April Gardening Tips

At long last, spring has arrived! (or has it?) As you look out upon your garden, does the nagging question of “where do I even begin” sound familiar? There is so much to do in every corner of the yard this month that it is difficult to know where to start.

In my opinion, the first and foremost thing to do is to stand back for a moment, and simply enjoy the beauty that Mother Nature has given us…. Listen to the birds as they sing you a spring melody… dream a little, and then put on the gardening gloves and head out to make your dream garden a reality!

April is the month for planting summer flowering bulbs like dahlias, gladiolas and lilies.  Plant annual seeds of moss rose, purslane, butterfly weed, lantana, sweet potato vines, Dahlberg daisy and Angelonia. For shade consider begonias, coleus, and impatiens.   Vegetables such as okra, black-eyed peas, corn, green beans, and watermelons are ready to go, and you can still plan squash, cucumbers and melons.

Apply a high nitrogen fertilizer to laws. This is usually after the third mowing when the entire lawn is green.  Follow up with additional fertilizer in June and again in September.