Spring has finally sprung.
Grape hyacinths and primroses are helping to feed bees and other pollinators and borders are springing to life with nectar-rich plants and flowers.
It’s the perfect time to get back into the garden and start getting ready for the summer months ahead.
As the soil starts to warm up all sorts of wildlife-friendly plants can be added to the garden to encourage pollinator insects – especially bees.
With 25 species of bumblebees and more than 250 species of solitary bees, there are many that can be tempted into your garden if you choose plants carefully.
Some of the best include herbs such as rosemary, borage and thyme; annuals like wallflowers, nigella and cosmos; and perennials such as lavender, nepeta and dead nettles.
At this time of year, cherry trees – both fruiting and ornamental – produce spring blossom in abundance which is much loved by bees.
Although tree planting is usually done in late autumn, fruit trees can still be planted in the spring and container-grown varieties at any time of the year.
Cherry trees are easy to care for and come in all shapes and sizes so there is a variety to suit every garden.
Prunus ‘Pink Shell’, is a small, spreading ornamental cherry with delicate, cup-shaped pink flowers and pale green leaves that turn orange in autumn – it’s excellent for early pollinators.
A popular cherry that is great for small gardens for both flowers and fruits, is Prunus avium ‘Regina’ – producing clouds of pure-white blossom in spring, followed by large dessert cherries with superb flavour in summer.
The black cherry plum, Prunus cerasifera ‘Nigra’ is a beautiful, rounded tree and one of the first cherries to bloom in spring.
It has dark purple leaves and masses of pink blossom that fades to white and the foliage turns spectacular shades of orange in autumn.
In addition to stocking your garden with bee-friendly plants and trees, other top jobs for gardeners this month include:
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Sowing hardy annuals, herbs and wildflower seed outdoors – sowing seeds outdoors is an easy, inexpensive and fun way to grow new plants. It’s ideal for a wide range of hardy flowers and vegetables.
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Tying in climbing and rambling roses – rose pruning ensures that plants grow vigorously and flower well each year. Although often considered complicated, rose pruning is relatively easy.
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Repairing lawns – if your lawn is looking worn and patchy, now is the time to restore it by re-seeding or re-turfing affected areas and evening out small bumps or dips.
Plus, here’s what the experts have to say …
Spring is finally in evidence as daffodils and flowering trees start to bloom. Expect the inevitable April showers this month 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 it’s also time to start sowing outdoors.
Just watch out for frosts…
RHS
By April, veg seed sowing and growing is really ramping up with every inch of greenhouse and windowsill space occupied with chitting potatoes and seedlings. Fruit is also one of the best things to plant in your garden now. Get them into the ground to establish them – anything from raspberries, and strawberries, to blueberries. Even fruit trees like apples or pears.
Monty Don
Mid-April is the perfect time to start sowing tender vegetables – in the greenhouse, conservatory or on a sunny windowsill. In about six weeks the risk of frost will be over and they will be ready to plant outside. Kept warm, they will germinate in a week or two, giving them a good four weeks to grow into young plants just the right size for transplanting into the vegetable patch, once hardened off.
The English Garden
