Gardener's Calendar - April
Things to do in...
Look around and you will see, daffodils in flower and blossom covering many of the trees. This is a sure sign that Spring is now upon us. With day length improving all the while and the sun becoming stronger, you can expect some really warm days in this month, making it perfect for putting on the gardening gloves and getting into the garden. But don’t be deceived by all this warm weather, expect at least four frosty nights throughout April, so protect those tender plants and flowers with some garden fleece.
Flower Borders
There is still a lot of work to keep you busy in the garden this month. If you have not already done so, prune back Cornus (Dogwood) to the previous year’s growth. This will ensure another great show of those brightly coloured Winter stems. Whilst in pruning mode, now is a good time to prune away any Winter damage caused by frosts and high winds. Generally prune out the damage and try and leave a good shape 
to your plant. You can also lightly prune Penstemons and Lavenders now, this will ensure they do not get to woody, and will encourage more flowering.
Finish off mulching up your borders, just as all your favourite shrubs and trees in the garden start to come into their own, so do the weeds. Get on top of them now before it’s to late. Mulching will also help retain moisture around your plants during any dry spells. This will help improve vigour and general performance. It is particularly important on Camellias, Rhododendrons and Roses which suffer badly if ever left to dry out.
Whilst on the subject of your Roses, now is the time to sprinkle rose fertilizers around the base of your plants and also begin preventative spray programmes to protect from Black Spot, Mildews and Rusts. Feeding and spraying should not just be exclusive to Roses, all trees and shrubs will benefit from a balanced slow release fertilizer and fruit trees will benefit from a spray programme against pest and disease. Two other major pests to consider now are rabbits and slugs, so put guards around your trees and slug bait around any succulent fleshy new growth.
Remove flowers from any of your early Spring bulbs, and feed plants with a bulb fertilizer, and if required thin out herbaceous perennial borders, in most case now is the perfect time to lift and divide your perennials. If you're looking to stock up your perennial borders, plant now! Whilst the plants are not showing too much at the moment, you will be giving them the opportunity to get established in the ground 
before they provide you with a fantastic Summer show. Remember that any plants which need support, do it now and let the plants grow through the canes. It provides a much better result.
Towards the end of the month is a great time to harden off any young bedding plants you may have grown from seed or small starter plugs. The best and most effective way to do this is by using a cloche. There are many different sizes on the market to suit your needs.
Finally, the daffodils we mentioned at the beginning will generally finish flowering in this month, so enjoy them while they last, then leave untouched until the leaves go brown before cutting them off. This will ensure the bulb will have stored enough food to do it all again next year. This applies to all early Spring flowering bulbs.
Vegetable and Fruit Gardens
The busy time continues for the vegetable and fruit grower who can reap the rewards later in the season. Now is the time to plant out your onion sets. Pick a dry day, the soil should be moist but if it sticks to your boots leave it a bit longer. French Beans and Runner Beans can be planted out towards the end of the month. The Runners would again benefit from the protection of a small cloche. Vegetable seedlings in trays should be pricked out now and put into individual pots to allow time to get more established. Bio-degradable pots are great. They reduce the amount of root disturbance when it comes to planting out, so your vegetable gets off to a flying start.
Tomatoes are always popular, and now you can plant them in growbags or pots in a frost protected greenhouse. These will then be ready to put outside (if in pots) towards the middle of May.
Don’t delay, plant today! Strawberries are the best loved of all Summer fruits; their sweet red berries are irresistible to almost everyone. There are many different varieties to choose from, some are bred for size and flavour of fruit, or timing. Others are bred for hardiness, the one thing that is certain; there is something for everyone. Again strawberries would really benefit from a cloche in the early days, so that the flowers can be protected from any late frosts. Alternatively you can plant in one of the many strawberry pots available on the market today.
Finally if your gooseberries suffered with Mildew last year, then start a protectant spray programme now, so hopefully avoid the problem again this year.
Lawns
Now you can finally get back and tend that lawn. If the weather has been mild, but more importantly dry, you can do the first cut of the season. The setting of the 
blades for this cut should be high to prevent any damage to your lawn. Keep it at this setting for your second cut too.
If moss is a problem in your lawn, treat now with a granular or liquid lawn moss killer. When moss has died, rake it away and prepare the ground with either sand or fine grade topsoil for seeding. You can sow grass seed or lay turf now.
Spread a lawn fertilizer and combined weed killer now, to promote a healthy vigorous lawn.
Patio and Greenhouse Gardening
Continue to look after the young plants in your greenhouse. Be very vigilant towards fungal infection. Warm days and a lot of moisture are excellent for breeding Mildews and Wilts. Spray on a regular cycle to prevent this and also maintain good husbandry in the greenhouse, try not to over water. Aphids and other pests can start to be a problem now. Keep a close eye on your plants and spray with an insecticide if required. Alternatively you can spray a protectant systemic insecticide as part of a programme. Always read the instructions carefully, especially when using on food crops and remember always keep out of reach of those budding 
young gardeners.
Use a nice dry day as the opportunity to give the patio a good Spring clean, there are many products available to help you with this. Moss killers, weedlkillers and algicides are all readily available.
General Tasks
Don’t give up on feeding the birds just yet. Many are nesting and desperate to find food for their young. There are many products on the market.
“Drip, drip, drop little April Showers” goes the song. As we know many of them are very long and heavy, so don’t leave it to late to get that water butt and start saving for the hot months to come.
Whilst everyone starts to think towards Summer and warmer days, remember lots of plants need a little protection from those late Spring frosts, so always have some fleece in your shed just in case.
Plants of the Month
A selection of plants that are especially interesting this month.
Magnolias |
Pieris |
Camellia |
Rhododendron |
Prunus (Flowering Cherries) |
Ceanothus |
Azaleas |
Dicentra |
Erysimums |
Spireas |
April is a great month to be in the garden, and if you’re looking for ideas or a bit of inspiration visit us at Redfields where our staff can help you with all of the above and MUCH MORE.
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Opening Times
Monday to Saturday
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Address
Ewshot Lane
Telephone
Tel: 01252 624444 |
