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www.gaygardener.com
©2002 Gay Gardener
All Rights Reserved
Adder's Tongue..... Baneberry...... Bloodroot..... Bluebells..... Buttercups.....
Columbines..... Cinquefoil..... Dutchman's Breeches..... Honeysuckle.....
Jack-in-the-Pulpit..... Marsh Marigold (Cowslip)..... Meadow-Rue..... Catchfly.....
Solomon's Seal..... Trillium's..... Trailing Arbutus..... Violets.....
Wild Geraniums..... and Yellow Trout Lily
BLOOMIN ROUND YOUR HOMEBleeding Hearts..... Bradford Pears..... Candytuft..... Chionodoxa..... Daffodils.....
Dogwoods..... Flowering Almond..... Fritillaria (guinea-hen)..... Fruit Trees.....
Grape Hyacinth..... Helleborus..... Hyacinth..... Japanese Quince..... Lilacs.....
Magnolias..... Narcissus..... Primrose..... Siberian Squill..... and Tulips
PRUNINGYour shrubs that bloom in the late summer on the wood that will be produced this summer like Hydrangea, Buddleia(butterfly bush), Abelia and Rose of Sharons should be pruned as soon as possible. For Forsythia, wait until after your shrubs have flowered then it is time to prune them.
This is not the time of the year to prune your shade trees. The sap in many of them is now active, it is pushing upward to spur leaf development. For that reason, some trees will bleed if you cut them now.
Trees that bleed freely like Maples, Dogwood, Yellowwood, Elm, and Birch should not be pruned or shaped until summer, when the trees are if full leaf.
SAVE THE FOLIAGEWhen your daffodils and tulips are done blooming it is a good practice to remove the dead flower stalk and seedhead. Cut off only the actual flower stalk but let the rest of the foliage remain.
These leaves are the plants food factory, they replenish the bulbs underground, as they form the new flower buds for next spring. By cutting off the spent flowers more energy is put into bud development for next year and not into seed production.
It is also helpful to scatter bonemeal around your bulb plantings as the flowers are fading, to help spur good flower-bud development. You want to leave the bulb foliage remain until it turns brown on its own. Then it should be cut off and discarded or composted.
ACID OR ALKALINESeems every spring soil pH and these terms pop up. pH is a means of describing the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. The term comes from the French expression "pupissance de hydrogen". It is a measurement of the hydrogen ions in the soil.
In soil science, the pH scale runs from 1 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Most of the garden soils in the Northeast are slightly acid, around 6, which is suitable for the majority of woody ornamental plants.
Plants such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Pieris, and Leocothoe require an acid soil with a pH reading of 4.5 to 5. For these plants to thrive, the soil acidity level must be maintained. There are many brands of fertilizers, organic and inorganic sold for these acid loving plants.
BIRDS OF A FEATHERHere is a list of birds that will be migrating northward in April. If you keep your feeders filled you have a greater chance of seeing some of them, as they stop by your feeders for a quick snack or a much needed meal.
Barn Swallows
Canadian Geese
Flicker
House WrenPurple Martins
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Towhee
Vireos
To Do List
- April -
- Get outdoors and enjoy the beautiful spring weather !!!
- Walk around your grounds and check out all your plants, shrubs and trees
- If you haven't done so already, start your tomato seeds indoors
- This is the only time of the year to move Magnolias or Tulip Trees, which have spongy roots
- Put down crabgrass control, before any signs of growth appear
- Plant any new roses, shrubs or perennials this month
- If you have any phlox that need divided, now is the time
- Any seedlings that were started in hotbeds, can be hardened off in a cold frame
- Divide your fall blooming perennials now...Chrysanthemums and Daisies
- A top dressing of manure now will help your daffodils, perennial beds and shrubs
- When your Forsythia bushes are done flowering, it is time to prune them if they need it
- Rake your lawn and apply fertilizer, reseed any bare spots
- Spray tent caterpillars in the evening if any are spotted
- Transplant lily of the valley pips now
- If buds are breaking on rosebushes, prune them now. If any aphids are spotted, start spraying them
- Now is a good time to clean out any garden pool or pond