Roses are ready for a good spray
■ Roses are starting to put out fresh foliage – spray against mildew and blackspot, and apply a slow release organic fertiliser at the base for a healthy plant.
Tie in climbing roses using figure-of-eight ties.
■ Earth up early potatoes once green shoots appear. Covering stems encourages new tubers to grow from them and also ensures tubers are not exposed to light which would turn them green. sowing, there will be plenty of readyto-go plants in the garden centres, but if you are buying them now make sure you don’t put them outdoors yet – while temperatures have improved hugely, we may get another blast of frost – and this would destroy these tender bedding plants.
A big difference between the French and African tagetes is height – the French are daintier and low growing, whereas the African are taller with larger flowers.
Beyond that, there is a huge variation in colours – from creamy whites through lemons, oranges, and reds. There are also combinations of colours with frills and stripes, as well as different flower shapes from single to pompon.
Smaller varieties work well in pots, containers and hanging baskets, as ■ Mulch around box hedging with a well-rotted manure – they have surface roots which will absorb available nutrients.
The stronger the plant, the more able it is to fight the dreaded box blight. Give it a light clip to keep in shape.
■ Mulch around spring bulbs that have flowered.
This will help keep in well as trimming the edges of paths and borders.
Use the taller marigolds in a mixed border as part of a warm colour scheme.
They’re not just pretty faces either – marigolds are widely used in ■ Keep bird baths and feeders topped up with water and seed to encourage birds to your garden.
■ Put up wigwams for climbers – sweet peas can be planted at the base.
■ Start sowing runner beans and pumpkins indoors which will be ready to plant outside after the last frost, in May. companion planting. This is the practice of using plants alongside crops to help deter pests and diseases.
Marigolds are believed to repel aphids and are most often planted with tomato crops. Their flowers also attract hoverflies whose larvae like to hoover up aphids as well.
Their roots contain a natural chemical that repels nematodes so they are sometimes used to clean soil before crop planting.
They attract bees and butterflies which help pollinate other flowers and crops – the single open-flowered varieties are the most attractive to beneficial insects.
They make good cut flowers and, because they are so easy to germinate, it’s a fun project for the inexperienced gardener or to encourage young children to get gardening.