What to plant in April (and other garden tasks for the month)

Reaching about 60cm at full height, this delicate spring anemone has flowers with the palest pink tinge, a central cluster of mauve anthers and darker undersides to each petal. It grows best in dappled shade in a moist, humus-rich soil and it looks wonderful in naturalised drifts.

A perennial wallflower perfect for dotting between tulips, this blooms on and off from April to August. Its pretty flowers come in shades of lilac, pink, apricot and cream that look good with most other colours. Once established, these plants are fairly drought-tolerant, growing in most soils in full sun.

This recent cultivar has elegant, arching stems of scarlet, pale-tipped flowers set above ferny foliage that matures to a dark grey-green. Formerly known as dicentras, these distinctive plants grow in either sun or partial shade and prefer a humus-rich, moist soil that is not too heavy.

Hailing from the Himalayas, this drumstick variety sports eye-catching purple-pink pom-poms from early spring through to midsummer. Easy to grow, it thrives in a moist soil next to a stream or pond, pairing perfectly with ferns and other candelabra primulas, such as P. beesiana or P. bulleyana.

Producing pendulous clusters of dark pinky-red flowers that smother the plant in April, followed by deep crimson, inedible fruits in summer, this deciduous shrub grows to a height of about 3 metres and has an upright, compact habit. It does best in full sun in most well-drained soils.

• Wildflowers
• Sunflowers
• Sweet peas
• Cosmos
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Strawberries
• Broad beans
• Peas

• If you are growing summer vegetables from seed, remember they need to be hardened off before planting them in your garden. Gently harden them off by introducing the plants gradually to outdoor weather and sunlight. Leave them outside on mild days for short periods of time and increase the exposure daily until plants can be left out all day and night. Watch out for signs of stress.
• Cut back spring flowering shrubs after they have bloomed, then give them a dose of fertilizer. If Azaleas or Camellias are looking a little yellow between the veins, apply some organic feed. Trim dead flowers from spring bulbs, but leave the foliage to provide the energy for the bulb next spring.
• It's time to start weeding. When your plants are just starting to grow, fully developed weeds can choke your budding plants and kill them, so make sure you pull out as many weeds as you can - roots and all. Perennial weeds such a bindweed, couch grass and ground elder should be dealt with sooner rather than later, as they will take over the whole garden if you leave them to it.
• Later in the month - if you already have your hardy annual seedlings ready to go, it's time to transplant them from their home indoors to their new home in the garden, providing there is no risk of hard frost. Before they're placed into the ground, they need to be hardened off. When you transplant your seedlings, try to do it during the afternoon of a cool and cloudy day. Seedlings will often struggle while making the transition from a climate-controlled window sill or greenhouse to the outside, where the climate won't be as consistent, so if your plants seem to droop and lose a bit of their strength, continue to water and care for them - they'll regain their strength and continue to grow. Once the ground temperature rises above 6 degrees Celsius, half hardy annuals can be sown directly into a prepared bed.
• Continue to dead-head Violas and Pansies in containers, they will flower profusely from now until the end of May. Avoid planting summer bedding plants too early, although many plants such as Bacopa, Petunias and Fuchsias are available to buy in many garden centers; they will still need protection from frost and April showers. If you cannot resist the temptation and you have a greenhouse, they can be kept in a protected environment until they are ready to plant in mid-May, when all danger of frost has passed.
• Now is the time to take cuttings from over wintered Pelargoniums (commonly known as Geraniums). It is a great way to increase your plant stock and in my opinion, you can never have enough Pelargoniums, particularly the scented varieties!
• Plants that will grow tall this spring and summer need staking to prevent them being damaged or blown down by windy weather. Most of us aren't thinking about supporting a plant that is only a few inches high, and our window of opportunity can easily pass. Peonies will be putting on a growth spurt and coming into leaf, so use sturdy metal circular plant supports to hold the weight of a heavy bloom, and you will be rewarded with a fantastic show of blowsy Peonies come May.
• If you have a sunny patch of bare ground in your garden, sow a wild flower meadow. Seed mixes are readily available and it is the perfect way to introduce beneficial insects into the garden.
• Tomatoes which have been grown from seed can now be potted on into a larger container. Sticks or small bamboo canes can be used for support at this stage. They can be potted into their final growing spot or container in mid-May. Pinch out the tips of any leggy growth and ensure that watering is consistent and airflow is free around the young plants.
• The spring cut flower patch will be at its zenith now. Continue to pick later flowering Narcissus and colourful bunches of Tulips for the house. You may be lucky enough to live in a part of the country where the Cow Parsley has begun to make an appearance, along with Bluebells, Honesty and April blossoms; you can create a most striking floral display. From now on, always try and cut flowers early in the morning or in the evening; as warmer temperatures can make flowers wilt quickly. Always have a bucket of cool fresh water on hand if possible.