insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 02 - April 2015 | Page 85

OUTDOORLIVING

YOUR GARDEN: april
Sunshine and showers

Spring is finally in evidence as daffodils and flowering trees start to bloom. Expect the
inevitable April showers, but with sunny days too, when you can turn your attention
to the lawn. It's an exciting month, with indoor-sown seeds well into growth, and the
opportunity to start sowing outdoors. Just watch out for frosts...

TOP 10 JOBS THIS MONTH
1. Keep weeds under control
2. Protect fruit blossom from late frosts
3. Tie in climbing and rambling roses
4. Sow hardy annuals and herb seeds
5. Start to feed citrus plants
6. Increase the water given to houseplants
7. Feed hungry shrubs and roses
8. Sow new lawns or repair bare patches
9. Prune fig trees
10. Divide bamboos and waterlilies

FLOWERS
Sowing and planting
Hardy annuals can be sown in pots or modules
to provide colour in the garden. Annual grasses
can be fun to try too – Briza maxima, Lagurus
ovatus, and Hordeum jubatum are suitable
examples. In mild areas with light soil, you can
sow directly outside. Marking out irregularly

shaped seedbeds and broadcasting ‘drifts’ of
different seed gives a more natural look.
Modular trays are useful for sowing half-hardy
summer bedding plants such as marigolds
(tagetes), lobelia, and petunia. Label each seed
tray. You will need to plant them under cover or
in a heated propagator (at the appropriate
temperature), only putting them outside when
the weather is reliably warm day and night.
If you started sowing early – in March or even
February – you may have modules of young,
hardy annuals now ready for planting out.
Sweet peas can be sown outside this month.
Plant out autumn-sown sweet peas that have
been raised in pots, and prepare your wigwam
supports for them to climb, using a light twine to
tie the plants in.
When space becomes available in the
greenhouse, pot up cuttings of tender perennials

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taken last summer and at the beginning of this
year. Bulk up plant numbers by taking more
cuttings from the largest of the new plants.
Plant summer-flowering bulbs, if not done already.
Prepare the soil first to ensure that drainage is
sufficient and to prevent the bulbs from
rotting. Anemone coronaria tubers, for instance,
need particularly well-drained soils.
You can still plant herbaceous perennials such
as geranium, astrantia, and Oriental poppies.
Check that the plants you buy have strong, green
shoots, and plant them into well-prepared soil.
Plan a continuous crop of cut flowers for this
summer. Perennials such as delphiniums and
annuals can be grown to produce a useful and
beautiful display.
Towards the end of the month, in mild areas, you
may be able to plant up your hanging baskets
for the summer.