers for propagation of your favourites.
Flowers
- Deadhead spring bedding plants such as pansies and primulas.
-
Remove tired or dead winter bedding and plants that did not survive the
winter.
- Divide any herbaceous perennials you want to propagate.
-
Put supports in place now for perennials so that they can grow over them.
- Sweet peas can be sown outside this month.
- Prune penstemons,
Teucrium, lavender and other slightly tender plants making the cuts just
above fresh, new shoots.
- Plant summer-flowering bulbs.
- Deadhead
daffodil and tulip flowers, nipping off the heads and seed pod as they fade
but don't cut them down yet.
Now that the danger of frost is over, you might start to think
about container plants:
-
Plants for pots and hanging
baskets
Greenhouse and Houseplants
- Indoor/conservatory plants will need more watering as the days get
longer.
- Hydrangeas and fuchsias can be propagated from softwood
cuttings from the stem.
Ponds
- Pond algae grows when there is excessive sun light. Create extra shade
by dividing and replanting waterlilies when they are showing signs of
growth.
- Start feeding the fish.
- Clean out your pond filter. Check
the filter a week after cleaning it as the water will be very dirty from the
winter and it may need cleaning again.
Soft Landscaping
- Remove algae from paths using a brush with stiff bristles or a pressure
washer.
- If the weather is dry paint wooden fences, sheds etc with a
wood preservative. Ensure that you use only new chemicals as some older
brands are now illegal.
- Think about any soft landscaping you would like
done now to enjoy during the summer; decking for example.
