Gardening tips

Flowers

• Feed trees, shrubs and roses. Always double check you select the correct type of fertiliser for the plant!
• Deadhead hellebores, daffodils and primroses to keep them flowering longer.
• 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.

Veg

• Thoroughly weed and then top up all your veg planters and raised beds with peat free compost and good quality topsoil.
• Start off aubergine, capsicum varieties and cucumbers in the propagator — these plants can stay in the greenhouse over summer.
• Plant a variety of tomato seeds under glass for greenhouse cultivation.
• Begin chitting (sprouting) seed potatoes.
• Start salad leaf seedlings off next to a bright windowsill.

Fruit

• Prune blueberry bushes.
• Apply a nitrogen feed to plums, cherries, cooking apples and pears as they’re hungry at this time of year.
• Switch to a summer feed for all citrus trees.
• Sow summer fruiting strawberries in hanging baskets.
• Plant rhubarb into rich fertile soil.

Wild bird care

• Avoid cutting hedges between March and August so as not to disturb any nesting species.
• Keep feeding them nutrient rich seeds and fat balls.

Pest control

• Place humane vermin controls near stored vegetables.
• Protect early seed sowings from slugs.
• Scrub your watering cans with hot soapy water to prevent fungal diseases.

Pond

• Install a new pond or water feature to attract more wildlife into your garden.
• Remove any pond netting left over from the autumn/winter.

Lawn

• Mow your lawn if it needs it. Choose a dry day and set your blades to a higher setting than usual.
• Lay new turf if the ground needs it and isn’t frozen or waterlogged.

Houseplants

• It’s time for a spring cleaning, and your houseplants are no exception. Dust settles on their leaves just like it does on your furniture so give them a wipe with a damp cloth to spruce them up!