Gardens now hold all the promise of another beautiful year. Start the season on an optimistic note and you won't be disappointed. The key job that galvanises that sprit of optimism is to feed existing shrubs, roses and flowers ready for the rush of new growth. Depending on the suitability of the soil it's also time for seed sowing, planting and lawn maintenance.

RHODODENDRONS AND AZALEAS

Azaleas, rhododendrons and many other ericaceous plants are ready to burst into bloom and need a feed so they give of their best. When planted out in the garden too many rhododendrons and azaleas fail to maintain that fresh vibrant look displayed when they were purchased at the garden centre. Few of us have the right sort of soil for them to thrive naturally and that's why feeding plays such a great part in their continuing success.

Like other plants they need a good supply of balanced nutrients to feed the roots, stems and flower buds. But more than this, these plants need to be able to draw on easily available iron, especially if the soil is not naturally acid.

There are a couple of ways that this iron supplement can be provided to prevent yellowing between the leaf veins and general debility. One application of Murphy Sequestrene Granules or Plant Tonic lasts all season and provides iron in a chelated form that can be taken up from any soil. This is ideal for a quick fix for poorly plants.

Alternatively you can apply a balanced fertilizer that contains chelated iron and other major nutrients in one application. If you prefer a dry granule that is applied just twice a year around the roots then choose Levington Azalea, Camellia and Rhododendron Plus. If you prefer to apply plant food over the leaves and around the roots in a dilute form then add Miracle-Gro Ericaceous Water-Soluble Plant Food or Miracid to the watering can every couple of weeks during the growing season. New this season is a liquid concentrate plant food especially for these acid loving plants. Called Miracle-Gro Liquid Ericaceous Plant Food it comes in a 1 litre yellow bottle that makes 25 watering cans of full strength feed that cures yellowing leaves caused by lack of iron. With an 8-2-2 formula and added magnesium, manganese and zinc this plant food also contains significantly more sequestered iron than competitors.

topical tip

Apply a mulch layer at least 3cm deep of Levington Soil Conditioner and Mulch around ericaceous plants to suppress weeds and to provide a clean background to the forthcoming flower display.

LAWNS

The heavy rains of autumn and winter have meant that moss is a widespread problem on most lawns this spring. From a distance moss looks green and lush, but it is a weed that needs to be controlled if grasses are going to thrive during spring and summer. Look out for moss in shaded areas or low lying places that encourage its spread.

To get the lawn back in shape, first mow the grass on a dry day setting the cutting blades high so that the shock is minimised.

If moss is present in late March use a lawn fertilizer that contains a mosskiller. There are plenty available - try EverGreen Mosskil or Scotts Lawn Builder plus Moss Control for a richer greener lawn and effective moss control. After a couple of weeks the moss will have turned brown and can be raked up. If there are bare patches in the lawn where moss has taken over re-seed with Evergreen Grass Seed for Shady Lawns, as this blend contains no rye grass yet is shade tolerant. Lawns without any sign of moss can be treated with a standard spring lawn fertilizer such as Evergreen Lawn Food or Scotts Lawn Builder. Both contain slow release nitrogen giving a fast initial green up and long term feeding right down to the roots, making it thicker and greener. Controlling the rate of nitrogen release helps to prevent surge growth immediately after application and keeps the lawn richer and greener for up to 8 weeks.

topical tip

Plan to feed your lawn three times a year for excellent results that will last all season. A balanced feed now will encourage root and leaf growth gradually producing a thicker greener lawn that you will be proud of.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Outside prepare the ground and sow parsnips, carrots, turnips, summer cabbage and broad beans.

Kill off any emerging annual weeds with Weedol a couple of days before raking the surface to provide a fine tilth. The soil for root vegetables is best left without the addition of organic matter or manure as this can encourage forking of the main root. All soils for all crops will benefit from a dressing of fertilizer raked into the surface. Use Levington Growmore for a quick release of nitrogen or the new slow-release plant food, Miracle-Gro Shake & Feed. This new plant food is evenly balanced 14-14-14 and just one application will feed your plants steadily for up to 3 months.

Annual weeds and grasses will be emerging at the same time as fruit trees, bushes and canes burst into growth. To reduce the competition without disturbing the often shallow rooted fruit canes use Weedol to kill these weeds just a few days before giving the plants a good feed. Any fertilizer is better than nothing, although one designed for flowering plants such as Miracle-Gro Rose Plus will provide extra potash and magnesium for a good set of fruit and the energy to provide a good tasty crop.

