Plants for April

In April, weather permitting, we recommend you plant:

The Snowy Mespilus makes a very attractive deciduous small tree or large bush in gardens that have well drained, lime free soils
It produces an abundance of small white flowers on arching branches in spring
Its summer foliage starts a coppery red, turning green later
The autumn colours are a striking rich red with yellow hues
A truly outstanding plant if the soil conditions permit it to grow and establish well.

Kerria japonica has been grown in English gardens since the Victorian era and has, of late, gone slightly out of fashion although it still should merit a place in most gardens
Normally considered a medium sized shrub, this plant will produce prolific suckers, which will be smothered in buttercup yellow flowers throughout April and May
This form ‘Golden Guinea’ has golden semi-double flowers and is considered a better variety
It is considered best to thin and prune after flowering to try and maintain some shape and form

This is an outstanding plant for the garden and, if given a little care and attention, will create a point of interest virtually all year round
They are mainly grown for their fiery red foliage in early spring, and it is important that these are protected with fleece on very cold nights to prevent leaf scorch
The coloured foliage is followed by bunches of slightly scented, white, drooping lily-of-the-valley like flowers
This plant must have acidic soils to thrive plus regular feeds of sequestered iron throughout the season
There are plenty of different varieties including variegated forms but some other favourites include Forest Flame, Purity and taiwanensis

These very vigorous if not rampant deciduous climbers are well worth having if your garden is spacious and you have an unsightly outbuilding you would like to partially obscure
The numerous varieties will produce masses of white, sometimes pink and scented flowers depending on the variety in February through to April as weather conditions permit
If planting the variety ‘Rubens’, the early flowers are followed by attractive green or bronze/purple foliage
They are tolerant of most soils and are fairly robust and once established will live for many years quite happily
Because of their vigour, they are only suited for larger gardens where they can be left to develop at there own free will

These delightful evergreen perennial wallflowers are always popular in a mixed border or a cottage garden-style planting scheme
This year we have a number of different varieties, featuring apricot-orange and shades of mauve, with a dwarf compact yellow variety and they really do add a splash of colour early in the year
Flowers often appear mid March through to July depending on the weather conditions
They prefer planting in an open sunny position in a well drained soil and always avoid windy or exposed sites
Plant in groups of 3 or 5, with an average height of 60cms and a spread of 70cms, a group can make a significant impact, whilst the yellow form grows to around 20cms with a much more compact habit
Remove faded flower heads on a regular basis to maintain a tidy appearance

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