APRIL - BEST PRACTICES and TIPS for the FLOWERING GARDEN (and LAWNS)
TIME TO...
Clear up the last of the summer annuals and preparing ground and planting Autumn/ Winter varieties by adding compost and a slow release fertiliser.
Autumn is a great time for adding to the compost bin – prunings from tidying up perennials and shrubs are great fibrous material for composting; too many kitchen scraps or lawn clippings make the compost wet and slimy.
Some regard autumn leaves as a nuisance but the colours and rustling sound make them this season’s feature. They make wonderful compost - they're great adding carbon to the mix.
Check out our ‘Leaf Solution’ – leaf rakes, including the adjustable option, Adjustable rakes are so useful for cleaning up leaves in awkward narrow gaps. And the essential Gubba ‘Leaf Hands’ for picking up the raked leaves.
TIME TO PLANT...
Lots of winter flowering shrubs and trees are available in store this month. It's the ideal time to plant as it gives the plant time to establish and firm up in the ground before the onset of winter. Remember to stake tall trees when planting. Now is a good time to transplant shrubs too.
Plant out calendula, cineraria, primulas, polyanthus, pansies, violas, cineraria, sweet pea, stock and wallflowers.
Plant up pots and containers for autumn and winter colour. Add slow release fertiliser to the potting mix and feed weekly with a liquid or soluble flowering plant food. A tub filled with pansies or polyanthus will look a picture and will flower for months. New season's camellias are now coming into store. The perfect shrub for winter colour in the garden.
Looking for colour in light sheltered shade? Here’s a bowl of Figurine Cyclamen by the back door at home getting some morning sun and shade from then on. Cyclamen come from the Greek mountains and prefer cool temperatures. Try Figurines or the Mini Cyclamen for constant flowering, and they will tolerate light frosts.
Heucheras give great foliage colour all year, their colours are perfect for autumn tonings – sun or light shade suit, except for the lime green varieties that need the shade to prevent burning
Planting your spring bulbs is almost an 'autumn-must', this is really the last month for planting spring flowering bulbs. Mix bulb food into the soil when planting this will get them off to a good start once the roots start developing.
Spring bulbs are still available but several of the varieties are now out of stock with the supplier so don’t delay too long if you’re wanting a good show of colour this coming spring.
Daffodil Vulcanello - New Release for 2025, exclusive to Terra Viva in Christchurch.
Repot indoor plants where necessary, remembering that they prefer to be fairly tight in the pot so don’t increase the size too much. I water indoor plants once a week at this time of year and feed at the beginning of each month (makes it easy for old memories).
TIME TO SOW...
Seeds that can be sown in April include:
Alyssum, paper daisies, sweet peas, poppies for rememberance, calendula, candytruf, Canterbury bells, carnation, cornflower, delphinium, dianthus, foxglove, godetia, larkspur, Livingstone daisy, lobelia, pansy, polyanthus, primula, stock and wallflower.
TIME TO FEED...
Camellias, azaleas, gardenias, and rhododendrons with acid food to promote healthy new growth.. Best applied when it is raining.
Feed flowers every two weeks with a Thrive Soluable Plant Food.
Give roses their final feed for the season so they will be in top condition for winter.
Feed poly/prims and pansies with dried blood to intensify colour and promote increased flowering.
TIME TO CONTROL...
Earwigs. They love chewing holes in autumn flowers and eating the leaves of camellias etc. Use a Pyrethrum based spray such as Yates Natures Way Pyrethrum to control them. You can also use Kiwicares LawnPro Protect sprinkled on the soil around the plants.
Autumn hygiene is really important in the garden. Pick up fallen diseased leaves and place them in your red wheelie bin.
Conifers may be showing signs of disease. Check for borer holes in the trunk. If found clear the entrance and squirt some caterpillar insecticide into the hole. Hose of patches of dead leaves, or clear them away by hand.
Put mulch on the garden to conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and improve soil texture as the mulch breaks down (pea straw works brilliantly).
TIME TO PRUNE...
Cut back anything that's dead or fading. Trim off any sun-damaged leaves.
Hedges should be given a last trim before the cold weather sets in when there's more risk of dieback on freshly cut stems.
This is a great time to boost your compost bins production using the autumn leaves which make good quality compost.
And... don't cut back your roses until winter pruning in July. By leaving them be, it will encourage them to go into their dormant stage to boost reserves for next season's flowering.
Lavender can be tidied up from now on but don't cut too far into the foliage, and lots of summer flowering perennials can also be tidied up.
LAWNS
Now is the ideal time to repair, renew or sow new lawns.
Control weeds in lawns. We recommend using Kiwicare's Lawnpro Turfclean Ultra. It's fast-acting and controls the broadest range of weeds including hydrocotle and oxalis.
Mow lawns more regularly and give them a last feed with slow -release fertiliser as the rain becomes more frequent. As the days cool, growth will slow so lift the mower blades and avoid watering in the evening to prevent lawn fungal disease taking hold.
Take action now! Grass grubs and other soil insects will going further down into the soil as the temperatures drop so get Kiwicare LawnPro Protect granules onto the lawn now and get rid of grass grubs. February to May is the optimum time to use LawnPro Protect in the first half of the year, and September to December later in the year.
