Gardening by the Month: April, 2023

This is a month in which I am not so sure Mother Nature can decide which season we are in. We can have summer-like conditions one day, spring the next, and then winter can reappear for a few hours. Where you live in the state will make a huge difference to how advanced your spring-blooming plants are. However, each warm, sunny day is like a shot in the arm for our plants, and they can burst into bloom seemingly overnight.

Most plants are beginning to leaf out, but not all fully. Start assessing if you had any winter damage and begin the clean-up process. There is still time to prune summer-blooming plants such as crape myrtles, rose of Sharon, summer-blooming spirea (NOT spring-blooming bridal wreath spirea), butterfly bush, and more. Don’t prune any spring-blooming plants until after they finish flowering. You can prune for evergreen shrubs such as boxwoods and holly as needed, now through early summer. Ornamental grasses are beginning to grow, and if you have not pruned, pull back the old, dead growth to see how tall the new growth has gotten, and
prune above that line. You don’t want cut edges on your new leaves.

Vegetable gardening is in full swing, but cooler weather may have delayed planting in some gardens. There is still time to plant cool-season vegetables, including lettuce, broccoli, greens, and onions, but finish by mid-month.  Wait for the soil and air to warm up before planting tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants—even though garden centers have likely been selling them for over a month now! You won’t gain anything if you have to replant or the plants get stunted by cold nights.

Lawns are beginning to green up, but there is much competition from the winter weeds—or, as some call them, their “wildflowers.” Whichever you call them, flowering plants in the lawn mean seeds are forming and these wildflowers/ weeds will increase next year. If you aren’t enamored with the flowering weeds, keep them mowed now to prevent additional seed sets. Many of the weeds will die out in a few weeks when warmer conditions occur. Herbicide usage now is not very effective and may actually hinder your lawn’s green-up, as it is a transition from winter dormancy to summer green. Keep the lawn area mowed and wait until it has
greened up to apply your first round of fertilizer. Then you can worry about summer weeds.

Many gardeners are chomping to move their houseplants back outside to reclaim some of their indoor living space. But please, be patient. Even though we may be having some hot days, we usually still have some cool nights, which could cause houseplants to suffer cold damage—waiting until early May is not going to hurt, especially if you live in the northern tier of the state. If you have too pot-bound plants, dividing or repotting them is a great chore to do when you move them outside.

Winter annuals are doing well in some gardens, and in others, they have barely
recovered from winter damage.  If yours still look good, fertilize them and enjoy
them one more month. If they are non-existent or barely there, start replanting
with warm-season annuals. Some will tolerate cooler temperatures better than
others. You can start planting callibrachoa, verbena, petunias, and begonias, but
hold off on lantana, periwinkle, and summer impatiens. In addition to more
annuals, visit your local nurseries and garden centers to see the new selections of
perennials, shrubs, and trees. If you have some plant casualties, now is a great time
to replace them. Consider the time of year you need color help in the garden, and
choose plants that can extend your color palette.

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