Colin Evans

Apple Tree Blossom by Michelle Hales

So nice to have some good weather for a change and being able to make the most of being in the garden.

The flowering trees and shrubs are a real picture and spring flowering bulbs are still doing their best to hang onto their colour. The tulips in my garden have been especially good this spring and many of them are still only at the bud stage so they will provide colour for some weeks to come.

I have made the most of the recent rain which has softened the soil to remove as many newly emerging weeds as possible as tackling them now will get them under control  before they get a real hold and they are difficult to eradicate.

My garden is especially plagued with horse tails, those prehistoric green shoots which look like mini conifers and whilst they look magnificent, once they are established will prove a real pain to get rid of.

I just rip the new shoots out as fast as I see them and, when I can, I hit them with one of the propriatary garden chemicals like Glyphosphate which is inactive when it hits the soil, though I am careful not to spray plants I want to keep as this chemical will kill off everything that's green.

Calluna vulgaris summer and autumn heathers are worth planting now. The garden centres have limitless varieties of them so just take your pick.

They grow well in sunny positions where the soil is slightly on the acid side. Most gardens in the Thames Valley are suitable especially if they are freely draining. These colourful plants work well in borders, tubs and troughs and can add a touch of elegance to hanging baskets.

My favorites are calluna vulgaris kerstin which has light green foliage and red purple flowers. Others I use are rubifolia which has orange flowers and Easter bonfire which has a mixture of both white and pink flowers.

Topical Tips:

Tomatoes

Pot up tomato seedlings sown last month into pots of multi-purpose potting compost and still give protection either inside or in a cool greenhouse. Keep them well watered but not overly so and keep an eye open for insect pests which will attack the new growth. Wait until the plants have made good growth up to the six leaf stage before potting them on into grow bags or into the open ground.

Sow dwarf French beans outside now and if you have cloches to cover them, so much the better as frosts can still do damage. Remember we need to get well into May before we can safely assume that frosts have lost much of their plant damaging capabilities.

If you want to keep the vegetable plot productive throughout the winter months then select which brassica crops you like to eat and buy seeds at the garden centre.

Cultivate an area of soil and prepare a seed bed by raking the plot. Firm the area and sow the seeds in narrow drills and firm in and give a good watering. The seeds will germinate in about four weeks and once they have, keep them covered to keep the pigeons away and watch out for slugs.

Happy Gardening: