The Lawn in April
In recent years, ‘No grow May’ has become popular with some gardeners, where no mowing is done till after May. The theory being that this allows wildlife to thrive and multiply.
Interested? Pick a patch in a corner of the back garden and give it a try!
Lawn invaded by ‘broad-leaved’ weeds? Too many to dig out?
Choose a combined ‘weed & feed’ from a local garden centre. Choose a dry day yet with rain forecast to avoid ‘scorching’ the grass.
Lawn colour a little pale? Well, it is time to feed! Choose a ‘slow-release’ type high in nitrates for long-lasting effect.
Mowing should be well underway. Adjust the blades to their normal summer height for established lawns.
For new lawns resist cutting until the grass is 8” high and then lower the blades with each cut.
The Flower Garden
Has the weather delayed your preparations? There’s still time to sow some ‘half hardy annuals’ inside, such as nasturtiums, alyssums , cosmos etc.
The timing is ideal for sowing hardy annuals direct into garden soil. Try alyssum, candytuft or love-in-the-mist.
Plant the last of any summer-flowering bulbs such as dahlias, lilies etc.
Cut back any remaining leaves from spring-flowering types.
Your herbaceous perennial border will be growing fast in warmer weather, so apply fertilizer around the plant bases. This is important to support sturdy growth.
Use bamboo canes as supports if needed.
Plant up hanging baskets and containers.
Mix in slow-release fertilizer to feed plants and water storage crystals to aid irrigation through the summer.
Choose large flowered plants for the central position of the basket for maximum effect with smaller flowered plus foliage plants both upright and trailing types for around the basket edges.
Place greenhouse grown ‘half-hardy-annuals like antirrhinums and pansies outside to ‘harden-off’ if nights are frost-free.
Seems strange to think about next year, but you have some sowing to do in May with biennials such as pansies and sweet Williams for flowering in early summer next year.
The Vegetable Plot
Although many greenhouse sowings will have taken place, early sowings outside have been a real problem in some areas, thanks to the weather!
So now my ‘Red Alert!’ warning!
I hear that the wet, mild winter/spring has resulted in a plague of slugs and snails in our soils. So get busy with you slug controls before sowing outside veg seed!
In the greenhouse, it’s time to sow indoor cucumbers. Try one of the new ‘half size’ types. They are very productive and once growing, a plant will produce at least one fruit per day.
High time for runner beans if you haven’t managed to get any sown yet! You’ve still got time to get a trench dug, filling the base with newspapers, well-rotted manure or garden compost. It’s all about maintaining moisture through the summer.
Pre-plant seeds into pots and grow on for later planting or sow direct in the garden soil.
Now’s the time for planting main crop potatoes or second-earlies if the weather has delayed planting!
Get your ‘salads’ sown, be it in raised beds or garden soil. All the main salads, such as lettuce, radish, beetroot, spring onions and carrots can now be sown.
It’s a good idea to invest in some fine horticultural netting to protect your carrots from carrot root fly laying their eggs in the developing carrots.
Have you tried ‘leaf salads?’ They are so easy to grow and are ready to harvest as large seedlings in as little as 3 weeks! If you leave around ¾” of stem when cutting, the seedlings will re-generate to crop again!
Look for packets of leaf salads on the seed racks, lettuce mixes, but also many imaginative blends of mixed salads.
Keep an eye on your tomatoes, feeding if necessary and removing side shoots on conventional ‘cordon’ types.
The Fruit Garden
If available, spread dry straw along the ground between the rows of strawberries, lifting the fruiting springs above the straw to improve air movement and make the fungal disease of strawberry mildew less likely. It also improves fruit ripening.
Consider investing in some netting unless you want to share your fruit with our feathered friends!
For fruit trees and bushes, it’s a good idea to ‘mulch’ with farmyard manure or garden compost to keep the roots cool in the summer and maintain nutrients and moisture.
Garden Shrubs & Trees
Mulch plants as above to help maintain moisture around the plant roots.
Should you have late winter-spring flowering shrubs in the garden, now’s the time for pruning when flowering is completed.
Get the ladder out if you have climbing plants like roses or wisteria. The plants will be growing vigorously and will need ‘tucking’ or tying in to keep things tidy.
