Gardening tips

At last, we hear you cry! There’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon as the weather tempts us back outdoors (even if we still have to wear our gardening boots!) and it’s officially time to kick start your garden into action! This guide is intended for the southern part of the UK and our slightly warmer weather pattern.

Flowers

  • Deadhead spring flowering bulbs to keep them from setting seed.
  • Plant summer-flowering bulbs such as gladiolus, lilies and ranunculus into beds, borders and containers. Lily bulbs should be planted at 3 times their own length – this will protect them from heat and improve stability.
  • Create a wigwam frame and plant sweet pea seeds directly at the base of the supports.
  • Prune old hydrangea stems back down to healthy shoots.

Veg

  • Shallots and onions can be planted this month.
  • There’s still time to plant out early and main crop potatoes until the end of the month!
  • Put supports in the ground for your peas and beans.
  • Start some early salad leaves on a windowsill box. These can then be transferred out to the garden once all risk of frost has passed.

Fruit

  • Prune fig trees
  • Protect fruit blossom with horticultural fleece.
  • Add a slow release fertiliser round the base of berry bushes.

Wild bird care

  • Avoid cutting hedges between March and August so as not to disturb any nesting species.
  • Give the bird bath a good scrub to remove any algae.

Pest control

  • Try out some organic slug control. We recommend the wool pellets, copper tape, beer traps and ‘strulch’ (a straw based mulch) methods!
  • Rub early aphids off any plants before they become too much of an infestation.

Pond

  • Repair any rips in the liner.
  • Feed any large aquatic plants like water lilies.
  • If you see overcrowding, divide the plants and cut back any bordering varieties to let the maximum amount of light into the pond.

Lawn

  • Mow your lawn if it needs it. Choose a dry day and set your blades to a higher setting than usual.
  • Sprinkle any lawn seed into bare patches.
  • Straighten up the lawn edges with an edge cutter.

Houseplants

  • Your plants will be starting to notice the change in temperature, so ensure to water them more often than the previous months.