APRIL IN THE GARDEN

The garden is now looking beautiful, all the spring flowers are blooming at once. There are all varieties of narcissus, some tulips, muscari (grape hyacinths), ipheon, yellow comfrey, chiondoxa, and leucojeum. The primroses both yellow and coloured are gorgeous, as are the polyanthus and just opening cowslips. The forsythia, camellias, and various ribes are all competing for pride of place. In the woodland garden the blue anemone blanda and white and yellow anemones are out, I am very pleased with my trillium and the hepaxia as these are both tricky. Lily of the valley are bulking up well and should start blooming for May 1st.
It is still very cold and the seeds are suffering from lack of light and warmth but it is time to prick out the tomatoes into small pots. Carry on sowing half hardy annuals and you can risk sowing some hardy annuals where they are to flower. Because it is heavy clay here I sow mine in the greenhouse and transplant later. Exceptions are marigolds and nigella as they grow anywhere. Salads can be started in the greenhouse and put out after hardening off.  Outside the spinach is germinating as are the broad beans, there is still time to catch up and sow some. Courgettes and squashes can be sown indoors to plant out when all fear of frost is past or under cloches.
Put flat stones in the borders for the thrushes to smash the snail shells. Bran around the stems of emerging tasty perennials will deter the slugs and snails but it must be reapplied after rain.  I also use used  coffee grains outside the kitchen and it works.
Check the pond and start feeding the fish, gradually increasing the amount as the weather warms up.  Replace the protecting net if necessary and check the filters.
April 25th is the Rare Plants Fair at Spetchley Park which is a marvellous day out . You can walk round the lake and the gardens and even have a guided tour included in the entry charge. Next month it is the Malvern Show and what a treat that is. Ultra keen gardeners go on the Preview day which is much less crowded than the other days it is also more expensive though but money well spent. The show runs from May 6th to 9th. I shall be entering my irises in the Open Garden section and some cut flowers I just hope they bloom in time. Any time now if you walk in Grafton Wood you will see primroses, followed by bluebells and wild garlic.

HAPPY GARDENING.