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Gardening Tips for April
Posted: Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
April is one of the busiest months is the garden. It's impossible to be bored (and easy to be overwhelmed!) with such a variety of tasks to attend to. Here's a general outline to get to started. Dividing Perennials – It’s still a good time to divide most perennials as long as they're not spring-bloomers and their foliage isn't any taller than several inches. Divide them if they are getting crowded (reduced blooms, floppy stems, a dead spot in the middle) or you simply want more plants. Some examples are daylilies, delphiniums, iris, chrysanthemums, daisies, and phlox. The additional plants you create can be traded or given to friends, or moved to a new area of the garden. Planting Annuals – Plant warm-season annual flowers, herbs, and vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, basil, marigolds, petunias, and the like) after your last frost date (March 28th for Vancouver, April 19th for Victoria). This is also the time to plant containers, pots, planters and window boxes. Work some slow-release fertilizer into the top inch of soil in containers. Bulbs – April is a great time to plant summer flowering bulbs and tubers such as dahlias, gladiolas and lilies. Tuberous begonias and canna are more delicate than other bulbs and tubers, so to be on the safe side, wait until next month to plant them. Spring-flowering bulbs should be deadheaded when they have finished blooming. Do not cut off the green foliage yet, as this will continue to grow for a few weeks, and provide the bulb with food for flowering next year. Vegetables – Plant seeds for cool-season vegetables such as peas, sweet peas, lettuces and other greens, and seedlings for broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. Plant perennial vegetables like asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish, etc.. Root crops like potatoes, radishes, parsnips, carrots and onions can be planted at any time. Wait to plant seeds for corn, green beans, squash, cucumbers, okra, melons, peppers, sweet potatoes, and other heat-lovers until the soil has warmed to 15 degrees C (warm enough for you to walk on comfortably barefoot, usually two weeks after the last frost date). Bare-Root Trees and Shrubs – Continue to plant bare-root trees and shrubs. Fruits – April is a great time to select and plant fruit trees and berry plants. Fruits and berries do best when planted in full sun. Cut out all the dead canes from your raspberry patch. The new canes that will bear this year's fruit should have new, swollen buds along the edges. Thin these to five canes per foot of row to allow good air circulation and prevent overcrowding. When danger of frost has passed, uncover strawberry beds and keep them well watered. Roses – Plant new rosebushes before growth starts and buds swell. Start fertilizing roses, which are heavy feeders. Hybrid Tea Roses should be fertilized prior to buds beginning to bloom. Pruning Shrubs – Prune your rhododendrons, azaleas and forsythia after they're completely finished blooming. After bloom time is over is the time to prune other spring-blooming shrubs, too. Mulch – About the time tulips stop blooming, the soil has warmed up enough that you can apply a layer of mulch on flower beds and around trees and shrubs. This will help reduce weeds, conserve moisture, and prevent disease. Ponds – Set aquatic plants any time after the middle of the month. Houseplants – Rotate your houseplants so that each side receives its share of light, for even growth and a balanced shape. As the sun's rays strengthen, some plants, such as African violets, may need to be moved away from a south-facing window to avoid leaf scorch. Spring-cleaning your plants will keep them beautiful and help to avoid diseases. Remove any spent flowers, dead leaves or branches, or any yellowing leaves. Rinse the dust from the leaves with a kitchen sprayer. When all frost danger has passed you can move your stored fuchsias and geraniums outdoors. Trim them back, feed and re-pot if necessary. Water them well.
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