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Gardening Calendar
April is a fine time to garden. Temperatures are cooler, we usually have
ample rainfall and it is just a pleasant time to be outdoors. For gardeners,
there usually isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. By April we
are usually frost free, but still pay attention to weather forecasts - none of
us will soon forget the Easter Freeze of April 2007! Even if we don’t get a
frost, we still have some cool nights. Don’t be too quick to plant heat loving
annuals, bulbs or vegetables.
Fruits & Vegetables
With the economy struggling, more and more gardeners are planting their own
food crops. It makes sense to plant what your family likes the most, and then
experiment with some new or unusual plants. When you get the idea to garden,
often folks become a bit carried away - planting more than they can maintain, or
eat. If you can maintain a large garden, and can’t eat all you produce, consider
donating your extra produce to local food banks. A national program is called
Plant a Row for the Hungry, and it asks gardeners to plant an additional row of
vegetables for those in need. When starting a vegetable garden, choose a site
that gets plenty of sunlight and that is well drained, but near a water source.
Gardens in Arkansas won’t survive without supplemental water, and if it is
difficult to do, many gardeners either don’t have the time or the energy to make
it work. Make gardening as easy on yourself as possible. Raised beds are an
excellent way to deal with rocky soils. You bring in the compost and soil
yourself. Plant perennial plants such as asparagus and strawberries on the edge
of the garden, to keep them undisturbed. Divide the garden into thirds and
practice crop rotation, not planting in the same quadrant with the same
vegetable for at least three years. You have until mid month to plant even the
cool season crops like broccoli, lettuce and kale, along with green beans and
early sweet corn. Hold off on tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant until mid to late
April - giving the soil time to warm up. Plant corn in several short rows to aid
in pollination, versus one long row. Fruit trees can give you plenty of fresh
grown produce, but they have a price - with rigorous pruning and spray
schedules. Some carefree tree fruits try figs or oriental persimmons.
Annuals & Perennials
If you still have pansies, violas and other winter annuals in bloom, enjoy
them for another few weeks before converting to summer annuals. Consider where
your color displays can make the biggest impact and load the color there. Some
earl y spring perennials may already be finished flowering but peonies, bleeding
heart and foxglove are all in their glory now. Perennial stakes will help hold
those large peony blossoms upright during wind and rain. This is also a great
time to plant perennials as most garden centers have their biggest amount of
stock this month. Garden centers are wild places this time of year, but take
time to choose plants that will grow well together. Look at some of the hot new
plant introductions. For annuals you can’t beat angelonia - called summer
snapdragon, or Titan series periwinkle, Joey ( Ptilotus exaltatus) –almost a
celosia like plant with beautiful light purple feathery flowers from Australia,
Supertunia Vista Bubblegum petunia, Diascia hybrid (Twinspur). Or try
some of the new cuphea’s, coleus and callibrachoa. This is also a great time to
look for new perennials. Plants don’t need to be in bloom to be planted!
Perennials grown from seed will often not bloom the first year in the ground,
but larger plants can bloom the first season. Make sure you choose plants that
can extend your color throughout the gardening season. There are a whole range
of colors now for Echinacea, including pinks, reds, yellows and orange
varieties. Rudbeckia, hosta and hardy hibiscus also have plenty of new varieties
to choose from. Whether you have sun or shade, you should have plenty to choose
from.
Shrubs
Many spring blooming shrubs are still in bloom, but some have finished their
blooming cycle. Once they are finished, prune if needed. If you grow forsythia,
remove one third of the older canes at the soil line now to rejuvenate the plant
for better flowering next spring. Azaleas that need pruning should have it done
as soon after flowering as possible. Then fertilize all spring bloomers with a
slow release fertilizer. On established plants, one application a year is all
that is needed. Don’t be alarmed if you notice thick waxy leaves on your azaleas
or camellias. Cool spring weather can cause an outbreak of azalea leaf gall.
These thick waxy leaves look worse than they really are. Simply snap them off
and dispose of them (not in the yard) and the problem should stop with warmer
weather.
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Know what type of hydrangea you are growing, so
you know when to prune. |
Monitor your hydrangeas this month. New growth should be sprouting from the
tops, not the base. If winter damage occurred, prune it out, but don’t be too
quick to do so. Wait until mid to late in the month to give plants a chance to
start growing on their own. If you see no signs of new growth by the end of the
month or early May, it won’t be coming. Unless you grow the reblooming
hydrangeas like Endless Summer, you won’t have many (if any) flowers on winter
damaged plants.
Lawns
It is too late to worry about winter weeds now, so concentrate on getting
your lawn off to a good growing season. If you haven’t used a summer
pre-emergent, you can still do so. You will have missed some of the earlier
germinating weeds, but can still get some control. When your lawn has totally
greened up, apply a slow release high nitrogen fertilizer on it. Don’t be too
quick to fertilize. If the lawn isn’t fully growing, it won’t be able to utilize
as much of the fertilizer as it could. Watch for summer weeds, water when needed
and practice good mowing practices - never removing more than one third of the
leaf blade at a mowing.
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