Mzzz B's April Garden Blog

Species tulip Little Beauty

Primrose

Exochordia

Rhododendron Taurus

Ipheon

The April Garden
The rain has continued and all our gardens seem to be sodden and a bog! But it is amazing how rapidly things are growing. Primroses have done very well this year clearly liking all the rain, It seems that everyday there is something new to look at in the garden as things start to pop up and flower. I have really been enjoying the bright colours in the garden after all the rain and grey skies. The rhodendron Taurus, is a large grower and very blowsy! But it really does cheer me up on a grey day. The delicate Exochordia is so beautiful in bud and in flower. If you have a warm wall or a warm spot under shrubs or trees the little white Ipheon will grow well, and flower at this time of year. The little species tulips come up every year and gently increases, unlike the big Dutch tulips which seem to get fewer every year and need constant replacing.
The bumblebees have been enjoying all the flowers that are out. I saw the first comma butterfly on a very early flowering buddleia- it must have just come out of hibernation.
It's a very busy time of the year with seed sowing, splitting and potting on perennials that have grown to big for their slot, but still we could get cold nights so beware of putting tender things outside.
Be careful turning over soil and leaves- I have found toads and newts still hiding.

The Royal Horticultural Society has recently been trying to persuade us that we show learn to live with slugs in the garden. This is a difficult ask! But their website has a list of slugs which are in fact good for the garden and may also eat other slugs. So it may be good to get to know your slugs, and to take action only with those plants that are slug delights- like new seedlings, hostas and delphiniums. You can choose to grow only plants that slugs don't like, or just take action with those plants that are really affected by them.Their advice is that using slug pellets even if they are purported to be organic may actually get rid of the good predators as well. So it may be best to only use them for specific things.

Jobs to do in April

• Sow annuals like love in the mist and marigolds direct in gaps in your borders.
• Pot up dahlia tubers and keep them in a greenhouse.
• Plant out sweet peas grown over the winter.
• Weed, weed and weed.
• Prick out seedlings of annuals and tomatoes into bigger pots when they have produce the mature leaves,
• Plant second early and main crop potatoes.
• Courgettes , cucumbers can be sown this month indoors or a greenhouse.
• Deadhead daffodils and early spring bulbs so they can bulk up for next year.

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