Calendar of Garden Work for April
WHATEVER work is due to be done in April, seed sowing must go on, because a late start can spoil a display in the flower garden or cause vegetables to be woody and poor.
Finish off the planting of herbaceousand fork over the border lightly, incorporating a little rotted compost. Do not yet, as it is too early in the season.
This is the last chance, until October, to plantor coniferous . Evergreen shrubs and trees can also be planted on well-prepared ground and staked to help the young plants to establish themselves. If cold winds persist, protect the newly planted shrubs with a shelter made of dry sacking or polythene sheeting.
Cut back any evergreen shrubs that have become straggly to encourage new growth from the base.
Prune establishedwhen necessary, using secateurs and not shears.
Prune early-flowering shrubs such as forsythias as soon as they have finished flowering.
Withprotection, in very sheltered districts, some such as and callistephus can be sown out-of-doors.
Sow the seeds of hardy annuals if this was not done last month. Annual borders need careful marking out after preparing the seed bed. Draw irregular shapes on the soil surface with a stick, and label each area with the name of the plants destined to be grown there. Prepare small twiggy pea sticks for staking once the seedlings have germinated.
Ifhave finished flowering, nip off the old flower heads so that the plants will not be exhausted in producing seed. Leave the stems and leaves, which can be knotted together to keep tidy.
Sow grass seed for new lawns or to renovate bare patches on old lawns, provided the soil is not still cold and wet. If established lawns are weedy give a dressing of lawn sand or selective weedkiller used according to the manufacturer’s directions. Roll and mow the lawn, keeping the blades of the machine set high.
Plant new water-and other or reorganise the existing planting of the pool.
Start dahlia tubers in theor cold frame and plant them out later in the month. They will then produce good extra blooms for cutting.
Plant alpines, pansies and violas.
To start a, sow seeds of , or push in stolons of mint or rooted of sage.
Continue to sow vegetable seeds, making a succession of small sowings of each type rather than one big one. Thin the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to be dealt with and hoe regularly to suppress weeds. Sprinkle with a 4 per cent calomel dust along the rows of onion seedlings when they are being thinned to prevent attack from onion fly. After thinning, press back the soil with the feet.
Plant out autumn-sownand that have been overwintered under or in frames.
Plant tubers ofand seedlings of broad and .
Preparebeds and incorporate plenty of manure.
Inspect establishedbeds for early spears to cut, and plant crowns in new beds if this was not done in March.
Provide support forby pushing in along the rows of seedlings pea sticks gathered earlier in the year. Use sticks about 6 in. taller than the ultimate height of the peas.
Remove gradually the covering fromwhich has been forced under boxes for early supplies.
On well-prepared seed beds sow, salsify and colewort, as well as and kohl rabi.
Spray apples andagainst , apple blossom weevil and capsid bug, according to the progress of the blossoms.
Thin out, in stages, the fruits of out-doorand growing against a wall, bearing in mind that there will be a natural drop of fruitlets during the next few weeks which will act as a further thinning.
Graftas early in the month as the weather will allow.
Bark ring over-vigorous apple andby cutting out a ring of bark J in. wide all round the trunk, or a half ring on one side and another about 6 in. lower on the opposite side of the trunk. The result will be a better formation of fruit buds and the cropping capacity of the tree will be increased.
Ventilate when strong sunshine sends the temperature soaring.
Either put the January-sowninto their final pots (9 or 10 in.) or plant them out directly into the border. Alternatively, put them into bottomless pots if ring culture is being carried out. Support them with and tie them carefully.
Sow seeds ofin boxes and prick off into other boxes as soon as the seedlings are large enough to plant. The atmosphere should be kept buoyant once the seedlings have reached the pricking-off stage.
Continue to prick off all seedlings as they get big enough to handle and keep the atmosphere buoyant for them. Harden off seedlings that are to be planted out at the end of the month or in May, taking particular care that they are protected at night, as cold nights are a common, though sometimes unexpected, occurrence at this time of the year.
Plant out February- or March-sowninto made-up beds in the greenhouse or frame, and tie each to a small stake.
When nerines cease growing, reduce the amount of water given to them. Rest thecompletely when the foliage withers.
Takeof Begonia rex.
Sow seeds of herbaceous plants in a cool greenhouse or frame.
Sow ridge cucumbers.
Late-flowering chrysanthemums and perpetual flowering carnations raised from cuttings will be ready for repotting. Keep them growing slowly but evenly and shade them from sudden bright sunshine.
Take cuttings of dahlias as they are ready, and insert them round the edges of small pots filled with sandy compost.
Leave the tubers in moistto produce more growths from which cuttings can be made.
To produce flowers during the winter, sow early batches of primula seed in pans and maintain a temperature of 60° F. (16° C), keeping the pans covered until after germination.