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Cultural tips for your growing asparagus....From preparation to planting and general tips.

The lighter evenings have arrived and as they get longer as the month progresses, this will give us all more time to pamper our flower and vegetable gardens. Happy Gardening!

1. Hopefully last autumn you left the old flower heads on your Hydrangeas. This was done to protect the young growth and buds during the cold frosty winter months. Towards the end of this month it is the best time to cut those old flower heads off, and prune the plants into shape. I like to prune my Hydrangea down to 3-4 buds, as this helps to keep the plants at a manageable size and still rewards me every year with plenty of new flowers. Don’t be tempted to prune any lower than this otherwise you will get bushy plants but with a few or no flowers.
2. If gardening on a budget, or if time is precious, but you still want a colourful display around your home, then there is nothing easier to grow than hardy Annuals. These can be sown direct into the garden any time from this month up to the first week of June, as soon as the soil is dry and warm enough. These are easy to grow and will reward you with a glorious display this summer from very little time and effort as well as leave a few pounds in your pocket.
3. If you are planning to have a bumper harvest of Cucumbers or Courgettes this year, then towards the end of the month is an ideal time to sow some under glass in a heated propagator at 21C (70F). I like to sow seeds into individual 9cm (3 1/2in) pots filled with multipurpose compost. All these vegetables are of the same family so when you sow them, always push the seeds in on their edge, rather than flat. This is so the water runs away from the sides of the seeds. This is important because if the seeds are sown flat, there is always a danger the seeds may get too wet and rot rather than germinate. Both these vegetables can be grown very well in containers on a sunny patio.
4. Towards the middle of this month, I will be sowing the last of my summer bedding in the propagator. This month is the time to sow African and French Marigolds, Cosmos, Tagetes and Zinnias. These will quickly germinate and will be ready for pricking out in about 7-10 days time. If you haven’t got a propagator sow the seeds on a warm windowsill. Although sown later than a lot of summer bedding, they will still be ready for planting out at the end of May along with your summer bedding plants.
5. By the end of this month hopefully the majority of the hard frosts will have past, so it will be time to prune back the old growth of Penstemons and Hardy Fuchsias. These can be pruned back quite hard, down to about 15cm (6in) from the ground. This will encourage the new young shoots at the base of the plants to grow and replace the old woody growth you are cutting away.
6. As the weather improves and the soil dries out and gets warmer you can really get started on the Vegetable plot. This month you can make sowings of some of the smaller vegetable seeds like Carrots, Parsnips, Beetroot, Radish and Spring onions. You can also make further sowings of Peas & Broad Beans, plus this month I will be planting my early and Second Early Potatoes.
7. This month Perennials really put on a spurt of growth, so before they get too large, put some Blood, Fish & Bone fertiliser around the plants and work this into the soil. This will give the plants a boost, rewarding you with a bigger and better display this summer. As the plants grow add some twiggy sticks or the wire frames you can buy to support the plants as they grow. Putting these supports in early will allow the plants to grow through them, allowing there leaves to disguise them, still giving your borders that natural look.
8. Over the winter if your lawns have been sitting damp and in the shade, or if your soil is not very well drained, then you may now have some patches of moss spoiling its appearance. This moss can be raked out (Scarified). You can either do this with a spring tined moss rake and a bit of elbow grease or use an electric Scarifier. Once scarified, mow the lawn again to tidy it up and leave for 1-2 weeks to recover, before applying a summer lawn feed.
9. If you are planning to grow a giant Sunflower, for competition or fun with the Children or grandchildren, then towards the middle of this month is a good time start. Sow the seeds into individual pots of multipurpose compost in the greenhouse or on a warm windowsill. If you are trying to grow the tallest plant or biggest flower head there is no better variety than Giant Single.
10. As Daffodils finish flowering it is wise to deadhead them, removing any old flowers. This is simply done by pinching off the old flowers, preventing them from turning into seedpods. This will encourage the plants to gradually die down and return some of the goodness back into the bulbs. Do not cut down the foliage until it has yellowed, and is at least 6-8 weeks after they have finished flowering. Cutting down too soon will result in blind bulbs (no flowers) next year. It is also wise at this time of year to feed your bulbs with a high potash feed (like tomato food); this will also encourage stronger better flowers next spring.