Early Bloomers

Many annual flowers are appearing on our shelves, from cold tolerant pansies and spring flowering bulbs to the first of our summer bloomers—including fuchsias, geraniums, alyssum, snapdragons, bacopa, and more. Availability can vary slightly from year to year, so we do recommend dropping us a line to check on our current inventory.

April weather can be quite random in Portland, and it’s not at all uncommon to see hail followed by sun, then a warm afternoon followed by a frost at night. This level of unpredictability means it’s still too early to have frost-tender crops out unprotected (e.g. basil). Some of the most cold-sensitive items—Portulaca, zinnias and late blooming Hibiscus, and Zaschneria—shoule be planted in May once the weather warms.

The warmer weather also signals the arrival of ladybugs and beneficial nematodes at the ship. Ladybugs are natural predators of aphids, whiteflies, and other sucking insect pests. Nematodes are useful for certain soil-borne pests such as crane fly larvae and root weevils.

If you haven’t done so already, clean up your overwintered beds and containers—and start planning and planting! Though rainfall is usually frequent, new plantings should always be watered in after planting.

Annuals and Perennials

At home, many of your perennials may be growing and/or blooming now, so it is time to be tidying, fertilizing, and watching for pests. Most fertilizers marked as “rose and flower food” or “all-purpose plant food” are great for perennials.

Watch out for slugs, cutworms, aphids, and other common pests. You will soon see your first spittlebugs of the year if you grow rosemary, but they are mostly harmless. As for the slugs and cutworms, symptoms include chunks chewed from leaves or new shoots cut through.

Beneficial Insects

Many insects, fungi, and bacteria can benefit your garden in one way or another. Beneficials come in many shapes and sizes, and they can all help your garden in their own way—oftentimes by controlling pests and pollinating plants.

Creating a suitable habitat in your garden will attract beneficials, helping you to have a sustainable garden and support native wildlife.

When relying on beneficials as a form of pest control, you must be patient and tolerant of a few pests in your garden in addition to some damage to your plants. Without a few pests around your, beneficials won’t have anything to eat!

Invite beneficials into your Garden.

Learn more about attracting beneficials.
Learn more about creating a bee friendly garden.
Learn more about mason bees.

Trees, Shrubs, and Fruit

It is definitely planting time for hardy trees and shrubs, and we have plenty to choose from. Come on down for the best selection of the year on most of these plant types, including fruits.

Some deciduous trees show their best leaf color just as they emerge in spring. While many Japanese maples (Acer palmatum cultivars) are well known for their autumn color, some are absolutely exquisite at first leaf emergence. The larger, upright Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonica) is another excellent example. When it comes to shrubs, some forms of Spiraea and Sorbaria have an incredible new leaf color.

For existing plantings, now is a good time to start fertilizing. Most trees and shrubs are not picky and will do fine with an all-purpose food, although we have specialty foods for acidic soil lovers (Rhododendrons, azaleas, dogwoods, camellias, gardenias, etc.), vines and fruit trees. Note that older, thriving shrubs or trees probably don’t need to be fertilized.

Little pruning is necessary now, the one big exception being spring flowering shrubs. Evergreens such as rhododendron, Pieris, and Camellia can be pruned after flowering if you are trying to control the size of the shrub. If you did not do so in winter, early-flowering deciduous shrubs, such as flowering currant and Forsythia, can also be pruned.

Aphids might be making their first appearance on your roses, or possibly on some of your street trees. You know there is an aphid infestation on the trees if your car is sticky after parking underneath overnight. Note that this symptom may not occur as early as April, but the aphids might be there. There are effective insecticides available if you feel treatment is necessary, but it might not be on larger, healthy trees. Remember, the quality of your rose’s flowers will be much higher if you do keep the aphids away.

Visit our section pages for varieties, planting tips and growing culture.

