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April is definitely a month to be doing things with your Fruit and Vegetables.  We have had some very sharp frosts still so you need to protect the blossom of your stoned fruit trees such as Apricots, Peaches and Nectarines.  Whilst on the subject of fruit trees don’t forget to prune your Cherry and Plum trees once the leaf buds have cracked open.

You can start planting your Potatoes - remembering again to protect any early shoots from frost.  If you didn’t plant Asparagus last month that can go in along with root crops like Carrots, Turnips and Kohlrabi.  Salad crops such as  Spring Onions, Swiss Chard, Lettuce as well as Brassicas can be started now too.  I like to get some herbs such as Basil and Chives going to.  You will need to protect early sowings with fleece and/or polythene if you are still getting frosts.

In the greenhouse I am busy with Peppers, Aubergines (one of my favourites!) and Cucumbers - potting on your Tomatoes can be done as well.   I’m just beginning to increase the amount of ventilation in the greenhouse now that the days are warmer but do remember to close up at night or you could lose a lot.  I shall be doing some softwood cuttings from my beloved Fuschias as well as repotting and feeding some of the house plants.  My Orchids are doing particularly well at the moment and I am extremely pleased with the way they are responding to almost total neglect!

The last few garden maintenance jobs that must be done in March are fairly obvious but bear mentioning none the less. Lawns need to be looked at as they are starting to grow again and time can usefully be spent raking to remove thatch and moss before starting to mow. When you do start to mow, make sure the blades are set quite high for the first few cuts and rake off any cuttings if you don’t catch them in a box or bag on your mower. You should also look to see if any areas need some care by way of reseeding or turfing and prepare the ground accordingly.

It’s a good time to check over your Pond as well, check over all the pond ‘electricals’ like pumps, lighting systems and filters. Give any other water features Continue Reading »

Nasty Pests and Diseases can start to rear their ugly heads in March and it is a wise gardener who is vigilant at this time of year and builds this into her garden maintenance schedule. You need to keep the garden tidy and start removing all the rubbish that has accumulated over the winter to stop diseases developing unseen. Dead leaves should be removed from perennials as part of your regular maintenance. When you are inspecting your plants and seedlings watch out for any symptoms of damping off as well. The temperature variations at this time of year can have a dramatic effect on how things develop.

This is the time of year when those dratted slugs and snails start to appear as well. I am plagued by slugs in my garden and I have to keep a constant watch. One of the most successful ways I have found of protecting my Hostas, which are particularly susceptible, is to put a mulch Continue Reading »

Continuing our garden maintenance theme now that Spring is in the air and the garden is crying out for colour, it’s time to turn your attention to ensuring that you get  your hardy annuals going by sowing them either in pots, trays or modules.  Sweet Peas can be started off too, I generally nick the seed coating to give them a start or soak them for a few hours to soften that hard outer shell.  Whilst you are busy sowing you should also start off your Summer bedding plants if you are intending to grow them from seed.  If you are going to sow in the early part of March then put them in a heated propagator or sow under glass to give them some protection from the frosts you can still get – we had an incredibly hard frost yesterday morning.

It also time to topdress your containers with some fresh compost and maybe put some fertilisers on the bulbs that are beginning to peep through now.  I also like to try and get a mulch onto some of the borders before the weeds start springing up.  I shall be using some of the material that we shredded last year when chopping down some trees, it has broken down quite well and is ready for use now.

Talking of trees it’s time to check any shrubs and trees planted last autumn and firm them in.  It’s also time for one of my favourite jobs – pruning.  I’m a great believer in hard pruning to get a plant to be the way you want it to be.  My definition of a weed is any plant that isn’t where you want it or doesn’t do what you want so I wield the secateurs with some ferocity.  At this time of year I will be looking over my summer flowering shrubs and late flowering clematis amongst other things such as climbers which have run riot over the year.  I won’t be touching my spring flowering shrubs til after they have finished flowering but they too will get a serious hair cut in due course.

I’m not a great fan of evergreens and conifers but if you do have them in your garden this is the time when you should look to move any that need a change of scenery as part of your garden maintenance plan.

Autumn and Winter are  generally considered the best time of year to move your garden plants but in truth, it can be done at almost any time providing adequate precautions are taken. Personally I move a lot of my plants in the early Spring after Winter has taken its toll.

When moving a smaller plant – under a metre high you should first remove any dead material and trim the plant to about two thirds of its size. Digging out the rootball is the next step making sure that you take a reasonably large amount, around the same diameter as the plant is good. A large enough hole should be dug and the plant will generally benefit if you backafill with some compost.

Any plant up to about two metres should be loosened a few days before you remove it, digging a hole at least 30 cms deep and long or damaged roots should be trimmed off before replanting. Bigger plants and trees need further preparation still, you should dig out around two sides to a reasonable depth then let the plant stand for a week, then trim it back by about one third before digging around the other sides then leave it again for a week or so, patience is required! When you remove the plant wrap the rootball to protect it.

The new hole should be bigger than the rootball and again you should backfill and possibly add some feed. Once the plant is in place, firm it in carefully and keep an eye on it for a week or two. All plants should be well watered in when moved.