Page 24 - FWG Issue 3 April 2023

Gardening

April in the garden

ontinue deadheading annuals
and feed fortnightly with organic
liquid fertilizer or vermiplus
Cpellets.
Fill sunny gaps in the garden with annuals
like white and lilac petunias, alyssum and
blue lobelia.
Prepare beds, trenches for sweet peas, and
add old manure, compost and bone meal.
Top up mulches to keep the soil cool and to
preserve moisture.
Organic mulches also improve the structure
of the soil. Use rough compost, straw or
bark chips.
Deadhead and divide overcrowded
agapanthus after flowering.
Break off the faded flowers from lily stem
tips; the more foliage left, the better the
following year’s bulbs.
Cut back old flower stalks of perennials
like penstemon, Shasta daisies, Salvia, Image by Светлана
Leucanthemum and Achillea; mulch with
old manure or compost to encourage
another flush of flowers, pull out canna
stalks. Keep Camellias and Azaleas moist. soil health, reducing winter injuries and
Feed autumn and winter-flowering plants helping with weeds. It prevents soil erosion,
like Plectranthus, Chrysanthemums, maintains soil nutrients, controls pests,
Poinsettias, and indigenous plants like encourages earthworms to move in and
Barleria, Hypoestes (ribbon bush) and also polishes up your garden.
Leonotus (wild dagga).
Apply Epsom salt to acid-loving plants that Veggies to plant in April
have yellowing leaves, such as gardenia and Carrot seeds can also be sown, as well as
Mackaya bella. Follow up with iron chelate. beetroot, kale, leeks, broccoli, horseradish,
Take cuttings of plants that need pruning - chicory and turnips. Spring onions are also
pelargoniums, heliotropes, lavender, daisy great early vegetables, as well as spinach
bushes and hedging plants. (make sure the soil is enriched with organic
matter), peas, shallots and parsnips.
MARCH Mulching What other jobs can I do in the garden?
Mulching your beds will help to keep the
GARDENER OF soil temperature slightly warmer during Protect new spring shoots from slugs.
THE MONTH chilly nights. You will benefit in the long run Plant shallots, onion sets and early potatoes.
Plant summer flowering bulbs.
by spending a little time in your garden,
cleaning up the dead plants and adding to Lift and divide overgrown clumps of
Silvester Chichava – Gardener of perennials.
the month. He is always punctual, the compost heap. Turfnet organic mulch Top dress containers with fresh compost.
has a great attitude, is neat, and breaks down over time and contributes to
works extremely hard around the
Clubhouse and Estate Office. Well To purchase natural gardening products, or for more information
done Silvester! about how to be eco-friendly, give us a call: Jerida 073 935 9754
or visit us at School Road, Plot 17, Diepsloot.

Fourways Gardens • 22 • April 2023