Don’t be a Foolish Gardener

With all the recent rains and warm temperatures headed our way, we may be tempted to start digging and prodding in the mucky soil. Don’t be foolish. Allow your soil to drain and dry out. If you dig too soon, often times you make more of a mess.

Just a reminder: an important task for April gardeners. Spend some time at your local nurseries scouting out that specimen tree or shrub you listed in your winter notebook. April is the ideal month to shop the nurseries for the best selection of woody plant materials, i.e., trees and shrubs. Be a savvy gardener and locate the cream of the crop. The best structure, health and diversity are available now for the season. If you want to discover unique, this is when you find that feature tree.

For planting, if you don’t want to be a slave to watering and expose your plants to hot, dry weather, now is the time to get woody plant materials in the ground. If September is the best month to seed a lawn, April is the best to choose trees. The official spring planting season for woody plant materials is when the ground is thawed i.e., no frost in the ground and the soil is moist but not saturated. It varies depending on your location and weather conditions but typically in New England, April through mid-June is the ideal window for planting woody specimens. There are always variables but this is a general rule of thumb.

And remember, April is designated as Landscape Architecture month. So don’t be a foolish gardener. Think like a pro and pay attention to the seasons. And more than anything, always have fun doing what you love. The inspirational quote of the day is by Mark Twain. “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.”

The Easter Bunny is early – he’s no fool!
Image from the Internet