lejardindesespiemonts@gmail.com
2015
April Jobs
It's officially spring time, even if it doesn't feel like it! However, the
weather is forecast to improve, so get ready for a busy time in your gardens!
Here's this month's top jobs.
Weeding. There's been lots of rain lately but it's about to get nicer, so make weeding a priority! Hoe your borders regularly to prevent annual weeds from spreading and keep ripping perennial weeds out by the root.
Dividing
Divide any perennials that you didn't do last month. Not all perennials need dividing every year, be guided by the specific variety and divide the ones that you want to propagate, the ones that have grown too large for their allotted space, and those that have lost their shape or are no longer flowering well.
Pruning
Prune fig trees. This fruit does so well over here, look after your trees by pruning them, to keep them in shape and increase yield. Also prune summer flowering shrubs e.g. Buddleia and Caryopteris and Perovskia.
Feeding
Feed shrubs and roses with organic matter such as compost or manure or apply fertiliser.
Check tree ties
If you have staked any young trees, check tree ties to make sure that they are not digging into the bark, and that there is room for growth for the trunk girth to expand.
Take care of climbers
Tie in climbing and rambling roses. Use soft plant ties, not hard wire, which would cut into the stems. Tie them in as near to horizontal as possible. This will restrict sap flow, which will cause more sideshoots to grow along the length of the stem, thus producing more flowers.
Twining climbers (e.g. honeysuckle and clematis) will need regular tying in and twining around their supports, throughout their growth periods of spring and summer.
Deadheading
Hopefully you're still enjoying lots of lovely flowering bulbs, but make sure you deadhead your daffodils and tulips as required, leaving the leaves to die back naturally, thus returning energy to the bulb.
Pest patrol
Regularly inspect for caterpillars, aphids, slugs and snails, who will become more of a problem as temperatures increase. Inspect buxus and holly trees for signs of blight, and keep a regular eye on buxus for signs of box tree caterpillar, which should be dealt with immediately (with a pyrethrum spray). Inspect Oak and Pine trees for processional caterpillars, which are a danger to people and pets.
Add fresh compost to containers to provide sufficient nutrients for the plants. Check that the pot size is still adequate and pot on any plants showing signs of being pot-bound. Check for vine weevil - a symptom of which is plants starting to wilt. Heuchera, Saxifraga, Sempervivum and Sedum are particularly prone to this pest. The young vine weevil grub eats these roots, while the adult vine weevil beatles eat the leaves of evergreen shrubs.
Seed sowing and vegetable planting.
If you're growing your own veggies and herbs from seed, there's lots that can be direct sown now. Lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, kale - check your seed packets for guidelines. if you sowed plants under cover last month, transplant them to your vegetable patch when the young plants are of a sufficient size and the roots are fully established.
Hopefully you've been chitting your potatoes. If not, get them onto a sunny windowsill to help the shoots develop as they can be planted this month. Asparagus crowns can be planted this month too. A few people have said to me that they haven't bothered with asparagus as it takes so long to reap any rewards. I think this is a shame. If you take the time now to create an asparagus bed, a little bit of time spent weeding, watering and winter mulching is all that is needed, then in a few years you can enjoy lovely, fresh asparagus, for many years to come.
comments to taglines82@gmail.com
