Saturday 14 April 2012

April

April is on us before we realise, the garden is growing faster every day and the year is well and truly under way. That’s not to say there’s still not the risk of a late frost so if you can put off planting any tender bedding out for just a little longer you’ll should be able to avoid that danger, especially if you’re hardening the plants off outside during the day. Having said that we’ll also be getting the first real days of pure unadulterated sun, you know the kind, blue sky, occasional white cloud drifting by but never threatening rain, the birds will be singing loud and you’ll know it’s a day for being outside.
April for me is a month of balance, when summer is tangible whilst winters memory is still in the back of our minds, even with this year’s mild winter the dark mornings and evenings were a drag and haven’t been forgotten. Proper spring days are also the gardeners balance to all the time spent out in the rain and cold, it’s our chance to feel the sun on our backs and really immerse our senses in the smell of the warming soil with the sounds of the garden all around us. Often I’ll come away with grass or soil stuck to me after I’ve stuck my head in grass boxes or handfuls of compost just to really savour in that fresh smell.
There’s plenty to be doing in the garden this month and I’ve listed a few below but in truth the main thing is just to get out and enjoy being in the garden. It’s a fantastic time of year, there’s all of spring and summer ahead, if it’s a nice day have a potter and relish the feeling of the garden around you.

Jobs this month:

This is the month of the regular mow. Start the blades off high and lower to preferred height over time.
Many annual, vegetable, salad and herb seeds can be sown now.
Seedlings already up may benefit from pinching out to bush up growth.
If you want any houseplants out in the garden through summer, harden off through the month.
It’s also a good time to look at repotting any houseplants that are getting a little pot bound.
Look at tidying up hydrangeas. Remove faded flower heads and any dead stems.
Carefully turn compost heaps whilst watching out for wildlife (hedgehogs, bumblebees).
Keep an eye out in sheds and garages for the beginnings of wasp nests on ceiling or rafters.
Prune out old hellebore leaves and flower stalks.
Watch for new shoots breaking through when weeding and working on the beds.
Weed, weed, weed and weed. Nothing grows at the speed of weeds and the race has sadly begun.
Start setting up supports for tall herbaceous plants.

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