Top Gardening Tips for April
We absolutely love the month of April. The days are longer, there’s more sunshine, the bees and butterflies return, more trees begin to blossom, and the weather is just warm enough to enjoy long evenings on the patio. To help you prepare for April, we’ve popped together some of our top gardening tips for this highly transitional month.
Show the weeds who’s boss
This is the time of year when weeds suddenly pop up all over the place. The warmer days, direct sunlight and gentle showers cause all kinds of unwanted wild plants to appear everywhere from flowerbeds to driveways. Nip them in the bud (quite literally) either by pulling them out by hand, with a garden fork, or by carefully running a hoe across the soil.
As for weeds between paving slabs, salt is a great way to kill them right the way down to the root. However, it’s absolutely essential that you don’t allow the salt or any salty water to enter areas of soil that host grass, trees, shrubs or flowers. Salt does the job so well that it will annihilate all plant life, so please be careful where you scatter it.
Feed shrubs and roses
If the weather is drier than expected, make sure to give your shrubs and roses a nice long drink to get them ready for rapid growth. It’s also time to treat them to some high-quality fertiliser, as they need feeding from now until the end of summer to keep them strong.
Leave the caterpillars
We understand that you don’t want caterpillars eating all of your greenery. However, these wriggly critters are a major food source for birds, so try to leave them alone if possible. Alternatively, if you really want to relocate the caterpillars, make sure to fill up a few bird feeders with seeds so that our feathered friends don’t go hungry.
Empty your compost bin
This is the perfect time to make use of all that nutrient-rich compost that’s been festering during the winter months. Be very careful when removing it from the compost bin, as there may be wildlife such as hedgehogs and frogs using it for shelter.
Clean out the greenhouse
If you’re an avid grower of tomatoes, peas, strawberries and other greenhouse favourites, it’s time to give their home a good old scrub. Greenhouses are usually pretty dirty by April, so get rid of all the muck using hot soapy water and a bit of elbow grease.
Prepare the beds
We don’t mean give your duvet a wash, we’re talking garden beds here! Early April is the perfect time to get ready for the growing season by digging in a layer of compost or fertiliser that’s at least 5cm deep. This prepares the soil for whatever you’re planning on growing and nurturing this summer.
Scarify and top dress the lawn
Now is also the best time to scarify the full lawn. This means removing surface thatch such as dead grass blades, moss and leaves, as it can prevent water, oxygen and nutrients from reaching the grass roots. Scarifying can be done using a garden rake – apply medium pressure and rake each area repeatedly to remove all of the debris. We also recommend wearing thick gardening gloves, as scarifying can cause blisters very quickly.
It’s then time to top dress the lawn. Top dressing is made up of materials such as soil, sand and peat, which should be mixed in a way that closely matches the composition of the existing soil. Follow this up with a scattering of grass seeds to achieve the perfect summer garden.
We can do it all for you
Does all of that sound like too much work? Get in touch with Right Landscaping through our contact form and we’ll take all of those time-consuming gardening tasks off your to-do list.
Tagged as: gardening advice, gardening services
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