Pottering in the garden in April

Garden in April

The garden, to always be nice and pleasing to the eye, must be subjected to constant maintenance, month by month.
The month of April marks for gardening enthusiasts, a period of intense activity, when we lay the foundations of what will be the garden in the future.

First of all, the days begin to lengthen and then definitely, in the whole Peninsula, temperatures begin to rise, also at night.

If you have not already done so, this is the period where you have to fertilize potted plants periodically (about every 12-15 days), while for the land is to be used a mature manure or a slow release fertilizer.

This is the moment when you can take back to your balcony or terrace the plants that were held in the shelter during the winter, as it is possible to uncover the plants that had been covered with frost cloth.
Maybe for the first period you will need to choose a location in partial shade, to let them get used to be outdoors again.
This however, only applies to the warmer areas, in areas of northern Italy where the temperature is stiffer it is necessary to wait a little longer.

In addition to plants and flowering trees, also lawns and turf start growing.

With the arrival of the first warm days you must also be careful to parasites that can begin to infest the plants. In fact, pathogens such as aphids on roses and oleanders, the pine processionary moth, mildew on cherry laurel, and so on can make their fearsome appearance.
It is therefore advisable to inquire about all the remedies, especially natural, that can be put to use.
An effective natural remedy against insects is to use some white oil, or you can use compounds based on copper and sulfur, which are among the most harmless and also used in organic farming.

Furthermore, if you notice diseased leaves with fungi or fungal spores that can be easily carried by the wind, it is good to take action right away so that the heat does not facilitate the spread of the disease to the whole garden.

April is usually a pretty rainy month, so it is not necessary to program a significant watering.
However, it is important to pay attention to possible periods of drought, because when the plants are in full growing season, as now, they require large quantities of water, and a dry and sunny day, can evaporate all the water present in the soil, that is why it is necessary to find a solution.

April is also the ideal time to look for new plants for your garden, especially since it is the moment, when different fairs start, where you can also make purchases.

Sowing in April

In this period the spring-flowering bulbs have already been planted. The moment is propitious for sowing, however, those that instead have a summer flowering, which can be made when the minimum temperatures are at least 8-10°C.

Before sowing it is necessary to properly prepare the ground with a suitable digging. Basically the land must first be freed from weeds and other debris, and then the clods must be crushed.

This month you can also sow all the seed plants already prepared in recent months, in crates or in hot beds, transplanting them in the flower beds.
It 'also time to proceed to transplant the typical house plants like Ficus, Croton, Dracaene.

Instead you can directly sow plants such as yarrow, Azelea, calendula, camellia, campanula, cosmea, Malope, nigella, nasturtiums, Alysso, cornflower, sunflower, aster, wild poppy, rhododendron, marigold, petunia, begonia, zinnia, iris, gladiolus, dahlia, lily.
Also you can sow sweet pea vines like bindweed and seet pea.

Pruning in April

The pruning of April mainly concern the early flowering shrubs such as forsythia, and shrubs and evergreens in general.

In this case, you can proceed to cut the branches that have already brought the flowers, which will be cut to the height of the gem, near the point of junction with the main branch older.

The period is also ideal for pruning roses, which are then cut the branches that spoil the shape of the bush, while at the end of the month should excise the buds in excess.

The potted plants can be thinned in this period.