April gardening guide: what to do in your garden this April
April brings the real turning point in the gardening year. Growth is accelerating, borders begin to fill out, and the vegetable garden starts to take shape. But the weather remains unpredictable – sunshine, cold snaps, and even the occasional frost can all arrive within the same week. Preparation is key, particularly for tender plants and young growth.
Protecting new shoots is still important at this stage. Cloches and horticultural fleece remain essential tools if frost is forecast, while on warmer days, vigilance is needed against slugs and snails, which target fresh growth such as delphiniums, hostas and young salad leaves.
Despite the challenges, April is one of the most rewarding months in the garden, as sowing, planting and early colour begin to bring everything to life.
Planting
Buy and grow on bedding plants
If you have a greenhouse or frost-free area, April is a good time to save money by buying small bedding plants and growing them on in sheltered conditions. These smaller plants are usually cheaper and establish well when given time to develop.
Pelargoniums, cosmos, ammi, sweet peas, and nicotiana are all excellent choices, while geraniums, gazanias, and marigolds thrive in sunny positions. For shadier areas, begonias, petunias, and violas provide reliable colour.
Sowing bedding plants from seed can be time-consuming and tricky, and there is now a wide selection of plug plants for both bedding and vegetables available online and in garden centres. These young plants need a frost-free environment with plenty of light – ideally a greenhouse, conservatory, windowsill, or porch.
Watering needs careful management at this stage. Too much water early on can cause young plants to rot, so increase watering gradually as they grow. When plug plants arrive, they are often in small thumb-sized pots and should be potted on immediately, but only one pot size at a time. Moving them into a pot that is too large too soon will hinder growth.
If planting into containers or hanging baskets, it is often best to pot them up and grow them on in a greenhouse before planting outside. This allows the plants to develop a strong root system before exposure to outdoor conditions.
Pinch out growing tips to encourage bushier growth; otherwise, plants such as petunias, fuchsias, and verbenas can become leggy later in the season.
As a general rule, do not plant out bedding plants until the risk of frost has passed, which is usually towards the end of May depending on location. Earlier planting is possible, but plants must be protected with fleece or cloches if frost is forecast, as most bedding plants are not hardy and can be severely damaged or killed by cold weather.
Seed and grow summer annuals
The advantage of growing annuals from seed is the wide variety available, including plants rarely seen in garden centres. Specialist seed catalogues offer an extensive range, making it easy and enjoyable to grow something unusual.
Good summer annuals include Cobaea scandens (Cup and Saucer plant), native to South America, which is a tender climber ideal for summer displays. Amaranthus caudatus (Love lies bleeding) is another striking and exotic-looking annual that is easy to grow from seed.
Both require warmth for germination and should be grown on in frost-free conditions until well established. Delay planting out until plants are strong and well developed.
Other reliable annuals that provide bold colour include nasturtiums, sunflowers, calendula, and cornflowers. These are easy to germinate and more tolerant than tender exotic varieties.
Sow a wildflower patch
A wildflower patch can create a vibrant seasonal display and does not require large amounts of space or time. If a low-maintenance option is preferred, pre-seeded rolls or mats offer a simple and reliable alternative to sowing from seed.
Whether using seed or pre-prepared mats, success depends on weed-free soil and sufficiently warm conditions for germination.
Start planting out potatoes
April is the traditional time for planting salad potatoes and first earlies, with second earlies and maincrop varieties typically planted towards the end of the month. Potatoes can be chitted throughout April before planting.
Maincrop potatoes are generally the largest, taking around 15–20 weeks to reach full maturity. They are ideal for storing and suited to roasting, baking, and mashing.
Planting schedules should always be adjusted according to weather conditions; if a cold spell occurs, delay planting until conditions improve.
Potatoes take up significant space in the vegetable plot but can also be grown successfully in large containers. The emerging foliage (haulm) is vulnerable to frost and should be protected if cold weather is forecast.
It is essential to maintain consistent moisture, particularly as April and May can be among the driest months of the year.
Plant hardier vegetables outside
The weather remains variable in April, so it is important to distinguish between hardy and tender crops. In sheltered gardens, hardier vegetables can be sown or planted outside, including broad beans, beetroot, carrots, Swiss chard, summer cauliflower, kohl rabi, lettuce, leeks, radish, turnips, spring peas, and perpetual spinach.
More tender vegetables should be raised under glass until planting out in mid-May, once the risk of frost has passed. These include courgettes, squash, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, celery, celeriac, French beans, sweetcorn, and globe artichokes.
Seedlings grown indoors can become leggy if not managed correctly. If growing on a windowsill, turn trays regularly to prevent plants leaning towards the light source.
April is also suitable for sowing peas and beans in the greenhouse for later planting out. Successional sowing at regular intervals helps avoid gluts and ensures a continuous harvest.
Broad beans are the hardiest of the bean family and can be planted out first, followed by runner beans and French beans once conditions improve. All beans and peas require a long root run and are best grown in root trainers or alternatives such as toilet roll tubes.
