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Monthly Tips >
April
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Gardening tips from William Sinclair Holdings PLC.
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Spring well and truly arrives this month as
trees and shrubs burst into fresh green leaf and gardens and
hedgerows are decked with pink and white blossom. Warm days should
tempt even the most reluctant gardener out to catch up with the
jobs that can't be put off any longer. For many people, the lawn
will be the first priority. It's probably looking pretty sad after
the winter, but don't worry. There's an enormous range of J Arthur
Bower lawncare products to help you get your lawn in tip-top
condition.
ESSENTIAL JOBS CHECKLIST FOR
APRIL
- Give your lawn a feed and treat moss and
weeds if necessary
- Plant new shrubs, perennials and rock
plants.
- Plant maincrop potatoes and onion sets
- Sow vegetables, herbs and annual flowers
- Divide and replant congested perennials
- Train in new shoots of clematis
- Start begonias, dahlias and cannas
- Start feeding indoor plants
Last Chance To…
Prune roses
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TOPICAL TIPS FOR APRIL
- Sooner or later perennials will need
dividing –ideally this should be done every three to five
years. Once the plants starts to become woody or dies back at
the centre it will benefit from being split up and replanted.
Early April is a good time of year to tackle this. Dig up the
plant and split ii up into several portions, making sure each
has a good share of root. Discard the woody centre. Dig over
and fertilise the area for replanting, using your favourite J
Arthur Bower's soil conditioner and general plant food. Once
planted, water in well and mulch.
- Garden centres are bursting with colour
at this time of year and it's easy to be tempted into buying
new plants. Make sure they get off to a good start by
preparing the soil well and using one of the planting mixtures
set out in the Quick Tips section.
- The clematis you pruned last month will
be putting on masses of growth now. Spend a but of time
training it and tying it in otherwise you'll find it makes a
congested mass. If you get training early you can spread the
growing shoots widely over the chosen wall or fence and get a
far better display of flowers. Be very careful with the new
shoots as they are very brittle and easily broken..
- The flowers of spring bulbs will be dying
off now. Don't be tempted to cut the leaves and flowers down
for at least six weeks after flowering as this will weaken the
bulbs. By all means cut off the dead flower heads to stop them
setting seed. Once you've done this give the clumps a generous
feed with one of J Arthur Bower's Liquid Plant foods. This
will help the bulbs build up so that you get an even better
display next spring
- Annual seeds can be sown in the open
garden now. If you sow them in rows you'll find it easier to
thin them, and to tell them apart from weed seedlings. Don't
sow them too thickly. It's a good idea to sow after there's
been a good downpour as the moisture in the soil will help the
seeds germinate quickly. Do water if it becomes very dry..
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- This really is your last chance to prune
bedding roses. Don't worry if they've already made lots of
growth – all that will happen is that flowering is delayed.
The plants will benefit from tough pruning. Honestly! And
don't forget to feed them once the job is done.
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- Give your lawn the pick me up it needs to
ensure a smooth green carpet. Choose the appropriate J Arthur
Bower's product and use according to the instructions. Be
careful not to use if the grass is wet or you could end up
with scorched grass.
- If you garden on heavy soil which becomes
easily compacted, consider using J Arthur Bower's Lawn
Dressing, which will improve the soil structure promoting
strong root growth and healthy grass.
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- Continue to sow summer bedding. Last
month's sowings should be ready to prick out now.
- Sow tomatoes in pots – if you don't
have a greenhouse a warm windowsill is fine.
- Continue to start summer-flowering plants
such as fuchsias, pelargoniums, begonias and dahlias into
growth
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- Keep displays looking good by
dead-heading and watering more frequently.
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- Plant second early potatoes at the
beginning of the month and maincrop varieties at the end of
the month
- Plant out onion sets in rows, making sure
you leave enough space between them for hoeing out the weeds.
- Continue to sow outdoors or under cloches
– leeks, broad beans, beetroot, lettuce, parsnips, peas,
mange-tout and spinach can all be treated in this way.
- Brussels sprouts and summer cauliflower
and cabbage is best sown into a seed bed before transplanting
in May
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- Basil is one of the more tricky herbs to
grow from seed. It hates cold, damp conditions, so is best
sown in a warm greenhouse or on a warm windowsill. Ideally the
temperature shouldn't fall below 13 C (55 F). Sow very thinly
and prick out the seedlings as soon as they are large enough
to handle. Keep them in a sunny but well-ventilated place
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- Apply a general plant food, either J
Arthur Bower's Growmore or Fish, Blood and Bone, around fruit
bushes, trees and strawberry plants
- If frost is forecast spread fleece over
flowering fruit trees and bushes to protect the blossom
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- If tadpoles have turned up in your pond
make sure they have clumps of pondweed to give them shelter
for marauding goldfish.
- If you have a piece of your garden that's
always soggy, why not consider turning it into a bog garden.
You'll need to dig out the soil to s depth of about 12 inches
before putting a liner in. Soil should consist of J Arthur
Bower's Top Soil mixed half an half with peat, or a
peat-substitute if you prefer. Dust over with Growmore or
Fish, Blood and Bone before planting.. Among the plants you
can choose are astilbes, many varieties of primula and iris
and ferns
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- Many alpine plants are at their best in
spring. If you don't have room for a traditional rockery or
you can't be bothered with one, don't worry. You can still
grow these lovely plants. The easiest way to start is probably
in an old sink or similar shallow container. Lay fine mesh
netting over the container base and place broken crocks over
the drainage holes. Then add about 3 inches of J Arthur
Bowers's coarse grit. Make up a planting mixture by mixing one
part top soil, one part peat or peat substitute and one part
grit. Fill the container to within one inch from the top with
this mixture. You can add pieces of tufa rock as you put in
the compost. Then it's ready for planting. It's worth going to
a specialist alpine nursery and asking for plants that are
small and slow-growing otherwise your trough could be swamped.
When you've finished planting top-dress the trough with an
inch of coarse grit.
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NEED MORE HELP?
Look at our information pages. The aim is to
cut out the mystique that surrounds many common tasks, and to
explain in a simple way, why and how to do them. This way, we hope
to help you enjoy your garden more, and get the best out of it.
Under each topic, you'll also find a guide
to the wide range of J Arthur Bower's products available to help
you with that particular task. The choice is yours.
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