2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Almha Murphy)
Spring is finally underway, which means the sun is shining, the temperature is rising and more of us are getting out into our gardens. Of course, the tasks that need to be done heavily depend on the time of year – and there is one key activity garden-owners should be getting up to in April. According to the Royal Horticultural Society, 30 million Brits will be tending to their garden in 2025.
The benefits to getting outside are endless and include increased physical exercise, improved mental health and soaking up more vitamin D from the sun. Whether you’re growing bushes, fruits, vegetables or flowers, they will add a colourful and fragrant touch to your property. Some of the most popular flowers in the UK include roses, lilies, daffodils and bluebells.
Many of these colourful plants grow in British gardens of their own accord and tend to bloom in spring. However, if you’re aiming to grow larger flower bushes, two other popular choices are rhododendrons and azaleas. These pants both come in a variety of bright, cheerful colours and are well-adapted to the cool, damp British climate.
A must-do in April If you happen to be cultivating these sought-after flowers, BBC presenter and gardening expert Monty Don advises that you deadhead them in April. Deadheading refers to the process in which fading or dead flowers are removed from plants. It may not seem like an important task, but removing dead flowers can drastically improve the quality of your fresh blooms.
This is because it helps direct energy and nutrients to the blossoming plant heads rather than the old ones. It also can help neaten up your garden, as it prevents petals from scattering everywhere. Particularly for flowers like rhododendrons and azaleas, this will stop them from appearing messy and unkempt.
Monty writes in his blog : “This is a very simple job but one which is often overlooked. To extend the Rhododendron and Azalea season and ensure that the plant does not waste its energies into seed production, dead head as many faded flowers as you can. This is particularly relevant to the large-flowered varieties.
” As for how to go about deadheading the flowers, he warns against using shears. He writes: “Do not use secateurs as you risk injuring the fragile buds growing at the base of the flowers but gather the flower trusses between finger and thumb and snap them off.”.
