Your garden in April

Spring should be well under way this month with daffodils in full flow, their bright flowers enough to cheer up any day. Blossom trees will be blooming and fresh growth will be appearing on plants everywhere. “April showers’ are common but don’t be deceived by sudden burst of rainfall – you may need to start watering plants more regularly on dry, bright and windy days. With longer days and stronger sunshine growing conditions are continually improving and the warmer weather will give us all the opportunity to get busy in our gardens.

Sow hardy annuals

Hardy annuals are plants that can be sown from seed in the open ground. Get them off to an early start by sowing in pots or modules. Modular trays are also handy for sowing summer bedding plants such as marigolds, lobelia and petunias. Label each seed tray and once they are growing put them outside when the weather is warm day and night.

Support climbers

Climbing plants should be growing rapidly now, so will need ample support for new growth. Extend or replace trellis as necessary or add more wire to archers and tripods.

New shoots will need to be gently encouraged sideways as they grow. This will send vital growth hormones doing the length of the shoot rather than just to the tip and so will encourage flowering all over the plant.

Plant of the month: Rhododendron

The rest of the garden will also be growing well now, so if you have been putting off carrying out any major pruning then now is the time to bite the bullet and get it done. Trees, shrubs and hedges should be cut back now before birds begin to nest.

Care for your lawn

The lawn will need regular mowing from now until autumn. Get some maintenance carried out to your lawn mower to ensure it stays in good running order – at the very least your mower blades should newly sharpened ready for regular use. Keep the edges of the lawn tidy after moving with a sharp pair of shears or a lawn edger. Don’t forget to give the lawn a spring feed after mowing if you haven’t got around to doing it yet. If a more drastic approach is needed to spruce up your lawn, sowing seeds for new lawns or over seeding dead patches can be carried out from midApril onwards.

Why should you plant them?

Ancient Greek meaning “Rose tree’ the rhododendron family includes azaleas. These stunning shrubs flower in all sorts of vibrant colours and can help brighten those difficult dark spots in your garden. Rhododendrons are grown for their spectacular flowers usually borne in spring, although some – the deciduous rhododendron or azaleas have good autumn colour.

How should you plant them?

In the wild rhododendrons are woodland plants, so they prefer dappled sunshine and can manage well in shade. They like plenty of water however will not do well in boggy or badly draining soil, so drainage is key. Plant in autumn or spring and use ericaceous compost.