Everywhere’s looking very green at the minute, with trees leafing up and the grass growing rapidly. While we’re still having to dodge the showers (I can’t believe how much rain we had last Monday – so impressed with all you dedicated gardeners who still made it to the plant swap!) the weather’s moving steadily towards summer, and our gardens are coming on leaps and bounds at this time of year. Here’s a list of this month’s top 10 jobs.
1.
It’s lawn mowing season! Weekly or fortnightly sessions are now a must.
2.
Weeding – think of it as a workout, summer’s just around the corner!
3.
Spring-flowering bulbs: dead head them as the blooms fade. Once they have finished flowering, you can lift and divide any overcrowded clumps.
4.
Pest patrol: spring showers bring out slugs and snails – get them now before they get your plants. Also keep an eye out for viburnum beetle and lily beetle grubs.
5.
Box tree caterpillar – this one gets its own bullet point as it’s such an important pest to keep an eye out for! If you find this caterpillar on your buxus, deal with it immediately as it will devour your box very quickly indeed. You can remove them by hand, or treat with a pyrethrum spray. See my previous article about box tree caterpillar in the gardening section of TAG for further details.
6.
Rain water: however you collect it, citerns or water butts, make the most of this weather and build up your supplies while you can, ready for the summer.
7.
Greenhouses: open up your doors and vents on warm days to let the air circulate.
8.
Vegetable plants: if you did some early sowings in March and April you should now have some lovely young seedlings ready for planting. Continue sowing seeds such assweetcorn, courgettes, cucumber and kale.
9.
Potatoes: if you have any remaining potato tubers, plant them as soon as possible. Begin earthing up your potatoes once the shoots grow to about 23cm/9”
10.
Flowers: brighten up your garden with some colourful flowers. Now is a good time to direct sow annuals - we’re especially fond of lovely, cheerful sunflowers. It’s also a good time to plant perennials. While you can continue to plant throughout the summer, as long as you water the plants regularly, doing it now will give them a better chance of survival as the continuing spring showers will water them in.
Debbie Le Jardin des Espiemonts
