This month...
• Lavenders are a popular Mother’s Day gift. Choose dwarf lavenders ‘Mini Blue’, ‘Hidcote’ or ‘Blueberry Ruffles’ for edgings, ‘Ellagance’ for pots and hanging baskets, or upright ‘Margaret Roberts’ and ‘Lavender Lace’ for a border. • In summer rainfall regions, water winter rainfall region shrubs as well as azaleas, camellias and springflowering shrubs twice a week. • Trim and clean under hedges. Use Ferramol organic pellets where snails are likely to overwinter. • Keep tying climbing sweet peas to supports. Remove unnecessary tendrils and side-shoots. Watch for aphids on new growth and spray with soapy water or organic spray. • Instead of removing frost covers every morning and replacing them every evening, use a lightweight frost cover (horticultural fleece). This allows light, air and water to reach plants and it’s left on until any possibility of frost has passed. • Continue to spread aphicide granules around the base of conifers throughout winter as protection against the cypress aphid and water in well. Spray small conifers with Efekto Aphicide. • In cold gardens, no major cutting back of shrubs should be done, as tender new growth is easily damaged by cold winds and frost. Give a final clipping to hedges in frost-prone areas. • Feed newly planted veg with half-strength organic liquid fertiliser. • Give spring-flowering annuals a light fertilising to help them through winter. >>