Gardening Tips for April 2024

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• Plants for Attracting Butterflies - Zinnias (especially red and orange),  deep blue flowers of Anchusa azurea 'Alkanet', Dahlias., Spiraea japonica 'Anthony Waterer',  Bidens 'Goldilocks'  
• Annuals- Delphiniums, Zinnias (Profusion or Zahara Series), Lobelia, Larkspur.
• Perennials- Yarrow, Gazania, Nemesia, Cerastium tomentosum, Silene dioica 'Clifford Moor', Laelia anceps, Veronica, Geum.
• Shrubs- Physocarpus opulifolius 'Summer Wine', Abutilon 'Apollo', Rhododendron, Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Viburnums, Loropetalum.
• Veggies- Tomatoes (If your microclimate is cold, buy tomato plants in April while selection is good and keep them inside on frosty nights. Plant outside after danger of frost has passed). Potato tubers, Carrots, Beets, Corn (later part of month). Warm season veggies, such as zucchini are best planted after danger of frost has passed (mid April here in zone 9).
• Extras - Yellow Sticky Traps, Insecticidal Soap, Twine for guiding vines. Neem Oil Concentrate, Diatomaceous Earth (powdered, fossilized shell).
• Shopping Tip - Ask your local nursery which days they get the biggest delivery so you can time your shopping for best selection.

• Tips for Growing Vegetables.
• Containers - April is a good time to have fun creating beautiful combinations of textures and flowers in containers. If keeping the same plant in a container, it's also the ideal time to replace or refresh the potting medium or soil. Plus, cleaning the outside of containers. Need a little Container Gardening Inspiration? Watch The Gardening Tutor's Video Slide Show: Container Gardening Tips   
• Weeding - The most important task in the garden this month is weeding. Pull weeds before they go to seed. Learn how to manage weeds in the garden: Watch The Gardening Tutor Video Weeds-How They Grow and How to Mange Them.
• Dig - Remove plants no longer thriving or edit out unwanted plants from your design while the soil is still easily worked from spring rain. Prepare soil in garden beds by weeding and amending the soil with compost before shopping for plants. This makes gardening less of a chore and assures that those beautiful babies get planted right away. 
• Pest Management - If Petunias have had Petunia bud worms in the past in your garden, purchase Bacillus thuringiensis (called Bt) this month to be ready to spray before you see them again this year. These voracious caterpillars can devour all your Petunia flowers overnight! The Bt is sprayed on the plant so that when the caterpillars eat the plant parts, they die. Bt is approved for organic use. Aphids can be managed by a strong spray of water to knock them off your plants. Spray aphids off in the morning for several days until you no longer see them. If you don't have time for the water spray, use insecticidal soap. The soap needs to land on the insects to kill them. Also, aphids can be left on a plant for a week or two (before they do too much damage) to allow lady beetles to eat them.
• Pruning - Continue to deadhead Iceland Poppies and Pansies for spectacular spring display before you pull them all out and plant your summer annuals near the end of the month! Fuchsias pinch the tip growth out from every stem when the stem has about 3 sets of leaves. Repeat the pinching a couple more times as the fuchsias grow new stems, then stop the pinching to allow the plant to fill in. Pinching the tips means more stems which means more flowers later! If your Erigeron plants are bigger than you want them to be already you can still shear them now. You will delay the first bloom of the year but create a tidier plant. Watch The Gardening Tutor Video: Shearing Plants to Encourage Flower or Foliage. 
• When you're ready to learn how to care for your plants  Contact The Gardening Tutor
   

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ALL CONTENT by Mary Frost (no AI).