Four flowers to sow and plant in the garden now - ‘excellent additions’ to the garden
April is a busy time for gardeners, preparing flower beds and containers for the growing season ahead. Here are some plants which should be planted right now.
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There are a variety of gardening jobs to get on top of in April, including planting flowers and plants for spring and for summer. Experts from The Royal Horticultural (RHS) have shared plants which can be sown and planted now, for an impressive display further into the season.
Cosmos
The experts said: “Both the perennial cosmos atrosanguineus and the annual cosmos are upright plants, making excellent additions to a summer border.
“The annuals are particularly effective when massed and provide flowers for cutting over a prior of months.”
Cosmos are native to southern and Central America, which means they need to be planted in a warm location within the garden.
Sow seed now directly into the soil where you want the plant to grow, or into small pots with a good draining soil.
READ MORE: Three garden plants to prune in April
If growing into pots, make sure to pot them on when they are large enough, big enough to handle.
Poppies
Poppies produce gorgeous flowers, in a variety of different colours including red and pink.
They can be grown from seed, sown all the way from March to May which will provide gardeners with beautiful blooms in the summer and autumn.
They should be grown in any well-drained fertile soil and will appreciate any sun given to them.
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Bunny tail grass
Commonly known as bully tail grass, the lagurus ovatus forms a tuft of narrow, arching leaves with dense flowers, which turn a lovely cream colour.
Propagate by seed down in situ in spring or by sowing seed in containers in a cold frame during the spring months.
The RHS recommends this type of flower for city or courtyard gardens, cottage and informal gardens as well as flower borders and beds.
The bunny tail grass is ideal for beginners as it doesn’t require any pruning and is generally pest and disease free.
READ MORE: 10 gardening jobs you ‘must’ do in April
Geranium
According to the experts, you can still plant herbaceous perennials such as geraniums too.
Just make sure the plants that are purchased have strong, green shoots and plant them into well-prepared soil to encourage them to grow.
They will also love a warm spot outside, in a pot or in the ground, preferring a free-draining compost.
They also tend to flower best with some applications of potassium-rich fertiliser which can be purchased online or from garden centres.
Sweet peas
Sweet peas are gorgeous flowers which come in a variety of colours including white, pink and purple.
The experts continued: “Sweat peas can be sown outside this month. Plant out autumn-sown sweet peas that have been prepared in pots.
“Prepare your wigwam supports for them to climb, using a light twine to tie the plants in.
“If you started sowing early in March, or even February, you may have some modules of young hardy annuals now ready for planting out.”