Posted April 1, 2022 by Josette Farrell in Features.

Paraic’s Tips For Your Garden In April

“Warmer temperatures, longer evenings and more daylight than darkness in the day help to create the perfect conditions for gardening this April.”
Paraic Horkan

April is finally here and the clocks have gone forward. As a result, we have an extra hour of gardening time to play with in the evening. This time is the perfect time to get started on the many spring gardening projects I have selected for your garden in April.

Lawn Care

Now is the time to take some simple steps to ensure your lawn is a rich, green lawn. The first step in creating a rich green lawn is to apply a dressing of Zero Lawn Moss using a watering can or sprayer. Zero will treat unwanted lawn moss overnight. Next, apply a dressing of Zero Lawn Feed. This feeds your lawn and prompts a rich green colour, without forcing growth. For further information, check out Lawn Care Solution guide here.

Garden Colour

As April settles its head and the soil is warming and drying out, it’s in perfect condition for planting. Now is the time to think ahead for summer and start preparing your hanging baskets, window and patio boxes.

Red Geraniums are one of the very best summer flowering plants to add colour and interest. Trailing Petunias, White Bacopa, Osteospermum and Trailing Lobelia are also favourites for hanging baskets, window and patio boxes.

Scented sweet peas produce highly scented flowers. They can be planted now to blossom in midsummer. If you cut scented sweet peas regularly, you will be rewarded with lots of fresh blooms for your home through summer and autumn.
The Snowy Mespilus, Forsythia and Blue Campanula are all beautiful spring flowering plants. They offer a stunning show of colour and are an ideal spring time plant.

Plant in drifts!

Many new gardeners tend to want to plant many different varieties of plants together in clusters. This might seem appealing but it’s actually quite time-consuming and it’s a lot messier to look at. One of the best ways to plant shrubs, ground covering plants and perennial plants in your garden is through the drift planting method. This method is about planting plants that will offer colour throughout the entire year in clusters of the same variety.

We have some stunning new drift plants now available for purchase online. These include varieties such as the Carpet rose amber drift, the gooseberry invicta and Hebe strawberries and cream. They’re perfect for adding some colour for the Summer.

April Tip:
Spring Clean and Feed! After the long Winter and frosty spells, gardens need a good freshening up right now. This includes cleaning up all beds, borders, containers, lawns, and patios. Remove all dead foliage and give a light pruning.

Feed!
Feed Shrubs, Roses, Trees (including fruit trees), bedding plants and lawns. Everything will be quite hungry now and to encourage flowers, fruit, and growth – now is the time to give a feed. Paraic recommends Blooming Magic! See our selection of feeds here.

Sow and Grow

If you haven’t already, April is the perfect time to plant new potatoes. First early varieties, including Orla, Colleen and Red Duke of York, can be planted now outdoors in raised beds, patio pots or directly into the garden soil. They’ll provide you with tasty, homegrown, new potatoes in early Summer. They are easy to grow, full of flavour and the perfect ‘first plant’ for you to plant now.
April is the perfect time to have a go at growing your five a day – fruits, vegetables, salad plants and kitchen herbs. This spring it’s easier than ever with the brilliant Vegepod. The Vegepod is a garden product, like no other in Ireland! It’s a self contained, raised garden bed that is the perfect solution for anyone interested in growing their own organic fruit and vegetables. The Vegepod is a modular vegetable garden that is self-watering, protected and perfectly sized for every home. You just sow the vegetables, fruit or herbs you want to grow, shut the protective cover and the Vegepod does the rest, even the watering! Plants grow 50% faster, watering is reduced by 80% and the children are 100% happy growing their five a day.
Suttons also have an incredible range known as Speedy Veg. As the name suggests speedy veg grow very quickly and are ready in 4 – 5 weeks to harvest. They are sown from seed in your window boxes, patio containers or Vegepod rewarding you with lots of fresh salad leaves and vegetables in a very short period. They’re ideal for sowing from April to September.

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