I found myself in the radio studio with Jon and Matt from Radio Woking yesterday talking about what to do with your garden in April. You can listen again here at Mixcloud. I’m on from 11 – 12!
It was fascinating to see them at work as we’ve only ever done interviews on the phone before now.
Its April! Spring should be springing this month so here are your jobs to do:
Your lawn can have its first cut/s of the year. Make sure your mower is on a high setting for the first few cuts as the grass is recovering from the winter and just putting growth on. This video gives you lots of tips and also made me laugh!
Now’s the time to tidy up the edges. Use something with a straight edge or a hosepipe to mark where you want the edges to be and then use a half moon spade (my favourite tool) or a knife to get a nice clean edge defining lawn and borders … this is the most satisfying job of the year. Alan Titchmarsh shows you how here.
Deadhead your Hydrangeas now if you haven’t already. Take them down to the next pair of healthy buds unless you have to reduce the size. If you have any of the frothy white varieties such as Annabelle or Limelight which have huge flowerheads, take them down further as they need strong stem growth to support the weight of the flowers.
Now’s the time to start off annual seeds indoors or in the greenhouse. Sunflowers, Sweetpeas and any veg like tomatoes, sweetcorn or leeks can be sown now. A great activity to do with the children during the Easter holidays. More advice here.
Now is also a good time to feed any shrubs or roses you have in the garden so help them put on growth, flower or fruit this year. Fertiliser is a concentrated solution or pellet of nutrients. I tend to use organic fertilisers like Blood, Fish and Bones or Chicken Manure a lot in my garden as I am on free-draining, nutieint low sand. Feed them now for a good show this year. Shrubs in containers need feeding all year round. Shrubs in the ground should fare ok on their own and feeding now is a welcome boost. More advice from the RHS here.
Or book a Garden Hoedown for an hour of one to one garden therapy and you’ll come away with a personalised action plan to get the most out of your garden!
Don’t be fooled into thinking Spring is here yet. Its cold out there still! Here’s my top 5 jobs to do this month:
Plant hardy shrubs and perennials out in the garden unless its soggy or frozen. But hold off sowing seeds or plug plants out until its warmed up a bit.
You can finally prune Hydrangeas! Well done for waiting!There are different types of Hydrangea. Traditional Hydrangeas flower on old growth so can be deadheaded back to the next pair of buds and thinned out leaving only the strong stems. Hydrangea Annabelle and the new paniculata flowerheads that generally have huge white flowerheads need to be cut right back to the ground as they flower on new growth. You can see this done here.
Or book a Garden Hoedown for an hour of one to one garden therapy and you’ll come away with a personalised action plan to get the most out of your garden!
February seems to be full of pruning jobs. Its the month to get prepped before lots of green growth so is a good chance if the weather is dry and frost free to prune back to encourage growth this year and also to move plants that are in the wrong place. Its also the quietest time of the year so is a great opportunity to see the ‘bare bones’ of your garden and reflect on what looks good, what works and what might need changing. Here’s my top 5 jobs to do this month:
Prune back late flowering woody shrubs such as Buddleia, Elder, Caryopteris and Fucshia to the ground to keep their size in check and to encourage new stems that will flower this year. Autumn Raspberries also come into this category. Now is the time to cut all stems down to 10-20cm from the ground.
Cut back deciduous grasses now too. With shears trim leaves and seedheads back to 20cm so they resemble mounds. Now is also the time to split or move them.
Its still quite early to be sowing annual seeds but you can start chitting potatoes for early planting. This just means encouraging them to start sprouting. Place them in a light place and when the sprouts are 3cm long they are ready for planting. More advice HERE.
Its the last chance to cut hedges before the birds start nesting.
If you can look at your garden from an upstairs window. At this time of year you’ll be able to see the framework or layout of your garden clearly. If you’re confident you can draw a plan from here, noting where paths, beds, patios and key plants are located. This will help if you have a hunch that something isn’t working or if you want to make changes to beds and borders. If you’re stuck book a Hoedown with me so I can help!
Or book a Garden Hoedown for an hour of one to one garden therapy and you’ll come away with a personalised action plan to get the most out of your garden!
January may be the first month of the year but it doesn’t feel like the first month of the gardening year .. for me that will be in Spring when the green shoots begin to appear. January feels like a quiet time for me so here are some quiet jobs to do this month:
Roll your sleeves up … cleaning pots and greenhouses now will get you ready for the Spring sowings so get ahead of the game and spend some time in your shed/greenhouse or just outside washing pots and throwing anything away that is broken.
Cut back dead leaves and flowerstems from perennials when they look scruffy.
Remove leaves from Hellebores to show the flowers off better.
Apple and Pear trees can be pruned now as can Gooseberries and Currant bushes.
For a lovely job on a wet and windy day plan your seed sowing.. Seeds shoudl be kept in a bark, dry place. The Quality Street tin you got for Christmas is perfect! Keep it indoors rather than outside. Feb-March is the time to start sowing seeds so now is the time to choose and order them. This can all be done from the comfort of your armchair. I love Chiltern Seeds and Higgledy Garden for good UK seeds with loads of choice.
Or book a Garden Hoedown for an hour of one to one garden therapy and you’ll come away with a personalised action plan to get the most out of your garden!
Here are your list of Garden To-Dos for December :
Outdoor Pots : A cold spell is due this month so protect your potted plants by raising them up off the ground to protect from ground frost. Bring them close to your house or walls in groups to give them some shelter from the elements and to create a micro climate of pots next to a warn wall. Anything really tender might need wrapping in breathable fleece or by being moved into a greenhouse or shed.
Leaf clearing : Leaves should be cleared from lawns and from around smaller leafed plants like alpines .. they need some room to breathe and more importantly for air to ventilate their own stems and leaves. Create leaf piles in the backs of beds or in untidy corners for insects to over winter in.
Planting : Continue planting trees and shrubs throughout the winter avoiding really water logged or frozen soil. This is the time to plant bare root plants such as Roses, which are really good value for money. Cold winds and frost can loosen the soil around recently planted trees and shrubs .. so keep an eye on anything you’ve planted and firm down the soil if required.
Pruning and Tying in : Most deciduous trees and shrubs, including Roses can be pruned over the Winter and its easier to see what you’re doing when there are no leaves on. Make sure any climbers are tied in securely to their supports to avoid any damage over the Winter.
Harvest : Its time to lift any parsnips and root crops you have left in the ground. After the first frost is the foilk lore for parsnips so their starch turns to sugar and makes them nice and sweet! Even better roasted in the oven and drizzled in honey for the last 15 minutes!
Or book a Garden Hoedown for an hour of one to one garden therapy and you’ll come away with a personalised action plan to get the most out of your garden!
