The Potting Shed
April 2022
In Need of a New Rhyme
"March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers". The winds came in February. Most of March was unseasonably mild and without much rain and the Narcissi and the Spring bulbs were out in force. We start April with very low temperatures and still no rain forecast.
Whatever the weather brings, it's a magnificent time of year with new life and new growth everywhere in the garden, and a perfect opportunity to enjoy the new Worplesdon Garden Club April Newsletter
Working
Jobs to Do in the Garden this Month
April - Spring is Here!
Protect tender new growth from frosts by covering with newspaper or horticultural fleece at night if possible.
Keep the greenhouse well ventilated and water regularly as warm days and rapidly growing plants will dry soil quickly.
In the vegetable garden, it’s time to direct-sow carrots, parsnips, radishes and beets.
Chitted seed potatoes should be planted now, especially first-early potatoes that will be ready to harvest in about 12 weeks.
Continue to mow lawns regularly with blades set higher than normal. Moss and broadleaf weeds should be treated now.
Fill in any depressions in the grass and over-sow any bare patches with new seed.
Finish dividing any herbaceous perennials or use the new shoots that are emerging as material for propagation either by division or as cuttings.
Leave the foliage of Spring bulbs to die down naturally – don’t be tempted to cut or tie. It’s a good idea to give them a water with a high potassium fertiliser such as a liquid tomato feed.
Start the biological control of Vine Weevil larvae with the application of a nematode soil drench, and Box Tree Moth caterpillars with a bacterial wash (for example, Dipel or XenTari).
Continue to sow annuals and vegetable seeds, and prick out and pot on any seedlings as they grow.
Something missing? - Use the Feedback form to suggest your own Tips and Dos and Don'ts...
Relaxing
What's Looking Good in the Garden
Use the arrows on the pictures to browse
Camellia japonica
Pulmonaria officinalis, Common Lungwort
Primrose, Primula vulgaris
Tree Peony, Paeonia × suffruticosa
Blackthorn blossom, Prunus spinosa
Tulip
Leucojum vernum, Spring Snowflake
Muscari, Grape hyacinths
Camellia japonica
Narcissi
Pieris japonica
Chaenomeles speciosa, Japanese quince
Magnolia x Soulangeana
Weeping Willow, Salix babylonica
Something missing? - Use the Feedback form to let us know your recommended plants to grow...
Thinking
This month's wordsearch and the new Cross Pollination puzzle
Wordsearch
Cross Pollination - C
The answers to all the short clues are plant names starting with the same letter, either in their common name or their Latin name, but what’s the name of the plant resulting from the cross-pollination of letters from the other plants in the grid? The answers are at the bottom of the page.
Visiting and Seeing
Places to Go and Things to Do
There are many gardens around Guildford that are opening in April under the National Garden Scheme. Most do not require pre-booking. However, there are a couple of ‘special’ gardens where booking is still essential – Dunsborough Park Tulip Festival, Ripley (open for the NGS on 12th April and then multiple days until the 30th April) and the gardens of Hampton Court Palace (21st April).
The Tulip Celebrations at Hever Castle can also be enjoyed 19th-24th April with tours of the gardens.
The Surrey Area of the National Association of Flower Arranging Societies are running their own Gardeners’ Question Time at Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall, Woodfield Lane, Ashstead, KT21 2BE on Tuesday 5th April at 2pm. Tickets £10.00 with tea and cake. Contact Sue Drinkwater 01252 713112 / show2022surreynafas@gmail.com.
Worplesdon Garden Club Plan Sale – we are planning to have a Plant Sale in the afternoon of Sunday 1st May. More details will be circulated nearer the time, but please add the date to your diary and start preparing any spare plants to donate. The sale of plants has a huge impact on our finances for the year.
Many different events take place throughout the month at RHS Wisley and elsewhere across the RHS. In addition, tickets for the big annual RHS Shows are now on sale.
See what's happening at other local clubs via the Surrey Horticultural Federation web site
Something missing? - Use the Feedback form to suggest places to visit or local events...
Remembering
The Old 'Potting Shed' Pages
Cross Pollination - C: The Answers
(Click to Reveal)
The Cross Pollination plant is the Camellia. With nearly 200 species in the Camellia genus and over 3000 cultivars, there is certianly a variety that will adorn any garden and brighten the late winter and spring.
