Garden jobs month by month
Garden jobs in April
In April you sow vegetables and flowers outdoors, prune spring-flowering shrubs such as forsythia straight after flowering, and water newly planted trees in dry weather. Leave hedges alone while many birds are nesting, and keep some bare ground and flowers for wild bees.
Updated for 2027
What to do in the garden in April
In April the fruit trees blossom and most trees come into leaf. Prune little now: trees are putting their energy into new leaves, and many birds are nesting.
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs such as forsythia and kerria straight after flowering.
- Lightly trim lavender and rosemary, but not back into old wood.
- Water newly planted trees in dry weather.
- Spread a layer of mulch (leaves, wood chips) around young trees and hedges.
- Check box plants for the first caterpillars of the box tree moth.
What to prune in April?
52 trees and hedges from the guide. When and how for each plant in its pruning guide:
- Hydrangea
- Butterfly bush
- Lavender
- Forsythia
- Fig tree
- Olive tree
- Peach tree
- Holly
- Ivy
- Witch hazel
- Cornelian cherry
- Cotoneaster
Nesting season (mid-March to mid-August): don’t prune hedges and shrubs hard, and check for nests first.
Pruning calendar for AprilWhat to sow and plant
- Sow indoors
- annual mallow, basil, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, chives, cosmos and 26 more
- Sow outdoors
- annual mallow, beetroot, broad bean, brussels sprouts, carrot, chervil, chives, common poppy and 22 more
- Planting out and planting
- asparagus, Black-eyed Susan, broccoli, catmint, cauliflower, chives, columbine, delphinium and 31 more
- Harvest from the vegetable garden
- asparagus, chervil, chives, lovage, parsley, radish, rhubarb, rocket and 4 more
What to harvest
From trees, shrubs and garden plants:
- Bramble leaves
- Large-leaved lime leaves
- Small-leaved lime leaves
- Hawthorn leaves
- Silver birch sap, leaves
- Downy birch sap, leaves
- Bamboo young shoots
- Beech leaves
- Caucasian lime leaves
- Common lilac flowers
- Hop young shoots
- Japanese cherry blossom
and 32 more
Recipes
- Fermented blackberry leaf tea Bramble
- Spring salad with young lime leaves Large-leaved lime
- Stuffed lime leaves with rice Small-leaved lime
- Hawthorn tea Hawthorn
- Tapping birch sap Silver birch
- Birch kvass Downy birch
What’s flowering for bees?
Trees and shrubs with nectar or pollen for bees and bumblebees:
- Norway maple
- Weeping willow
- White willow
- Goat willow
- Wild cherry
- Bird cherry
- Judas tree
- Foxglove tree
- Peach
- Apple
- Pear
- Plum
and 20 more
All speciesNature in April
- Blackbirds, tits and robins are busy nesting: leave hedges and ivy alone until the young have fledged.
- Wild bees such as mason bees and mining bees are looking for nest sites: a south-facing bee hotel or a patch of bare ground helps them.
- Swallows are returning from Africa.
What you can see now
- Apple, pear, cherry and plum are in blossom.
- Beech and hornbeam come into leaf with fresh, soft foliage.
- The Judas tree flowers pink on bare branches and even on the trunk.
Challenges of the season
All challenges- Sow 5 vegetablesSow or plant 5 vegetables in your vegetable garden and mark them as sown or planted.
- Make a bee hotelHang a bee hotel in a sunny, dry, south-facing spot, or leave a patch of bare soil for ground-nesting bees.
- Discover 10 speciesSave 10 different trees or plants in your guide.
Wildlife garden in April
All wildlife garden guidesRead more
All articles- Shrubs and trees for birds and beesWith the right shrubs and trees, your garden will be in flower from March to October and birds will find berries until deep into winter. How to choose plants for a garden full of life.
- When should you cut your hedge? The nesting season and the best timesMost hedges are trimmed twice a year, at the end of June and the end of August. How to take nesting birds into account, and when to trim each type of hedge.
Coming up
Garden jobs in June
Each monthly page is online six to eight weeks ahead, so you can plan in time.