Paul Gargan
Green Fingers
“From sweet April showers, do spring May flowers,” said Thomas Tusser. We might get hail, sleet or snow, but ideally what we need now is warm showers and sunshine to get things really moving fast.
If you are growing rhododendrons, azaleas or camellias on acid soil they will benefit from a general purpose feed. If on the other hand you are growing them on neutral soil or soil with even a hint of lime in it, give them a dose of sequestered iron as well. This helps the plant’s roots to take up the minerals that are chemically locked up in the soil due to lime. It prevents the leaves from turning yellow and chlorotic. They will also benefit from mulch with fresh or composted pine needles.
Towards the end of the month, prune hydrangeas. Look the plant over before you cut. There are two kinds of shoots: the ones that have the remains of last year’s flower on them and the unflowered shoots, which have a fat growth bud at the tip. Follow the flowered shoots down to a strong sideshoot and cut above it. Don’t cut off the shoots with the fat buds, they are this year’s flowers.
Finish tidying up borders. Dig out and dispose of any perennial weeds. These are weeds with long tap roots, which resemble carrots. Do not compost them. Dig out any brambles or small tree seedlings before they become established. Do this before the border plants grow and hide weeds.
Hiding places
Go around your garden and look under likely hiding places for slugs and snails. Get them early before they damage your plants. As the weather warms and new shoots appear from underground, the slugs and snails will attack and destroy the new growth in one sitting. If you are using slug pellets, use little and often. Once the pellets get wet they are of no use. Hide small amounts around vulnerable plants, covering them with a flat stone or tile propped up with smaller stones to make a roof.
This protects them from rain and also from birds and household pets.
Houseplants
Repot houseplants during their growing season. Select a pot that is about 5cm larger in diameter than the previous one. Repotting into a larger pot is necessary not only to provide a plant with more space for its roots to grow but also to increase the reserve of nutrients and the moisture-retaining capacity and to give the plant more stability.
Frequency depends on the plant, but once every two or three years is probably enough. Clean the leaves of houseplants a couple of times a year. Avoid aerosol leaf shines or oily sprays.
Plants with tough, waxy leaves should be wiped gently with a damp cloth or cotton wool. Clean the top only, never the bottom – other plants can be cleaned by spraying with tepid water. Soak up excess water with paper kitchen towels and allow the plant to dry away from sunlight.