It's all on now that the cold snap is over, soil is warm again and all we gardeners require now is a nice gentle shower or two because as I write this our sprinkler is on the lawn and I am needing to water gardens.Later flowering blossoms are taking center stage now like prunus Kanzan and prunus shimidsu sakura. Enjoy because they will not be on show again until this time next year.
Weeding, weeding, weeding is what happens now, spot spraying convolvulus and couch while fresh new growth is coming through is about the only way I was able to get on top of them, I would zap them on a non windy day. I could never use weed spray anywhere near roses, a sniff of hormone spray will deform the foliage and the rose bush will eventually die so if you need to use spray don't risk it on a windy day.
Coastal gardens will be quite far ahead of gardens inland, still getting reasonable frosts from time to time I'm sure. Late frosts on roses' new growth can be a problem but don' t be too concerned if new growth has been frosted, rose leaves recover very fast and will have new buds to open in six weeks time. When the nights start warming up any dampness left by hose water on rose leaves will encourage mildew, keep food up to your roses while they are making buds, it's hungry roses that get diseased. For a quick result, slow release fertiliser is good right now for any summer flowering plants and shrubs.
Keep deadheading and feeding flowering pansies and polyanthus as long as there is a chill in the air they will keep flowering until it gets warmer, If you feel they have done all they are going to do dig out, cut old leaves back and plant in a cool shady place where they can be left until planting out next year.
Camellias can be trimmed and shaped when finished flowering, take out branches from the middle, enough to let a bird fly through, this lets the light in to help form next year's buds.
About now in my past large garden I would be taking notice of how shrubs had come through the winter and if some of my front shrub plantings were too big now, hiding good planting areas behind. It takes only a few years for gardens to close in without us really noticing and what a difference can be made by opening up and creating distance for a new and interesting planting.
Seeds are germinating very quickly now, sunflower, cosmos, cornflower, lavatera, nasturtiums are some of the flowers seeds I planted into trays but because they are still small snails and slugs will be attracted to them so I will pop into punnets until they put on more growth. If you are keen to attract monarch butterflies on the coast, plant swan plants now but protect from late frosts until established.
Vegetables: Keep an eye on potatoes that are through the ground, frost cloth may still be needed depending on where you live. Soil is warm enough now and there are so many veg options available for growing our own food. Sow salad greens, carrots, corn, beans, beetroot, Pumpkin, squash, and courgette. If you prefer to buy plants be sure to harden them off outside in a protected place before planting. Glass houses will be ready for the many varieties of tomato plants on offer but if you have no glass or tunnel house try growing on a sunny deck or patio the harder tomatoes in containers or planter bags that can include stakes. Smaller varieties are easiest to manage e.g. Red Robin, Russian red or Totem in containers and the cherry tomato tumbling Tom in large hanging baskets. Plant in a tomato mix, water as needed and liquid feed fortnightly. In the glass or tunnel house why not try basil plants growing among tomatoes to repel white fly, the general consensus is that basil - both plants and extracts made from the leaves can be an effective natural deterrent for white fly, mosquitoes, tomato horn-worm, aphids and house fly as well as being a wonderful culinary enhancement with tomatoes.
Cheers, Linda
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