April showers, prepare for flowers

April is here and we are looking for April showers to bring us some May flowers. Let’s look at some of the things we need to be doing in and around the garden in this most glorious of gardening months.

Consider planting summer-flowering plants such as gladiolus, canna lilies, caladiums and dahlias. Planting some every two weeks will give a succession of color to your landscape. Make the first planting in the latter part of the month after the soil has warmed significantly.

Stay on top of early sprouting weeds before they overtake the garden or flower bed. Hand weeding will prevent many from setting seed that will produce next year’s crop. A little herbicide, well placed, never hurt anything either.

Begin to pinch back and deadhead annuals such as petunias, salvia, impatiens, and others to encourage the formation of new branches and thus more flowers. Keeping a close watch on this will reap many benefits.

Watch for aphids on tender new leaves and flower petals. They are always attracted to the youngest growth and often find their way into the young, unfurled leaves and may go unnoticed for some time. A yellowing or wilting of the plant tips and/or the presence of ants may indicate their presence. Fortunately, aphids are relatively easy to control once discovered. Before resorting to insecticides, you might try washing them away with a strong burst of water.

Edge the entire flower bed or flower garden. It will make a big difference!

In clumps of perennials, pinch back some stems in the front area of the clumps to create a succession of blooms. Do this with tall phlox, bee balm, baptisia, agastache and other returning perennials.

Begin pinching back fall bloomers such as chrysanthemums, goldenrod, Joe Pye weed and asters. This causes more branching and more flowers later in the season.

Stake tall plants such as hollyhocks, hibiscus, agastache and foxglove before they get out of hand.

Add fresh mulch to beds if needed. One to two inches around annuals and perennials on top of existing mulch will be sufficient. No more than four inches total mulch is advisable.

If a soil sample has not been taken from your garden within the past two years or so, now is a good time to take one. Ideally, a soil analysis should be undertaken before fertilizer is applied to the garden. Otherwise, you will be, as they say, “shooting in the dark” when it comes to providing your plants’ nutrient needs. Many perennials, in particular, need very little supplemental fertilizer so long as they are planted in good soil.

If the leaves on your crape myrtles and hydrangeas develop a grayish coating later in the season, they probably have developed powdery mildew. Try a mixture of four teaspoons of baking soda in one gallon of water on them. Apply this once a week, being sure to cover the tops and undersides of the leaves.

Many of you are just now planting your prized tomato plants. Remember this-after planting tomatoes, it is a good idea to mulch them right away. This will help to prevent leaf diseases such as early blight. This debilitating disease is caused by a fungus that splashes onto the leaves from the soil during rainfall or overhead irrigation. Control of this disease with fungicides is difficult. Immediate mulching is more effective.

I trust that these tips will help you in your gardening endeavors this month.

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, former Perry High School horticulture instructor, and former horticulturist at Henderson Village and Houston Springs. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate Lewis Farms Nursery located on Hwy 26 two miles east of Elko, where he was born and raised. He can be reached at (478) 954-1507 or timlewis1@windstream.net and at LewisFarmsNursery.com.

HHJ News