April – What should I be planting now?

You can plant gladioli and acidantheras now. If you have any herbaceous perennials then you should thin their roots. Sow hardy annuals in situ and prick off those sown earlier. Remove any dead flowers from narcissus and other spring flowers.

As the weather begins to get a little milder sow new lawn areas, but make sure you protect them from birds. Mow your lawn at medium height.

Plant evergreen coniferous trees and shrubs now. You should apply mulch to roses and trim over lavender. Trim all winter-flowering heathers and remove dead flowers from rhododendrons. Prune early flowering shrubs such as ribes and forsythias and cut down hardy fuchsias to soil as new growth appears.

Prune newly planted bush fruits. Use nets to protect flowers on fruit trees from frost. If the weather is dry then water the newly planted fruits and spray against pests and diseases (do not spray if the trees are in full flower).

If you have a greenhouse then sow seeds of outdoor tomatoes, melon and courgettes. You should space out growing plants and watch for pests and diseases. Bedding plants should be moved into cold frames.

If you have a vegetable patch then you should start successional sowing of radish, lettuce, peas and beans. You should also sow your main crop of carrots.

Cauliflower and calabrese should be planted out raised in cold frames. You can plant late potatoes earth up the early ones.

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