Spring is finally here and you’ll be able to see it when you look outside your window. We might still have a few bad days in store, but the daffodils and flowering trees are really starting to bloom rather nicely. In between all the rain showers the sun will begin to appear more regularly. You’ll be able to do a selection of things in the garden you couldn’t up until now. Gardening in April is always enjoyable, but there are a few important jobs you can’t forget about.
Gardening calendar: Gardening in April
Flowers, Trees, and Shrubs
1 – Rambling and Climbing Roses: Rambling and climbing roses should be tied in until they’re almost horizontal. Restricting sap flow will ultimately lead to more flowers further down the line.
2 – Divide Bamboo Plants: Dividing bamboo plants is best carried out in mid-spring, and could involve splitting clumps with an axe. Just make sure you choose plants that are no more than a few years old.
3 – Sowing Hardy Annuals: Maybe you had lots of success with them last year, but they’ll be gone now and it’s time to start again. April is a good time to begin sowing your hardy annuals.
4 – Shrubs and Roses: It’s good practice to begin feeding now that we’re approaching mid-spring. They get really hungry and taking care of them every few weeks will work wonders for your garden.
5 – Sowing Wild Flowers: Do you want your garden to look as bright and lively as possible this year? If so, you should start to think about sowing wild flower seeds now to give them time to grow.
Fruits and Vegetables
1 – Pruning Fig Trees: I know you can’t wait until you can eat all the figs from your trees, but there is still work to be done first. When you start gardening in April you should begin to prune the branches.
2 – Feeding Citrus Plants: It won’t be long until it’s time to begin receiving your daily dose of vitamin-C. Now is the time to feed your citrus plants if you want to end up with great fruit.
3 – Be Wary of Late Frosts: We’ve already mentioned how the cold weather hasn’t disappeared for good. You’ll need to protect your fruit blossom from any frosts that suddenly come back.
4 – Sow Herbs Outdoors: If you want your meals to taste as good as ever you’ll need to sow herbs. The biggest difference in April is the fact you’ll be able to start sowing them outdoors.
5 – Planting Sweetcorn Seeds: The risk of frost is still something to consider when planting sweetcorn seeds. To make sure they’re protected they should be grown in modules under cover.
General Maintenance Jobs
1 – Control Your Weeds: You will see a lot more weeds this month than you’ve seen in the past. If you want your garden to prosper you must take care of your weeds before they grow unsightly and steal all the water.
2 – Work on Your Pond: There will be a big difference in the pond because of the change in weather recently. If you have any waterlilies you can start to divide and replant them when they eventually grow.
3 – Looking after Houseplants: You’ve been restricting the amount of water your houseplants have been getting during the colder months. It’s warmer now, so they must receive more water from now on.
4 – Taking Care of Your Lawn: From the middle of the month you can begin to fix your lawn in time for summer. This involves over-seeding any dead patches and sowing new lawns until everything is covered.
5 – Allow for New Growth: The plants inside your greenhouse will experience new growth, therefore they must be given more space. This will help prevent disease and insect infestations. It’s getting warmer, however, you still need to check the temperature in your greenhouse with a reliable greenhouse thermometer.
