April And Spring Is Here At Last

It's April now in England and Spring is here at last and for gardeners everywhere it's a time to get outside and start the business of waking up the garden from its Winter sleep.

But gardening in the United Kingdom can be a tricky business with sunshine one minute and a deluge the next so it's important to allow extra time for the jobs that need doing in case you get 'rained off'.

One very important job is to look after the lawn. Make sure that you have given it the first gentle cut with the blades raised a little higher. Then lower them gradually as this month and the next wear on.

Suddenly, much to our delight, it's light outside in the late evening. Now is the time when the daylight increases at its fastest rate so make sure you give yourself time to get outside in the evenings for those essential garden jobs.

One important accessory that needs cleaning this year is the water butt. I have had this butt for several years and it has been very useful for an, almost constant, supply of rain water which is so much better than tap water.

I have, too, a rather old plastic 'cold frame' that is about three foot deep, four foot wide and a foot high. It has seen rather better days but it's ideal now as a cloche to warm up an area of soil.

Finally, now is the time to prune back some plants if they have not already been done such as some heathers, forsythia, flowering currants (after flowering), buddleias and dogwoods.

We can expect some wind over the next month so I will be checking my fences and the other fixtures in the garden as well as tightening up the defences of the greenhouse (and repairing the ripped plastic) to make sure that it lasts into the summer.

Overall, April is one of the best months in the garden so make sure you get outside make the most of it!