Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,000,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
Garden Musts for April
There's plenty to do in your garden this month without mucking around in the mud. Think seeds and let the rain do its work
I am a freelance editorial and wedding photographer and Houzz contributor based out of Hershey, PA. Come visit me at 'A Nest for All Seasons' where I write about design, photography and modern garden living!
I am a freelance editorial and wedding photographer and Houzz contributor... More »
If you don't already have April showers, you probably will soon. Prepare yourself for rain, rain and more rain. (Unless, of course, you live in the desert. You folks may be visiting the nursery for more drought-resistant plants this month.)
Don't curse the rainfall. It might make daily life miserable for a few days or weeks, but the result is healthy, happy plants and growth that will turn the world from brown to green. That's worth rain boots and dreary days, isn't it?
Don't curse the rainfall. It might make daily life miserable for a few days or weeks, but the result is healthy, happy plants and growth that will turn the world from brown to green. That's worth rain boots and dreary days, isn't it?
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Heads-Up: Emerging Plants One of the first perennials to shoot up from the ground this month is dicentra, commonly known as bleeding heart. The stems look a bit like peonies when they emerge, but they differ in that the entire plant will disappear by midseason. Choose a lime green variety to brighten up a shady corner of the garden and feel free to split one plant to make several. They're tough puppies. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
This is an emerging peony with a red, pointed bud. The stems and leaves will not ultimately be red; they'll be a deep green color.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Here is an emerging bleeding heart, also red but with more of a fringed point. The leaves are also a deep green. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Depending on your zone, morning glory vines begin to emerge in early spring and take their time growing to about 2 feet tall. Watch out, though — they will take off when the weather warms up and shock you with overnight blooms.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Weed Carefully April is the time to stay out of the garden for the most part. If the rains are heavy, don't step on your garden beds or you will compact the soil and possibly even take out small plants trying to emerge. Be careful while weeding, as many baby plants look very similar to their weedy cousins. Poppies are notorious in my garden for looking weedy and being ripped out. Leave well enough alone until you are able to clearly identify the plants. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| If you do recognize weeds, be careful when pulling them out by the root. They often weave their roots in with the roots of your perennials, and pulling them out can uproot your plants. This new sedum plant is one year old and not firmly rooted. I snip weeds off at the stem around this plant to avoid uprooting it. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Enjoy the Beauty The showstoppers of the garden are not yet in full force, but the opening act has definitely arrived. Enjoy the daffodils, tulips and other larger bulbs. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Daffodils will last about a week in cut arrangements. If there is a frost advisory in your area, now is a good time to cut large arrangements, just in case.
Once the bulb show is over, leave them alone. Don't braid or cut the leaves until they have yellowed.
Once the bulb show is over, leave them alone. Don't braid or cut the leaves until they have yellowed.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| More flowering trees will start blooming. Magnolias, redbuds, pear and early cherry trees have opened, and the rest of the fruit trees are right behind. This is the worst time of year to spray chemicals on your fruit trees, because the bees will be heavily pollinating. Hold off a few weeks on any sprays and save the bees. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| If you are in a cooler zone, it might be time for crocus. If you are in zone 6 (as I am), the show is over, but activity is still going on underground. Hold off mowing the grass if your crocus bulbs are in the lawn. The longer you allow the leaves to grow, the stronger and larger the bulbs will be for next year. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Start More Seeds
It is a good idea to start seeds in waves. You might have planted some earlier, and you might want to plant another set now. If temperatures are still too cold, try starting seeds in homemade cold frames. Make sure you save some for a third planting in early May.
It is a good idea to start seeds in waves. You might have planted some earlier, and you might want to plant another set now. If temperatures are still too cold, try starting seeds in homemade cold frames. Make sure you save some for a third planting in early May.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Learn how to make newspaper pots at Cottage Hill Blog. Learn about recycling school papers into rectangular pots. Home Road Blog has a great tutorial for homemade cold frames, and you can see my version using dresser drawers and old windows. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Transplant Perennials Once plants start emerging from the ground in spring, they are ready to be transplanted. This creeping sedum ('dragon's blood') is a good candidate for division. Simply dig up pieces of the plant with roots attached and plant the pieces elsewhere in your garden. The cloudy skies and abundant showers of April will help the newly transplanted babies get off to a good start. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| You can also take cuttings from fall-blooming plants like this Montauk Daisy. When the buds start to open, the plant is in an active growing phase and will develop roots quickly when cut. Hardy plants like this can literally just be stuck into the ground and more than half will root without any help from you. Fussier plants may require rooting hormone, soilless starter pots and loads of attention. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Move Pantry Plants Outdoors All the pantry plants you started off indoors over the winter can now start making the journey outdoors. Start with cold-hardy plants like beets and turnips, and save the ginger and potatoes for a little later in the month. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| So enjoy the rain and the flowers, but keep your heavy feet out of the garden for now. Go ahead and reach into the beds to cut a few flowers or transplant a few perennials, but don't go traipsing all over the soil, which will pack it down, reducing the circulation of water and nutrients. Take this time to build a cold frame or start more seeds. Notice the emerging plants in your garden and protect your plants from late frosts. Show us: What's happening in your garden this month? Please post a photo below. More: Garden Musts for March Spring Fling: Visit a Garden in Full Glory |
Ideabook published on April 3, 2012.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
I wish someone would feature our house in this site. I have tried several times sending pictures of our home to Apartment Therapy too, but never got any response, it is sad for we have created a beautiful Spanish villa in Bangalore India all by our self, and it is almost 11 years, still looking beautiful.
Talking about purple irises , their pride was slightly taken away by the returning to normal temperatures of the season. Maybe it isn't that bad , but I think -- I kinda feel this way -- the purple ones are asking for a hug. What do you think ?