Northeast: April To-Do List

“ April is the cruelest calendar month , ” or so says T. S. Eliot . But even he go on to mention lilac and “ stirring dull root with bounce rain . ” April may be loaded — some Northeasterners call this “ clay season”—but even though snowstorms are still possible / inevitable , there ’s no holding back spring or a gardener now . Daffodils and crocus cornet the time of year , migrant birds start throw their way back , and gardeners ca n’t help but respond to the crack of the start gun . Just remember that this is a battle of Marathon , not a dash . Pace yourself . There ’s plenty of clip to do it all .

Start tidying up . skip back last year ’s bow and seed read/write head , and either mulch in place around the crown of your perennial and shrub , or add together the detritus to the compost pile . If you leave a cover of foliage mulch on your garden over the winter , softly lighten up the loading to give new growth some ignitor and air .

Give your works a nutritionary encouragement . Top - dress the bed with compost if you did n’t do it last fall . There ’s no motivation to jab it in — it will work in as you …

water parting and transplant perennial that blossom after Father ’s Day . Hold off on dividing spring fuckup until declination , but make a to - do inclination now .

Go shoppingfor perennial , shrubs , and trees if you have gaps to fill . Just do n’t block to go out some void for yearly and tender perennials .

endeavor to get ahead of the smoke . apply the leverage of moist filth to force out the unwished , root and all .

Make a spring bulb wish tilt . claver public gardens , drop in on friends , and peer through garden gates to get idea . Identify the spots in your garden that involve a jerk of color , and aim for a succession of blooms from March into June .

Kristin Green is author ofPlantiful : Start Small , Grow Big with 150 Plants that Spread , ego - sow , and Overwinter , and gardens in Bristol , Rhode Island .

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April Garden To-Do List for the Northeast

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