April Gardening in Transylvania County
April is a beautiful and busy time in the garden, so we’ve put together a list of gardening tasks to do now with links for more information on each topic. If you have questions or need more information, please contact the Transylvania County Cooperative Extension at 828.884.3109 or email mmickew@ncsu.edu.
Fertilizing- Fertilize trees, shrubs, ground covers and rose bushes. Fertilizing trees and shrubs
- Fertilize fruit trees. Fertilizing fruit trees
Planting
- Many gardeners prefer to transplant azaleas in April so they can group the plants according to their flower color. Planting trees and shrubs
- Set out broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce plants.
- Sow the following vegetable seeds this month: beets, broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, carrots, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onion bulbs, parsnips, garden peas, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips. A Beginner’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening
- Set out perennials and summer flowering bulbs. Prepare beds with compost. Planting perennials and bulbs
- Plant perennial herbs such as rosemary, thyme and sage as long as they have been hardened off. Basil and other tender annual herbs should be planted outdoors after the last frost, usually mid-May. Growing culinary herbs
- Continue to divide and transplant perennials. Dividing perennials
Pruning
- As flowers fade, continue pruning spring-flowering shrubs, including lilac, weigela, spirea, flowering quince, viburnum and forsythia. Spring and summer bloomers
- Trim spring flowering trees including magnolia, flowering cherry and redbud immediately after blooming if needed. Pruning trees and shrubs
- Prune azaleas prune lightly, 12” or less, after flowering. For severe pruning, wait until February. Pruning overgrown shrubs
- Prune berry-producing ornamental shrubs such as pyracantha and holly while in flower so you don’t cut off all of the flowers which will remove of all of this season's berries.
- Cut out any winter damage that may have occurred this year.
Pest Management
- Scout or observe your landscape plants before treating as pests and diseases may not be present.
- Monitor landscape shrubs for the following insect pests: azalea-lace bug, boxwood-leaf miner, euonymus-scale, hemlock and juniper-spruce mites and rhododendron borer. Scouting for insect damage
- Treat iris beds for iris borers. Iris borers
- Watch for and treat broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower for pests. Caterpillars in the vegetable garden.
- Begin weekly tree-fruit sprays after flower petals fall. Fruit Spray Schedule.
- Start a weekly fungicide program for your bunch grapes this month. Fruit Spray Schedule.
- Continue rose fungicide program. Fungus on Roses
- Watch for dogwood spot anthracnose as it begins to appear now. Treat if needed. Disease prevention for dogwood trees.
Lawn Care Lawn care information
- Maintain mowing height of fescue and bluegrass at 3 to 3 1/2 inches.
- Apply broadleaf herbicide as needed.
- Apply insecticide for grub control as needed.
- Do not fertilize cool season lawns again until September.
Propagation
- This is a good time to layer new plants by lowering a branch of your favorite shrubs and covering it with soil and a stone. Layering plants
Miscellaneous To Do
- Mulch all of your landscape plants as needed. Pine needles, double ground hardwood, and pine bark are good mulches. Keep mulch away from plant stems and tree trunks and 3” deep or less. Mulching
- Create and attach labels for all new plants.
- Stake tall perennials and peonies. Staking
- Put out hummingbird feeders mid-month
