SPRING HAS SPRUNG and clocks have too, but did we even have winter this year?! It has definitely been a warm one, so my gardening advice is a little different this April. This year, take the time to trim and clean in preparation for a real growth surge.
April will probably start off with warm, sunny weather and as always, we’ll see heavy showers later in the month. The Farmer’s Almanac is usually a good source for what to expect weather-wise and also what we should be planting. Old wives’ advice says we should never plant tender, young annuals before Good Friday, and this usually holds true. So, spend the beginning of the month preparing your home and gardens for a successful summer and you can’t go wrong.
Before you clean out the flower beds, get up on the roof and remove pine needles and the remnants of winter leaves. Gutters need a good flushing and overhanging branches should be clipped away. While you’re up there, look for hornets’ nests and signs of insect infestation. A good house washing will complete your main frame spruce up. And who doesn’t enjoy looking at a clean exterior?
Next, power-wash the driveway and exterior walkways. Use a paint sprayer to saturate the areas with biodegradable soap mixed with bleach and water. This will help loosen green moss and stains when you hit the areas with the pressure washer. I tend to stay away from heavy chemicals and find that bleach and laundry detergent will usually do the trick. They also kill most insects! While you have the bleach handy, wash out birdbaths and bird feeders.
Purchase a spray-on fertilizer that attaches to your hose. Give all bushes and gardens a good dose of fertilizer after you have trimmed and cleaned them. Use a garden fork to aerate soil around your bushes before you spray the fertilizer. This will help fertilizer reach the roots. If you have a compost heap, now is also a good time to turn that soil and add some new coffee grounds and veggie peelings. You’ll have excellent topsoil for your late month annual plantings.
Get to some local garage sales and keep your eyes open for unusual containers to plant your favorite herbs, perennials or summer bloomers. These will add interest to beds under trees where roots may be an issue. Also, watch for sales on potting soil and mulch.
Much of summertime garden enjoyment comes from these preliminary preparations. Now is the time to lay the eggs for the birth of summer. Following the bunny is not just an Easter tradition; it is a gardening one as well. Hope you are blessed with lots of eggs from your bunny!
