From the Cut Flower Garden: April Moments
- Kate
- Apr 29
- 4 min read
Updated: May 1
April has that magic feeling — like the garden’s officially woken up and is raring to go! Everything’s growing, unfurling, reaching for the light… and I’m doing my best to keep up with it all! Between juggling trays of seedlings, mulching the beds, and the thrill of spotting those first blooms, it’s been a full and joyous month.
Here’s a little look back at what’s been happening in the garden this April — the highs, the hopefuls, and a look at the to-do list for May. Kettle on? Let’s have a wander.
Sweetpea Teepee
One of my favourite jobs this month: making the sweetpea teepee! There's something so satisfying about getting the canes up and weaving twine into something that looks like it might actually support the jungle that’s coming. I absolutely love the height the structure brings to the garden, and it quickly becomes one of my favourite views in the garden. The sweetpeas are all tucked in now, planted out and settling into their new home with a good mulch around their roots.
Quick tip: If your sweetpeas are still in pots, try to plant them out as soon as the risk of frost passes. Give them something to climb, plenty of water, and they’ll reward you with scent and colour for weeks.
🌱 Sowing Half-Hardy Annuals
The seed trays have been busy again — I’ve sown more half-hardies this month including zinnias, cosmos, cress, asters, and panicum 'Frosted Explosion'. There’s something so hopeful about each new tray. These are my second sowings of some of these, but I’ll use succession sowing to help me extend my bloom season. So as the first sowings start to run out of steam a little bit, the next plants will be ready to burst into bud!
Succession sowing can seem a little overwhelming. My tip? Don’t overthink it. Pick one flower that you love and enjoy growing, and sow some more seeds a a few weeks after your first batch. You can then learn how long they take to flower and start to get the feel for succession sowing.
If you haven’t started any seeds yet - there’s still time for these heat-lovers, so if you fancy giving them a go, get sowing!
🪴 Dahlia Prep
The dahlia tubers are all potted up now and just beginning to sprout — I get so excited every time I spot a new shoot. Potting them up before planting out helps wake them up gently and gives me a head start before they go into the beds next month. It also helps them get a little bigger in readiness for the slug attacks!
I don’t have a huge growing space (5th year on the allotment waiting list!!), so starting the dahlias off in pots also allows me to use the bed they’ll go into for other things whilst they make a start. The ranunculus are in that bed at the moment, all starting to bloom gorgeously!
I’ve also been potting on lots of seed babies sown back in Feb and March — they’re stretching their legs and needing bumping up now. It’s a bit of a conveyor belt situation, but I’m trying to keep to my little and often approach to potting on. It’s so lovely seeing them grow stronger by the day.
🌼 First Cut Flowers: Hello Daffodils!
This month brought the very first cut of the season — a sweet, simple bunch of daffodils. Just holding them felt like the official start of flower season. It’s amazing how much joy the first arm full of flowers can bring!
Flower faffing literally brings me so much happiness! Here's what the bucket of beauties turned into:
🌸 What’s Blooming in April?
Here’s what’s lighting up the garden this month — in case you’re planning your own seasonal patch or just want to keep an eye out:
Daffodils – early stars of the show
Tulips – dramatic, bold, and beautiful
Geums – the perfect zing of colour
Ranunculus – starting to unfurl those ruffled petals
Bluebells - gorgeous pops of purple
Vinca - beautiful purple blooms against vibrant green foliage
Camellia - these stunning cerise flowers are starting to fade now, but they have been beautiful all month
Looking Ahead: May’s To-Do List
While April’s been about sowing and tidying, May is when things really take off. Here’s what I’ll be focusing on next month:
Planting out half-hardy annuals (after the last frost)
Pinching cosmos, zinnias, and other branching annuals for bushier growth
Staking perennials and anything floppy before it’s too late!
Weeding little and often (it’s much easier than a big blitz later)
Feeding Fridays – keep up the weekly feed for dahlias, ranunculus & sweet peas
Succession sowing for a longer flowering season – think sunflowers, cosmos, and cress again
If you're feeling a little behind — don't worry... you’re not. There’s still so much time to sow, plant, and grow. There's plenty of time yet.
💌 Want More Flower-Filled Updates?
If you’ve enjoyed this little look behind the scenes, I’d love to share my garden each month with you. My newsletter is where I send what jobs I'm up to, favourite varieties, extra tips and tricks, a peek at what's thriving (and what’s been nibbled!), and a bit of garden honesty along the way.
If you’d like these updates sent straight to your inbox, pop over and sign up to my newsletter here:
Hope to see you there!
What’s been blooming in your garden this April? Tell me in the comments — I love hearing what’s going on in your gardens! 🌼
Until next time — happy sowing and growing 🌱
Kate x
Comments