Garden tips for April
April is always one of the busiest months in the garden. Now is the time to get outdoors and make sure that everything is shipshape for the season ahead.
By now the soil is starting to dry out and can be easily worked. It is an ideal time to lift and split herbaceous perennials, to provide new plants or change plantings in an existing border.
The easiest way to split plants is to place two forks back to back in the centre of the clump and prize the forks apart. New plants should be 15-20cm across and taken from the outside of the clump, as these are the most vigorous.
Before planting, dig the soil over and add a generous amount of manure to the bottom of the trench. This draws the roots down and gives a more-extensive root system, which helps plants cope better in periods of drought. It also makes the plants more stable in windy conditions, and is particularly beneficial to tall growing perennials such as Delphiniums and Michaelmas daisies.
After digging, rake the soil to a fine tilth and apply a general fertiliser.
All mulching should be complete and the soil beginning to benefit. Look out for germinating weeds and tweak them out before they flower.
Now is the time to be on slug alert. Juicy shoots make gourmet dining for these garden residents. If you don’t want to use pesticides, then spread fine grit or crushed egg shells around the base of plants.
Think about how you are going to support larger-growing plants such as Lupins and Heleniums. If you want supports that are easy on the eye, then go for natural materials like birch twigs.
If you have been thinking about growing your own, then why not get started now? It is the ideal time to plant vegetables such as main crop potatoes, carrots, asparagus and onion sets.
Do your bit for bio-diversity this year by dedicating an area of your garden to attract wildlife. Better still, if you’ve got the space, create a wildflower meadow. Wildflower seeds are easy to sow. Make sure you keep them watered during dry spells, then watch as they germinate and grow into plants that will provide a riot of colour throughout the summer months, and attract an abundance of pollinating insects such as bees and ladybirds.
It’s not only the garden that needs attention at this time of year. Check the condition of your shed roof and fix guttering with a downpipe into a water butt to save mains water. Inside, remove old part bags of compost. This makes ideal top lawn dressing and can be used to level out undulations. Don’t forget to check fences and posts for signs of decay, and to level any uneven paving which poses a trip hazard.