Gardening Jobs for April

April is a very busy but also a very enjoyable month for us gardeners; seedlings need pricking out, seeds need sowing, plus you’ve got to stay on top of all of your spring garden maintenance jobs. April is often the first month of the year that has days where you can drink your morning coffee outside or eat brunch on the patio, and therefore it’s even more important to stay on top of your garden tasks to keep your garden looking its best! We are eagerly awaiting the ‘green light’ for planting out tender seedlings once the frosts have past, but there’s plenty that can go out into your garden or raised beds now. Read on for a few gardening jobs to be getting on with this month!

Trim & tie back rambling and climbing roses

As your rambling and climbing roses begin to put on new spring growth, they may need a trim to keep them looking neat, and they may also need to be retied, to ensure they are trained in the direction you want them to spread in.

Tidy up your perennials

It’s important to clear dead and damaged leaves from your perennials to ensure that new growth has space to come through, and won’t get infected from any old diseased leaves. At this time of year, you’re safe to remove any brown or unhealthy looking foliage.

Open your greenhouse

As the weather warms up, it’s a good idea to open the doors and windows of your cold-frame or greenhouse and leave them open through warm days. The ventilation is important to reduce the chance of disease, encourage pollination of your plants, and to regulate the temperature of the greenhouse. Be sure to close the doors and windows over cool nights. If you havn’t done so already, give your greenhouse a good clean and tidy to create a space that’s suitable for your tender seedlings.

Feed your hydrangeas

Your hydrangeas will need to fed to keep them growing vigorously through the spring and summer; Vitax hydrangea feed will be the perfect solution.

Deadhead your spring bulbs

It’s important to keep on top of deadheading your spring bulbs such as daffodils and tulips as they go over. Not just for aesthetic reasons, but also to ensure that energy remains in the bulb for a brilliant display next year.

Support plants such as peonies

As taller plants such as peonies shoot up in the warm and wet spring weather, be sure to add plant supports. Pop down to your local antiques centre, or have a look on an antiques website for some beautifully rusted garden supports to keep your peonies looking perky.

Plant out hardy plants

Hardy seedlings such as peas, beans, poppies and sweet peas can all be planted outside now. If you’re planting out climbing plants such as peas and beans, be sure to tie-in your seedlings onto a structure such as a trellis or a tipi made of sticks to encourage them to grow upwards. If you live in a colder area, be careful with beans as I lost a few last year to a late hard frost.

Keep feeding the birds

April marks the end of the hungry gap for birds, which means that it’s important to keep your bird feeders topped up through the month of April. Also be sure to clean your bird feeders regularly, as unclean bird feeders can spread diseases through bird populations.

Protect your new growth from slugs

As your lovely perennials spring back to life, the delicate new growth can be very attractive to slugs. One natural way that I’ve found to deter slugs is to scatter fire ash in a ring around your plants; I’ve tried this with my lupins and it’s been a big success! You may have to top up your ash ring after heavy rain.

Prick out plants

If you’ve been growing things from seed, you’ll probably have some seedlings to prick out this month. Be sure to move seedlings into their own small pots so they have space to develop a strong rootball. This will ensure you have strong and healthy plants to plant out later in spring.

My favourite seed brands

Vital Seeds

Vital Seeds is a British organic seed company who produce primarily vegetable and herb seeds. If you order from Vital Seeds, your seeds will be posted to you from their organic seed production site in Devon. I love the varieties they offer and their simple packaging.

The Heritage Organic Seed Company

Heritage Seed Company is another favourite of mine as they aim to preserve many of the heirloom or heritage seed varieties, and make them available across the UK. Supporting an organic seed company is also important for the environment, as organic seed production can help to protect our soils and the biodiversity of the land.

Chiltern Seeds

Chiltern Seeds produce a huge range of seeds, including vegetable, flower, shrub, climber and even tree seeds. The company was set up in 1975 in Buckinghamshire, with the aim of selling unusual seeds that you often don’t come across from other suppliers. I love their range of heirloom and heritage vegetable seeds!