大象传媒

I happened to look back at an old 2005 diary this week and noticed the weather for late April was extremely breezy with some very heavy downpours, much like it has been of late, so nothing much changes which brings me to the point I often make which is, April can be a very difficult month if you are a keen gardener.

I much prefer when it comes to sowing vegetable and salad crops to wait until we are into May before I so much as prepare a seed bed and get the seeds into the ground. Apart from the rain, which is desperately needed, the nights can be cold and even a short burst of early morning frost can kill off newly emerging seedlings so it's best just to wait a few days longer before getting the seeds in. That has not stopped me getting in the early Potatoe varieties and some mixed Lettuce and Radish which can cope with April conditions.

I have also risked sowing Sweet Peas and Foxgloves in pots and given them some protection by the unexposed side of the house as I want to add these as soon as I can to a wildlife garden I am creating in a small area at the back of the house. Once germinated and at a reasonable height I will plant them direct into their flowering positions where at least the Sweet Peas should give some colour this year even if the Foxgloves don't where I may have to wait for next year to get the full glory of these wonderful perennial plants.

PLANT OF THE WEEK:

HOLLYHOCK: No herbaceous border would be the same without this colourful edition. At one time Hollyhocks sported masses of single blooms along each straight stem and looked a real picture, but now, there are so many choices of double flowered types. The new varieties are quick to flower and easy to grow and have stunning double and semi double laced blooms. Sow them now in trays and then prick out a the two leaf stage and then wait until they have formed easy to handle plants and plant into the back of herbaceous borders.

TOPICAL TIPS:

Ivy can be propagated to make new plants by nipping off new growth and placing deeply down in pots of compost. Just leave in a sheltered spot and do not allow the cuttings to dry out. Once new plants appear plant them out to their final growing position.

Sow Runner beans in pots in the green house as they need a little protection. You can the plant them out next month either into the open ground or in containers.

The flower heads of Daffodils will now be dying off so just cut off the old blooms. Do not remove foliage at all as this will prevent them from flowering next spring just simply wait for at least six weeks before cutting the foliage about six inches from ground level and then allowing the rest to die back naturally.

Happy Gardening:

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