In The Flower Garden This April

Prepare beds for growing season. Dig in a 5cm (or more) layer of compost or well-rotted manure. You can also work in a general-purpose fertiliser, such as pelleted chicken manure or fish, blood and bone.

Lift and divid established border perennial plants now, like Hostas, to improve vigour and create new plants for your garden.

Pinch out the tips of fuchsia plants and sweet pea plant shoots, to encourage bushy growth this summer.

Feed trees, shrubs and hedges with a balanced, slow-release fertiliser, by lightly forking it into the soil surface. Roses, in particular, are greedy plants and will greatly benefit from feeding as they come into growth.

Divide primroses once they have finished flowering. 

Plant rhododendron bushes once the threat of frost has passed, and the ground is moist.

Tie in climbing roses.

Apply a layer of mulch around your perennials and biennial plants, trees and shrubs before the hot weather arrives.

Deadhead daffodils and tulips as the flowers finish, but leave foliage intact, allowing it to die back naturally.

Top Tip:

Check your patio plants aren’t drying out. The warmer weather will quickly affect soil moisture levels, try mixing water storing granules with compost to improve water retention in containers.