British summertime is here, and Easter is traditionally associated with the start of the growing season
Call in at Barn Farm Plants and see their wonderful plant range including culinary herbs, tasty vegetable plants, cottage garden perennials, sturdy rose bushes, robust climbing plants and array of hardy garden shrubs.
Pruning and Planting
Our homegrown summer bedding plants are here and growing well but will need protecting from any night time frosts until late May so be patient. Orders for refills or new summer hanging baskets need to be in by April 21st at the very latest.
Sow annual flower seeds such as marigold, nasturtium, sunflower and sweet pea, which are popular with children. Check seedlings regularly, water and prick out once they have their second set of leaves and before they become too leggy.
Wildflower seed mixes from the RHS are ready to sow and easy to grow, 6 mixes are available to choose from to encourage wildlife and birds into your garden. Plant delphiniums, lupins and poppy seeds directly into the ground. Move any existing shrubs or trees, firm in the plant, support with a stake and feed and water.
Prune back and tidy slightly tender plants such as penstemon, lavender and hebe to stop them going woody. Hard prune forsythia and ribes bushes that have finished flowering to shape and ensure flowers next year.
Garden Maintenance
Support perennials before they grow too high, with half-moon, plant rings or conical supports for peony, delphinium, hollyhock and foxglove. Protect emerging Hosta leaves from slugs and snails by using a barrier repellent such as biodegradable wool pellets. Remove old compost to the depth of 2 inches (5cm) and replace with fresh. Treat root balls affected by vine weevil larvae with a soil drench.
Remove infestations of aphids. Spray roses to keep diseases such as black spot at bay. Use a stiff bristled brush to remove algae from decking and patios, with a surface cleaner such as patio magic. Hoe borders, to prevent annual and perennial weeds from spreading and seeding themselves.
Lawns
Use a combined feed, weed and moss killer to strengthen the grass, and remove weeds and burn out the moss. Use a good quality seed, many are fast germinating and have a protective coating and feed included, for particularly shaded areas use a specific grass blend. Do not walk on freshly sown grass until the growth is around 3 inches (7cm) you can then cut on a high blade.
Fruit and Vegetables
Plant early crop seed potatoes and main crop varieties will need to be done around the middle of April. Have fresh potatoes from your patio if you plant in a suitable container. Plant shallots, onion sets and garlic in open ground and continue sowing carrots, parsnips, leeks, lettuces and spinach and protect fruit tree blossom from frosts by fleecing.
We have Thompson & Morgan’s RHS garden merit seed range and Mr Men branded seeds for younger gardeners, along with Sutton’s salad vegetables and Johnsons range. We have a great range of grow-houses, tomato green-houses, garden cloches that can be placed over tender vegetable crops and 4 different hoop cloches either with fleece, polythene, micromesh or net covers.
Birds & Wildlife
Continue to feed the garden birds using mealworm, sunflower hearts, nyger seed and no mess seed mixes.
A hedgehog house will encourage some prickly friends into your garden.
Plants of interest this Month
Herbaceous Peony: large double flowers which can be fragrant in either pink, red, white or rose colour.
Allium (ornamental garlic): Several varieties available, some of which have large dinner plate size blooms such as Gigantium.
Scabious: Hardy perennial, extremely popular to bees, they have attractive flowers in pink or lavender purple.
Sweet Peas: the annual types grown from seed each year or the perennial version known as Lathrys that grow back every year, are available in pink, white or rose red flowers.
Garden Pinks & Cottage Pinks: hardy dianthus that repeat flower. Garden are larger flowered and ideal for borders and cottage varieties are smaller flowered for rockeries.
Euphorbia & Heuchera: Evergreen perennials, great for awkward shaded areas.
Just call in for advice on our increasing range of peat free composts, insecticide free pest control, glyphosate free weedkillers or organic plant feeds.
Regards Craig
Barn Farm Plants, Wardington, Banbury, Oxon OX17 1SN. 01295 758080. barnfarmplants.co.uk
