April Landscaping To-Do List

You are not being fooled–April is here already! We are well into spring, and the days are lengthening as temperatures rise steadily here in South Florida. Our landscapes have bounced back to life and everything is ready to get growing once again. Here are some goals to set for yourself, an April landscaping to-do list for your yard and garden.

April Landscaping – Flowers

If you are looking to add some new specimens to your garden, look for species that will be able to tolerate the coming heat. Annuals including red and green coleus, lovely vinca blooms, or vibrant portulaca will bring bright summer color to your gardens this month. Choose your favorite varieties of canna lily and get the bulbs in the ground in the first half of this month. This way, they have time to establish good roots and can thrive throughout our summer. For bulbs and grasses you planted earlier this year or late last year, now is a good time to divide the clumps. Spread the plants out more evenly, or give the extras that you do not have room for to family and friends as a springtime gift.

Herbs for Your Table

Expand your herb garden this month to include a few warmer weather herbs like mint, cumin, and coriander. There is also still time to start basil seeds if you did not get a chance to in March. If you have a tiered herb garden, plant herbs that prefer drier, sunnier spots up top, and ones that like moist conditions near the bottom. Cumin is a great herb for the top tiers of a vertical herb garden that receive the most sun. Mint prefers moist soil and can tolerate partial shade (especially in the afternoon when the sun is hottest), so it is smart to plant it lower down.

April Vegetable Gardening

Do you have a vegetable garden going this year? If so, this month you will want to plant your sweet potatoes, peas, and beans. Be sure to provide your legume plants with some sort of stable structure to climb–regardless of whether it is a store bought trellis or homemade assemblage of sticks and twine, they will be happy so long as they can use it for support. Since we are not into the official rainy season yet, be sure to check your vegetable beds daily and provide extra irrigation when the weather has been dry. Check your tomato seedlings and watch for pests–many insects and tomato diseases become prevalent around this time.

April Landscaping – Keep it Wild

Wildflowers are a beautiful way to incorporate colorful native plants into your landscape. By growing even just a few square feet of wildflowers, you can provide critical habitat for butterflies and bees. These insects are attracted to areas that contain a variety of different shape, color, and size flowers, so a native wildflower blend works perfectly to provide for these beneficial insects. Include species like purple coneflower, black eyed susan, blazing star, Coreopsis, aster, and sunflower for a beautiful blend of flowers that are sure to attract pollinators. All you need to grow wildflowers is an area that receives full sun, along with well-draining soil.

Take advantage of the extended sunlight to get your April landscape in tip-top shape for the coming summer!

Big Earth Landscape Supply has all the gardening tools, potting soil and even beautiful containers for your spring garden. Stop in today or shop online!