Showering your plot with sunshine and colour
Clumps of Narcissi and tulips readily bring bold splashes of colour, as do flary wallflowers and rockery Erysimums. Omphalodes bring clusters of blue to shady borders which are also home to the nodding dog’s tooth violets and dainty Epimediums. Look out for our features on some exciting Euphorbias and Trilliums – both dappled shade lovers.
This is one of the busiest months of the year in the garden, but also one of the most pleasurable as there is nothing like getting to grips with borders and vegetable sowing as the soil warms up.
So go out there and enjoy!
Brightening your shady spots
APRIL often brings out the best in shaded borders. Why not add one or two of these plants to your collection...
Erythronium – This is known as the dog’s tooth violet due to the shape of its tubas. Plant in humus-rich soil for a crop of gorgeous pink bowing flowers. Height – 15cm.
Epimedium – These are grown mainly for their foliage. The arrow shaped leaves tend to change colour through the year, ending up a bronzy-brown in winter. However, the dainty plant of pink, red, purple or yellow will add extra interest this month. Height – 25 to 45cm.
Omphalodes – This looks like a small forget-me-not, but with larger ovular leaves and deeper blue flowers. This plant looks good next to a purple Heuchera. Height – 10cm.
Primula Veris – These are native cowslips which open their buttery-yellow flowers this month. A great idea is to plant them in long grass under fruit trees for a lovely natural effect.
Other favourites, which have been featured in previous Bloomin’ Greats, are Dicentra (bleeding heart) and drumstick Primulas. Even the fresh young fronds of ferns have their own unique beauty this month.
LAST month we explained all about crop rotation so this month, the excitement really starts as seed sowing can begin in earnest.
There are hundreds of vegetables to grow and thousands of varieties, so the choices are up to you and your families tastebuds.
We have selected a few rule-of-thumbs and broad cultivation requirements and listed them below as a simple guide to help get you started.
Sow seeds on a reasonably dry day, following the instructions on the seed packets. Sowing in rows works best as it is much easier to distinguish crops from weeds later on. Tend to sow thinly if possible to reduce disturbances when thinning out in a few weeks time. Never sow too deep – a fine covering of soil is normally enough. If in doubt, just use a dusting of multi-purpose compost.
Water very gently with a fine-spray rose to avoid washing the seeds away. If cats or birds are likely to become a problem, then use short twiggy sticks with fine netting draped over the top.
Slugs are a real menace to some crops, particularly lettuces. So consider using one or more types of deterrent including beer traps, eggshells, charcoal or grit.
Carrots present some challenges but they are easy to grow if you follow these rules. The old adage ‘don’t manure before planting roots’ is very true here as lumps of organic matter interfere with the development of carrot root growth. This crop does best in a sandy soil that is not too stony unless you prefer multi-fingered roots.
Another secret is to sow carrots as thinly as possible or even individually 20cm apart. The reason for this is that any thinning done later inevitably bruises the leaves of the seedlings you discard and this encourages carrot fly in a flash.
Onions or shallots planted in an adjacent row may help to confuse carrot flies.
Next month we will be starting seeds of the more tender varieties, such as runner beans, courgettes and sweetcorn for planting out in early June. We shall also be starting potatoes in black bags of compost – this works amazingly well!
It’s that feeling of Euphorbia
EUPHORBIAS are a big genus in the plant world with nearly 2,000 varieties including the Christmas Poinsettia.
There are some superb garden types available with striking bracts and dramatic foliage. Look out for these:
Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Robbiae’ has golden bracts against dark green leaves and will spread to give ground cover in a woodland setting. Height 45cm. There is a purple-leaved form too, named ‘Purpurea’. Euphorbia Characias reaches 150cm with bluish leaves and 30cm long golden flowerheads.
Euphorbia Polychroma is a popular bright yellow type measuring 45cm.
Euphorbia Griffithii has bronzy leaves and orange or red flowers which look dramatic alongside deep blue flowering plants, such as bluebells.
They’re one in a Trillium
TRILLIUMS are the stars of American woodlands and are certainly becoming more popular in the UK as more gardeners are looking for challenges. The biggest of which is patience.
These plants may not flower for three years or more, which fits into its trio characteristics of bearing leaves and flowers in threes.
Peonies from heaven
PAEONIA Miokosewitschii is the only April flowering Peony with large single yellow flowers borne on 50cm high stems. Plant it in full sun in well-drained soil and try not to disturb the clump because, as with other peonies, it will only delay flowering by a year or two.
Make mine a double
THE SHRUB of the month is Camellia ‘Peony’, which is a variety I had not come across until I bought one a couple of weeks ago.
The flowers, which are borne from March to May, are characteristic of a classic Peony bloom – one which is rich red and fully double-textured.
A young plant would look good in a nice large terracotta pot of ericaceous compost in a shaded, sheltered corner of the patio.
Showers for your flowers?
APRIL is likely to be wetter than previous ones with regular rainfall interspersed with a few warm dry interludes. Most of the weather patterns look like arriving from the south and may become complex with variable wind directions.
It May be exotic
MAY brings the Mexican orange blossoms along with Incarvilleas displaying their exotic trumpets. These contrast with dainty Solomon’s Seal and Aquilegias.
See you next month!
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