inTHE GARDEN- WITH HEVER CASTLE |
We are incredibly busy this month as the estate readies itself for our two week Celebration of Spring; a colourful fortnight that casts a spotlight on this floriferous time of year. It feels as though everything is ready to burst forth in bloom from the later daffodils that are massing, the thousands of tulips along the Pompeiian Wall and the myriad of blossom in Anne Boleyn’ s Orchard. And, while the days are a little longer than in February, there’ s still not enough time in the day to complete all the jobs us gardeners are faced with this month, so the best thing is to prioritise- these are the garden jobs I recommend you tackle throughout April.
Divide and conquer: If you have a water feature or pond, April is a great time to feed your water lilies, divide and replant them. If they’ re looking a little tired then feed them with slow-release fertiliser tablets.
Leave daffodils be: Resist the temptation to cut or tie the daffodils that will be dying back this month. Leave them to do their thing and allow all their energy to return to the bulbs. Only remove the leaves once
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they’ re limp and brown. If you have areas of lawn with daffodils or tulips leave for at least six weeks after flowering before you mow.
Check your roses: Now is a good time to check any climbing roses and make sure they’ re secure as we sometimes experience windy conditions in April. If it’ s a dry month, then make sure you water your roses to ensure a fantastic display come summer.
Order your bedding plants: If you haven’ t already, make sure you order your plug plants for bedding and hanging baskets. Choose bold colours and ensure you have some whites in the mix to add punctuation to the display. We absolutely love to create geometric patterns of planted annual bedding in the Italian Garden and offer tutorials at different points in the year for hanging baskets- something that’ s still really popular with gardeners.
Lawns: Now is the time to fill in any bald patches or unsightly areas in your lawn. You can sew seeds on pre-prepared soil. Ensure it’ s raked and level before sowing. You can feed areas that look unloved with a nitrogen feed. A great tip for improving your lawn is to edge it- a beautifully
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edged lawn can really make the difference and deliver that cutting edge feel to your garden.
Do join us in the garden this month on one of our tours- it really is a spectacular time of year at Hever!
Celebration of Spring:
• Self-Guided Tours: Wander the gardens at your own pace or Meet the Gardening Team( April 20- 24), who will be running guided tours on Monday to Friday.
• Floral Workshop( April 27- May 1): Join Emma Fuller-Wilke for a tutorial on creating gorgeous natural arrangements in pots or boxes.
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