In April, spring is beginning to bloom
Top jobs for the month from Mark Sage, Head of Horticulture at Wyevale Garden Centres
With spring in full swing, April’s always an exciting month at Wyevale Garden Centres.
Whether you’re in your garden every day, or simply like to potter about at the weekend, I hope that my top jobs for the month help you create a garden you’ll love. Pop into your local centre for everything you need.
Daffodils planted at the end of last year are still showing off their glorious golden shades. Be sure to deadhead them – removing old blooms now means a better display next year.
Towards the middle and end of the month, classic spring bulbs like tulips and bluebells will be pushing through the ground. And of course April’s the time to get your summer-flowering bulbs in.
For instant impact, plant spring bedding like primroses and violas in beds and borders, pots and hanging baskets. If you’ve never grown roses, why not try this year? Depending on the variety, they’ll bloom in summer and autumn and reward you with amazing colour and scent. You’ll discover an amazing range of bedding and roses in our centres right now.
Grow your own
I love the fresh flavours of my own home-grown veg, picked from the plot straight to the plate.
In April, sow tomato and chilli seeds in your greenhouse or indoors on a sunny windowsill. Even if you only have a small space like a balcony, you can grow fantastic crops of veg like tomatoes and herbs using a growbag.
Depending on the weather, you can also sow seed outdoors for veg such as beetroot, carrots, lettuce, leeks, radish, turnip, peas and spinach and plant-out second early and maincrop potatoes. You might still get a late frost, though, so keep a weather-eye open.
Love your lawn
April is the prime month for getting your lawn summer-ready.
Do a little bit of everything. Scarify (a fancy name for raking) to remove moss and weeds. Aerate (also known as ‘spiking’) which means making holes with a garden fork in the surface of your lawn, to improve drainage. Feed and weed and, if you have any bald patches, now’s the time to reseed. Grass will be growing rapidly now, so we recommend you get the mower out at least once a week.
Care for the birds
At Wyevale Garden Centres, we love garden birds as much as we do gardens.
In April, they’re busy building their nests. So make sure you keep them supplied with high-energy nutritious foods like fat-balls, peanuts, mealworms and a variety of seeds. And don’t forget to top-up bird baths and supply clean water every day.
I hope you enjoy your April garden! For more tips and advice and a huge range of plants, gardening products and outdoor furniture, be sure to visit wyevalegardencentres.co.uk
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Latest posts by Wyevale Garden Centres (see all)
- Love your summer garden in July - July 1, 2018
- In June, it’s time to enjoy your summer garden - June 1, 2018
- Get your garden summer-ready in May - May 2, 2018
- In April, spring is beginning to bloom - April 18, 2018
