Have you spotted any signs of spring in your garden? Here the apple trees are leafing up, and some of the summer bulbs like Hyacinths and Muscari have flowered. When I see those first signs of spring it makes me think about all of the jobs to do in the garden in April. So I thought I would write up some of the tasks you should try and tackle, with a few hints and tips too. I’ve concentrated on things that are low or no cost as it may be that you can’t get hold of many things or don’t have the budget to do so. We are in the latter of these positions at the moment. Therefore I wanted to be sensitive to that, as I know many of us are going through tough times both mentally and financially.
Jobs To Do In The Garden In April :
Weeding
As the sun and rain begin to increase so do the weeds…urgh! So April is a good month to start to get in control of those weeds.
It is a good idea to put weed barriers in place in late winter or early spring, as they work better as a preventative than when an existing problem requires suppressing. Manual removal and cutting back with hoeing, hand pulling and weeding with a fork too is the best way to tattle weeds. I haven’t tried a flame gun, but this is also supposed to be an effective way to get rid of weeds between paving slabs and on driveways if you have one. Try to do a manageable area each day, little and often!
Protect fruit blossom from late frosts.
In early spring, the new growth and blossom can be easily damaged by frost. Not only plants in full flower are vulnerable, but buds and even fertilised flowers can be damaged, so protection should be maintained for two weeks after flowering if severe frosts threaten. You can, of course, buy fleece for plants to protect them, but I have successfully also used bedsheets I was no longer using. You do have to stake them down with canes or straight branches you may have cut back in your garden.
Tie in climbing and rambling roses
When you tieing in roses (or lots of other plants actually) and you don’t have anything available, how about trying tights? Yes I know it might sound strange but because they are stretchy they really can work well. Have a look at this guide to training climbing roses which has lots of detailed handy hints and tips.
Feed those greedy shrubs and roses in April
All plants including roses require feeding. Roses are probably one of the hungrier family of plants. April is the ideal time to start this. Hopefully, you will have some food from last year, but if you don’t what things around the home can you use to feed plants outside?
Here are some more jobs to be doing in the garden this April :
- Sow any herbs and wildflower seed you may have.
- Start to feed citrus plants.
- Increase the water given to houseplants.
- Sow new lawns or repair bare patches.
Finally, we took some time to sort our seating areas. We went through our stash of old tins of outdoor paint and took the time to touch up wooden outdoor furniture and paint our summerhouse that was looking a little bashed around the edges. It ended up being great fun, even though it was hard work the whole family got involved so it was an activity to do together too. The garden seating is now looking smart and it didn’t cost a thing!
So that’s my list of things that cost nothing (hopefully) but hard work this April. Do you have any more to add?
[…] at least we’re getting the quality time to spend in the garden that we were hoping for. We Brits tend not to stay down for too long. There’s always a bright […]