April is an important month when it comes to gardening. With a new season having just begun, we welcome Spring into our gardens, bringing with it new life, blooms and blossoms to enjoy in the coming months. Keeping on top of your garden throughout April will get your garden ready for a new growing season, allowing new plants to spring into life. So where do we begin? 

Neaten up those borders

The best place to start when tidying up your garden this month is with your borders. Hoe borders to remove any weeds that have grown in the cold weather or any old weeds that remain from last season. Neaten the edges with a spade or edging tool, cutting sharp edges along all your beds. Apply mulch to the soil to lock in moisture as the ground begins to soften with the warmer weather. Lastly, feed the soil in your flower beds with fertilizer around trees, shrubs and flowers to help them grow nicely in Spring.

Rake away lifeless leaves 

Take away that lifeless feel to your garden and instantly introduce new life by raking away any old leaves that have gathered under and around trees and plants, especially leaves that lie on your lawn to allow your grass to take in sunlight and start to grow again. Leaves can be piled in a quiet corner of the garden where they will make nesting materials for the birds and possibly even a habitat for a hedgehog!

Hello, healthy lawn! 

There’s nothing better than the luscious green lawns we see in summertime, the best lawns begin their road to recovery in Spring. Treat your lawn after the harsh winter conditions and have it brimming with life again. Straighten edges with an edging tool for a quick refresh and tidy. If your lawn is showing signs of growth, give it its first light cut of the Spring season in early April to refresh the grass. You could consider leaving areas of the lawn to grow to attract insects, while leaving the shorter sections as a hunting ground for green woodpeckers, robins and blackbirds.

It’s flower season… 

April is the best time to prune summer-blooming flowers and shrubs. Anything that flowers from June through to the Autumn months will need preparation now for optimum growth. Cut off any dead flower buds that were formed last year and get the plant ready to grow new life. 

Bring life to the garden

April is when more wildlife will return to your garden, support this by planting new hedges, shrubs and trees to provide birds with a safe sanctuary to land and rest. Attracting birds instantly breathes new life into your garden, especially if you set up an area to watch and enjoy the wildlife from. To attract some chirpy guests to your garden, hang bird feeders filled with healthy, seasonal bird food to the more quiet parts of your garden. Take it one step further and plant wildflowers using seed balls to benefit both your garden and the birds that visit. If you need a break from all those green-fingered activities, add a decorative touch to your garden without getting your hands dirty and place an ornamental birdbath or nesting box in the garden for your little guests.