This is the Down To Earth suggested garden diary which will walk you through the gardening year, month by month, offering tips and ideas to help you get more from your garden.

  

March

 

• Plant shallots, onion sets and early potatoes
• Plant summer flowering bulbs
• Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials
• Begin grass cutting
• Cut back Cornus (dogwood) grown for colorful winter interest
• Top dress containers with fresh compost
• Sow sweet peas outside this month
• Plant herbaceous perennials such as Geraniums, Astrantia and Poppies
• Divide hostas before leaves appear
• Install supports for plants early this month

 

April

• Protect fruit blossom from late frost
• Repair bare patches in lawns
• Sow sweet peas outdoors
• Plant summer flowering bulbs
• Apply general purpose fertiliser to borders
• Install supports for perennials before they get too tall
• Remove any reverted green shoots on hardy variegated evergreens
• Use a spade to create a deep edge around lawn to prevent grass from creeping into borders
• Consider using mulcher mower to help retain moisture in lawn
• Apply lawn weedkiller

 

May

 

• Lift and divide overcrowded clumps of daffodils
• Lift and divide hostas
• Look out for vine weevil in pot plants and treat
• Remove aphip infestation by hand to prevent spread
• Hard prune Penstemon and Fuchsia
• Prune spring flowering shrubs after flowering - Berberis, Chaenomeles, Choisya and Ribes
• Coppice Eucalyptus
• Prune wall trained Pyracanthas to encourage spur formation which increases flowering
• Tie in climbing roses as near to horizontal as possible to restrict sap flow
• Apply high nitrogen lawn fertiliser