Springtime Gardening: Top Plants to Grow in April
Posted on April 10 2023
Growing a Garden Full of Colourful Blooms
Indoor/Greenhouse Planting
Plant sunflowers in pots indoors or sow them directly into garden borders. Start sowing nasturtiums in pots and modules. Once the risk of frost has passed, transfer them to poor soil for the best flowers. Richer soil will produce more foliage and fewer blooms. Sow scented bedding plants, such as dianthus and osteospermum, for delightful fragrance in beds and borders over the summer. Complete sowing petunia seeds under cover this month to ensure plants reach an adequate size in time for summer.
Sow Scabious seed under cover. They will attract bees and butterflies to your garden and make great cut flowers. Sow marigolds in warmth to add vibrancy to your summer bedding. Plant summer hanging baskets with plug plants and keep them under cover in a heated greenhouse until the frost has passed. T
Finish sowing summer bedding plants such as salvia, ageratum, and zinnia this month for a lively display this summer. Continue to sow half-hardy annual seeds under cover, making sure to protect them from frost. Try Dahlia 'Black Beauty' for velvety dark blooms and Aster 'Spider Chrysanthemum Mixed' (Callistephus chinensis) for colourful spidery blossoms. Continue to sow value annual & value perennial & biennial seeds for a cost-effective way to add colour to your garden.
Outdoor Direct Sowing
Direct sow wildflower seed mixtures; they're fantastic for bees and butterflies and add wonderful colour. Direct sow hardy annuals like sunflowers and poppies outside.
Outdoor Planting
Continue to plant herbaceous perennials and biennials like foxgloves and osteospermum.
Plant forced flower bulbs (such as hyacinths and daffodils) into borders after they've finished flowering. Plant or pot on any hardwood cuttings taken last year. Add any necessary supports to plants now so they can grow through them. Adding supports later is more difficult and can damage plants.
Plant climbing annuals and climbing perennials for bold splashes of colour around pergolas, fences, or arches in the summer. Plant lily bulbs in pots. Lilies grow exceptionally well in containers, and you can move them around your patio or into gaps in borders as they come into bloom.
Fill containers and hanging baskets with petunia plants when there is no longer any risk of frost. Plant one of our wildflower mixtures to create a safe haven for birds and wildlife. Plant conifers now to give the tree time to establish and quickly grow roots.
Vegetables and Herbs to Sow and Grow
Indoor/Greenhouse Planting
Begin sowing tomato seeds indoors to plant out after all risk of frost has passed. If you're struggling for growing space, buy ready-grown tomato plants. For inspiration, check out our tomato hub page. Pot on seedlings into pots or modules for growing on as soon as they have their first true leaves. Sow aubergine seeds under glass now for growing in the greenhouse or transplanting outdoors later. Sow basil seeds in warmth to protect them from April frosts. Finish sowing celery and celeriac.
Fruit to sow and grow
Growing fruit indoors or in a greenhouse can be a fun and rewarding experience. Melon seeds are surprisingly easy to grow, so consider sowing some 'Outdoor Wonder' F1 Hybrid seeds in a warm environment for a reliable crop that can withstand the British weather. You can also try sowing Strawberry 'Florian' F1 Hybrid seeds in the greenhouse.
For outdoor planting, it's best to plant pot-grown fruit trees and bushes now, as it's too late for bare-root fruit trees. Raspberry and blackberry canes can also be planted before the hotter weather arrives. If you're planting strawberries, make sure you enrich the soil first with well-rotted manure and consider placing cloches over your plants for earlier crops.
To stay ahead of the game, consider ordering perennial plants like lupin and Aquilegia, as well as begonia seeds to sow in late winter/early spring. You can also stock up on sweetcorn seeds to sow in trays next month and browse our full range of patio plants for some colourful additions to your containers. Don't forget to stock up on horticultural fleece and other plant protection to prepare for when you start sowing in earnest.