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The Garden In April

April 20, 2017 By Jill Anderson Leave a Comment

It’s all change out there, the roadsides are filling up with clouds of cow-parsley [aka Queen Annes’ Lace] & the bluebells have begun to carpet the woods with that wonderful violet-blue haze. The garden in April is full of promise, though in my garden this includes the promise of bindweed, as well as lots of good things too.

We’ve lived here for 2 years now, most of the major changes have been made, I’m hoping that by next year the garden will be all set up & all the permanent plants will be in place.

The Garden In April-rhododendron luteum-yellow flower

We inherited this Rhododendron luteum in the garden, it’s flowering beautifuly now & has a glorious scent.

The Garden In April-rhododendron luteum-shrub

We spent a day making a ‘Fedge’ recently, it’s a fence/hedge made from willow. It’ll sprout a tall fringe of new shoots at the top to screen a small road that runs alongside the garden. Willow is a perfect plant for our garden, helping to will help soak up excess water in the garden, & it looks pretty. I’ll write a post in a few weeks when the growth has started & there’s something to show you.

Vegetables:

Meanwhile in the greenhouse the dahlias are growing well, the tomato plants have hardly grown, despite being tucked up with a covering of fleece at night …. though I have to admit I have forgot about them on a couple of nights.

growing tomatoes.

I’m not very confident that this years tomatoes will get as big as these at the allotment.

Purple podded peas are doing well in the greenhouse, I’ll sow another batch at the weekend to get a good continuous harvest. They’re new to me but look so pretty, though apparently the peas are green when cooked.

purple podded peas-Hampton Court 2014_99_72

I hope mine will look as good as these purple podded peas at Hampton Court Flower Show last year.

I usually sow beetroot seeds directly into the soil outside, but this year I’ve sown them in the greenhouse in small trays to be planted out when the weather warms up. I sowed a them just a few seeds at 2 week intervals t the allotment, which meant delightful little beets  in succession, rather than a glut of them.

allotment-tips-beetroot

beetroot from the allotment a couple of years ago.

At the moment my mantra is, sow much more than you think you’ll need & check the plant list to make sure nothing is forgotten.

Flowers:

Nasturtiums are a must, especially for the dryer parts of the garden with poor soil. I’ve started the seeds in the greenhouse so I can water them regularly & generally keep an eye on them.

sweet peas

The Garden In April-sweet-pea flowers-Cupani-

I have a few sweet peas that are making sturdy little plants, despite being sown late. There are too many bare fences here, & I reckon the deep purple Morning Glory that I’ve grown will be a good way of disguising them.

I’m continuing to weed because chopping them up with a hoe is much easier than having to pull out big weeds in a few weeks time.

Summer flowering bulbs:

I have yet to buy lilies, but now is the time to plant them ready for flowering in the summer, along with Eucomis & Nerines.

It’s a good time to give houseplants a little attention. Move them into bigger pots if the roots are poking through the base of the pot or they dry out quickly after watering. If they don’t need a bigger pot, refresh the compost by gently removing a little & replacing it with fresh.

I hope your garden is thriving.

Jill

all photos: Jill Anderson.

Related posts:

How to dry sage leaves, www.growingnicely.co.ukHow to dry sage leaves. What to do in your garden in September, hedge, www.growingnicely.co.uk, HedgeWhat to do in your garden in September Covent Garden Flower Market London, wedding flowers,Friday gardening favourites. plant pots of mint in my garden-Looking after your garden when you’re on holiday.

Related posts:

How to dry sage leaves, www.growingnicely.co.ukHow to dry sage leaves. What to do in your garden in September, hedge, www.growingnicely.co.uk, HedgeWhat to do in your garden in September Covent Garden Flower Market London, wedding flowers,Friday gardening favourites. plant pots of mint in my garden-Looking after your garden when you’re on holiday.
Filed Under: Blog, Gardening, Growing Food, Plants Tagged With: Rhododendron luteum, The garden in April, the vegetable garden in April

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Hello, I’m Jill Anderson.
This is where you’ll find good, solid information about gardening, growing fruit & vegetables and how to keep it all looking good.
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