Jobs for the garden
What to do in your garden this week
:: Mulch asparagus beds and clumps of rhubarb with manure or compost.
:: Place cloches over ground where early sowings are to be made.
:: Continue to cut back faded foliage on herbaceous perennials.
:: Take root cuttings of Oriental poppies, verbascum and phlox.
:: Sow under glass quick growing perennials to flower this year.
:: Begin to feed plants in established borders using a controlled-release slow-acting fertiliser and try not to get fertiliser on the new foliage.
:: Water indoor strawberries sparingly, removing any dead leaves.
:: Don't let your pond freeze over completely. Stick a floating ball in it before it's too late.
:: Top-dress year-round tubs and don't let sheltered containers dry out.
:: Continue to plant soft fruit bushes and bare-rooted fruit trees if weather permits.
:: Prune half-hardy fuchsias being kept under cover when the pink 'eyes' appear.
:: Plant out ranunculus and anemones if the ground is not too wet.
:: Protect the blossom of early-flowering apricots, peaches and nectarines from frost damage by covering plants with fleece.
:: Prune out the old flowering heads from hydrangeas.
A newly created green space which includes a community orchard was officially opened in Letchworth this week.
A young volunteer is urging green-fingered residents to invest some of their spare time into helping elderly members of the town smarten up their gardens.
Thinking of adding fish to your pond? Hannah Stephenson looks at how to give them the best start in their new home
THE Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show has nearly arrived and as I write this blog I am sitting in what will be our Artisan Garden in 10 days time.
HANNAH STEPHENSON has tips on how to increase stocks of plants such as rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias
CENTRAL Bedfordshire Council is encouraging residents to 'Give Back to the Earth' by starting to compost at home as part of Compost Awareness Week this week (7-13 May).