Your Garden: What to do in April
April is one of our favourite months for gardening in Melbourne. The cooler temperatures with sunny days make for the perfect climate to tend to our garden beds. Plus, there’s still lots to do to prepare your garden for winter. Autumn is the best time of year to do major plantings. If you put a little effort into preparing the soil now, your plants will be so much healthier and stronger by next Summer.
What to plant now
April is the perfect month to get those leafy greens into the ground, as well delicious broad beans and herbs. Now’s the time to plant:
- Asian greens
- Spinach
- Kale
- Rocket
- Silverbeet
- Lettuce
- Broad Beans
- Peas
- Snowpeas
- Garlic
- Shallots
For herbs, choose:
- Parsley
- Coriander
- Rosemary
- Mint (make sure you have a dedicated spot, like a pot, for your mint so that it won’t take over your garden!)
It’s also a great time to think about adding some beautiful colour to your garden. Plant flowers such as daisies, cornflowers, pansies, poppies, snapdragons and violas. Choose a look you love by mixing colours amongst them or even embracing an autumn colour palette with rich golden yellow, red, orange and darker burgundy or purple hues. Consider planting some bulbs for spring too. The sight of gorgeous yellow daffodils in your garden bed always inspires happiness.
Also, we have a huge range of bulbs in the nursery now. Remember, Tulips need at least 4 weeks in the fridge before planting for the best flower display, so it’s time to get busy.
Jobs to do in April
By working on your garden now, you’re not only preparing it for the coming winter, but also for summer months to come. A little time now will go a long way
- Give Gardenias a feed with Harry’s Gardenia Food to prevent yellow leaves over winter.
- Collect any fallen Autumn leaves and add them to your compost bin or pop in a bag or hole in the garden with a few handfuls of fertiliser to help them break down.
- Give your Roses, Citrus, Camellias and Azaleas a good feed to encourage flowering and fruiting.
- Check for any evidence of cabbage moth caterpillars on new seedlings such as chewed leaves. These little green creatures can completely destroy newly planted seedlings. The best way to find them is by looking underneath the leaves where they hide along the veins. Happy squishing!
- Give your lawn a feed with an organic lawn food to keep it lush and strong over Winter.
If you have any questions, visit us in store and ask away or give us a call on (03) 9696 0551. We have all the knowledge, plants, tools and accessories you need to help give your garden the love it deserves.
See you soon and happy planting!