Cold nights but mild days ensure that April is a month of strong growth with plenty of flowers on display. Mild spells of weather in March have produced a marvellous display of daffodils, forsythia and primulas. We can look forward to equally good displays of tulips, azaleas, pansies, viburnum and carpets of forget-me-nots. Some warm sunny weekends mean that this year most people are off to a flying start in the gardening calendar. Keep up the good work - grab every opportunity for sensible seed sowing and planting of seedlings keeping in mind that frosts are a possibility until the end of May.

THE GARDEN

Many garden soils are too alkaline to grow rhododendrons, azaleas and Japanese maples successfully. In this case you need to pot up these plants in a special compost designed for acid loving plants. Use Levington Ericaceous Compost for these types of plants and make sure you set up a water butt to collect rainwater for subsequent watering. Water the pots regularly and add Miracle-Gro Ericaceous Plant Food to a watering can full of rain water every couple of weeks. This will provide food, sequestered iron and keep the potting compost in the acid range for long term survival of your expensive plants.

All daffodils need to be dead-headed after the blooms have faded so that the plant can put its energy into bulb growth for next year rather than seed production. Feed the plants with Miracle-Gro Plant Food every couple of weeks and allow the leaves to continue growing for at least six weeks to ensure good flower bud production.

Fix metal plant supports or strategically placed canes now while herbaceous plants such as delphiniums are relatively small. Tie in the stems as they develop.

To feed your trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants every day for the rest of the growing season sprinkle Miracle-Gro Controlled Release Plant Food or Osmocote granules around the root area and work into the top inch or so of soil. This will release balanced plant foods whenever the soil is warm enough and whenever the plants are growing strongly.

Plant up cuttings and seedlings that are vulnerable to whitefly and aphids in Levington Outdoor Container Compost with Insect Control. This will provide three months control of leaf pests and 12 months control of soil pests such as vine weevil larvae and sciarid fly. This is much longer than a drench treatment with imidacloprid can offer which can only be used once on potted decorative plants and gives only one month control of leaf pests and six months control of vine weevil.

topical tip

Slugs are a particular nuisance at this time of the year because almost all new leaves are soft, lush and good food for these molluscs. Sprinkle pellets of SlugClear Mini Pellets around vulnerable plants or water SlugClear around ornamentals such as hostas, delphiniums and pansies.

ON THE PATIO

Weeds will soon start to show on paved patios and on gravel paths and drives. To kill the weeds that are showing and give long term control of new seedlings that could emerge later, use Pathclear or Pathclear Gun! The latter product is in a ready-for-use gun that contains glyphosate trimesium, a systemic weedkiller that gets deep down into the root system to kill off dandelions, docks, bindweed and the like. It also contains a residual weedkiller that continues to control seedling weeds as they germinate for up to six months. Children and pets need not be excluded from the area once the spray has dried.

Plant up lily bulbs in pots and containers at the right depth. Place in a sheltered spot for them to grow and towards the end of May add contrasting bedding to top off the container.

When spring bulbs have finished in pots and containers, dig them out and place them in a trench in the garden to continue their growth. In this way they will return some energy to the bulb and be usable next year.

When plants are being removed from any container remove the old compost completely so that any eggs or larvae of vine weevil are eliminated. Spread this finished compost thinly over the lawn to act as a top dressing and give the birds a treat from any larvae found.

When planting a container always use fresh compost straight from the bag and think seriously about buying fresh Levington Outdoor Container Compost with Insect Control so that vine weevils do not find a welcoming home for their eggs.

LAWNS

The lawn mowers were out in force in the south at the end of February and beginning of March slightly trimming the grass to get it under control. If you haven't started mowing yet, now's the time to start. Adjust the cutting height of your mower so that it takes off no more than half the length of each blade - all it needs is a light topping. While you are mowing, take note of bare patches, moss invasion and weeds.

One of the wettest winters on record has meant that most lawns are plagued with moss. In some areas of my lawn there is precious little grass, just a spongy pale green mess that I need to get rid of straight away. Now that the grass has started to grow strongly a lawn dressing that contains a mosskiller is just what's required. EverGreen Mosskil will be my choice so that I can apply it quickly and easily with my EverGreen Easy Spreader. In this way I can green the grass and kill the moss at the beginning of the month knowing that I can kill any weeds in May when they are growing strongly and most easily controlled.

Once the EverGreen Mosskil has been applied it will take just a few days for the moss to turn brown and finally black. Don't be too alarmed at the results. It can be scary to see huge patches go from bright green to black and you may wonder if there is any grass left. After a week I will be able to rake up the weed with a hand-held lawn rake or powered scarifier and then allow the grass to grow into the bare patches. If the bare areas seem large then a simple dressing with EverGreen Multipurpose Grass Seed, raked into the surface will ensure the lawn becomes thick and healthy very quickly.

