Many of us are ready and raring to start planting things, but remember there is always the chance of another cold snap, so be sure to wait until after the middle of the month to plant your warm-season plants.

For Central Arkansas, we usually say to wait until after April 10 to plant your warm-season plants, but we've recently had a frost on April 13, so be cautious! 

• Be prepared for an unexpected cold snap or other unpredictable weather and have frost protection handy for your plants.
• Regularly scout plants for pests like spidermites, slugs, bagworms, and aphids. Contact your agent for tips on how to deal with them.
• Assess plants for winter damage and begin cleaning any damage.
• There is still some time to plant your cool-season vegetables like lettuce, broccoli, greens, and onions, but get these in the ground by mid-April.
• Plan out your warm-season garden.
• Stake perennials and vines that risk falling over from their own weight later in the spring or summer.
• Prep annual beds with additives like well-rotted manure, processed manure, peat moss, or compost.
• Watch for honey bee swarms.

Prune, Prune, Prune

Avoid pruning spring bloomers until they've finished blooming. Fertilize these plants immediately after bloom.

Remember to remove ⅓ of old canes from cane-producing spring-blooming plants like forsythia, quince, weigela, and spring-blooming spirea.

Benefits of Mulching

Do yourself a favor this month and replenish the mulch in your yard. Mulching is a great way to help prevent weeds and diseases in your garden, but mulch also helps to retain moisture and keep soil warm, especially on chillier days. 

A mulch is anything that acts as a barrier between the plant and the soil and can be anything from newspaper or craft paper to wood chips or something a bit more aesthetically pleasing.

There are lots of mulch options. Spread down newspaper, shred your junk mail and lay that down. It doesn't have to be as aesthetically pleasing in the vegetable garden as it does in ornamental beds. Mulching a large garden may seem like a lot of work on the front end, but the amount of weeds it will cut down on will make it worth the effort.

Get Ready for Warm-Season Gardening

Although you may find them in garden centers already, wait for more consistently warm weather (usually around mid- to late-April depending on where you live in the state) before planting your warm-season vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. 

Plant okra, peppers, southern peas and sweet potatoes until later this month or around the first of May. Warm soil is critical for these plants. Plant too early and the frost may get to them, and then you will have to replant.

Did you bring plants indoors over the winter?

You can start moving houseplants back outdoors later this month, but you may want to wait until early May, especially if you live in North Arkansas just to be on the safe side. You can divide and repot your houseplants when you set them out.

Keep an Eye Out for Honey Bee Swarms

Now is the time of year that honey bees start swarming, so keep an eye out on your property for masses of honey bees. If you see a swarm, contact your local county extension office for removal options in your area. 

Thinking of starting a beehive? Check out our resources for keeping honey bees.

Eastern Tent Caterpillars

In March, April, or sometimes as late as May, eastern tent caterpillars will come out. Tent caterpillar nests may appear unsightly to homeowners, especially when exposed by severe defoliation. And numerous caterpillars crawling over sidewalks, driveways, and on buildings may be considered a nuisance. But these caterpillars don't present any danger to us. Just consider them native wildlife, which will be here for a short time, then gone again until next spring. (note on eastern test caterpillars courtesy of Arkansas Extension entomologist Dr. Jon Zawislak)

 

 

• Calibrachoa
• Verbena
• Petunias
• Begonias
• Clematis
• Canna
• Dahlia
• Gladiolus
• Tuberose
• Butterfly Weed
• Passionflower
• Hyacinth Vine
• Moon Vine
• Cypress Vine

Attract Butterflies to Your Garden!

To encourage butterflies to spend some time in your yard this year, plant some butterfly-friendly plants in your flowerbed. Plant host plants for butterflies that will nourish young caterpillars after they hatch. These plants include: butterfly weed, parsley, dill, rue, passionflower, and tulip tree.

Tips for Annuals

If your winter annuals still look good, fertilize them and enjoy them for another month. If they are not looking so great, replant them with some early warm-season annuals, such as callibrachoa, verbena, petunias, and begonias. Wait to plant heat-lovers like lantana and summer impatiens.

Spring Bulb Care

Spring-blooming bulbs that didn't bloom well this year may be sitting in poor soil and might benefit from some fertilizer. Fertilize these bulbs just after blooming with a complete fertilizer of 5-10-10 at a rate of 2 lbs. per 100 sq.ft. 

Allow your spring-blooming bulbs 6-8 weeks of green growing time to let them replenish their nutrients. After your bulbs have had a good 6-8 weeks, deadhead (remove spent flowers from) hyacinth and tulips.

If you had smaller or fewer blooms than normal, your bulbs may be crowded and you can dig and divide those bulbs when the foliage starts to yellow or freely pulls loose when slightly tugged. 

You can either replant these bulbs immediately, or you can knock off excess soil, let them air out for a few days, place bulbs in a box with newspaper, and store in a cool, dry place. You can replant these in the fall around October.

Summer Bulbs

You can set out summer bulbs, such as cannas, dahlias, gladioli, and tuberoses) in mid-April. Be sure to plant gladioli several times at 2-week intervals for blooms throughout the summer.

Rose Care

Fertilize established roses once new growth is 2 inches long. Begin spraying to control black spot disease. For recommendations on what to use, contact your local county extension office.

Easter Lilies - Don't Throw Them Out!

Did you buy Easter lilies or receive them as a gift this year? Don't throw them out after their blooms are spent! These beauties will come back next year. Plant the bulbs in a sunny spot in your flower garden in well-drained soil and enjoy them late next spring and early summer.