1. Deadhead pansies, violas, azaleas and rhododendrons to prolong flowering.
2. Clip winter-flowering heathers to remove dead blooms.
3. Remove any dead leaves on cordylines and phormiums.
4. Before spring bulbs die down completely, mark their location with small sticks or canes to avoid damaging them later in the year. The sticks will soon be hidden by the foliage of other plants.
5. Plant summer bulbs, corms and tubers, such as dahlias and gladioli.
6. Sow hardy annuals such as clarkias and nasturtiums.
7. When the leaves of daffodils start to die off and pull away easily, they can be cleared away. Clumps which flowered poorly can be lifted and replanted 15-25cm apart.
8. Support perennials before they grow too tall.
9. Tie in new shoots of climbers such as clematis and wall shrubs. Train some climbing rose branches horizontally to encourage more flowers.
10. Watch out for lily beetles which have become a serious problem and affect all Lilium species and fritillaries. The bright red beetles and their larvae feed on the leaves, stems and buds of the plants. Plants can be sprayed with Provado Ultimate Bug Killer.
11. Protect new plantings from the digging of cats and squirrels by covering them with chicken wire or upturned hanging baskets.
12. Protect vulnerable plants such as delphiniums, hostas, lettuces and strawberries, from slugs and snails.
13. Check for aphids. Squash or treat them with a spray containing bifenthrin or pyrethrins.
14. Sow beetroot, winter cabbages, main crop carrots, coriander, lettuce, peas, radishes, spring onions, swedes and turnips. Wait until late May to sow French and runner beans.
15. Continue earthing up potatoes to protect them from frost, encourage more tubers and stop them going green.
16. Plant hanging baskets, pots and window boxes. Mix slow release fertiliser into the compost before planting.
17. Cut lawns weekly and feed if looking pale and sparse.
18. Remove rosette-forming weeds, such as dandelions, using an old knife, or try a daisy grubber. Spray creeping weeds with a lawn spot weeder.
19. Plant peppers and tomatoes if a temperature of at least 15° can be maintained.
20. Hang up codling moth traps in apple and pear trees to catch male moths before they can breed.
Derek & Lin Walker
Thank you for visiting Little Larford Cottage
Copyright
Lin and Derek Walker 2007