Must do's for this month

Jobs that won't wait
Sow seeds of summer bedding, herbs, lilies, trees, shrubs and many vegetables this month. Some seeds may be sown directly into open ground but many benefit from being started off under glass.

Prick out and pot up young seedlings and cuttings before they become overcrowded.

Start hardening off bedding plants but put plants under cover if frost threatens.

Control pests and diseases especially slugs and snails. Ventilate cold frames and greenhouses whenever possible. This encourages sturdy plat growth. Remove winter insulation from greenhouse and put on shading.

Place supports in position around perennials that require staking. If the supports are put in position early, the plants will grow through them and hide them.

Stop chrysanthemums as close as possible to the ideal date for the type you are growing.

Plant hanging baskets and keep them in a greenhouse or frost-free conservatory or porch.

Apply a general slow-release fertiliser to containers; applied as a surface dressing in spring it should last plants in containers the whole growing season.

Start removing sideshoots and pinching out tendrils if growing sweet peas on the cordon system.

feed shrubs, trees, new hedges and fruit bushes as necessary.

Hard prune shrubs, such as buddleja, that produce their best show on vigorous new wood. Prune spring-flowering shrubs that are over three years old once they have finished flowering.

Protect brassicas, such as cabbages and cauliflowers, with brassica collars against cabbage root fly, and erect plastic screens in the vegetable garden to deter carrot fly.

Earth up early potatoes to protect them from light and frost.

Begin mowing the lawn regularly. Frequent mowing encourages dense growth.

Feed fish when they become active again after the winter.



Information in this section comes from Reader's Digest New Gardening Year - a month-by-month guide to success in your garden

April Planting guide with Avon Mill Garden Centre

For many gardeners April is their favourite month. Spring flowers are often at their best summer bedding plants are on sale, and plants in the herbaceous border seem to grow by the day. The longer days not only benefit the plants, they also provide opportunities for the gardener to work in and enjoy the gardener.

The rapid plant growth this month means it is one of the busiest months of the year in the garden.

If you grow your own bedding plants, these may well need daily watering and feeding while they are still in their trays and pots. Many established plants in the borders also require attention: staking, tying in and sometimes pruning; while in the kitchen garden vegetable sowing is usually at its peak.

The lawn now requires regular mowing, often twice a week if the grass is growing really strongly, and April is also a very busy time if you concentrate on growing any of the specialist plants such as chrysanthemums, dahlias, sweet peas, fuchsias or pelargoniums.

Information in this section comes from Reader's Digest New Gardening Year - a month-by-month guide to success in your garden