April gardening tasks will be carried out in a weather mix of really warm sun, frosts, snow and possibly April showers. Not sure who is more confused – us or the plants!
But it doesn’t stop us from being hopeful and still trotting out to garden centres and plant nurseries. You may find the Plews blog 10 Tips for Buying Garden Plants helpful
But before you race to the garden centre to meet and walk around with a friend, may we just flag up a current gardening issue: –
Peat free multi purpose potting compost
There may still be some bagged peat for sale – the ban keeps being pushed back…the original Defra target was a total withdrawal of peat use by amateur gardeners by 2020
Many gardeners are struggling to find a new seed and potting compost that suits them. I suggest buying small quantities There are plenty of good ones, but you may need to try different brands to discover which is best for your plants. I recommend buying small quantities and seeing which best suits you and your plants. You may need amend your watering regime too.
Three Gardening Tasks for April
- Red Roses for St George’s Day on April 23rd – what are good red roses? Rosa ‘a moment in time’ was rose of the year in 2012 and is still good. A floribunda rose, meaning that it repeat flowers through summer and autumn, it has a light fragrance and is happy in the flower border or a container. Buy and plant now so it develops a good root system before flowering.
- Garden pests are coming out of the woodwork – quite literally in some cases if you didn’t clean your greenhouse last autumn! Check for aphids & red spider mite in the greenhouse and on indoor plants. Be sure to use organic sprays and pesticides or introduce nematodes, which work particularly well in confined areas. Beware of using neem oil – research shows that it IS harmful to bees and pollinating insects.
- Give your decking a good scrub or pressure wash before you start to use it for BBQs. Do your folding tables and chairs easily open and close? Add a bit of grease to make it easier to open them and check that all the fastenings are secure.
Gardening Tasks for April – extra
The Easter weekend is the start of the gardening year for many people. And for others its when they decide to totally re-do their garden from scratch. If you’re one of the latter, have a read of this Plews Potting Shed blog before hiring a mini digger “How to Renovate Your Garden, part 1“
April is National Pet Month – now we love designing Pet Friendly Gardens, but sometimes its Advice that’s needed instead. Marie share’s tips from her Garden Consultancy work with turning gardens into safe places for your pets.
Eating chocolate is an Easter delight, but did you know that you can have chocolate scented flowers in your garden? Chocolate cosmos (Cosmos astrosanguineus) is a tender tuberous perennial that you can start into growth this month. Like a dahlia, this cocoa scented flower with velvet brown petals flower grows each year from a tuberous root. Find your free printable chocolate plants list here
See our Instagram and Facebook page for more tips, pics, gardening inspo.
Gardening Workshops in Marie’s garden
Small group workshops so you get plenty of attention. There are a range of topics, some seasonal, but currently on offer are –
- Free Plants – How & When to Divide Herbaceous Perennials
- Seed Sowing Tips & Tricks
- Vegetable Growing Basics – the different types of veggie families, where to grow them & cultivation methods explained.
- Edible Flowers 101 – what to eat and how to grow it for pleasure and lunch!
See Plews Gardening Workshops for more details or head to Eventbrite to book your place
With a mix of practical, hands on demonstration and guided practice, you’ll go home with more gardening knowledge and something to grow on in your own garden.
Prices from £38 – £53 depending on length & materials provided, includes tea / coffee on arrival & Eventbrite booking fee. There are also Earlybird offers
Location is Biggin Hill / Westerham (just inside M25). NB there are steps as the garden is on a hill
Gardens to visit this month
Bluebell woods! Nearly half the world’s population of bluebells is found in the UK and they’re a key indicator of Ancient Woodlands. But please tread carefully – crushed plants – yes, even “just” the foliage and can take up to five years to recover!
Many opens gardens are charitable foundatiions and rely on visitors for most of their income. And for some, the garden is a way to promote the charitable work they do. But whatever the spring garden you visit, enjoy the array of small perennials, flowering shrubs, lots of scent and a delightful preponderance of blue and yellow flowers.
And talking of open gardens … if you can’t make it to the Workshops, you can still follow Marie’s garden & its renovation on Instagram or Facebook It’ll be at least a year before she can open her garden but you can watch the progress until then!
Garden Talks
Are you the person who organises talks for your local gardening club, WI, U3A, history society, or general club?
Have a look at the Talks page to see if Marie’s wide ranging garden related topics might interest you and your members. Recent ones given include Planting for Shady Front Gardens Trees for Small Gardens, and Record keeping – how necessary is it for most gardeners?
Attending one of Marie’s gardening talks is more than just sitting in a chair and being spoken to. It’s a learning experience and an inspirational journey. She brings her vast knowledge to life with captivating stories, simple explanations and demonstrations.
Would you like even more gardening tips, garden design ideas and seasonal gardens to visit?
Why not check out the gardening blog articles on a range of topics in Plews Potting Shed?
Marie’s writing has achieved Plews Potting Shed’s standing as it’s in the Top Ten Garden Design blogs and Top Thirty Gardening blogs by Feedspot and she has previously been shortlisted in the prestigious Garden Media Guild Awards.
It’s a garden designer’s blog with a difference. A plantswoman, conservationist and quirky thinker, Marie pulls together different strands of garden related ideas and non-gardening ideas to delight you even if you’re an armchair gardener.
“interesting even if you have no intention of picking up a spade”
Thanks Tim, who is a regular reader if a reluctant gardener!
With a wide range of topics there’s sure to be one that appeals to you!
Recent blogs include Could you grow your own Coffee? And 5 Rockery plants for Bees and small green roofs
Plews Free Gardening Printables
Gardening printables for you
A range of free downloadable and printable PDFs on seasonal gardening, garden history snippets, vegetable gardening, garden design, themed planting lists for inspiration, garden planning, record keeping for you and your garden For example. A Plants for Chalk Soil List which goes with the Tips for Gardening on Chalk Soil blog.
Plews eBooks
Available to purchase from Plews (via PayPal); safe download directly from the website; the eBooks are available from Amazon and Kindle Library too. Our most popular eBook is –
“Compost and Composting“
How to compost, what to compost, why composting is important even in small spaces.
Happy Spring Gardening!
And remember – Plews Gardening Gift Vouchers are available all year for all our services and products.
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