In your garden THIS MONTH

April's here and the garden's bursting into life! Fresh green shoots are growing, wildlife's popping by, and the season of new beginnings is right outside your door - here are 9 easy jobs to make the most of it

- Feature Louise Midgley

While it can be hard to predict the weather in early spring - gardens can be blanketed in frost, soaked by rain or drenched in warm sunshine - one thing is for sure: growth everywhere is unstoppable. There are multiple jobs for keen gardeners to undertake: from basic weeding and tidying to propagating and pruning. It's the prime time to lay the foundations for the seasons ahead - the more effort invested now, the more floriferous and productive your garden will be. Pick a fine day, sit for a while outside and scribble down a basic plan of all you would like to achieve this year.

COVER BORDERS WITH MULCH

Clear away any winter debris from borders in readiness for adding a nice thick layer of organic matter. Keep the mulch away from the base of the plants as excess moisture may cause stems to rot. Mulching helps supress weeds, conserve water and generally improves the overall health of the soil. Plants are far more likely to succumb to pests and diseases when they are grown in impoverished soil that lacks moisture and nutrients, so applying a mulch in spring will benefit plants during the growing season.

PLANT A FRUIT BOWL

If you don't have space for fruit trees or lofty canes, you can still grow your own fruit - opt for some of the varieties that have been specifically bred for containers and are often labelled as 'dwarf', 'bush' or 'patio'. Two excellent varieties are the raspberry 'Little Sweet Sister', a compact, thornless variety that produces a multitude of delicious, dark red berries from mid-July, and the strawberry 'Mount Everest' - an all-season variety that fruits abundantly in a hanging basket.

REACH FOR THE LOPPERS