Gardening tips

Gardening tips for March/April

Spring usually arrives by mid-March and more sunny days provide the opportunity for an increasing range of gardening tasks. It’s time to get busy preparing seed beds, sowing seed, cutting back winter shrubs and generally tidying up around the garden.

Spring is finally in evidence as daffodils and flowering trees start to bloom. Expect the inevitable April showers this month but with sunny days too, when you can turn your attention to the lawn. It’s an exciting month, with indoor-sown seeds well into growth, and it’s also time to start sowing outdoors. Just watch out for frosts.

New turf can be laid if the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged. Install lawn edging to make future maintenance easier. Prepare soil for growing new lawn from seed. Doing this now allows it time to settle before sowing.

Cut back Cornus (dogwood) and Salix (willow) grown for colourful winter stems

Hoe and mulch weeds to keep them under control early

Protect new spring shoots from slugs

Start feeding fish and using the pond fountain; remove pond heaters

Continue to deadhead winter pansies to stop them setting seed. This will encourage flushes of new flowers throughout the spring.

Planting and preparation

Fertilise your vegetable beds when soil is workable, dig a layer of compost or well-rotted manure into your beds to prepare for the growing season ahead. You can now plant shallots, onion sets and early potatoes, also plant summer-flowering bulbs in borders.

Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials such as sedums, daisies and monbretia. Move deciduous trees or shrubs as long as the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged.

Put fresh compost in containers

Put supports in if any garden plants need it this year, so they can grow up through them. Adding supports afterwards is trickier and often looks unattractive.

Mow your lawn if it needs it on a dry day and set blades higher than usual.

Sunshine and showers

Protect fruit blossom from late frosts

Tie in climbing and rambling roses

Sow hardy annuals, herbs and wild flower seed outdoors

Increase the water given to houseplants