Key task
Move spring containers into centre stage as daffodils such as ‘Moonlight Sensation’ and Tulip ‘Vaya con Dios’ (above) start flowering this month
This month’s round up…
When you’re busy in the garden this month, keep an eye out for the first tadpoles in ponds and red mason bees, as well as the first swifts arriving into the UK. It’s also a good time to mulch, while the soil is still moist from winter.
Prune
■ Fig trees
■ Hardy evergreens
■ Hydrangea paniculata
■ Ornamental quince (chaenomeles) – after flowering
■ Penstemons
■ Untidy ferns
Plant
■ Potted perennials
■ Potatoes – early and maincrop varieties
■ Summer-flowering bulbs
■ Sweet pea seedlings
Sow
Indoors
■ Courgettes
■ Cucumbers
■ French beans
■ Pumpkins
■ Runner beans
■ Sweetcorn
Outdoors
■ Brussels sprouts
■ Leeks
■ Lettuces
■ Spinach
Harvest
■ Asparagus
■ Beetroot
■ Radishes
■ Rhubarb
■ Salad leaves
■ Spring onions
This month’s Star plants
1 Primula auricula ‘Rowena’
Traditionally displayed in terracotta pots in auricula theatres, it’s easy to see why these plants are so popular with plant collectors. This variety is an alpine auricula and can be grown in a small pot or displayed in a trough or container.
Flowers April-May
Height x Spread 15cm x 15cm
2 Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Alba’
Also known
