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Seasonal Tips for April and May - Beds & Borders

Don’t sit back and watch your garden borders grow this spring. A little time and effort put in now will reap fantastic rewards as the season develops. It’s so important to make sure that your plants are well fed to support their growth, they will be much healthier and will perform to their full potential.

  • Pot up Dahlia tubers, Begonia corms and rooted cuttings and keep in a frost-free environment until the last frost has passed. Choose other summer flowering bulbs such as lilies, gladioli and Eucomis from the wide range on offer from Unwins. These are available now at many garden centres nationwide. Plant them in quality compost such as the new West+ Advanced Compost for all Plants.
  • Check on summer flowering bulbs you have previously potted up, keep them moist and as soon as the danger of frost has passed plant them out into their flowering positions in the garden.
  • If the soil is still warm and not waterlogged then continue sowing annual bedding plants in their flowering positions in the garden. If you are new to gardening it may be better to sow them into pots of John Innes Seed Sowing Compost with Sure Start  which is formulated to give the seeds the very best possible start and everything that they need to start growing.
  • Don’t be tempted into putting out half-hardy bedding plants into the garden. A warm spell can be very encouraging; especially to beginner gardeners, but at this time of year a cold snap won’t be far away. If your plants are shooting early they may need a little additional protection. Place a layer of horticultural fleece over any plants that are unexpectedly beginning to develop strong spring growth, especially if a frost threatens.
  • Keep an eye on any new plants in the garden and be sure to water them if the weather is dry, even in early spring, rainfall can tail off and the topsoil can dry out quickly. New plants need plenty time to establish a good root system before they can fend for themselves in a dry spell.
  • Dead head any early spring flowers and bulbs as they die off. Feed the plants after flowering Growmore Garden Fertiliser or Feed-all Slow Release Granular plant food so that the plants can build up the bulb for next years’ flowers. Don’t be tempted to cut off the leaves of bulbs that have flowered, simply bend over the foliage to ground level and allow them to dry out and wither naturally. The leaves manufacture essential food reserves to ensure that the bulbs can over winter and flower again next spring.
  • Use plant stakes over clumps of perennials that may need some extra support in exposed places. Attach the plants to the stake as they grow or use mesh supports that allow plants to grow through them as they develop.
  • Divide overcrowded perennial plants and replant the pieces around the garden using Multi-Purpose Compost with added John Innes or John Innes Mature Plant Compost No3.
  • Plant new Gladioli corms and Lily bulbs around the garden borders using Bulb Planting Compost. It contains added grit to keep the soil around the bulbs well drained and so helps to avoid fungal problems caused by waterlogged soils. Check out the wide range of beautiful summer flowering bulbs at your local Unwins stockist. 
  • Keep a watch out for early pests such as aphids and slugs and use your preferred method of control. Westland has two bug control formulations. The new Westland Bug Attack Ready to Use offers long-term protection to your container plants with its systemic action that will provide long lasting control/protection. It controls existing pest problems and also stays effective for new pests and tackles any hidden pests. Bug Attack Ready to Use contains an added foliage feed that boosts the health of your plants while the pests are being dealt with. Westland Bug Killer is a ready-to-use, fast-acting insecticide that works on contact with the pest. It is suitable for use on greenfly, blackfly, caterpillars and many other garden pests. It can be used to treat the pests on all fruit, flower and vegetable plants and can be used on roses.

Other useful tips for April and May:

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