Gardening gloves on a slabFinally – the garden has admitted it’s spring. Hawthorn blossoms eagerly froth over black branches; daffodils, once shy, ground-gazing mumblers, lift their heads as a belting yellow choir. Of course, the weeds have returned, too. But we can’t have it all, can we?The cost of a bustling garden is a little more work. So, we thought we’d share nine jobs to get to this April: 1) Build those slug defencesSlugs and snails are as excited to see new shoots as you are. Protect tender stems with physical barriers, and consider attracting other wildlife – like hedgehogs, birds, toads, and slow worms – to your garden as a natural control.2) Weed, weed, weedWeeds, especially hardy perennials like taproot, may have taken advantage of winter’s lull to grow deep, hard-to-budge roots.