Summer is approaching but don’t be tempted to put out summer bedding until the risk of frosts are over, and make sure they have been hardened off before planting out.
Dahlias can be planted out at the end of the month. Stake any herbaceous plants that will flop over or be damaged by high winds.
Evergreen hedges can be cut from this month, but check for nesting birds beforehand.
Cut lawns weekly, and apply a high nitrogen lawn feed unless drought conditions persist. Treat broad leaved lawn weeds with a selective herbicide. Hang pheromone traps in apple trees to check for codling moths.
Watch out for viburnum beetle and lily beetle grubs. French and runner beans, and sweetcorn, can be sown outside now. Marrows and courgettes can be planted out at the end of the month.
Protect carrots from carrot fly with insect proof netting, or build a 60cm clear polythene barrier around where they are sown as the female flies are not able to fly at that height.
Prune overgrown camellias as they put on fresh growth, prune spring flowering shrubs such as Forsythia and Philidelphus.
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