The Potting Shed
April 2023
D-Day for all those sorry-looking shrubs and perennials...
The rain at the end of March disguised the transition of Winter to Spring, but days are longer and the soil will be warming up. Now is the time for those once-hardy perennials and shrubs that suffered so badly last December to finally give us a sign of life, or be replaced but something new. While you are waiting for a miracle to happen with your Pittosporum, perhaps you can relax with a cup of tea and a copy of the new Worplesdon Garden Club April Newsletter
Working
Jobs to Do in the Garden this Month
April - New Growth
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, Camellia japonica
Pieris japonica
Chaenomeles speciosa, Japanese quince
Blackthorn blossom, Prunus spinosa
Pulmonaria officinalis, Common Lungwort
Hellebore
Magnolia x Soulangeana
Clivia
Narcissus cyclamineus
Primrose
Camellia, Camellia japonica
Muscari, Grape hyacinths
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 - U-Z
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 several events at RHS Wisley, including the Daffodil Show (4th and 5th April) and the Iris and Clematis Show (22nd and 23rd April).
Plant Heritage have a number of activities in April including a Zoom Talk by Matthew Biggs (BBC GQT) on the plant hunters George Forrest and Ernest Wilson, and a Spring Plant Fair at Arundel Castle, West Sussex, on the 23rd April.
There are dozens of gardens opening as part of the National Garden Scheme this month, including, Dunsborough Park Tulip Festival, Ripley (open for the NGS on 14th April and then multiple days until the 29th April), Timber Hill Chobham, and Hampton Court Palace (20th April). For more details of gardens in our area, please see the NGS Website.
The Tulip Celebrations at Hever Castle can also be enjoyed 17th-23rd April with tours of the gardens.
Worplesdon Garden Club Plant Sale. It’s been a cold, slow start to the horticultural year but we are still planning to have a Plant Sale in the afternoon of Sunday 30th April. 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.
Crosswater Farm in Churt (next door to Millais Rhododendron Nursery) will be open for the NGS on the 7th and 8th May.
Something missing? - Use the Feedback form to suggest places to visit or local events...
Remembering
The Old 'Potting Shed' Pages
Cross Pollination - U-Z: The Answers
(Click to Reveal)
The Cross Pollination plant is Willow. There are many different species of Willow (Salix) that grace our gardens and countryside, from the White or Weeping Willow (Salix alba) to Pussy Willow (Salix capra). These large shrubs and trees are often associated with damp areas and land adjacent to streams and ponds.
