Outdoor diary
April’s checklist
+ Autumn brings cooler weather for planting. Dig holes twice the width of the plant container, but only a little deeper than the root ball. Add plenty of compost a week or so beforehand.
Give plants a long soak immediately after planting and keep up the watering every
2-3 days for at least a month or two if weather is still dry. Stake taller shrubs and trees if your garden is exposed to strong winds.
+ For pretty winter flower colour, sow seed, or plant seedlings, of pansies, primula and polyanthus into bare areas in garden beds or pots to dress up outdoor living areas, entranceways and paths.
+ Long, hot summers can make lawns look tired, with weeds springing up in bare patches not helping either. For a quick lawn reno, dig out weeds and sow grass seed mixed with planting compost into bare patches.
Poke ground with a fork first to loosen soil if necessary. Next, sprinkle lawn with lawn food or use a liquid feed such as a seaweed or other nitrogen-based product. Water in well, or wait until after a rainy spell before applying. If sowing new lawns, start your prep by removing weeds and stones. If you don’t get rid of difficult weeds (eg paspalum, dock, dandelion) properly beforehand, they’ll resurface later and ruin your nice new lawn.
+ In very cold areas, lift frosttender plants such as cannas, dry the rhizomes in the sun and store in the garage or shed over winter.
+ Fallen autumn leaves are such valuable (and free) assets for gardeners. Gather up those on your lawn, the berm and even in the road gutters and add them to your compost bin or use them straight away as a mulch in garden beds. Well-rotted leaf mould is nutrient-rich and very beneficial to garden soil.
+ Give hedges a trim to keep them in shape over winter. Frequent trimming is the golden rule for a good hedge. A good weed, feed and a layer of mulch will be in order, too, if you haven’t done so since spring.
+ Weed, feed and mulch all your garden beds, mulching frosttender plants in particular. Make mulch layer 8-10cm thick using organic matter such as fallen leaves, untreated sawdust, chopped-up twigs and other woody garden clippings, wellrotted homemade compost or stable manure and bark.
+ Take cuttings now from roses and other woody shrubs such as lavender, box, hebe and hydrangea. Remove most of the leaves and dip end of cutting into rooting hormone before placing into a sandy, well-drained soil mix (or try ready-made products such as Daltons Garden Cutting Mix). Keep moist and wait for cuttings to take root and produce leaves in spring.