Paul Gargan
At this time of year there seems to be flowers and plants for sale at every turn
April puts the ‘spirit of youth’ in to everything (to borrow from the bard), for this is the month that everything springs to life.
The reason for a lot of trees and shrubs flowering this early is so they have the longest amount of time to complete the cycle of flower to fruit/seed before growth slows in autumn.
As daffodils finish flowering, dead head them. Leave the leaves to rot down naturally or leave for a minimum of six weeks. This is to allow them to build up energy for flowering next year. Do not tie them up – they need to absorb as much sunlight as possible.
After flowering, feed clumps of spring bulbs a high potast feed. Label any that are not flowering well, so that you know where they are when the leaves die down. They may be overcrowded or in the wrong place, causing them to produce leaves only. Lift, divide and replant or move to a better position.
Prune early flowering shrubs such as forsythia, berberis and spiraea after flowering. They flower on last year’s wood and pruning now gives them time to grow new wood. Trim winter-flowering heathers lightly with clippers when flowers are gone over to dead head and tidy up in one go. Remove the flowers from camellias by hand with a gentle twist, when they fade and turn brown.
Acid-loving plants
If you have acid-loving plants such as camellias, rhododendrons or azaleas, feed them with general purpose festiliser if on acidic soil. If your soil is non-acidic give a dose of sequestered iron as well. This replaces the minerals that are locked up chemically where there’s a hint of lime in the soil and stops the leaves turning chlorotic.
Check variegated shrubs for signs of reverted plain shoots. These will grow with greater vigour and the shrub will eventually be plain if left to grow. Rip the shoots off by hand with a downward motion to remove.
At this time of year there seems to be flowers and plants for sale at every turn. Cheap does not always mean a bargain. When buying, carefully pick through the batch and choose the best. A healthy plant looks strong and green, unless its variegated, in which case all in the batch will look similar. Avoid any that look ‘tired’ with broken stems or drooping foliage. Plants and flowers should look well cared for and properly watered, not bone dry.
Look at the underside of the pot, there should be a few small roots visible through the drainage holes, not a mess of roots outside the pot. Remove from the pot and check that it is not pot bound or that it is small and just been repotted into a bigger pot. With time the plants will recover from most of these, but when buying new plants you should not have to wait.
