This Week In The Garden

One of the main jobs that need to be done in the garden this week is to pinch out the fuchsias. One of the best ways to get a good amount of bushy growth and a lot of flowers is to regularly pinch out the tips. This will encourage the side shoots and strengthen the growth in order to support the weight of the summer flowers. The pinching out should be done about three or four times between spring and early summer as this will give the best results. This job should take about five minutes per plant.

In the flower garden this week the jobs that you should be looking at doing are to plant out perennials in groups of either three, five or seven to maximise the effect. Sprinkle some fertiliser around tulips in order to boost the amount of flowering. This week you should be trying to get hardy annual plants sown directly into the beds where you would like them to flower. Take time to prune Himalayan honeysuckle and remove dead flower hears from the spring bulbs. Take some time to also protect emerging shoots of lupins and delphiniums from pests such as slugs and this can be done by using a barrier such as copper tape or garlic granules around the pots.

In the fruit and vegetable garden this week the jobs that should be tackled are to sow sweetcorn into deep seed trays and keep them under cover ready to plant in June. Give some feed to bushes and fruit trees. Plant out onions and grow them in pots underneath glass. Potatoes and asparagus crowns should also be planted out. Use polythene sheets or cloches to cover the soil to get it warm for sowing early crops. The other crops that should be sown this week if the conditions are suitable include beetroot, turnips, parsnips, peas, onions, mangetout, lettuce, broad beans, salad leaves, radish, spinach, mizuna, rocket, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussel sprouts.    

In the greenhouse this week you should be looking at getting young bedding plants and plug plants for growing on for pots, baskets and bedding displays. Thin out heavy out fruit sets on nectarine and peaches leaving about ten centimetres between each one.  Sow annual climbing plants such as morning glory, nasturtium and cup and saucer vine. Use a large pot to grow an early crop of dwarf French beans. Repot any houseplants and repot anything that is top heavy. Give some feed to young plants after they have been potted up in fresh compost for about three to four weeks. Take time to pot up seedlings and rooted cuttings.

The other jobs that could be tackled in the garden this week is to use a pressure washer to remove any winter grime from terraces and patios. Sow any new lawns using a grass mix that is suitable to the type of lawn that you want.  Cut plain green shoots off variegated shrubs. Cut the lawn on dry days if the grass is showing a strong growth. Dig out bindweed, couch grass, ground elder and other problem weeds. Take time to place plant supports over clumps of perennials that are tall growing such as delphiniums and lupins