MONTHLY GARDENING TIPS
Here’s what to do, what’s in bloom, and lots of tips and tricks for each month of the year! Check back each month to find new, seasonal tips for ornamental gardening, lawn care, edible gardening, and indoor plant care in the Pacific Northwest!
April Gardening Tips for the PNW
In the Ornamental Garden
Sow or plant hardy annuals in bare spots or where spring bulbs will die back. Some colorful options that will also attract pollinators include alyssum, bachelor's buttons, California poppies, calendula, and fragrant sweet peas.
Slugs can be a real problem in spring here in the PNW. A few tricks to try: use a natural product like Sluggo, place copper tape or crushed eggshells around plants as a physical barrier, or go out at night and mount a "slugnapping" campaign!
Here’s how to create colorful Spring Containers, mixing annuals and perennials for variety and longevity. Be sure to combine plants with similar light and water requirements!
Prune back the dead tops of perennials and grasses to make room for new spring growth.
Pull or dig perennial weeds, from buttercup to English ivy to blackberry brambles. The ground is softer and the weeds are easier to find before other plants emerge to hide them. Patrol for young horsetail and bindweed shoots before they gain a foothold. More tips in our blog post: Living With (or Without) Weeds.
Edible Gardening
Anyone can grow delicious food! learn how in Starting a Vegetable Garden.
Add compost or soil-building conditioner to your garden beds to improve aeration, add nutrients, and help retain moisture in the soil this summer.
In April all cool-season veggies can be planted outdoors. Try radishes, lettuce, kale, strawberries, broccoli, and beets. Read Vegetables to Plant in Spring to learn when and how to plant them.
Protect tomatoes! Tomatoes can be planted outside in mid-to-late-April but will need some cold protection. We recommend using Season Starters, water-filled teepees that help keep tomatoes toasty in cold weather. Learn How to protect your Tomatoes and Other Warm Season Vegetables.
Lawn Care
Do you need a lawn makeover? The best time to sow lawn seed is typically April or May. See Step by Step Lawn Renovation for more detailed information.
Make sure your lawn looks its best by following the tips on our Spring Lawn Care blog post.
As long as your lawn is not soggy, you can apply lime now to balance the pH of your soil.
If it's growing, you can mow it! Set your mower to medium height to avoid cutting off more than 30% at a time. Remember, the height of the grass generally equals the depth of the roots, so keeping grass a little longer helps build a strong support system.
Indoor plants
In spring, most houseplants begin to grow more actively. Start applying a fertilizer formulated specifically for indoor plants. Learn more about Spring Houseplant Care on our blog.
Spring and summer are also great times to Repot Houseplants that may be rootbound or need a soil refresher.
If you think your plant has a pest issue, it’s important to identify the culprit. Take a look at our guide to identifying and eradicating common pests: What’s Attacking my Houseplant?
Want to add a few new indoor plants to your home? Read Our Favorite Houseplants to see what we’re growing!