I know we are all praying for the heavens to open and put the spring back in our step and encourage our gardens to leap back to life.

Hopefully that will happen soon but until then we must push on.

I always rant on at this time of the year about Autumn being the best time to plant but predominantly it is April that is the 'golden month' for gardening success in our climate.

Making the most of the weather conditions at this time of the year is seriously important if you want to set yourself up for success.

And by weather conditions I would love to be talking about rain but really I am just talking about the cooler conditions that help new plantings to establish.

It is easy to be a little complacent in Autumn, having just survived a killer summer, with many of us thinking that we can now relax and the cooler weather and the rainfall will take care of the garden for us. Nothing to do until the spring, yay.

Well, bad news I'm afraid, you need to get moving because the work you do in the garden between now and the winter will set your garden up for survival (or not) next summer.

Why wouldn't you want to be out in your garden in April anyway?

It's an awesome month. Mild sunny days make perfect weather for gardening.

You could mosey around and do a little pruning, deadhead anything that needs it, tidy up any summer flowering perennials that are looking daggy.

Spray the weeds that are now everywhere.

You should have already given your roses a light tidy up but if not do it now to get another Autumn flush out of them.

Don't forget that April is the best month for planting spring bulbs and you should find them in most garden centres from now on.

It is also a vital time to spread a nice organic fertiliser around every square inch of your garden.

Naturally you should be planting trees, giving them the absolute best start to life.

They still have a couple of months of lovely mild sunny weather before they will concentrate on establishing their root systems before their optimum growth period, once spring arrives again.

Winter vegetables are all 'go' this month so if you think you might get the veggie garden cracking again then don't waste another minute.

Why not grow your own 'green smoothie'? Get into the nursery to see what is available.

Don't forget to ask for some expert advice. If you don't get any, your shopping in the wrong place. Yay for Autumn.