Jobs to be doing this month include:
Ornamental Garden:
- Continue to remove faded flowers on spring bulbs but not the foliage until it is withered.
- Keep borders weed free.
- Mulch borders if not completed last month.
- If the weather is mild then trim weak or straggly growth of sage and rosemary.
- Penstemons – Cutback last years stems down to the new growth – if the weather is very cold delay until end of the month.
- Check evergreens for any frost damage – lightly prune if necessary.
- Look out for early aphid attacks and treat if necessary.
- Sweet Peas can be direct sown now to produce plants that flower later than those sown under glass or over wintered plants.
- Prune early flowering shrubs such as forsythia etc.
- To ensure strong growth on roses apply general fertiliser.
- Plant evergreen trees and shrubs / move existing evergreens if necessary.
- Trim back frost damaged foliage.
- Plant summer fruiting corms and tuberous plants including dahlia, gladioli and canna.
- Apply combined feed, with moss and weedkiller to lawns if necessary.
Veg Garden:
- Continue planting potatoes and finish planting onion setts by mid April.
- Direct sow veg such as beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radish, turnip, peas, spinach and parsnip.
- Prune young stone fruit trees such as cherries and plums as leaf buds open.