IT’S been a tough time for us gardeners over the past couple of months.

‘The Beast from the East’, followed by the ‘Mini Beast from the East’ have made for challenging conditions, not least in the garden.

I am sure I am not alone in having spent very little time in the garden this year to date. But all that is about to change.

Spring is in the air – it’s official – the clocks have gone forward and Easter is this coming weekend.

I have renewed vigour and positivity about me and I am desperate to get gardening. Which is just as well and April is traditionally a busy time in the garden. Why not start by adding instant colour to your garden, patio or balcony with containers and hanging baskets?

Fryer’s Garden Centre has an array of pre-planted containers and hanging baskets.

These also make ideal (non-fattening and sugar free) gifts for Easter, or why not treat yourself?

If you prefer to plant your own container choose vibrant bedding plants such as primrose, viola, pansy, geranium, marigold, senetti and lobelia are fantastic now for immediate colour.

Herbs also work well in containers and make for a useful culinary and aromatic addition to any garden.

Choose from mint, chives, sage, rosemary, thyme and coriander to name but a few. Herbs can be grown from seed, sown up until mid-April or if you do not have the time or suitable conditions to grow seeds, Fryer’s sell a range of young/plug herb plants.

Shrubs such as Ceanothus and hebes are also a must at this time of year. Ceanothus produces masses of beautiful blue flowers from April through until June and is the perfect haven for bees.

Hebes have wonderful brightly coloured foliage now and will flower late spring, early summer onwards.

Alpines such as armeria, a pretty pink flower and saxifraga, a star shaped pink flower with a deep red stem, both flower late April and look stunning planted in troughs or old Belfast style sinks.

For the classic blue Alpine flower, aubrieta is a must for any garden. Tumbling waterfalls of blue, (also comes in pink, lilac and white) look fantastic in containers or over walls, hedges and in borders.

For evergreens consider azalea such as hot shot and the perennial wallflower, boules mauve, the latter flowering April through to September. The deciduous Azalea, pontica luteum is a wonderful highly fragrant, yellow plant which flowers late April onwards. A real addition to any garden.

If you would rather plant direct into the garden (and all the plants mentioned above are suitable for in ground planting too), I like the dwarf rhododendron. The compact growth of this shrub makes them ideal for smaller gardens. They can be planted as a stand-alone feature or in borders with taller shrubs and foliage. Look out for varieties such as percy wiseman, dreamland and ginny gee. April is a good time to sow vegetable seeds outdoors. Seeds that were recommended to be sown in March can still be sown in April.

These include, amongst others, beetroot, carrot, turnip, leek, radish, salad leaves, leeks and broccoli. Again, if you do not have the time or suitable conditions to sow seeds, buy young vegetable plants. Tomatoes and strawberries are also a good buy in April too.

Children and grandchildren will enjoy spending many a happy and messy hour planting seeds and vegetable plants.

So, get them involved in gardening, you are never too young or old to start. Seeing the fruits of their labour a few months down the line, may even tempt them to eat their greens and not just their stockpile of Easter eggs. Well anything is worth a try!

And finally, before you put your feet up, April is a good time to give your lawn its first cut of the year and tidy the edges. Feed with a strong fertiliser such as Scotts Lawn Builder and treat for moss with something like Evergreen Liquid Feed and Moss.

Ideally try and establish the cause of the moss. My front garden which is north facing so very shady and damp, is a haven for moss. The bane of my husband’s life! So, get stuck in and enjoy a very productive month in the garden...

  • For more information visit fryers-roses.co.uk. Fryer’s is closed Easter Sunday