Life is returning to the garden after an exceptionally cold winter – buds delayed by low temperatures have slowly opened, flowers and blossom are beginning to clothe stems and branches.
It will not be long before the gardening work begins to overtake the usual seasonal tasks; grass needs cutting on a regular basis, and weeds that have managed to survive the cold must be dug out from the roots (not just stems removed). And there are always little areas needing to be cleared that were missed during the autumn tidy.
The ground is beginning to warm up even if the air temperature feels cool and as daylight hours extend, more things can be planted and seeds sown straight into the ground. The sun is surprisingly warm at this time but soon loses the heat as night time temperatures often drop significantly. Plants to enjoy in the garden include Viola odorata, the tiny purple woodland plant with a strong sweet scent; Forsythia is in full bloom with its cheerful yellow flowers – to be seen for the next couple of weeks; the winter Hellebores (out in December) are still in flower. Blackthorn, usually one of the first wild trees to flower in early March is out and at last Rosemary has started flowering. The spring bulbs – Daffodils, Tulips and Hyacinths – have all come out together.
Sowing green leaves, lettuces and tomatoes can still be done during April. Little Gem is a compact variety of lettuce with a sweet flavour. ‘Tumbler’ is a popular choice of trailing tomato that produces a prolific crop (it can be grown in a hanging basket too).
April is the last month to plant strawberries to get them established and fruiting for the summer season. Try Cambridge Favourite (mid-season type) or Florence (late summer fruiting) they can also be grown in containers; the plants get quite large and will put out ‘runners’ that produce plantlets. The compact Alpine strawberries make a pretty display in containers – they produce tiny fruits with a hint of vanilla flavour; but lots of plants would be needed to ensure any kind of crop. Have a few specimens and grow them as a treat.
The secret of successful container gardening whether growing edible or flowering plants is that they need to be watered well – up to three times a day during very hot weather, and as they produce crops (or flowers) they will easily exhaust the nutrients in the compost, so a regular balanced feed is vital.
Planting bulbs (and corms) is carried out at various times throughout the gardening year – in autumn it’s daffodils, snowdrops and crocus for spring displays. During April the summer flowering bulbs like perfumed Lilies, the Day Lilies, Freesias, Polianthes, Crocosmias and Crinums are planted to add colours and interest later in the year to the summer borders and beds.
