From Michael Coulter

April is the first month of Autumn, the trees are at their best for colour and the chrysanthemums are in full bloom along with many other Autumn flowering perennials.

This month is a busy one as we get our gardens ready for Winter and the days get shorter so we do not have as much daylight to work in the garden so we must make the most of the fine days to complete the work. As we clean up in the garden we get a lot of green material from the flower garden and the vegetable garden along with the leaves that the trees have shed. All of this will make good compost which can be returned to the soil in the Spring.

Now is a good time to treat the paths and lawns for moss before the cooler weather encourages the moss to grow. Spring bulbs should be planted now using only the good sound bulbs and select a range of types to give a colourful display in the Spring.

For any gardening queries through the month you can consult our online facebook group

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Lawns

  1. Raise cutting height for Winter cutting.

  2. Treat for moss and broad leaf weeds.

  3. Remove fallen leaves from trees so that the lawn does not yellow.

  4. Repair any worn or bare areas with seed or turf.

  5. Sow new lawns as soon as possible.

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Fruit & Vegetable Garden

  1. Remove the spent crops such as beans, peas and sweet corn and add to compost.

  2. Finish pruning berry fruits.

  3. Save strawberry runners to use as new plants later.

  4. Harvest pip fruits as they ripen and remove any diseased fruit to the rubbish.

  5. Sow green crops on ground not needed over Winter.

  6. Watch brassicas for white butterfly and treat if needed.

  7. Keep crops weed free.

  8. As greenhouse crops finish clean out as soon as possible to stop pest and disease carry over.

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Flower Garden

    1. Remove the last of the Summer annuals and add to compost.

    2. Plant Winter and Spring flowering annuals.

    3. Leave rose hips on the plants to help firm up the wood.

    4. Cut back flowering perennials as they finish flowering.

    5. Divide up Summer perennials.

    6. Cut back to about a third dahlias as they finish flowering.

    7. Take cuttings of geraniums (pelargoniums) and fuchsias.

    8. Prune any Summer flowering shrubs.

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