You won’t know where to start this month what with seeds to sow, plants to plant and the glory of spring’s first flush to distract you. It’s a great month to be outside!
General tasks:
Tackle slugs before they do serious damage, surrounding vulnerable new shoots and plants like delphiniums and hostas with rings of sharp grit.
Tackle troublesome lawn weeds by winkling them out with one of our specialist weeding tools. Leave the odd daisy or clover flower for the wildlife, though.
Ornamental garden:
Plant evergreens like Californian lilac (Ceanothus) and scented Mexican orange blossom (Choisya ternata) for year-round colour.
Sow annual wildflowers for a glorious show even in poor, gravelly soils. You’ll find easy-to-sow mixes in our garden centre.
Plant out overwintered sweet peas at the foot of wigwams or obelisks. Sow seeds direct alongside too for a really long display of flowers.
Kitchen garden:
Protect apricots, cherries and peaches with fleece or polythene if frosts threaten as cold damages early blossom.
Tie in blackberries and tayberries, training this year’s new material on one side and last year’s on the other.
Plant onion sets for the summer harvest: we love ‘Giant Stuttgarter’ for its huge bulbs, and ‘Red Baron’ for wine-red skins.