I don't begrudge spending a little money on my lawn each year. It is a wonderful background to the flowering plants that surround it and makes a great play area for the whole family. If it is thick and green then grass is more inviting than any cushioned lounger on a hot patio.

topical tip

Trim back the edge of the lawn with shears or a half-moon tool to provide a nice crisp edge.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

OK, so it's not instant gardening but sowing vegetable seeds into compost or freshly cleaned and prepared soil is an exciting promise of tasty things to come. Anyone should be able to find room to grow a few young carrots to set the family's taste buds tingling and renew their interest in home-grown vegetables. You don't need a separate veg plot - simply scatter the carrot seed between flowers and shrubs, the foliage is attractive enough not to be an eyesore in any flower bed. If you sow a short rooted variety such as Amsterdam Forcing or Early Nantes they will be big enough to eat during summer. Not huge, perhaps, but tops for flavour.

Root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and turnips need to be sown where they are to grow to maturity, so clean the soil of weeds with Weedol or Weedol Gun! and dress the surface with Miracle-Gro Shake & Feed to ensure there is enough nutrients for at least three months fast growth. Sow the seed thinly according to the distances recommended on the seed packet.

If you have the room it's also time to sow peas for a July picking and both early and main crop potatoes. Some vegetable seeds are best sown thinly in trays or pots of fresh Levington Multipurpose Compost. In this way you can grow them to seedling stage before planting out in the soil. Summer cabbages, sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and leeks, should be sown now ready to provide seedlings for planting out in May.

Out in the fruit garden it's time to feed gooseberries, redcurrants, apples and pears with a general fertilizer such as Osmocote or the new slow-release fertilizer in Miracle-Gro Shake & Feed. Similarly the fast growing fruit such as blackcurrants, loganberries, blackberries and raspberries will all need some generous feeding so that they can give of their best. Once the fertilizer is down add a mulch layer of Levington Soil Improver and Mulch to help suppress weeds and aid moisture retention.

topical tip

Feed strawberries now with Miracle-Gro Plant Food and sprinkle SlugClear Mini Pellets thinly around the plants to control emerging slugs.

IN THE GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY

Prick out seedlings of tender bedding plants so that they can grow into sturdy plants ready for planting out at the end of May. Use the best compost you can afford. To guarantee the optimum results, Levington Potting Compost is hard to beat.

Because fuchsias are prime targets for whitefly and greenfly attack they need to potted up in Levington Outdoor Container Compost with Insect Control. This premium growing medium contains similar levels of plant food to the Potting Compost with the added benefit of useful systemic control of leaf pests such as greenfly and whitefly. Pinch out the growing tips of these fuchsia so that you develop bushy plants with plenty of side shoots.

Hanging baskets can be planted up at the end of April as soon as the plant material is big enough to handle. Use Levington Outdoor Container Compost with Insect Control if vine weevil are a problem in your garden. Even when hung high this is not too distant for adults to reach and lay their eggs. If you have room you can also plant up patio pots ready to be moved out when frosts have finished.

topical tip

Buy Levington Original Gro-Bags early and place them in the greenhouse so they warm up completely. Plant out your tomato seedlings, sweet peppers and cucumbers into the Gro-bag as soon as they are big enough for transplanting.

ROSES AND SHRUBS

For millions of rose lovers, spraying their plants with a combined insecticide and fungicide such as Roseclear 2 is second nature. More than 8 million boxes have been sold over the last 20 years and RoseClear is Britain's number one choice to protect these plants from sap sucking pests and crippling diseases.

All chemicals available to amateur gardeners are currently being reviewed through the new EU legislation, and triforine, one of the active ingredients in the current formulation of RoseClear 2 is being withdrawn from use. Not because of safety, but because the manufacturer of triforine has decided he could not afford to spend the large amounts of money required to test further the active ingredient to get it through this EU review. So a new active ingredient had to be found for the RoseClear concentrate.

And that is why The Scotts Company is launching RoseClear 3 - a combined insecticide and systemic fungicide for roses and other flowers. Just like the previous formula it rapidly CONTROLS aphids (greenfly and blackfly). Just like the previous formula it FIGHTS existing infections of powdery mildew, rose blackspot and rust. The main advantage over the previous formula is that RoseClear 3 also PROTECTS against future infections of both aphids and disease attack.

The new systemic fungicide in RoseClear3, myclobutanil, offers excellent control of the rose diseases powdery mildew, blackspot and rust because it gives both protectant and eradicant action. It stays on the surface and moves within the plant leaves to protect clean plants from future attack. It also has eradicant action killing the filaments (hyphae) of the disease already growing within the plant leaves so that existing disease infections are controlled. The broad spectrum insecticide bifenthrin is included to give contact and residual control of aphids. It not only rapidly kills existing aphids but also any that fly onto the leaves or stems between recommended applications.

Before you rush out to buy this new formulation of RoseClear concentrate, check your garage or shed for stock of the previous product and use this first. Early spraying of roses with either RoseClear2 or RoseClear Gun! as the leaves unfurl in March and April is the key to successful control of rose blackspot. In fact if you spray your roses every couple of weeks throughout the growing season you can enjoy the benefits of strong bushes full of dark green foliage that will produce many more beautiful blooms.