After feeding cover the root area with a mulch layer of organic matter. Even the best well rotted garden compost seems to spread weed seeds, which is why tidy gardeners prefer to use a sterile material like Levington Soil Improver and Mulch. This mulch layer not only looks good it also holds in soil moisture and helps to prevent more weed growth.

topical tip

For control of carrot fly, choose a resistant variety and sow this later to avoid the main generation of flying adults. A physical barrier just a foot or two high is also said to protect your carrots.

IN THE GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY

As this warm and well lit place gradually fills with tender trays of seedlings that are worth a great deal in terms of time and effort, check the efficiency of your heater with a maximum/minimum thermometer each night and morning.

Equally important, however, is to ventilate during warmer days to provide a buoyant atmosphere. Turn the polythene, glass or plastic covering provided for seed trays, removing excess condensation that can threaten the health of emerging seedlings. To protect new seedlings from damping off disease, drench them with Murphy Traditional Copper Fungicide.

Pot up rooted cuttings of fuchsia, chrysanthemum and dahlia in fresh Levington Outdoor Container Compost with Insect Control. This growing medium not only provides perfect conditions for strong healthy growth it provides the plants with internal protection against many pests. As well as giving season-long protection against greenfly, blackfly and the root-eating grubs of black vine weevil, it will also give useful control of whitefly. As anyone who has grown fuchsias will tell you, whitefly control in a greenhouse using sprays gets more and more problematic as the pests seem to acquire more and more immunity from existing sprays. Growing the plant in a compost that gives internal protection is well worth the effort. Try it, you will be surprised at how a clean start to the season provides big strong plants.

topical tip

Sow seeds of half hardy annuals for summer flower displays. Tubers of begonia and gloxinia can now be started into growth using Levington Outdoor Container Compost with Insect Control.

ROSES AND SHRUBS

Feeding is the order of the day. Most flowering shrubs, perennials and climbers will be bursting into leaf and need to draw on some balanced nutrients to produce strong healthy growth and plenty of flowering potential.

Finish pruning roses and then feed them with a high potash feed that has been developed for roses and other flowering plants. Miracle-Gro Rose Plus is a mini-granule that is clean and easy to apply and contains extra magnesium for healthy looking foliage. Collect up the trimmings and all the fallen leaves to minimise the spread of rose blackspot and after feeding spread a mulch layer of Levington Natures' Way Soil Improver & Mulch. This organic all-bark material will not only hold in moisture it provides a clean surface that is free from rose blackspot spores.

As new rose leaves emerge, spray the new foliage and stems with a systemic fungicide to protect the new foliage from this disease. The easiest way is with a complete rose care spray such as RoseClear 2 or RoseClear Gun! If this disorder was a particular problem on your roses last year remember to spray every two weeks until the end of flowering.

Remember to feed all the perennial plants and flowering shrubs in your borders with a balanced plant food. The easy way to do this is with Miracle-Gro Shake & Feed a new slow release plant food that is so easy to apply. Packed in a yellow ready-to-use shaker pack is 2 kg of slow release plant food that will feed all garden plants in beds and borders. One shake of this all-purpose 14-14-14 formula plant food, which uses Osmocote controlled release technology, will feed all garden plants for 3 months. Just shake the plant food around garden plants twice a year, it doesn't have to be worked into the soil, and plants are guaranteed full-feed nourishment for the complete growing season. All you need to do is relax and enjoy the garden. The one size of Miracle-Gro Shake & Feed 2kg will retail for between £6 and £7.

Split and replant overgrown clumps of snowdrops while they have green foliage. They transplant much better at this stage of growth.

Watch out for first infestations of greenfly on winter flowering pansies. A BugClear Gun! or BugClear will give quick control and allow leaves to grow unhindered so that there is enough energy for the plants to flower more abundantly.

To protect new shoots of delphiniums and other perennial plants from slug attack either spread SlugClear Mini Pellets thinly around vulnerable plants or water the surrounding soil with liquid SlugClear. Many owners of inquisitive pets prefer to use the liquid method as it leaves no bait visible on the ground. If you want extra delphinium plants, use these shoots as cuttings to root in pots of Levington Multi-Purpose Compost.

topical tip

Feed spring bulbs during and after flowering with Miracle-Gro Water-Soluble Plant Food applied over foliage and around roots. This will encourage plump bulbs to form for the following year's display.