With April comes the dawn of warmer weather and it’s the ideal time to start setting the scene for summer. Our Head Gardener, David Logan, shares his top spring gardening tips…
- Make sure you prick your seedlings out at the right time. Before the first true leaves appear is too early and 3 inches tall is too late!
- Avoid watering seed trays or seedlings with rain water. It may contain too much life for the babies to survive. Use tap water until they are a little older.
- Keep your eyes open for sticky bud creeping through your undergrowth. If it gets too big it can ruin your floral displays by dragging your flowers down.
- Make sure you keep your plants watered. Lincolnshire can be a dry county and we are always watering. Watering is best done in the morning or in the evening.
- Cut back your lilacs as soon as they’ve flowered. They start making next years’ flowers immediately after flowering so if you want to trim them back, do it nice and early to give them the best chance for a good display next year.
- If you grow lilies or fritillaries, keep your eyes peeled for Lily Beetle. This pretty little bug is unfortunately a major pest. It’s an invasive species from overseas and has no natural predators in this country, so you needn’t feel too bad for picking them off and crushing them.
- Get your pea and bean poles up and your legumes planted. Peas should always be netted securely against pigeons as they love to eat the tips.
- Ventilate your greenhouse properly. On hot days the doors and windows should be wide open, but don’t forget to close them again at night. The lesson of late frosts is a harsh one to learn.
Find out more about the stunning gardens here at Doddington and start planning your visit.
