Seasonal Tips for April and May - Pots & Container

The great thing about pots and containers in the garden is that you can plant one for every month of the year. It’s a brilliant way to introduce instant colour and interest to the garden and a great way to colour theme areas too.

Spring containers full of wonderful bulbs, fabulous evergreens such as hebes and grasses are easy to plant up and will look great for weeks on end. Underplant with some summer flowering bulbs and interplant with spring bedding such as pansies, primulas and bellis.

Check on overwintering patio plants such as Geraniums and Fuchsias. It’s too early to put them outside but they may be sprouting new growth that is perfect for taking cuttings. Pot the plants up into fresh compost such as John Innes Mature Plant Compost No3 and start to water them gently, ensuring that they are not too wet and not allowed to dry out either. As the new shoots start to develop take softwood cuttings and root them into John Innes Seed Sowing Compost.
Keep a look out for early signs of pests and disease that may affect these plants, especially in a greenhouse and use your favourite control method to deal with them. Likely problems are greenfly, whitefly, slugs and botrytis. 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. 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. For slugs choose to use long lasting Slug Attack at the first sign of trouble and supplement with the barrier Slug Blocker or the more cost effective Slug Buster for large areas.
Outdoor containers may still need watering, check the soil and compost first and add water if it feels dry. Porous containers will dry out more rapidly in windy weather.
Containerised trees and shrubs should be fed using a suitable plant food such as Feed-all Slow Release Plant Food, choose the granular option for flexible feeding.
When the container compost has been thoroughly moistened, mulch over the top with Decorative Mini Bark to conserve soil moisture and keep the containers looking neat and tidy. These ornamental mulches have finer pieces than other mulches and look more to scale when used to mulch containers.
Plants that have outgrown their pots should be repotted now before they spring into growth. Use Westland Container and Hanging Basket Compost with added John Innes as it contains a special water saving gel that reduces the need for frequent watering and holds the moisture in the compost around the plant roots. Incorporate Feed-all Slow Release Granular Plant Food into the compost to provide your plants with a constant feed for the rest of the season. Alternatively just push the appropriate number of Feed-all Slow Release Tablets into the surrounding compost, which are designed for use in patio pots and containers.
If you are growing your container plants from seed then make sure you sow them now so they are established by early June. Check out the wide range of flower seeds available from Unwins. There’s a huge variety that can be sown during April and May that will flower this year. Alternatively take cuttings of existing plants or visit the garden centre and choose some contrasting plants for containers. Make sure you have the correct facilities to protect your plants when you have got them home.
Plant a few spring container displays to brighten up dull areas of the garden. Look out for spring bedding plants and flowering bulbs in pots at the garden centre that can be planted in containers and placed in strategic places around the garden. Fill your containers with West+ Advanced Compost for all plants and plant directly into this.
Summer container displays and hanging baskets can be planted from April but must be thoroughly protected so that they can grow and develop without the risk of a cold snap. Plant them up with small basket ready plants and keep them in a light, frost free place to grow on until after the last frosts.
Container plants are totally dependent on their immediate environment for all their basic needs. For perfect container plants you need to use a quality compost that has good drainage and excellent water retention. Choose West+ Advanced Compost for all plants. This new compost formulation is a tremendous leap forward for gardeners. It combines all that is great about quality compost with the very latest innovations in growing media, to create one premium product.
The new, secret ingredient, West+ is derived from renewable resources. It improves drainage and enhances the water holding capacity of the compost. The compost is much easier to rewet and encourages healthy roots and stronger plants.
West+ Advanced Compost for all plants enhances plant growth and consistently creates exceptional results all around the garden, promoting bigger, healthier plants and more vibrant and abundant flowers, fruit and foliage. It’s suitable for use with most plants and will enhance and support planting projects throughout the garden.
Several plants growing in a container will quickly use up the fertiliser held in the compost. For the best results you need to feed them regularly throughout the growing season. Use Feed-all Slow Release Plant Food Tablets. These convenient clusters of slow release fertiliser are specially designed for pots and containers and actually regulate the rate of nutrients that are delivered to your plants, encouraging the correct rate of growth according to the environmental conditions. Simply push the tablets into the compost to give your plants everything they need for a great start and ongoing support for the rest of the season too.
Don’t be tempted to reuse old compost from last year’s pots and containers. It may be harbouring a whole host of unseen pests and diseases including the dreaded vine weevil eggs and larvae. Old compost should be emptied out and thoroughly examined. Any suspect grubs should be fed to the birds via the bird table. Vine weevil grubs are easy to identify as they are creamy white in colour and usually curled into a ‘C’ shape, with a brown head. Make sure you remove every single one as each larva develops into a female and can go on to lay thousands of eggs. Old compost can be added to the compost heap or dug in around the vegetable garden as a soil improver. Choose clean, fresh, quality compost for all your pots and containers for the very best results.
Deter an invasion of vine weevils in your pots and containers by applying the nematode based biological control to all your tubs, pots and containers, but especially those with Fuchsias, Begonias, Busy Lizzies and Pelargoniums. This will keep the compost around your containerised plants free from these voracious pests.

Other useful tips for April and May: