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- April
- The Flower Garden
The Flower Garden
Dead head spring-flowering bulbs as they finish flowering and keep moist and feed with Blood, Fish and Bone or Maxicrop. Plant Gladioli corms over several weeks for a longer continuous display and there’s still time to plant Liliums. There are several good compact forms of lilies that are ideal for container growing and these should be potted as soon as possible. Established clumps of lilies may be top-dressed with peat or leaf mould. Begonias already started off in trays will now be ready to pot on. On bright days, these will require shading.
Overcrowded Nerines may be divided this month, lift carefully with a fork where ground in the ground, tease apart carefully only replanting or potting quality damage free bulbs to minimise the risk of rotting. Where potting use the smallest pot possible to encourage flowering in as short as time as possible.
Check lilies and fritillarias for first signs of lily beetles and squash the adults. Spray with a proprietary systemic insecticide specific to lily beeetles to prevent further attacks. This can also be used for scale insects on Camellias and other evergreens, but remember that the optimum time to spray for scale insect is in June-July. Slugs and snails can cause havoc at this time of year especially on soft growth such as clematis and efforts should be made to reduce their numbers using a safe and organic proprietary slug control product.
Pot grown Clematis can be planted now and should be planted slightly deeper than they were growing in the pot to protect against clematis wilt and encourage a well-branched plant. Tie in young shoots on established clematis regularly and keep well watered during dry spells. Clematis may be fed with a proprietary clematis feed.
April is a perfect month for selecting and planting new herbaceous plants. Thin out shoots on herbaceous plants such as Delphiniums and Lupins to encourage the production of fewer but larger flowers. Support herbaceous plants where necessary with unobtrusive methods using natural materials or proprietary plant supports. Remove old discoloured leaves from Bergenias, prune Salvias, Penstemons and Phygelius, replant or mulch old leggy Heucheras. Trim back deciduous grasses taking care not to cut into emerging growth.
Give spring flowering bedding plants a boost of fast acting fertilizer such as Vitax Q4 after tidying up and lightly cultivating the soil. Dead head any spring flowering subjects such as Violas and Pansies where flowers have faded to get maximum flowering. Watch for greenfly on these as well as Polyanthus and Primroses: if seen use a combined contact and systemic spray. Ensure that these plants do not dry out during sunny spells. A vine weevil killer can also be applied to protect against the larvae of vine weevil. Prepare sites with plenty of manure for plants of Chrysanthemums and Dahlias but do not plant until all risk of frost has gone. Dormant Dahlia tubers can be planted in the ground at the end of the month in the midlands, weather permitting
If you have a greenhouse and you can provide a night temperature of 10-12°C (50‑55°F) make up hanging baskets using well-stopped and well-branched subjects, this way fewer plants will be needed than later in the season. Sow sweet peas seeds. Plant out glasshouse raised sweet pea seedlings and guide them up supports as they begin to grow and remove side shoots of cordon-grown plants. Start to harden off the hardier bedding plants such as Antirrhinums. Pinch out the growing points of Antirrhinums, Salvias and Petunias to encourage bushier plants that will flower more prolifically. When soil conditions are possible sow hardy annuals in their flowering positions. Ideally possible choose a showery day for this task as it speeds up germination. Gap up and thin the seedlings out when soil is moist.
All borders may be top-dressed with organic mulch such as Carr’s Soil Improver to promote quality growth and lighter soils may need feeding to compensate for nutrients leached out by heavy rain. Many flowering shrubs and roses will benefit from a generous dressing of a high potash fertilizer such as Toprose especially on light sandy soils.
Spray roses against black spot/mildew and aphids with a combined insecticide and fungicide spray. Remove any old discoloured foliage from Hellebores, especially if they show signs of leaf spot. Spray regularly with a systemic fungicide to prevent diseases as well as a systemic insecticide to prevent aphids as there is a Hellebore specific aphid which transmits viruses between Hellebores. Encourage strong healthy plants to beat the disease: mulch with mushroom compost and give a slow release general feed such as Osmacote.
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