Spring has Arrived!
With the improvement in the weather we have been enjoying there is plenty to be getting on with in the garden. Although it is worth remembering it has been frosty at night and temperatures are still quite low at the moment,the weather will hopefully continue to improve and it will be time to think about sowing some annual seeds directly into the ground. For the flower garden Sweet Peas, French, Scots and American Marigolds can be sown up to early May along with Nasturtiums, Alyssum (both white and pink), Godetia, Mimulus and Livingston Daisies to name but a few. These can all be started off inside at the moment and transferred outside later on.
It will also soon be time to sow some vegetable seeds. Lettuce, radish, peas, beans, turnips, carrots, beetroot, spring onions and cabbage. Potatoes can still be planted well into May as can onion and shallot sets.
April and May are traditionally the months for planting herbs both in the kitchen garden and in purpose built containers. Use a soil based compost for growing herbs in containers (John Innes No 3 is ideal). Some varieties can be sown outside in late April or early May when the soil is warmer (tender herbs such as basil will need some form of protection).
Fruit trees and bushes will benefit from a light top dressing of fish, blood and bone or a mulch of farmyard manure / spent mushroom compost for healthy growth to sustain summer fruits. Strawberries require a fertiliser, which is higher in potash than nitrogen to prevent lush growth.
Weed control is also an important consideration especially before they seed. Use a Dutch hoe in borders etc. at least once a week, during dry, sunny periods.
Lawns will also soon be starting to grow again but could well need an application of lawn sand to get rid of the moss which could well have appeared over the winter months.
On drier days, timber decks can be cleaned using some of the new proprietary cleaners to remove algae leaving the timber almost like new and much safer especially for children playing.
If you feel the garden needs an injection of colour at the moment, hanging baskets and containers can be planted up although more tender plants will need frost protection. Things such as pansies, violas, the trailing violas and many of the foliage plants are much tougher and can withstand cooler temperatures. Use a good purpose made compost, containing Oasis or add some Swell Gel granules to prevent sudden drying out.
Plants of interest to look out for this spring :
Camelias, particularly any of the Williamsii hybrids for this area.
Japanese Maples, some varieties with stunning spring colours, Chitoseyama, Katsura, Burgundy Lace, Scolopendrifolium, Shirasawanum Aureum.
Cercidiphyllum japonicum (the Katsura Tree) with unusual bronze/ pink new growth followed by golden foliage in autumn accompanied by a smell of burnt sugar.
Dwarf and grafted pines, Pinus sylvestris Wintergold, Pinus nigra Bright Eyes, Pinus sylvestris Inverleith, etc.
Rhododendrons and Azaleas in a huge range of sizes and colours we also have a good range of deciduous azaleas.