With all the jobs still on our to-do list from last year and our gardens properly waking up, if still perhaps slightly rubbing the sleep from their eyes, April is often known as one of the busiest times of year for a gardener.

With that in mind, I thought it might be a good idea to look at some tasks to do in the garden this month that will either save you time in the future or right now.

The first job to do this month that will have a long-lasting impact, not just on your spare time but also the improvement of your garden’s overall health, is mulching. A thick layer of compost, leaf mould or well-rotted manure spread over your soil will suppress weeds, retain moisture and slowly feed your plants for months to come.

Staking plants early is always a good idea. As your taller per-ennials begin poking through the earth, you will know where they are and therefore you will know where to stake. Putting in supports now will mean the plants grow through them and you don’t have to play so much endless catch-up down the line.

When it comes to time invested now for future rewards, there are a whole host of plants that seem to thrive on neglect. If you are planning on planting a new border, and now is the time to do it, or have a few spaces to fill, these plants are hardier than most and will not let you down.

Sedums, nepeta, echinacea, persicaria, alchemilla and hardy geraniums all work well with each other and are not overly sensitive to being forgotten about. Many of these plants work well as ground-cover planting too, which acts as a sort of living mulch, reducing space for weeds and retaining moisture in just the same way.

With all your favourite plants waking up, the less-beloved weeds are waking up, too. I always think it is a good idea to have an open mind about what does and doesn’t belong in our gardens. If you can embrace a few daisies, dandelions and clover in your lawn as well as those wildflowers on the wind seeding in your borders, you will save yourself time and energy removing them and benefit more wildlife than you might think.

Less, as they say, really is often more, especially in the garden. Whether it’s leaving the edges wild or ignoring a few weeds, the less you do often means a greater benefit to all of the amazing wildlife just waiting for a reason to flourish in your garden.