Spring has sprung! As your garden awakens from its winter slumber, it's the perfect time to prepare for a flourishing season. Here are 15 helpful tips to get your April garden growing strong:
1. Prep your vegetable beds by clearing weeds and adding mulch with compost or manure to improve drainage and moisture retention.
2. Feed hungry trees and shrubs, especially roses starting new growth by applying a slow-release fertilizer.
3. Liven up your lawn by aerating compacted soil and giving it a high-nitrogen boost. Patch bare spots with new seed.
4. Support your perennials by placing stakes for tall plants like asters and delphiniums while they're manageable.
5. Rejuvenate overgrown perennials and grasses like daylilies and miscanthus by dividing them.
6. Plant for the future! Spring is ideal for planting new perennials and shrubs to establish before the summer heat. Water them regularly in dry weather.
7. When pruning penstemons wait until the risk of frost has passed, then cut back to new shoots or growth at the base.
8. Trim your lavender by giving it a light cut, avoiding old woody stems.
9. If you are growing fuchsias or sweet peas from scratch, pinch out seedling tips to encourage branching and more flowers.
10. Deadhead spent spring bulb flowers, but let the leaves die naturally. They nourish the bulbs for next year's blooms.
11. Start seeds indoors by sowing tomatoes in a greenhouse or sunny windowsill this month. Courgettes and pumpkins can also get a head start in small pots.
12. Directly sow vegetables getting a jump on your veggie patch by directly sowing broad beans, carrots, beetroot, and parsnips.
13. Add pops of colour, sowing hardy annuals like Nigella and poppies directly outdoors for a summery display. You can also sow sweet peas directly in the garden this month.
14. When planting potatoes, second early varieties can thrive in large containers, while maincrop potatoes do best in the ground. Plant onion and shallot sets this month, and protect them with netting to deter birds.
15. Enjoy the harvest, time to taste the first asparagus shoots! Steam them and savour them with a pat of butter.
With these tips and a visit to Carpenters Nursery, you can get your garden ready for a fantastic season!
