In this post, you will find the top 5 gardening jobs you can be getting on with, in your garden, in April in the UK. If you’re new to gardening and aren’t sure what jobs you should be getting on with in April then avid gardener, Jenny from @thelaundrygarden is here to share her top 5 gardening tips for the month.
If you missed last month’s blog, you can read it by clicking here.
In addition to Jenny and her husband Tom’s stunning family home (which won Period Living’s home of the Year back in 2019) they also have just under 3 acres of breath-taking garden to go with it, including a stunning 1-acre walled garden.
And if that wasn’t enough to keep them busy, they have also built 2 incredible roundhouses which boast jaw dropping views of the Vale of The Clwydian range, (North Wales) an area of outstanding natural beauty.
The Laundry Retreat is a luxury haven specifically for adults, offering a romantic setting, in a truly beautiful rural location. And the best bit is you get to enjoy the stunning gardens whilst you are there too.
So, without further, ado over to you Jenny…
There’s so much to love about April!
Longer days, Blossom and Tulips! Being outside is such a joy, watching everything green up and the new growth on the trees as they unfurl their new leaves.
However, even though the ground is warming up, there’s still the unpredictability of the weather!
The days can be as warm as 20 degrees and drop as low as -5 degrees C at night.
The last week of the month between 26th April and 2nd May is National Gardening Week.
This event has been run by the RHS for the past 8 years and is designed to encourage more and more people to enjoy the increasing benefits of gardening.
To see what this year’s theme is and to get involved head to https://www.rhs.org.uk/get-involved/national-gardening-week/
~ Here are my top 5 gardening tips to be getting on with throughout April ~
~ 1. Lawns ~
Now is a great time to take a closer look at our lawns, checking to see if there are any bare patches that need re seeding and tidying up the edges that have become untidy over the winter.
Mowing has already started and with unpredictable weather it’s a good idea not to cut it too short until nearer the end of the month.
If you have quite a large lawn it might be worth considering leaving part of it uncut to encourage more insects and wildlife into your garden.
I have managed to persuade Tom to only cut a pathway through our orchard and leave the rest to go wild until the autumn, it’s a great feeling knowing we’ll be increasing our insect population.
~ 2. Roses ~
Now that they are producing leaves, roses are due their foliar feed.
We use Uncle Toms.
If you haven’t already done so, it’s also a good time to cover their base with a bucket of well-rotted horse manure to help feed the roots, stop evaporation, and act as a weed suppressant.
Another hungry plant that can often be overlooked is the wisteria, this will benefit from a granular feed now and you can use rose feed for this.
All you need to do is clear the base of any weeds or leaves and sprinkle a good handful of the granular feed, gently forking it into the soil then water in.
~ 3. Hydrangeas ~
Some Hydrangeas like mop head and lace cap can now be pruned.
Usually, the rule of thumb is to prune flowering shrubs immediately after flowering because they flower on previous years growth.
With hydrangeas this is not the case because they hold water inside their cork-like stems and during winter they can become prone to freezing which can kill the stems and buds that hold the following years flowers!
By leaving the flower heads on this helps to protect the new growth. When pruning be mindful not to cut too low from last year’s spent flower and make the cut just above a pair of new buds.
For more help and information on pruning visit https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/how-to-prune-a-hydrangea-in-spring/
~ 4. Check out hardy annuals that can be sown direct into the ground now ~
Now the garden centres are back open, it’s an ideal time to head over and check out the different varieties of Gladioli corms, I started growing them a couple of years ago and fell in love with them!
They make great cut flowers and also add interesting colour and height to sunny beds and borders.
They can be planted 6 inches deep, if your soil is prone to becoming waterlogged add a handful of sand or grit in their planting hole to aid drainage.
There are also some fantastic hardy annuals that can be sown direct into the ground now like, calendula, nasturtium and cornflowers.
If you’re wanting to grow more flowers for cutting and to extend the growing season up to the early frosts you can also try dahlias, there’s quite a craze for them too!
The beginning of April is when you can pot up the tubers, to see how to do this you can watch this Sarah Raven tutorial, otherwise they are widely sold all potted up and in flower in the early summer at a much higher price.
~ 5. Check containers and pots ~
Now the daylight hours are longer and pot plants are beginning to wake up, it’s worth checking how moist the soil is.
As the weather can fluctuate with dry spells and high winds, plants can become dry very quickly, especially smaller pots and terracotta pots.
Here’s a great informative link on some of the best ways of keeping your pots suitably hydrated over the coming months.
A few notes..
Try and enjoy your garden, taking lots of notes of its progress, pick up a copy of your local NGS leaflet or go online to see what gardens are open near you. https://ngs.org.uk/
And you could check out what RHS gardens are open. https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens
If you love Tulips, I highly recommend you try and visit the Tulip Festival at Morton Hall Gardens on 1st-3rd May (booking essential) https://www.rsc.org.uk/morton-hall
~ This month’s book recommendation ~
The Flower Yard: Growing Flamboyant flowers in containers by Arthur Parkinson
~ This month’s Instagram profile to follow ~
Instagram- Èva Nèmeth. @eva_nemeth
Yet again, I’d like to say an enormous thank you to Jenny for guiding us through another month of top gardening jobs. With the lighter evenings and the weather slowly warming up, evenings sat out enjoying our gardens will soon be upon us.
If you’re reading this as a beginner gardener you may find this blog (also written by the lovely, Jenny) really helpful ~ 5 quick gardening tip for beginners.
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Hope you don’t mind me saying that in the introduction “draw dropping” I would suggest could be amended to “jaw dropping.“
Thank you for I really helpful and inspirational update.
This literally made me howl! That’s what happens when you write blogs at 10pm at night! 😂 Great spot 🙌🙏🏻