April
April
The lingering warmth has everything growing like mad, and gardens are looking lush and green as ever. This is a busy month in the garden, with lots of gorgeous, colourful plants to add to your planting list, and a bunch of odd jobs to attend to before the crisp autumn air starts to move in.
Skip to what to plant in the garden in April
Skip to which plants need feeding in April
Skip to which plants to prune in April
Skip to garden pests, diseases and weeds to look out for in April
Skip to April's general lawn and garden care tasks
Skip to your April garden centre shopping list
What's flowering in Sydney gardens in April?
- Trees & Shrubs: Azaleas (spot flowering), banksia ericifolia, berberis, camellia sasanqua, crowea, gordonia, hibiscus, plectranthus, tibouchina
- Annuals & Perennials: Chrysanthemum, Easter daisy, Japanese windflower, Michaelmas daisy, pansy, polyanthus, poppy, viola
- Bulbs: Dahlia, daylily, nerine
Clockwise from left: Banksias, pansies, sasanqua camellias, hibiscuses and dahlias are all in flower this month.
What to plant in the garden in April
- Craving colour? Take your pick from alyssum, candytuft, cineraria, cornflower, lobelia, lupin, penstemon, polyanthus, poppy, snapdragon, sweet pea and verbena.
- Prepare for a winter feast! Edibles that love cooler weather include broad beans, broccoli, brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, lettuce (winter varieties), onion, parsley, peas, rocket, silverbeet and spinach. Sweet tooth? Plant strawberries! Check out our Youtube video here to learn the top 7 mistakes to avoid when growing veggies through autumn.
- For months of colour right up until Christmas, plant your favourite pansies and violas.
- Potty for potted plants? Now’s the time to plant container-grown azaleas, citrus, conifers, daphne and natives.
- Fill your garden with spring-flowering bulbs like anemone, babiana, bluebell, Dutch iris, freesia, ixia, jonquil and ranunculus. Daffodil, grape hyacinth, hyacinth and tulip bulbs need a chilling period, so should be kept in the fridge for six weeks first.
Which plants need feeding in April?
- Get your veggie garden in tip-top shape for a winter crop by adding lime or Supersoil Professional Enriched Cow Manure to the soil.
- Fertilise annuals with weak fortnightly solutions of Harvest or PowerFeed.
- Avoid fertilising camellias and azaleas in April. Why? Feeding now will stimulate leaf growth, but might cost you buds and flowers down the track.
Which plants to prune in April
- If you live in an area prone to cold and frost, stay away from the secateurs this month. Plants will need leaf cover to protect them from frost.
- Remove spent heads of pansies, violas and other annuals to encourage further flowering.
Garden pests, diseases and weeds to look out for in April
- Protect newly-planted bulbs and seedlings with snail pellets. Use pellets like Multiguard Snail & Slug Killer, always ensuring you follow the packet instructions.
- If mildew appears on your roses or hydrangeas, spray with a fungicide such as Mancozeb Plus.
- Aphids on pansy and viola seedlings can be kept under control with pyrethrum.
- Caterpillars munching on edibles can be controlled with Success ULTRA.
This month, it's time to prepare soil for rose planting, keep an eye out for caterpillars, repot indoor plants and control aphids.
April's general lawn and garden care tasks
- Autumn is prime time for lawn care. Click here for your complete guide.
- Mulch autumn leaves and add them to the compost heap. If you leave them to compost in a heap by themselves, add Supergrow Organic Fertiliser Pellets and dolomite to the pile to quicken the decomposition process.
- Divide clumps of perennials such as iris, perennial phlox and Shasta daisies.
- Repot plants into larger containers with fresh potting mix.
- Prepare a bed for your roses. Dig the soil over in a sunny position, and then add compost or a rose planting mix.
- Remove stone fruit from trees and dispose of them to eliminate sources of brown-rot fungus.
- Start applying Seasol to help protect against frost in the colder months.