Spring at last! The colours around the garden at this time of the year are so uplifting. The pink and white blossom on the trees and those bright yellow daffodils & forsythia.

Now we are into April, many lawns will need a little TLC after a wet, cold, and windy winter. The first thing to do is aerate your lawn which can be done using a garden fork to pierce holes in it (around 10cm is fine). This will help to reduce compaction, increase surface drainage, and improve root health.

This is also the month to get your spring lawn feed into the lawn. The demands of the winter will have taken their toll and a spring feed is critical for a healthy lawn. Timing depends on how things are warming up. If you are doing any other lawn maintenance such as moss control or scarifying (removing thatch) then put your lawn feed down after this is complete, if the April showers haven’t washed in your feed after a few days then a sprinkler or hose will need to be used.

If you haven’t managed your first cut yet, try and get it done sooner rather than later as April can be a warm and wet month which speeds growth but makes mowing difficult. Keeping the mower height on the high side until May.

Other 'must do's include:

• Dead head daffodil and Tulip flowers, nipping off the faded flowers and seed pods will strengthen the bulb for next year,
• Dead head spring bedding plants to encourage them to carry on flowering into late spring / early summer.
• Remove any tired looking winter bedding and plants that didn’t survive the winter.
• Hoe over beds to prevent annual and perennial weeds from spreading and seeding themselves.
• Feed your beds and borders with a good fertiliser.

Happy gardening!