April is when many of us get back into the garden. As the weather warms up the plants respond with fresh new growth and our gardens start to feel alive again. It’s a welcome relief as there is lots to be done in April to ensure you’re fully prepared for Summer - seeds to be sown and lawns to be mown. With all that work don’t forget there is lots to enjoy in the garden too. Above all, it’s a time where we can look forward to the longer summer evenings and enjoy the outdoors properly again.

Viburnum Plicatum Kilimanjaro Sunrise is a great small tree / shrub for all year round interest. It is absolutely covered in a profusion of white lacecap flowers during May and June. Then, the flowers gradually change with a hint of palest pink and these are swiftly followed by a mass of crimson berries.

As if this wasn’t enough, the berries develop as they age into a deep plum colour. The birds love the berries and pollinators adore the blooms. As If that wasn’t enough there is often a second flush of flowers later in the season producing more berries into Autumn when the leaves turn an attractive burgundy colour.

Viburnum plicatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Adoxaceae (formerly Caprifoliaceae), native to mainland China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. The Latin specific epithet plicatum means 'pleated', referring to the texture of the leaves. Kilimanjaro Sunrise is a compact, slow-growing variety with heart-shaped, dark green, deeply veined leaves. It's a fantastic addition to any garden and was winner of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year 2015.

Viburnum plicatums are well known for their multi-stemmed, upright, compact, slow growing habit. Kilimandjaro Sunrise reaches six feet tall and two feet wide, making it suitable as a flowering hedge, garden border, or attractive specimen shrub in the garden. It is perfect for the shrub border where space is at a premium.

To care for it properly, keep the pruning of young plants to a minimum. Any vertical shoots that threaten to spoil the distinctive tiered shape of established plants should be cut back to their point of origin in summer after flowering.

Ideally Vibrunum plicatums should be grown in a moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. They Require minimal pruning but when necessary, remove any misplaced or diseased branches in mid-summer after flowering. It likes most aspects and thrives in direct sun as well as partial shade, as long as the soil is not too dry.

Viburnum plicatums are used as the feature plant of a border their tiered habit creates a structured and elegant look. Because of this it can often be hard to find plants that combine well with it as you don’t want to distract from its beauty. Using vertical textures in the forms of grasses like Calamagrostis can work particularly well however I think their best companion would have to be hardy Geraniums.

Having something like Geranium Patricia or Psilostemon snaking its way through the lower braches of the Vibrunum can great a simple but effective combination that ensures that both plants work well together with neither out competing the other for space nor looks.

Jobs to be doing this month include:
• Continue to remove faded flowers on spring bulbs but not the foliage until it has withered.
• Keep borders weed free.
• Mulch borders if not completed last month.
• If the weather is mild, then trim weak or straggly growth of sage and rosemary.
• Penstemons – Cutback last year's stems down to the new growth – if the weather is very cold and frosty delay until end of the month.
• Check evergreens for any frost damage – lightly prune if necessary.
• If not already done so start sowing and start mowing.

In the vegetable garden:
• Plant second-early and main crop potatoes.
• Pinch out the tips of broad beans if they're covered in aphids, or spray shoots with soap-based solution.
• Sow outdoor varieties of tomatoes, chillies and courgettes in pots, so they're ready to plant out in late May or June.
• Divide clumps of hardy herbs, such as lemon balm and chives, then replant in pots, borders or a dedicated herb bed.
• Sow small batches of rocket and other easy salad leaves.
• Sow flowering companions in the veg plot, such as pot marigolds and borage.
• Continue planting batches of garlic, shallots and onions every few weeks to extend the cropping period.
• Sow herbs such as parsley, coriander, dill and chamomile in a sunny bed or container.
• Protect emerging seedlings from slugs and snails.
• Sow fast-growing crops, such as radishes, to make the most of any temporary gaps.