Jobs to do in April

To do:

The weather and more importantly the soil is now warming up so its time to start planning ahead.

Jammie Dodger Sunflowers

Sow annuals such as sunflowers and Californian poppies directly into the soil, provided its not too cold.  Sunflowers are a must in our household, this year the girls have chosen a variety called Jammie Dodgers – tasty!

Californian poppies

This week we also sowed Sweet Pea seeds in pots.  Simply fill a 10cm pot with fresh compost, preferably seed compost, but general compost will do.  Firm the soil, make three small holes about 1cm deep and pop the seeds in, one per hole.  Then cover with soil and water.  Keep somewhere warm, either on a window sill, or in a greenhouse until they germinate.  When the seedlings are big enough, I’ll gradually introduce them to the outside world (harden them off) and plant them around a cane wigwam.

Gladiolus murielae

Now the soil is warmer, you can also plant summer flowering bulbs and corms outside such as lillies or gladioli.  Not all gladioli are super-showy (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but try Gladiolus murielae.  They are elegant, beautifully scented and do well in a sunny spot, either in a pot, or clumped together in a border.  Plant the corms 10-16cm (4-6in) deep in spring, on a bed of sharp sand to aid drainage.  As with dahlias, these corms will need lifting before the frosts kick in in winter.

Prune well-established Cotinus (Smokebush) hard to encourage bold, larger leaves instead of flowers to contrast with finer-foliage plants.

Clip or hard prune evergreen shrubs and hedges such as box, yew or photinia.  Its also a good time to renovate shrubs such as hebes by cutting back to lower growth, ensuring that you maintain the shape you want.