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GARDENING 119
4 things to do IN THE GARDEN this month
1. Clean off your patios, terraces and decks to remove slippery green algae. A pressure sprayer/ cleaner is a good device but take care not to dislodge loose mortar. 2. Organise an Easter egg hunt in the garden! It’s a great way to become enthusiastic about the great outdoors. 3. Don’t be tempted to plant out anything that is tender, whatever the weather. We can still suffer frost until at least the second week of May. 4. If you are growing Cornus (dogwood) for its winter stem colour, make sure you cut it right down to the ground – it will grow new vertical stems.
Garden design bursaries up for grabs!
The London College of Garden Design (LCGD) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and to mark this milestone it is making two scholarships available to students who have already started their horticultural or design careers. Director Andrew Fisher Tomlin said: “As part of our commitment to the garden professions and to celebrate our 10th anniversary, we’re making two scholarships available for our Garden Design Diploma, starting in September 2018, and Planting Design Diploma, starting in January 2019. “Applications are welcome from those
who are in fi nancial need and will benefi t from study to realise their full potential.” The scholarship will be assessed on the
basis of fi nancial need and academic merit and will cover the course tuition fees only (£11,995 for the Garden Design Diploma and £5,995 for the Planting Design Diploma). To qualify, applicants must have at
least two years’ experience in horticulture or a land-based industry (this could include studying a relevant course at a recognised college). Applicants must be earning less than £20,000 per annum and must be able to study in the UK. Interested? You have until Friday 6th April to apply. • For more information, visit the website
www.lcgd.org.uk
April Fool! Is this the earliest Easter ever?
Why is Easter so early this year? This is the oldest festival of the Christian church and it marks the death of Jesus, which is said to have taken place around the Jewish Passover, and Passover celebrations are centred on the fi rst full moon after the vernal equinox. The church deemed that Easter should take place on the Sunday after the 14th day
of the lunar month that occurred after the vernal equinox. This year’s April Fool’s Easter Day isn’t the earliest ever, however. In 1818, Easter Day was on 22nd March and it won’t occur this early again until the year 2285. So, what fl owers can you expect to enjoy during an early Easter? The progress of growth in spring is weather-dependent and it
varies from year to year. But there are some stalwarts that can be relied upon to produce some April cheer, whatever the weather. Look out for daffodils, crocus, daphne,
hellebores, primulas, primroses and violets. Magnolia will also be fi lling our hearts with joy and many ornamental cherry and crab apple trees will also be bearing blossom in addition to shrubs such as Forsythia. Most garden shrubs will have buds that are ready to burst open.
Too soon to snip?
Generally speaking, most early fl owering shrubs can be pruned after the fl owers are over. This goes for shrubs that bear berries too such as Skimmia. Don’t feel that you can’t keep things in check though. If a shrub is becoming too large for its allocated space it’s always better to prune gently and regularly rather than waiting until the situation is desperate. Camellias, for example, require very little in the way of pruning, but if you need to tidy up any unruly stems, April is the time to do it.
Evergreen ceanothus that fl ower in summer respond well to a light pruning in April to maintain their shape, but you’ll need to take care not to cut
into old wood because this is a plant that will rarely re-grow from older stems. You can trim any frost damage off most shrubs including hebe this month and prune down shrubs such as fatsia japonica, which may be getting rather large for their space. Even hydrangeas can have their old fl ower heads removed towards the end of the month, depending on the weather conditions. This is also a great time to trim hedges if you
didn’t manage to do this back in the autumn, as they will soon be raring to grow. Don’t leave it too late, however, as trimming can disturb nesting birds.
Image licensed by Ingram Image
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