April 2012 Garden Tips

When it rains it pours and like last year, this has been a very, very wet late winter/early spring! This is great news for drought relief and will give gardeners some breathing room, but it is not a reason to change our strategic focus on climate-appropriate plants, which are those that can withstand dry summers.

The high winds and steady rain have caused a lot of disruption in what seemed to be established trees and shrubs. As tempting as it is to try to get in and stake tipsy plants, wait for the ground to dry out a bit before attempting it.

Broken limbs abound as well – after removing the windfalls inspect the break and prune or saw appropriately to minimize distortion and disease.

The last frost date in Sonoma County is April 15. We could still have some very cold nights ahead of us.
Continue to fertilize perennials that are emerging from winter dormancy.
Begin feeding your lawn if you have not already done so. If you use organic fertilizer, you’ll only have to do it every six weeks or so.
You still have time to prune summer-flowering shrubs such as Crape Myrtles (anything that blooms on new wood) but you’d better hurry.
Aphids will flourish on the tender new growth in the warm weather: use insecticidal soap or spray with water from the garden hose as necessary. Wash off spittlebugs.
The ground is soft enough to make weed pulling easy – get ahead of it and you will have fewer going to seed. All that rain means lots of weeds this year!
Clean up azaleas and rhododendron that have finished flowering. Fertilize or amend soil with acidic material or acid fertilizer.

As rain tapers off, check your irrigation system for cracks, leaks and clogs. Dirty filters can wreak havoc, especially if you are on a well. Clean out and replace.
Flush out drip systems and make sure all emitters are working. Replace batteries on systems that use battery-operated controllers. Ensure that timers are working. Do this NOW before it gets really hot and dry and the plants need the water immediately.
Sow hardy annuals in pots or directly in the garden.
April is a busy time as we clean up debris from winter, finish cutting back summer-blooming perennials such as salvia, nepeta and penstemmon and have our last opportunity to set out new plants in the garden. The weather is fickle – some days it feels like summer is right around the corner, the next day we are back in winter. Plants monitor day-length, rather than temperature, for exactly that reason!

Information Desks:
Santa Rosa: (707) 565-2608
M-F 9-11 1-4
Sonoma: (707) 938-0127 MWF 1-3
email: mgsonoma@ucdavis.edu
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