Many tasks need to be completed in the garden this month so grab your favorite gardening gloves and use the checklist below to enjoy some outdoor fun.

If you find this is not much fun to work in the garden,
then call us and we will take care of it for you!

LAWNS

o                In early April apply weed control for both grass weeds and broadleaf      weeds.  It is not too late to apply pre-emergent to your lawn.

o                If needed, lime the lawn to raise the ph level in the soil.  Lawns prefer pH levels between 6.2 – 6.8.  Apply lime at the rate of 50 pounds per 1,000 square feet of lawn.

o                If you have bare spots apply grass seed.  Get Cooke’s Custom Blend, designed for our area

o                Stop grub damage by using a Grub control.  Cooke’s carries many brands that work well.

TREES & SHRUBS

o                Now is the time to plant.  The sooner the better to help get roots established before the hot weather of summer arrives. New trees and shrubs arriving daily.

o                Remember that when planting to use good compost like Black Forrest to help break down the clay in the soil.

o                April is time to clean up.

o                Prune off any dead or diseased growth from your trees and shrubs.  Any browned out areas of winter burn will need to be pruned off.

o                AS A REMINDER, do not prune spring blooming shrubs like azaleas, pieris japonica, rhododendron at this time.  Wait to prune these after the blooms have finished.

o                Roses – Prune all dead wood.  Remove suckers  growing at the graft union(bulge at the bottom of main stems) because these shoots will not be true to the rose type.  Trim to 18” and fertilize with a Rose fertilizer.               ( Osmocote)

PERENNIALS & GRASSES

o                If you haven’t pruned back your grasses, it is time now before any new growth starts. Prune ornamental grasses back to 2-3 inches above the crown of the plant.

o                Time to prune back evergreen groundcovers like periwinkle, pachysandra and ivy.  You can use a mower to do these.  They will look bad for about a month but will be covered in new growth  soon.

o                Prune back perennials now.  New growth will be coming soon.

o               Divide and transplant perennials if needed. 

Cooke’s has thousands of varieties of perennials to choose from with fresh shipments arriving everyday.