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April in the Garden

by David Maher

"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace,
As I have seen in one autumnal face".
John Donne

April brings the first signs of autumn in most climatic zones; leaves commence to colour and to tumble as they respond to cooler air temperatures ; the soil reacts to the impact of lower temperatures, and, in consequence, fertilizers have a diminishing effect.  With this slower uptake of nutrients, fertilizing needs to be restricted to plants that produce flowers in late winter and early to mid-spring, such as cymbidium orchids and spring-flowering annuals and bulbs.  Some herbaceous perennials now enter dormancy and can be lifted, divided and either replanted in fresh soil or potted before the soil is chilled.  Spraying requirements are minimal but tomatoes, capsicums, grapefruit and Meyer lemon will need to be monitored for the presence of fruit fly.  Fruit trees, shrubs and bulbs can be mulched to conserve moisture and to keep the soil and the roots warmer and better insulated during winter.

FERTILIZING

Camellias:  Late-flowering camellias, that is, those that flower in September/October, should now be fertilized with potash, which assists flower development, at the rate of 10 to 50 grams per plant.

Citrus/Passionfruit.: If not fertilized at the end of February, delay it no longer. Manutec’s Citrus Fertilizer and Dynamic Lifter Advanced   Fruit and Citrus are suitable products. The latter product with an N P K measurement of 10  4  8 is made from organic, composted manure pellets that have been blended with extra nutrients.

Cymbidium Orchids:  A high potassium soluble fertilizer, such as Campbell’s Yellow, or Phostrogen, or Yates’ Thrive Concentrate Orchid Food, or Searle’s Orchid Booster, applied either as a foliar or as a soil surface spray on the top of the pot, should be applied fortnightly and also after each fall of rain while the potting mix is still moist and the plants have been invigorated by aerial moisture.

Ferns, Broccoli, Cabbages, Chives, Parsley and Spinach:  A foliar spray of Thrive, which contains 27% nitrogen, will promote accelerated leaf growth and sustain the productivity of any green-leafed plants. Alternatively, blood and bone may be substituted but it is slower to break down, particularly during cooler temperatures and hence slow to be available to the plants’ roots.

Mango trees: On the completion of harvesting, fertilize with citrus food (NPK = 10.5; 2.3; 8.3)

Roses: April is the month to give roses the feed that will carry flowering through until June in warmer climatic zones. My intention is to use Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic pellets on this occasion. Yates also has a product called DYNAMIC LIFTER FOR ROSES, (Advanced), a new formulation. Of course, Rose Food can also be used.

SPRAYING

Brassicas such as broccoli attract cabbage white butterfly. These should be dusted with Derris Dust or sprayed with Dipel. 

Citrus:  Leaf miner can persist deep into autumn, if the weather remains unseasonably warm.  Pest Oil or White Oil with Malathion added has been an effective spray in my garden. (My trees have been spared leaf miner during the summer just ended.) 

Grape Vines:  Next year’s fungal problems can be reduced if a fungicide spray is applied as the leaves discolour and fall.  The soil underneath and around the vines should be sprayed to achieve a comprehensive kill of spores.

MAINTENANCE

Compost: Autumn leaves can be shredded and used in compost heaps. The lawn mower should be run over them at a slow speed. More than one movement may be necessary. The addition of blood and bone or preferably animal manure will assist decomposition.

Dahlias: Remove the spent blooms in order to extend the flowering season.

Gladiolus corms can be lifted while there is still some green on the leaves; after  the leaves have dried out, cut off and store the corms in a in an airy receptacle and replant in spring.

Orchids:  Flowering spikes will have already emerged on winter-flowering plants so be vigilant to the presence of snails and slugs.  As a preventative measure, place three to four pellets of snail bait among the leaves or around the bases of the pots.

Roses:   For those with roses to pick, remember to cut a 25 to 30 cms long stem in order to encourage new growth and more flowers in the late autumn/early winter flowering. An end-of –season fungicide spray such as Yates’ Rose Shield or Mancozeb Plus should be applied to the soil surface in the hope that exposed spores can be eliminated.  Desirably, leaves with black spot should be picked off.

Shrubs:  This is an appropriate time to transplant small shrubs and to relocate plants that are clearly in the wrong position. Ideally this should entail spading around the plant one side each week for a month to six weeks prior to relocating so that not all roots are wounded simultaneously.

PLANTING

Cinerarias, foxgloves, delphiniums, pansies, violas, columbines, lupins, wallflowers, lobelias and Iceland poppies and anemone and ranunculi corms can be planted. 

