April
Now is the time to prune, cut back and trim many plants and shrubs such as:
- Wisteria – to summer side-shoots, 2 or 3 buds.
- Summer-flowering Clematis – towards the end of the month, before active growth begins.
- Cornus and Salix cultivars – down to their bases.
- Ornamental grasses – to within a few centimetres of the ground, before growth begins.
- Overwintered fuchsias – back to 1 or 2 buds on each shoot.
- Winter Flowering Jasmine – after flowering cut previous years growth to 5cm from old wood.
- Winter flowering shrubs such as Mahonia and Viburnum x bodnantense when their colourful display has finished.
- Cut back last year’s Buddleia to ground level.
- Trim winter-flowering Heathers as the flowers die off will prevent the plants from becoming leggy.
- Remove faded flowers from winter pansies – will stop them setting seed and encourage a flush of new flowers in the warmer weather.
- Lift and divide snowdrops still ‘in the green’ – will create more plants and allow you to move them elsewhere.
- Move deciduous trees or shrubs, provided the soil is not frozen or waterlogged.
Lift, divide and plant new plants:
- Lift and divide large clumps of hosta.
- Lilies and Allium bulbs.
- Bare root roses – plant in a sunny position.
- Fragrant winter flowering shrubs such as Daphne, Viburnum x bodnantense, Witch Hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia) and Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox).
- Trim winter-flowering jasmine and tie in new shoots to supports
To add interest:
- Pot on or plant Hardwood cuttings taken last year.
- Pot on rooted cuttings of tender perennial plants taken last summer.
- Look out for Hellebore leaf spot (rounded brown spots on the leaves) and remove any leaves that are affected.
- Sprinkle granular fertiliser around clumps of spring bulbs
- Cut down all previous year’s growth on Clematis tangutica. New shoots will develop from the base, which will flower later in summer