Gardener's Diary                April

Sixtieth edition -  April 2006   

Wasn't March cold? At least when the weather does finally warm up, there will be a burst of colour everywhere! The daffodils and other spring flowers are poised in bud, just waiting for a warm day before they open up.. Neighbours of ours cover their camellia bush with fleece each time a frost is expected, but unless the buds are actually open there is no need to do this, in fact it could rot the flowers through lack of air circulation...

Garden centres are suffering with low visitor numbers too, due to the cold weather, so there could be some bargains to be had later on. Last week I bought a selection of plug plants from the supermarket (much cheaper than the garden centres) because I just don't see the point of growing my own seeds any more. Having said that, I can't resist growing Zinnias from seed and outdoor cherry tomatoes to dot amongst the flowers..

Have you noticed that garden centres seem to sell everything these days, with plants being low on their agenda? Franchises are big business in garden centres: it makes sense to rent out some of your floor space to other companies, which will attract more customers without the effort and expense.

Jobs for the garden in April

House plants

Continue checking your houseplants and repot any that seem to have stopped growing or just don't look as healthy as they did when you bought them.. Take cuttings this month of any houseplants that you want to try and propagate..

I'm building up quite a collection of orchids, some of which have been flowering since November, and will repot them this month in some special orchid compost... Read up first on a particular houseplant's cultivation requirements before you purchase it - because it might not grow well in your house.

Bedding Plants

Now is a good time to start sowing seeds for a great display of summer bedding plants. I used to start sowing seeds in January. It wasn`t worth it at all, as the seedlings always became very leggy due to lack of daylight and damped off in the cold and moist air. Nowadays I sow seeds in April and grow healthy young plants that romp away and are far superior to my earlier efforts. 

Make sure unused potting compost from last year is discarded onto borders or the compost heap and your fresh supply is at room temperature before sowing seeds. Seed trays and pots should be washed and sowing instructions on the seed packets carefully followed, as all seeds have different cultural requirements. After sowing seeds and watering them if required, place the trays in clear polythene bags to keep them warm and humid. I find that freezer bags are ideal and can be labelled too. I`m sometimes a little impatient and put seed trays in the warmth of the airing cupboard to hurry them along, but a conservatory, greenhouse or warm window ledge will do as well. Keep an eye on the weather and cover the seed trays with newspaper or horticultural fleece if a frost is expected. Once the seeds have reached manageable size, and before they get root bound or a tangled mass, prick them out into bigger pots or plugs, taking care not to damage the roots. Keep young plants watered, warm and fed, much like children, and if treated with care will quickly grow strong and healthy.

Lawns

The weather was so awful in March that I don't suppose anyone managed to get their lawn scarified, but April will be a good month for this very important job, followed by a spring feed and weed treatment, which will set your lawn up for the summer..  

April is still a good month for repairing hollows and bumps in lawns: With a sharp spade, cut out a square of turf round the area to be repaired, build the hollow up with soil or remove the surplus, then replace the turf, making sure it is well trodden in and watered.. 

Shrubs

Many shrubs will benefit from a trim this month to keep them tidy and encourage new growth. Trim winter-flowering jasmine and tie in long shoots to their supports. Hard prune tall old stems on fast-growing shrubs that flower on new wood, buddleja in particular benefit from this type of pruning. Many dogwoods, valued for their colourful winter stems, should also be cut back hard now, right down to about 12in from the ground. Many other shrubs respond well to hard pruning, which will then produce fresh young growth and often brighter and larger leaves

Greenhouse

Don't waste the space in your greenhouse.. Use it for storing cuttings and growing on flower and vegetable seedlings. I overwintered some beautiful pelargoniums (geraniums) and have just taken dozens of cuttings from them, which will stay in the greenhouse. Some overwintered fuschias are starting to bud and they're also safe in the greenhouse.

Plant begonia tubers in pots in the greenhouse. Always ensure the slightly concave surface of the begonia tuber is uppermost, and just cover with compost. Pot on as plants grow, feeding them weekly.

Keep some gentle heat on in the greenhouse during the nights as frosts will still quickly kill your new seedlings. Or you can cover with bubble wrap, newspapers or hirticultural fleece.

Vegetables

March. Continue to sow successional crops such as salads and carrots. You don`t need a vegetable garden or allotment to enjoy home grown vegetables as they can be grown in amongst the flowers. In fact it helps to keep the aphids and carrot fly away if you plant vegetables amongst flowers such as marigolds, and I think it looks really nice to see vegetables and salad stuff dotted around the borders. Later on you could put a small wigwam of runner beans in, or even grow them in grow bags if you only have a patio  area. April  I can thoroughly recommend Sutton's seeds 'Gardener's Delight' Cherry tomatoes.. They are outdoor tomatoes, very prolific and much, much tastier than the larger type!

Garden Ponds  

If the weather is suitable for you to do a pond `spring clean` then take care not to disturb any mating frogs or toads.  If they haven`t yet paired off you can put them in a bucket and cover them until it`s time to put them back in the pond. The same goes for the fish. We put ours in a plastic plastering bath where they swim around quite happily until being returned to their pond. If you are re-lining a concrete pond take care to use the correct sealant afterwards, and give it ample time to dry.  It`s still a little early in the year for buying aquatic plants. 

Wildlife

Take care when you are pruning in the garden that you don't disturb any nesting birds.. Continue putting out food for the birds, but not bread or other food as it will attract rats to your neighbourhood! This can be a distressing time of year when some fledgling birds get separated from their parents. Whilst it is admirable to try to save them, they very rarely survive because we can't feed them the constant supply of bugs that their parents do.. Another problem this time of year is birds flying into windows and killing themselves.. I now paint marks on the greenhouse windows with a solution of coolglass that seems to work because last year we had no deaths.

Down on the farm - the life of an organic farmer Farming involves a lot of hard work and early mornings - but the rewards are plentiful if they sell directly to customers, whether through box schemes or farmers' markets. This profile shows a little of what's involved in running a thriving organic farm.

Still with the National Trust, some of the most visited National Trust properties are now holding regular farmers' and food markets.  Click here for details  and dates.

RHS gardens

Their four flagship gardens not only provide year-round interest and offer a wide range of courses, talks and demonstrations, they also demonstrate the best gardening practices, new techniques and exciting new plants to try in your garden.

• Visit Wisley in Surrey
• Visit Rosemoor in Devon
• Visit Hyde Hall in Essex
• Visit Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire

Or go to their website for a diary of all other events at:-    http://www.rhs.org.uk/WhatsOn/index.asp

RHS flower shows for 2006, see here

April RHS flower show, see below:-

Thompson & Morgan 

Visit  www.thompson-morgan.com where full information is available on their product varieties and orders can be taken on-line.  Have a look to see what is new and any special seasonal offers

Royal Botanic Gardens
Kew
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 3AB

Royal Botanic Gardens
Wakehurst Place
Ardingly
Nr Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH17 6TN