Sweet peas can still be planted, too. Should space be a limiting factor in your garden, plant sweet peas in a large pot and use a piece of trellis or bamboo stakes as support and to permit training.  Yates’ Colorcade Sweet Pea, a highly perfumed variety, is recommended. In your pre-planting preparation, remember to add some dolomite to the planting area particularly in areas when the soil is acid.

Camellia sasanquas are now flowering. Hence, it is the opportune time to select cultivars that suit your personal preferences and your garden’s requirements. They can be used as garden shrubs, hedges, espaliers or as container plants. They should be planted in an acidic mix such as Searle’s or Yates’ or Debco’s Azalea and Camellia mix. If you already have sasanquas, perhaps you might consider growing a fragrant cultivar in a container.  These are cultivars that I have grown: ‘Lutchuensis’; and ‘Snowdrop’. Others include ‘High Fragrance’ and ‘Scentuous’.

DO REMEMBER: Camellia sasanquas do not have to be disbudded.

PRUNING

Pruning should be minimal in April because winter is the time when plants need maximum protection from chilled and frosty air. Given the severity of the 2006-‘07 drought, it is conceivable that there may be dead wood in some shrubs and trees such as azaleas, camellias and citrus, which needs to be pruned out. While removing any dead wood from citrus, prune out any weedy inner growth that obstructs ventilation and that will not produce fruit.

Fruit Trees: Late in the month, apricot and plum trees can be pruned. These trees are best pruned before dormancy because the pruning wounds will heal and callous over more quickly. This means that points of potential infection are sealed off.

Hedges can be given a late autumn trim. Photinias will respond with the reddest of red foliage. 

Kangaroo Paws: The spent flower heads AND the leaves should be cut back to ground level.

Roses: Vigorous climbing and pillar roses should be tied securely to their frame or post. If on a frame, train and tie horizontally. I tied my ‘Pierre de Ronsard’ to its light pole in early March because it was moving skywards at a steady pace.

Tibouchinas should be cut back as soon as they have finished flowering. (Tibouchinas are very frost sensitive.)

Vegetables: Pumpkins should be harvested with a 10 cms length of stalk and hardened in the sun for a few days before storing in a cool, well-ventilated site.

VEGETABLE GARDEN

Broad beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, including Spring onions, spinach, silver beet and lettuce (‘Imperial’) can be planted. In colder areas, a March planting is preferred. Broad beans are lime lovers and hence apply to the soil at the rate of 300 grams to a square metre if your soil is acidic. In Tamworth, a rate of about 200 grams to a square metre is adequate.

March, April and May are the appropriate months to plant GARLIC, a type of onion. Cloves planted now will become established before the onset of winter, meaning the root systems will spread and leaves will grow in the warm soil. The leaves will supply nutrients to the bulbs in spring causing accelerated growth. If your soil is acidic, add lime to bring pH to neutral or slightly alkaline. To plant, pull the clusters of cloves apart and push the individual cloves into the soil so that they are just below the surface. Garlic cloves for planting are available from the Digger’s Club, Dromana, Victoria. The garlic that I grew in 2007 was harvested and frozen and will be sufficient to last at least a year.

Cucurbits such as pumpkins and marrows that are still ripening can be turned over to achieve a more even ripening. In cold climate areas where frosts are threatening, cut and store in a cool, dry situation. When cutting the stem, retain about 5 to 7cms of it.

PLANT OF THE MONTH

Herbaceous perennials are strikingly beautiful during the summer and early autumn. Autumn is an appropriate time to look for perennials in nurseries and it is also the time to lift and divide. The following is a list of some excellent perennials:

Achillea ageritafolia; Anthemis ‘Susannah Mitchell’ and Anthemis ‘E.C. Buxton’; Arenaria; Aster ‘Prince’ and the Michaelmas daisies; Aster frickartii Jung Frau ; the Campanulas; Cerastium, the common name is Snow in Summer; Convolvulus; Erigeron ‘Elsie’ and E. ‘Los Angeles pink’; Nepeta – the catimint; Pentstemon; Perennial Phlox;  and Veronica ‘Blue Pyramid’.

These are all perennials that I have grown successfully on the N.W.Slopes. Most are available in pots from Lambley Nursery, Ascot, Victoria, 3364. It would be useful to have your name on its mailing list for its seasonal catalogues because I shall often mention it in my articles. It is the best mail order nursery I know.

Should you be interested in a comprehensive list of perennials, send a stamped addressed envelope and I shall send you a copy of the talk that I delivered to the Garden Clubs of Australia’s Clubs at Narrabri on the 10^th March. Enclose 4 x 50 cent stamps to cover the cost of printing, please.

Until next month may all your bugs be good bugs.

Happy gardening!