Gardening tips

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

• Give the bird bath a good scrub to remove any algae.

Pest control

• Try out some organic slug control. We personally enjoy the beer traps and orange peel 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 the lawn on a dry day.
• Sprinkle any lawn seed into bare patches.
• Straighten up the lawn edges with an edge cutter.

Houseplants

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