April Gardening To-Do List

It is that time of the year to get lots of gardening chores tackled before it gets hot.  And here in Houston it will get hot in a few weeks.
This year we did not have much in the way of winter.  There were only a few days that we had freezes and even on those days it didn't freeze hard enough to freeze back many of the semi-tropical plants that usually die back to the ground every year.  When this happens we have lots of lush growth early on in the season along with lots of bugs that my not get killed when we get a hard freeze.  So with that said here is my to-do list for April.

1. If you haven't done so already, it is time to get rid of any dead limbs and leaves off of plants that may die back when it does freeze, such as the Giant Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus) and the hummingbird bush or firebush (Hamelia patans).  I already have new growth that is about a foot high on these plants right now but you can still cut them back when you need to.  I usually let these plants grow to their natural forms and they both get fairly big.

2. Cut back any of your spring flowering shrubs.  The azaleas should be almost finished flowering this year, as well as the Bridal Wreath Spirea that I posted about on March 30.  Spring flowering shrubs only bloom on old wood and need the rest of the year to create that old wood after you finish pruning.  This chore is not necessary to do.  You can leave these plants to grow naturally if you like.  The bridal wreath spirea that I posted about has not been pruned in about 9 years and it looks beautiful.

3. It is time to fertilize.  You can fertilize it all right now; the grass, trees and shrubs, flowers.  So get to feeding.  I will soon talk about what is the best fertilizers to put on the different types of vegetation.

4.  You can also put mulch down in all the flower beds now.  This will help deter some of the weeds that are coming up.  Mulching can help keep the moisture on the soil for the plants.  Another thing that mulch can do is to keep the soil cool during the summer months.  Mulch is a really great think to add to your to-do list.  If you don't get to it this chore now you can add it to the garden and beds any time of year.

5. Look out for the hummingbirds in April.  They will make their spring migration stops in the Houston area starting the first week of April.  Get those feeders cleaned and ready to go.  And don't forget to take pictures while you are on your stake out of these great little creatures.

6.  I have been planting seeds for all of my annual spring flowers and getting some vege seeds ready.

  Here are just a few vegetable seeds that can be started in the Houston area in April:
  Beans- both Bush Snap and Pole varieties through mid-April
  Corn seed
  Cucumber seed through April 30
  Eggplant through May 1
  Okra seed April-July
  Peas, southern, seed April-May
  Pepper plant; mid March-May 1
  Radish, seed; Feb.-April
  Squash, summer, seed; mid March-April
  Tomato, plant; March, April
  Watermelon, seed/plant; mid-March-May1


There are many things to do in the garden right now.  So stop reading and get to work.  That's what I am going to do right now.  Just have fun and enjoy being in the outdoors.