Direct sowing is possible for hardier crops such as carrots, broad beans, onions, garlic, and purple sprouting broccoli, provided soil conditions are suitable and warmed up. Successional sowing every two weeks works well for steady cropping.
If carrot seed fails to germinate, it is often due to cold soil; re-sow when conditions improve.
April is also suitable for planting strawberries, either in beds or containers. Protection will be needed from birds once fruit begins to form. Onions and garlic can also be planted in sunny positions and are both easy, reliable crops that store well.
Start growing herbs
Supermarket herbs can be expensive and short-lived, while home-grown herbs offer greater variety and flavour. April is the ideal time to sow tender herbs such as basil, coriander, dill, Thai basil, and tarragon under glass. These can later be planted out or grown in containers in sunny spots.
Parsley can be slow to germinate, so repeated sowing is often necessary.
Hardy herbs such as chives, thyme, and oregano can be planted outside in pots or borders. Oregano is vigorous, aromatic, and highly attractive to pollinators, but it can self-seed freely, so monitoring is required if spread is not desired.
Most herbs prefer a sunny position, although some will tolerate partial shade.
Care and maintenance
Pruning in April
Early April is suitable for pruning Hydrangea macrophylla, cutting back to a pair of buds and removing around a third of older woody stems each year to encourage new growth. Newly planted hydrangeas should be pruned more lightly until established.
Buddleja davidii can still be pruned or trimmed at this stage to maintain shape and encourage flowering. Lavender, including French lavender and cotton lavender, should be lightly trimmed, along with rosemary and sage, avoiding cuts into woody stems.
Cornus should be pruned by early April at the latest to encourage strong red winter stems. Hard pruning down to near the base is required. Early-flowering heathers can be trimmed once flowering has finished.
Pruning should be avoided during periods of severe or unstable weather.
Feed shrubs
April is an ideal time to feed shrubs as growth begins. General fertilisers such as fish, blood and bone, Growmore, bone meal, or organic chicken manure pellets can be applied around the base of plants and lightly worked into the soil. Water in if rain is not expected.
Some shrubs, including camellias, rhododendrons, and magnolias, require ericaceous feed, while roses benefit from specialist rose fertiliser and preventative disease treatments as growth resumes.
Tie in new plant growth
New growth on plants and climbers will benefit from being tied in. There’re many types of plant ties – from simple strings to bendy ones, green metal ties and, of course, simple raffia ties
Raffia is quite strong and won’t look too intrusive on the plant. It is also cheap and readily available. And it doesn’t look offensive if it blows around or ends up in the compost heap. Raffia is also soft and forgiving as a tie.
Care for Hellebores
Hellebores are fading, and depending on how they look, time to cut down the stems. The new growth can be seen at the plant’s base, and care is needed to ensure this is not snipped instead.
The taller Helleborus argutifolius (also known as Corsican hellebores) is prone to flop all over the place by this stage and is hard to stake. It is best chopped – taking off the flower and stalks down to the ground. Other types of Hellebores can be left alone.
Stake perennials
Many perennials will need support, and early April is the time to stake perennials, especially the early flowering ones, such as Peonies. It can be tricky to place the stakes over or around the plant without damaging the emerging plants if staking is left too late.
Wildlife and pests
Young vegetable growth is particularly vulnerable to pests in April. Carrot fly, for example, requires physical protection such as fine mesh netting to prevent damage. While resistant varieties exist, barriers remain the most reliable method of control.
Slugs and snails are also active in warmer, damp conditions, so regular monitoring is essential across borders and vegetable beds.
Other garden tasks
Spring bulbs such as daffodils and tulips should be deadheaded once flowers fade, but foliage must be left intact to feed the bulbs for next year’s display.
Lawns benefit from their first feeds of the year, typically with a high-nitrogen fertiliser after scarifying and mowing begins in earnest. Grass cutting should start high and be lowered gradually as growth increases.
Seedlings raised earlier in the season will need potting on into slightly larger containers, taking care not to over-pot too early, which can restrict growth.
Plants raised indoors should also be hardened off gradually by placing them outside on mild days before bringing them back under cover at night, preparing them for eventual planting out.
Finally, April is a good time to consider composting systems for garden waste, helping to recycle material and improve soil health naturally.
Quick reference – April gardening at a glance
- Buy and grow on bedding plants in frost-free conditions, potting on gradually.
- Sow summer annuals and wildflowers such as nasturtiums, sunflowers, and cornflowers.
- Plant early potatoes and hardier vegetables, while protecting tender crops under cover.
- Sow herbs including basil, coriander, thyme, and chives.
- Plant strawberries, onions, and garlic in prepared soil.
- Prune shrubs and feed borders as growth begins.
- Tie in new shoots on climbers and support perennials early.
- Protect crops from pests, especially carrot fly and slugs.
- Deadhead spring bulbs but leave foliage to die back naturally.
- Feed and begin mowing lawns as growth increases.
- Pot on seedlings and harden off young plants gradually.
- Start composting systems for garden waste.
