In your garden this month…

Growth in the garden really gets going in April, giving gardeners a multitude of jobs to get on with

Our experts tell you which trees to plant now

Pick a fine day to lavish your lawn with the attention it deserves after months of harsh weather. The rate at which the grass grows increases as the length of daylight hours extends so you will need to begin mowing on a regular basis. Keep the blades high for the first few cuts and lower them as the season gets underway.

Administer a fertiliser to increase the strength and vigour of the blades of grass. Organic CleanLawn from Neudorff is made from 100 per cent natural, raw materials and is therefore safe for children and pets.

If you want perfectly formed, straight carrots, grow the seeds in extra deep containers filled with free-draining soil. You can repurpose old chimney pots or recycle metal bins by adding drainage holes for this task, as they provide a generous depth for the tap roots to extend into.

Seeds can be bought for far less than the price of a single plant. Look for perennials that flower in their first year

When the planting scheme in your garden looks a bit sparse, increase the stock of hardy perennials by lifting and dividing established clumps among your beds or grow your own from seed.

A packet of seeds can be bought for far less than the price of a single plant, making this a great option if you are working to a tight budget. Look for perennials that flower in their first year, such as Verbena bonariensis, Catananche caerulea ‘Cupid’s Dart’ and Centranthus ruber.

Unlike annuals that flower, set seed and die in the same year, hardy, herbaceous perennials live for a number of years, many for decades.

Avoid cutting hedges and thick, evergreen shrubs from now until at least the end of July because this is the main breeding season for nesting birds. Robins in particular often choose to make their nests in the strangest of places; be on the lookout when you’re pottering in the garden.

Dead-head daffodils but leave their foliage intact after flowering to allow nutrients to feed back into the bulbs

Make the most of your spring flowering plants and create a rustic display for your mantle or dining table Now’s the time to plant hardy summer flowering bulbs and corms outside, such as Oriental lilies and Crocosmia, for colour later in the season

Grow extra-straight carrots in an old chimney pot – the terracotta texture gives a charming cottage-garden feel

Keep a keen eye out for nesting birds in hedges and shrubs – blackbirds breed until late July