April - THE MONTH AHEAD IN YOUR GARDEN - April

Spring should have finally arrived!

April is a busy month with much to do. Be warned, there will still be frosts around, so do not put tender plants out yet.

Lawns should now be growing quite strongly. (Warmer weather - April Showers) Mow when necessary - with the blades set high. Don't forget, that if you only get a chance to mow the lawn at the weekend, and you give it a miss for one week, it will have a further week's growth by the following weekend. More important, if it rains then and you can't cut it, it will be weeks before you manage to get it under control and looking good.

Sow new lawns or lay turf on ground prepared last month. Established lawns will need attention after all the rain. Aerate, apply a lawn sand or a selective weed killer and fertiliser and scarify about two weeks later to remove patches of dead moss. Where necessary over-seed. (If you have been troubled by worm casts the use of lawn sand each year will help to reduce them.)

Cut back all heathers that have finished flowering. Dead-head spring flowering bulbs when they have finished flowering, but do not cut down the leaves.

Prune forsythia after flowering. Prune Ribes - Flowering Currants - after flowering. Both can be cut back as hard as you like, as long as you do it right AFTER flowering. This then gives them enough time to produce new flowering wood ready for next year.

Continue planting gladiolus corms. Continue sowing hardy annual seeds in beds and borders. Plant alpines in rock garden. Plant out dahlia tubers towards the end of the month.

Transplant rhododendrons, azaleas and other evergreens that need moving. This is the best month for moving evergreens. Shelter them against drying winds after planting.

If you haven't already done so, then cut back Buddlejahs (Buddleias) and Dogwoods (Cornus). The former to ensure arching sprays of larger flowers, and the latter, to give masses of colour next winter. (You really have to think that far ahead in this game.)

Buddleja Highland Blue Cornus sibirica
Links at bottom of page on how to do it!

Spray gooseberries with a fungicide against mildew. Continue to sow vegetables.
Plant main crop potatoes now and 'earlies' if not done last month. Continue to plant onion sets, shallots and garlic. Erect supports for runner beans in readiness for sowing - or planting out.

In the greenhouse sow marrows, courgettes and sweetcorn for planting out later. Towards the end of the month plant tomatoes in unheated greenhouses.

Keep on top of whitefly before they multiply. Spray regularly for 3 weeks at 10 day intervals, to break their natural reproductive cycle. (If they become troublesome, you can always 'suck them up' with a portable 'car vac'. It works! - GS Editor)

Back to March to see what you should have done then!
Pruning Guide for Forsythia
Pruning Guide for Buddlejah
Pruning Guide for Cornus
Forward to May - Once you have done all of this!