The great awakening of spring is upon us and what a joy it is to see our gardens bursting into life after the dormancy of winter. As temperatures rise and the days lengthen our plants like true ephemerals must make the most of what they are given. But so must we as there is lots to be done!
The winter protection given to those less hardy plants can now be removed. Cuttings can be taken from herbaceous perennials like Delphiniums, Phlox and Lupin, which will all grow well from young shoots. If sweet peas were sown in the autumn they can now be planted out, but those in milder areas will have survived the winter outside. But as the weeds appear you will need to get busy with the hoe; it is best to tackle the weeds before they get established. Summer flowering bulbs and corms, lilies, gladioli and dahlia tubers can be planted, but plant the dahlias quite deeply as there is still a chance of frost which could damage the tender shoots.
This is the time to propagate woody plants like rhododendrons and azaleas by layering and I remember layering a Magnolia grandiflora from some low branches that were resting on the ground. Tie in twining climbers like clematis and honeysuckle. New lawns can be sown on ground well prepared last month. Make sure it is nicely rolled and sow the seed evenly when the soil is moist then gently rake it in. Choose a dry day to cut the grass on established lawns: if the grass is cut frequently there is no need to collect the grass. Towards the end of the month is a good time to give the lawn a spring feed. This is a good time to feed roses too.
Plant asparagus beds and now the maincrop potatoes. Remember to earth up the young shoots of early potatoes. This will improve the yield and also give protection from late frosts. You can also earth up the young peas a little to give them protection. Continue the sowing of vegetables –tomatoes, celeriac, carrots, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower and leeks. Parsley takes a long time to germinate but grows easily on most soils and is invaluable in the kitchen. The flat leafed varieties have more flavour, but the curly leafed varieties are more decorative for garnishes, so I usually grow both. The seeds of the more tender vegetables should be sown in a propagator or greenhouse, courgettes, cucumbers, aubergine, runner and green beans.
As the beans germinate you can be preparing the ground for them by digging trenches and digging in plenty of well-rotted manure. Prick out seedlings before they get too leggy and get your brussel sprouts out early as it is the early plants that give the finest crops. You may need to cover the brassicas, turnips and radish against the birds and to help prevent flea beetle attacks, and the carrots too against carrot fly. Those germinated seedlings of carrots and parsnips will now need thinning out. Control slugs and snails that will be lying in wait for your young plants, and watch out for aphid attacks and downy mildew and black spot on gooseberries. Spray blackcurrants against big bud mite, and mulch raspberries, blackberries and loganberries. Think about getting some straw in for the strawberries but don’t put it on just yet.
Finally pay attention to the temperature in the greenhouse. The sun is getting stronger and seedlings will need shading to avoid scorching.