<\/p>\n
RHS tips this month<\/p>\n
Environment team tips for April<\/p>\n
April used to be a month when daffodils would be in full bloom. Most had gone over before this month had started. The mild winter and excessive rainfall has seen some cutting the grass in February on the odd dry day. Weeds have been the biggest beneficiaries of the longer growing season, along with ash and sycamore seedlings. The sooner we get the hoe out the better!<\/p>\n
This is the time of year we start feeding our plants. Please don’t overfeed as this is a waste of money and the excess will find its way into water courses and could affect wildlife.<\/p>\n
Remove any faded flowers from spring flowering bulbs but don’t cut the leaves down until they die back, as they are the energy source for the bulb. Hanging basket enthusiasts will be planting up this month. Kenny Condick, a Cardiff in bloom competitor of the past, would never put a basket outside until June 1st. The longer you’re patient the better the basket. Sweet peas sown last year can still be planted this month along with some seeds to prolong the season. If you’re really keen to get a good display then Mr Crump, who took part in the Wenvoe Open Garden Day last year, is the man to see. Climbing and rambling roses will need to be tied in now. Try to keep the stems as horizontal as possible; this will slow the sap down, give you more side shoots and consequently more flowers. Last October the family at Belgrave house in Wenvoe gave instruction to staff, that some of the older roses should be cut right back to just above ground level. There was a slight concern as to the recovery capacity of the said roses. I have now been informed that they came through a very wet winter and are healthy with new growth.<\/p>\n
Spring is a good time to try layering. A propagation technique such as this is an easy way of getting more of your favourite shrubs and climbers. Just make a small wound on a flexible stem near a bud and peg it into the soil next to the plant. When it has taken root, just cut away from parent plant and pot up. Clematis and honeysuckle are good for this type of layering. RHS has a very good explanation of the different ways of layering on its website.<\/p>\n
Take care and happy gardening.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RHS tips this month Protect fruit blossom from late frosts. Tie in climbing and rambling roses. Start to feed citrus plants. Sow new lawns or repair patches. Hardy annuals can be sown outdoors. Environment team tips for April Don’t forget to put on sunblock, even in April. Try to keep on top of weeds. Check shrubs, hedges etc for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-1Vq","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5703,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5703","url_meta":{"origin":7404,"position":0},"title":"RHS tips for April","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st April 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 THE VILLAGE GARDENER March and April bring out the usual pests like slugs and snails. While difficult to deal with, we seem to find a way. But the other pests prevalent at this time of year have two legs and come aggressively knocking at your door, offering to clean\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6737,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6737","url_meta":{"origin":7404,"position":1},"title":"RHS 8 tips for November","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th October 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"RHS 8 tips for November Clear up leaves, especially from lawns, ponds and drains. Please make sure all containers kept clear of the ground. Plant tulip bulbs for a spring display. Prune roses to prevent wind rock. Plant out winter bedding. Cover brassicas with netting if pigeons are a problem.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest News"","block_context":{"text":"Latest News","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=70"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4408,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4408","url_meta":{"origin":7404,"position":2},"title":"Jobs Plannned for April","author":"Alan Williams","date":"28th March 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The snow and cold weather of early March brought Redwings and Fieldfares to the Grange Park and village gardens, we don't see them every year, only when conditions get too difficult further north. The Redwing is the UK's smallest true thrush ( I just read that ). The poor\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5810,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5810","url_meta":{"origin":7404,"position":3},"title":"The RHS Tips For May","author":"Alan Williams","date":"6th May 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The RHS tips for May Watch out for late frosts. Earth up potatoes Plant out Summer bedding Water early and late in the day to make the most of your water. Keep hoeing weeds on dry days as they will die off quicker. Open greenhouse vents and doors on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5161,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5161","url_meta":{"origin":7404,"position":4},"title":"November tips from the RHS","author":"Alan Williams","date":"21st December 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"November tips from the RHS 1. Clear up fallen leaves, especially from the lawn and pond. 2. Raise containers off the floor to prevent water-logging. 3. Plant up Tulip bulbs for Spring displays. 4. Prune Roses to prevent wind rock. 5. Plant out Winter bedding. 6. Cover Brassicas with netting,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5924,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5924","url_meta":{"origin":7404,"position":5},"title":"Plan Your June Activities","author":"Alan Williams","date":"31st May 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 RHS top tips for this month. Hoe borders regularly to keep down weeds. Be waterwise. Harvest salads and early potatoes. Position Summer hanging baskets and containers outside. Pinch out the side shoots on tomatoes. Mow the lawn every week. Plant out Summer bedding. Stake tall or floppy plants. 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