Garden Tips Newsletter
April Tips
April 6, 2009
Bedding Plants
Tender annuals can be set out as soon as danger of frost has passed.
Among transplants that should be available at nurseries and garden centers
are dusty miller, marigolds, impatiens, geraniums, portulaca, petunias,
ageratum, salvias, coleus and many others. Select those that have not
begin to flower, if possible. If flowers are present pinch these off
after transplanting into your garden.
Houseplants
Rejuvenate any houseplants that have suffered from the low light and
insufficient humidity typical of host homes in winter. Cut back plants
that have lost leaves, divide crowded ferns, and repot overgrown plants.
To encourage vigorous new growth, apply soluble fertilizer such as
18-18-18 according to label directions.
Bulbs
If you feel really energetic you can remove the old bloom stalks of your
narcissus after they finish flowering to tidy up the appearance. Let
the leaves grow until they begin to fade. Feed all spring flowering
bulbs with ½ cup of 5-10-10 per 10 square feet of bed area.
Summer flowering bulbs to plant when the ground warms in the next few
weeks include caladiums, gladiolus, lilies, cannas, dahlias, and tuberoses.
Perennials
When the threat of frost has passed, sow seeds of foxglove, columbine,
coneflower, hollyhock, and sweet fennel. Prepare seedbeds by loosening
the soil to a depth of 6-8 inches and working in organic matter and
other needed amendments. It’s also time to divide overcrowded
clumps of established perennials, such as phlox, Shasta daisies, chrysanthemums,
and asters.
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Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes Garden Tips weekly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.