GARDEN TALES: Easter Monday

Monday, April 17, 2006

Easter Monday

Easter Monday is just another day in Dublin. The sun is peeping through a somewhat cloudy sky. There is a strong wind. So what could an industrious gardener be doing today? Here is a little advice which I have borrowed from Alan Titchmarsh's new book: The Gardener's Year (BBC Books 2005):

Spring clean borders by weeding & hoeing
Feed roses, borders, hedges, trees, Shrubs & spring bulbs with general purpose fertilizer
Watch out for slugs & snails on newly emerged perennials & vegetable seedlings, flea beetle on veg. & cats on newly prepared borders
Check plants for cold damage
Prune roses before the middle of the month at the very latest
Complete sowing of half-hardy annuals by the middle of the month at the very latest
Take basal cuttings from border perennials

In my humble opinion Alan Titchmarsh is the most up-to-date professional gardener in both the UK & Ireland. Perhaps he is the best gardener in the world.

A useful link to Alan's homepage: http://www.alantitchmarsh.com/home.asp

Another useful site for gardening know-how & advice is the BBC gardening site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/