Spring is finally in evidence as daffodils and flowering trees start to bloom. Expect the inevitable April showers this month but with sunny days too, when you can turn your attention to the lawn. It's an exciting month, with indoor-sown seeds well into growth, and it's also time to start sowing outdoors. Just watch out for frosts.

1. There is still plenty of time to plant fruit trees, the cold weather in the first few months has delayed a lot of planting and the trees and bushes are showing no signs of leaf growth so plenty of time to plant Apples ,Pears Plums as well as raspberry canes .Remember Apples Pears and Plums don’t just provide mouth-watering fruit but put on a spectacular display of spring blossom.
2. Roses bushes are very greedy plants and will greatly benefit from feeding just as they are starting to grow. We use Organic Best Bloom from Viano. Apply a mulch around them as well as your perennials, use well-rotted manure if you can get it.
3. Now is the best time to apply Nemasy to control the evil Vine weevil grub. Totally natural it will destroy any grubs that have overwintered. Vine weevil thrives best in peat compost rather than heavy clay so make sure to use on pot and tubs. They also are very fond of primulas, strawberries azaleas and camellia to name just a few.
4. Divide herbaceous perennials to increase your display and rejuvenate the plants.
5. Plant summer-flowering bulbs such as Lilies,Gladiolus direct in beds and borders.
6. Start Dahlias indoors in pots for planting out later in May after the frost.
7. As soon as the flowers finish on daffodils them but do not cut the foliage as they need to continue growing and build up reserves for next year. Give them a feed of liquid tomato fertilizer to encourage next year’s flowers.
8. As the ground dries and warms up plant onion sets, shallots and potatoes.
9. Prepare vegetable seed beds by removing all weeds particularly perennial weeds and fork in plenty of compost. Cover prepared soil with sheets of black plastic to keep it drier and warmer in preparation for planting.
10. Spray the emerging leaves of peach and nectarine trees with Bordeaux Mixture to prevent peach leaf curl.
11. Apply a slow-release fertiliser around the base of your raspberry canes, fruit bushes and fruit trees to encourage good crops this season.
12. Sow tomato seeds indoors, ready to plant out after all risk of frost has passed. If you have not got enough heat to start them off we will have 10 varieties of plants available from the 3 week in April.
13. Continue to sow half-hardy annual seeds under cover - take care not to expose them to frost.

1. Keep an eye on your seedlings - as soon as they have their first true leaves, prick them out into pots or trays for growing on.
2. Pinch out the tips of sweet pea plants to encourage bushy plants this summer.
3. Sow lawn seed now on well prepared soil and keep the soil moist whilst the seed is germinating.
4. GMr Middleton’s easy grass is quick to germinate, very hard wearing, provides a lush velvet lawn but best of all is slow growing so you do a lot less mowing
5. Finally as the warm weather arrives keep on top of weeding , little and often while the weeds are just seedlings is much better than having to tackle a big job in late May or June . Run a hoe through beds and borders every week.
6. Apply organic weed killer to perennial weeds in paving and patios.
7. Plant rhubarb which will crop for years to come.
8. Main crop potatoes should be planted now no need to chit then unlike the earlies they don’t need a head start.
9. Begonia tubers can still be planted into pots for growing in the greenhouse or planting out later in summer, remember to make sure the concave part of the tuber is uppermost and lightly covered with compost.