It’s cherry blossom time! This is the month when a lot of trees and shrubs are a mass of colour and the spring bulbs are looking their best. As soon as the daffodils die down, the dead flower heads will need to be removed but the leaves must be left and the bulbs will need feeding. Now is the time to start to cut the grass and to apply fertilizer and weedkiller to lawns. The only time a lawn needs watering is after applying something like lawn sand so as to prevent scorching. Never water a lawn in dry weather – it is a total waste of water, often doing more harm than good. April is a good month for sowing grass and laying turf. Aerating lawns will discourage the growth of moss but it might be necessary to use a mosskiller as well.
In the kitchen garden seed potatoes, onions, asparagus crowns and brassica seedlings can be planted now and the majority of vegetables can be sown outside too. Runner beans, marrows, peppers, tomatoes and courgettes will need to be sown inside so that the plants will be ready to plant out at the end of May when frosts are less likely. Keep on top of the hoeing and feeding, and water plants as necessary.
Hardy bedding plants can be planted or sown direct now. Tender plants will have to wait until next month. Gladiolus bulbs can now go in and so can dahlia tubers. Herbaceous perennials can still be divided and planted and taller plants will need to be staked and tied. Roses will need to be sprayed at regular intervals now so that black spot, rust and mildew are kept away, and feeding with Toprose fertilizer from time to time will help. Toprose is also a good fertilizer for shrubs and perennials, but heathers, azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias will need a special ericaceous feed. If you have a greenhouse, hanging baskets and containers can be planted up now and there are a host of suitable plants for these in the garden centre now. Rainfall over the last few months has been very low and there is a danger of watering restrictions coming when the weather heats up. Herts County Council is subsidising 200 litre water butts when purchased by Hertfordshire residents at Garden Scene – for just £29.95 you get a water butt with a stand, tap, lid and rain diverter kit. Putting down landscape fabric with an organic mulch or a layer of bark chips on top will help to prevent the ground drying out and as a bonus will help keep the weeds away. With Easter only a few weeks away there is a lot to do, but do find time to visit the garden centre and open gardens to get a few ideas and have a look at garden magazines too. Bovingdon has its Spring Flower show on April 1 and the Harrogate Flower Show is from April 27-30 (tickets 0870 758 3333).                                               Terry Simmonds