insideKENT Magazine Issue 37 - April 2015 | Page 130

OUTDOORLIVING
YOUR GARDEN: april

cont

Cutting back, pruning and dividing
Perennials that are showing new shoots from the
crown can be propagated via basal stem cuttings.
Shoots 8-10cm (3-4") high are cut from the parent
plant with a sharp knife. Sometimes a piece of
root can be taken with the cutting (which speeds
establishment), but stems can be cut without
root, and then dipped in hormone rooting powder
before striking into growing medium, as for
softwood cuttings.
Divide clumps of herbaceous perennials that you
want to propagate (those that have become too
large for their allotted space), and those that are
flowering poorly or have lost their shape. Bamboos
and clumps of bulbs or rhizomes can be divided
in the same way. Just make sure that the
transplanted divisions have roots, shoots, and
are given adequate water to settle into their new
positions.
Prune penstemons and other slightly tender plants
such as Teucrium and lavender. Make the cuts
just above fresh, new shoots.
Some perennials benefit from having their flowering
shoots thinned out. Although this results in fewer
blooms, they are larger and of better quality.
Delphiniums, lupins and phlox all benefit from
this process.
General maintenance
Apply a general-purpose fertiliser to borders and
beds. Take care not to damage emerging shoots,
or to burn them with fertiliser.
Put supports in place for perennials before they
get too large. Criss-crossing strings from hidden
or decorative posts work well, allowing stems to
grow up in the gaps between strings.
Remove faded daffodil and tulip flowers, nipping
off the heads and seedpod at the same time.

Deadhead pansies, primulas and other spring
bedding plants. Pansies will carry on into the
spring and even to early summer, if attended to
frequently.
Remove tired winter bedding and plants that did
not survive the winter. Check that self-seeded
forget-me-nots aren’t smothering other border
plants. Pull out plants if necessary.
Hoe borders to prevent annual and perennial
weeds from spreading and seeding themselves.
Herbaceous perennials infested with couch grass
and other perennial weeds should be lifted so
that the roots of the weeds can be removed.
Bulbs coming up in the rock garden or in
containers may benefit from overhead protection
from the rain. A sheet of glass or perspex placed
on bricks will do the job.
Top dress spring-flowering alpines with grit or
gravel to show off the plants and to help prevent
stem rots. Any mulches may need replacing after
weed removal.

Pest and disease watch
Continue to protect lilies, delphiniums, hostas
and other new shoots from slugs and snails.
Damage to plant roots by vine weevil larvae shows
by the plants starting to wilt. On inspection, the
roots will have been badly eaten and you may
see larvae among them. Apply chemical or
biological control if larvae are present, but young
and containerised plants are unlikely to recover
once badly damaged.
Aphids can multiply rapidly during mild spells.
Remove early infestations by hand to prevent the
problem getting out of hand. Protect sweet pea
plants in particular, as they can suffer from viruses.
Watch out for downy mildew and blackspot on
winter pansies.
Remove dead leaves from around the basal
rosettes of alpine plants to prevent rotting.

You could plant up an alpine trough to display
some of your alpine plants, as many can look
their best at this time of year.
Check whether containers need watering. Even
at this time of year, they can dry out.
Pots and tubs benefit from topping up with fresh
compost. Old compost can be removed and
replaced with new to a depth of 5cm (2") if there
is not much room for topping up.
Potted plants may be showing signs of being
pot-bound. You can tip out the root balls of
unhappy looking containerised specimens to see
if they are indeed