More settled spring days now, warm sunshine, and bursts of colour as rhododendrons, azaleas, peonies and early roses take centre stage.
My roses are heavy with buds, still free from greenfly and black spot, though no doubt both will appear soon. I’ve given them a light spray of winter oil and fish emulsion to deter pests, always best done on a dull day so tender new leaves don’t burn. Avoid spraying or watering foliage at dusk; leaves should be dry going into warm nights to prevent mildew.
Trim spent flowers from perennials and daisy bushes regularly to keep plants bushy and flowering continuously. Allowing blooms to go to seed will only make the plants woody and sparse.
English Lavender is budding;if spittlebugs appear, don’t spray; instead, hose them off with a strong jet of water.
Clematis hybrids will be looking lovely in garden centres. They need to be planted deeply in rich, limey soil and stems trained while still pliable. They are susceptible to wilting, so if this happens, cut it right down; most recover beautifully the following season.
To fill gaps in the flower garden, plant cottage-style annuals such as cosmos, love-in-a-mist, clary sage, lavatera, and blue bedder salvia. Plant them thickly so they support each other and help shade out weeds. Regular deadheading will keep them blooming well into summer.
Hellebore seedlings that have popped up around the garden can be lifted and potted to grow on.
Peony roses are budding, add supports early and limit flowering on new plants to help establish strong roots for future blooming.Hedges are putting on their spring growth. If they’ve reached the height you want trim when stems have firmed. Choose an overcast day, especially for box hedges, to avoid leaf scorch. If your hedge still needs to fill out, wait for new growth to harden before trimming lightly. All those soft trimmings make great mulch.
Lawns are growing fast after recent rain — keep mower blades high to shade the roots or mow without a catcher now and then letting clippings nourish the lawn or spread clippings thinly around the garden as mulch, but avoid thick piles that can smother soil. Bare patches strike quickly now, so rake, reseed, and lightly cover with fine soil for lush results.
Vegetables thrive in warm, moist soil, so now is the time to sow beans, peas, pumpkins, courgettes and cucumbers. Stagger sowings for continuous harvests. How about making a runner bean tepe for the wee ones with bamboo lengths and fine wire.If whiteflies appear in the greenhouse, hang some sticky fly paper strips down near plants and attract helpful predators by planting calendula, fennel, and parsley nearby.
Fruit: Grapevines that were slightly frosted with that cold snap should now be recovering. Avoid overfeeding grapes; too much nitrogen only encourages leaves, not fruit. A sprinkle of potash helps flowering and fruiting.
Codling moth is on the wing again, making a beeline for your apple and pear trees. Egg-laying begins in November: females lay eggs on or near developing apples and pears, often on leaves close to the fruit or directly on young fruitlets. Try this simple codling moth trap: place a banana peel, one cup of vinegar, and one cup of sugar in a milk bottle. Cut the plastic on the side to fashion a cover above an entrance opening to let moths in and keep rain out, fill with water and hang in trees.
If you have empty garden beds, sow a green crop like mustard or blue lupin to boost humus and protect the soil from drying out. Enjoy the growth, colour, and warm energy of this month — summer is just around the corner.
Cheers,Linda
