If March was the month that provides the transition from winter to spring, April is undeniably the time when the garden really starts to get going. Sure, we’ll probably have a few more frosty nights, but we’ll also continue to have the wonderfully clear and bright mornings that we’ve enjoyed in recent weeks. The birds will sing, the blossom will…well, blossom… and all will be well with the gardener’s world. Sounds idyllic doesn’t it? And it is, but April is also a month that brings with it a host of jobs.
Plants
After the comparative drabness of winter, April is a month for colour. Fruit trees burst into bloom, with ornamental cherries and crab apples providing fabulous displays. The blossom from the cherry Prunus ‘Taihaku’ is wonderful, and the display from the crab apple Malus ‘John Downie’ is stunning and less demanding of space. Colour is also provided by some of our shrubs, notably the young red foliage of Photonia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’, and the abundant flower (and wonderful scent) of Viburnum x burkwoodii.
Spring bulbs are still performing as well, with Tulips and Fritillarias taking their turn to show. But perhaps the biggest stars of spring are the herbaceous perennials. Not for the flower, for few are providing a display this early, but rather for the mass of fresh green shoots and leaves that offer so much promise for the months to come.
Jobs
Essentially, our task in April is to give the garden the best possible start to the season, and this comes down to cleaning, tidying, and feeding. Keeping on top of the inevitable weeds is important, and removing any remaining debris from the winter is also essential. Weeding and tidying are hardly the most inspirational tasks, but they do provide an excellent opportunity to get ‘up close and personal’ with your garden and really see what’s going on.
Borders and lawns will benefit from a spring feed. I try to garden organically, and there are numerous organic fertilisers available at the garden centres, but few commercial products are better for mixed borders than a good mulch of ‘home-grown’ compost. If you’ve never kept a compost heap before, why not try this year?
