Ah,
if all months could be like April! The temperatures are perfect
and the garden is bursting into bloom. April is the time when most
plants associated with the South are in full bloom. Azaleas, dogwoods,
cherry trees, spirea and other flowering shrubs paint the landscape
with their vibrant colors.
Spring
fever strikes hard and there are many days that you just want to
play hookey from work. Be cautious, however, about planting tender
annuals and vegetables too soon. Frosts are not uncommon in April.
If you are unsure about your frost dates, check with your local
extension agent, a knowledgeable nursery employee or a gardening
neighbor. Here in northwest Alabama, I usually plant my annuals
and vegetables around the middle of the the month.
Plants
of Interest
What
to Plant
container
shrubs, vines, and trees
annuals
- after danger of frost
has past
bulbs
- gladioli, dahlias, begonias,
lilies, red hot poker, calladium, calla lily
evergreen
grasses - (late
in month after danger of hard frost)
vegetables - after danger of frost.
Fertilize
flowering
shrubs (fertilize
azaleas and other early blooming shrubs immediately after they have
bloomed)
roses
- fertilizer every two weeks with liquid fertilizer.
vegetables
evergreens
perennial
borders - Apply aged manure
or sprinkle a general granular fertilizer (like 15-15-15) over the
borders.
spring
bulbs - (after they have
bloomed)
annuals
- fertilizer every two
weeks with liquid fertilizer
Prune
Early in the month,
shape and/or shear your hedges, boxwoods and other evergreens to
encourage healthy new growth.
divide and transplant
- Perennials
such as daylilies and phlox
lawns - It
is getting late to seed cool season lawns, so be sure to do it early.
Wait until later in the month when the ground begins to warm to
sod warm season grasses like Zoysia and Bermuda.
