Image source: Umaporn Tepumong
April’s a busy time in the garden, so make sure you dodge the sofa and get planting.
Plants and Flowers
Image source: Muskoka Stock Photos
- Lift, divide and plant herbaceous perennials now. To find out more about growing perennial plants take a look at our handy guide.
- Plant summer-flowering bulbs now, such as Lilies, Gladiolus and Freesias. Read our handy guide for help with planting bulbs.
- Tie in climbing and rambling roses to their supports. Laying the stems more horizontally encourages heavy flowering.
- Direct-sow hardy annual seeds now in well-prepared soil for colourful summer flowers. Mark out areas for each type of flower with sand or twigs then sow your hardy annuals in rows within these areas. Thin out the seedlings as they grow to allow a final spacing of about 15-30cm depending on the plant’s eventual size.
- Brighten up your patio with bedding plants used in hanging baskets, containers and flower pouches.
- Now is your last chance to order plug plants online for vibrant colour this summer.
Fruit and Veg
Image source: ‘Sweet Aperitif’ tomatoes by Van Meuwen
- Sprinkle a slow-release fertiliser around the base of your strawberry plants, raspberry canes, fruit trees and fruit bushes, followed by a mulch of well-rotted manure or compost for bumper crops this year.
- Continue to plant out your chitted potatoes into potato grow bags or in the ground. Plant the tubers with the sprouts upright and at a depth of 10-15cm. For more help with growing potatoes read our ‘How to grow potatoes’ guide.
- Take the hassle out of sowing seeds and order our ‘Sweet Aperitif’ tomato plants for your summer salads this year!
- Now is also your last chance to order vegetable plants such as cucumbers, dwarf beans and courgettes.
Tree, Shrubs and Grasses
Image source: Ozgur Coskun
- Now is the time to move evergreen shrubs and trees if desired, although make sure the soil isn’t waterlogged or frozen. Try to take as much of the root ball as you can to help the plant establish quickly in its new home.
- Mulch around your trees, shrubs and perennials to help retain moisture in the soil during dry weather.
Garden Maintenance
Image source: Pictures_for_You
- April is the ideal month to sow a new lawn from seed or lay new turf. Make sure you keep the soil moist to help the grass establish well. When laying a new lawn try using lawn edging to define the area and make maintenance easier.
- Make sure you protect young plants from slugs and snails.
Do you have any further jobs you like to complete in April? Let us know in the comments below, or share them with us over on our Facebook page.
Thank you for your excellent service in the past years. Im just putting into words how much im missing your company.I Usually sit down at lunchtime to see what plants to buy next. Then wait in anticipation for my plants to arrive. I hope your able to get back to work soon and safely and your company can bounce back from this terrible pandemic.
Hello. Thank you for your kind words. We have worked hard to try to keep everything running as well as possible, under very challenging conditions. Please do pop back to our website as we have some great deals for autumn planting coming up over the next couple of months!
I’m really struggling with my plants getting eaten, looks like slugs can you help
Slugs and snails can do an enormous amount of damage at this time of the year. Young plants may need some protection from them until they are fully established. There are plenty of ways to deter slugs and snails. Slug pellets or nematodes are the most effective controls but collecting them in a bucket at dusk is also a good way to reduce the population. You can then release them elsewhere or pop them in a box in the freezer before disposing them. This kills them in the least unpleasant way!
Hope that this helps !
Leave a slice or two of raw black pudding in your garden,go to it late evening,every slug and snail will be there feeding on it.
Just collect them up,do this a few times a month.
Problem solved.