Gardening – April 23

Tom Strowlger

@garden_with_tom

The month of April is upon us and the garden is now full of optimism and life. The spring flowers are blooming and wildlife are busy with their young. The arrival of April brings us gardeners more floral colour and healthy green growth. We can start to see the fruits of our earlier labours as the growing season gets into full swing. The spring flower that stands out this month is the daffodil, with its showy, bright, yellow trumpet.

The lawn grass is now actively growing and the early cuts should be on the lawnmower’s highest setting to keep the grass healthy. It’s the ideal time to hand sow grass seed into bare patches. To do this, lightly rake the surface soil before sowing the seed and quilt it with fresh topsoil. The grass seed should germinate within 14 days if the ground has moisture and temperatures are mild.

April is the last ideal month for planting out summer bulbs, tubers, corms and bare roots as they need time to establish themselves in readiness for flowering during the summer months. We should plant into spots with well-drained soil and lots of sunshine. The begonia, dahlia, crocosmia, gladioli, freesia and lilies will delight us in the summertime.

It is also the time to hand sow the seeds of poppies, cornflowers, corncockles, oxeye daisies, foxgloves and borage, to name but a very few, into bare borders and soils of the garden. The butterflies and bees will thoroughly enjoy them and by doing this we support the insects and wildlife that is so precious to us all. 

The warmer days of April bring new growth to our favourite plants and flowers, including green growth of the summer perennials. Unfortunately it also brings the pesky and unsightly weeds, whilst the more established weeds become more difficult to get rid of. As the soil is soft we should lift weeds and their entire root system before they take hold and become persistent for the remainder of the growing season.

We can use the warmer days to paint and maintain our garden fences, wooden benches and sleepers to smarten up the garden. It’s a good time to construct new raised beds with wooden sleepers and create new borders in time for a summer flower display. We can get our outdoor furniture out of storage to enjoy throughout the gardening season. 

The longer days are upon us and warmer weather is now starting to tempt us into the garden much more frequently. We can happily garden every day, even in the evenings. We should embrace each spare day to take in the fresh air and appreciate all that is good about the outdoors and remember that the garden is our own personal sanctuary.

Please do follow me on Instagram @garden_with_tom for more seasonal gardening advice and tips.