Vegetables

If you have not done so already, get those root crops (onions, potatoes, etc) planted as soon as possible. Brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) can be started outside, as can lettuce, spinach, and most leafy greens. You should still be ready with a frost blanket just in case of a late cold snap. If you already have some of these early crops that were previously started indoors, be sure to transition them to a cold frame or unheated room/basement window in preparation for planting outside. Gradual temperature changes are key here, as rapid changes can lead to shock, resulting in stunted and failed plants.

We’re afraid it’s still too early for tomatoes, peppers, melons, and other warm season crops to be outside. If you want to get a jump on summer, these can be started in a heated greenhouse or possibly indoors. Note that melons and squashes are huge growing vines and don’t stay tidy on a windowsill very long. Once you are ready to plant these outside (in May or June), follow the same guideline as above for transitioning them from inside to out, unless the indoor and outdoor temperatures are about equal.

While you are waiting for the temperatures to warm up, you can add organic matter to your veggie beds. Most vegetable crops do best with a lot of organic matter in the soil, and manure-based composts are often recommended. To maximize harvest, regular fertilizer doses are required for most veggies once the crops are growing. Remember, different types of fertilizer work in different ways, so the definition of “regular” is best found on the packaging of the product you choose.

Learn more about planting vegetables.

Lawn Care

April is certainly a time to get your lawn in order. Get that moss out, fertilize, and start mowing as necessary. Apply lime if you have not done so recently. Lawns usually start growing quickly in April, filling in those patchy parts. This process is slowed if you have a lot of moss or thatch, so de-thatching may be necessary. Thatch is that layer of decaying organic matter that builds up at the soil surface, near the growing shoot of the grass blades. It can be removed when too thick by a thorough raking with a lawn rake.

If your lawn is quite patchy, this is an excellent time to add seed to thicken it up. Keep humans and pets off the sprouting lawn as much as possible. Sod can be laid as an alternative if the grass is pretty bad and you want to start fresh. Either way, loosen the top layer of soil with a rake and mix a thin layer of compost in before you seed or sod.

Visit our Lawn Page for tips on seed starting a lawn and grass alternatives.

Indoor Plants

The first part of spring can be felt indoors too. The days are longer and your houseplants may be starting to grow a little fuller. Now is a good time to go through and determine whether you need to do any repotting for the upcoming growing season. As the days get longer and hotter, pot-bound plants can dry out too fast or grow spindly. Get some fresh potting soil, larger pots (just one size larger in most cases), and prepare to repot those pot-bound plants. Be sure to water after the up-potting. It is also a good time to start fertilizing your houseplants after their winter rest.

If you have conservatory plants (plants that go outside for the summer) you might start grooming them for their transition outside. Citrus and gardenias can often go outside in April if the night temperatures are above freezing. Other plants—such as Bougainvillea, Hibiscus, and Mandevilla—should begin a gradual period of acclimating to outdoor temperatures, with most going outside in May at the earliest. At times, it is beneficial to prune these plants once they go outside so that the re-growth is thick, full, and sun-tolerant.

Visit our Houseplants Page for planting tips and varieties.

DIG A LITTLE DEEPER

The Best Practices approach, sometimes called Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an environmentally sensitive approach to dealing with garden pests. This approach uses the scientific understanding of pests and diseases to determine if a problem requires treatment, and if so, how to proceed in the safest effective way—while also taking into account the specific sensitivities of the site.

Some questions to consider when choosing a solution to your pest problem:

What is the safety of the applicator?
What is the solution’s impact on people and pets (safety and other factors)?
Is there a potential for runoff and what are the consequences for groundwater?
Does the solution pose a threat to beneficial insects?
What is the persistence in the environment (how long does it stick around)?
What is the best timing of the treatment to mitigate the factors above?

Read more including tips for controlling pests.

Portlanders are lucky to live in a city with so much green space. Our combination of rivers, parks, and relatively mild climate allow us to host a vast array of birds and wildlife—many of which will visit or even nest in local yards with a few simple provisions.

Birds are attracted to areas where the three basic needs are met: shelter, food, and water.

Learn more about creating a bird haven.