3 minute read
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.
Advertisement
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
--· Beautiful Borders Plant & Gorden Core Specialists --· Beautiful Borders Plant & Gorden Core Specialists
Skilled, Qualified, Insured Arborists
• Local team of professional and experienced gardeners • Border care & maintenance • Lawn care & maintenance • Regular garden maintenance packages tailored to your needs • Hanging basket and plant supply • Planting projects undertaken • Fully insured and reliable Contact Us M: 07449 6 78489 E: admin@beoutiful-borders.co.uk W: www.beoutiful-borders.co.uk IJ Find us on Facebook /beoutifulbordersnorthompton • Local team of professional and experienced gardeners • Border care & maintenance • Lawn care & maintenance • Regular garden maintenance packages tailored to your needs • Hanging basket and plant supply • Planting projects undertaken • Fully insured and reliable Contact Us M: 07449 6 78489 E: admin@beoutiful-borders.co.uk W: www.beoutiful-borders.co.uk IJ Find us on Facebook /beoutifulbordersnorthompton 14 Please mention The Village Emporium when responding to adverts ALL ASPECTS OF TREE & HEDGE WORK GET YOUR FREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTE TODAY www.timbertechtreeservices.com 07703 781422 / 07528 332959 timber_tech@outlook.com
LANDSCAPING
For Drives, Patios, Landscaping and inspiring Outdoor Spaces
We are a well-established and financially sound, groundwork and civil engineering company, based in Northamptonshire and serving the Midlands and Home Counties.
We are specialists in: • Patios and Paving • Drives and Kerbing • Landscaping • Foundations and Drainage • Eco-Friendly Development
If you are planning a new drive, a garden restoration, a new build or a self build then please contact us.
We are always happy to provide advice and our on-staff engineers can assist with design, planning and building control.
