Traditionally one of the busiest weekends in the garden, Easter is a bit earlier this year. It’s a good time to get the lawn sorted out applying fertilizer with weedkiller if necessary. Moss on lawns is becoming a big problem these days and this is easily controlled by applying a fertilizer which includes a mosskiller, such as Lawn Sand. Once the moss dies, it turns black and it can be easily raked out or removed with a scarifier. Mowing should now be done regularly but grass should not be cut too short. If you are to make a new lawn, April is a good time for sowing or laying turf.
In the vegetable garden, beetroot, cabbage, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, radish, spinach, swedes and turnips can now be sown. The ground should have been well prepared before sowing, raking out the larger stones and applying a general fertilizer such as Growmore. Jerusalem artichokes and asparagus should be put in this month and of course seed potatoes should go in, especially the early varieties. Tomatoes should be on their way in the greenhouse and it is now time to sow outdoor varieties so that they will be ready to plant out after the frosts have gone. Aubergines, sweet corn, celery, french beans, runner beans and courgettes should also be sown under glass. Dahlias and begonias need to be started under glass and so too should the frost-tender bedding plants. Hardy bedding plants such as pansies, antirrhinums and sweet peas can be planted out now. Seeds such as clarkia can be sown direct in the flower borders and bulbs such as lilies and gladioli can now go in.
April is a good time for planting trees and shrubs, conifers, climbing plants, alpines and herbaceous perennials. Do visit the garden centre to see what looks good at the moment and spend the evenings getting ideas from books and garden magazines or even watching ‘Ground Force’. You can choose trees such as cherry (Prunus) or crab (Malus) in full flower and plant them as soon as you get them home. Always dig a good hole and put a handful of bonemeal in the bottom and mix a little compost with the soil as you fill the hole after planting. It is always a good idea to stake trees to prevent wind-rocking. Bonemeal is used when planting roses too, but established plants are best top-dressed with Toprose fertilizer. Winter heathers should be trimmed once flowering is finished and winter-flowering shrubs should be cut back now. Tackle ground elder with SBK weedkiller or Tumbleweed as soon as possible. Just have a look at the wonderful array of colour which April brings to the garden from the treasured tulip to the majestic magnolia.

Terry Simmonds