What To Do In Your Southern California Garden in April

The weather outside is really making people think about getting outside and sprucing up their gardens. Here is a list of things that you can start working on this month.



1. Planning, planning, planning! If you haven’t begun planning your garden – get cracking!

2. Planting, planting, planting! So many plants so little time.



3. Trimming - If you have plants that suffered in one of our freezes you can safely remove the dead and damaged portions now. Yes, I know some of you cheated and did this early because you just COULDN’T stand it any longer, now the rest of us can catch up because I doubt there will be another freeze.

Yes, I'm going to say it twice (or maybe three times)

4. Fertilize - If you haven’t started fertilizing your plants yet, now would be the time. The soil is warmer so your plants can really access those nutrients.

5. Fertilize - Don’t forget to feed and water blooming and growing cacti and succulents too.



6. Annuals - If you plant annuals in your garden, take a lap around your local nursery and start planting the beautiful annuals. They are starting to get summer color in



7. Prune - Spring flowering shrubs and vines can be pruned while they are blooming or right after they have finished their show. Early bloomers like Hardenbergia and Gelsemium may be finished by now and ready for a little haircut.

8. Plant Bulbs - April is the month to start planting fall-blooming bulbs you can buy Aconitum, Amaryllis, Begonis, Lycoris, and Trycirtis online at Brent and Becky’s Bulbs or McCLure Zimmerman.



9. Indoors - It is time to feed those houseplants that are growing and blooming, if you didn’t do it in March. If you did, wait till mid-May to fertilize again



10. Tomatoes - If you didn’t go to Tomatomania at Tapia Farms last month, put it on your calendar for April 13 –14 at Otto & Sons in Fillmore. If you can’t make it, you live in Santa Clarita, and want me to pick up some plants for you, call me at 661-917-3521



11. Veggie Garden - Start your summer vegetable and herb garden, if you don’ have a lot of room you can start small with just an herb garden or a couple of tomatoes.

If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website.

What To Do In Your Southern California Garden In April

April started out with a real bang! These hot days make me realize that it's time to start doing some real planning and sprucing in our gardens. Here is the link to last year's April Reminders - I updated a few things to make the dates right, but please don't go to Whole Foods to see Tami & I... that was from 2010!

click on the link to read what to do in your garden.

For more about my design please check out my website.

Correction - Repurpose Your Patio Event

I just got the flyer from our Whole Foods Event on April 10th and... it is from Noon - 3pm. I updated the blog post from yesterday but just to be sure - here's the info:


Saturday, April 10, 2010
Time: 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: Whole Foods Valencia
24130 Valencia Blvd.
Valencia, Ca. 91355

Bring your old terracotta pottery, saucers, broken bowls etc. for some Creative Green Design Fun. You can also bring buttons, beads, shells, and stones for decor.

Local Designers Tami Smight (interior) and Julie Molinare (Landscape) will help you re-purpose your old items into beautiful new decor items. Whole Foods will supply soil, plants, candles, and decorating tools for your Green Masterpiece! RSVP required.
Send an email to: rsvp@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net with your name & code WFB410

This event is part of a larger Earth Day Event that begins at 9 am. There will be E-waste collection throughout the event & a portion of the proceeds of the collection will be donated to the Michael Hoefflin Foundation. (No RSVP require for e-waste collection)

Earth Month 2010 - Your choices make a difference!

For More info: www.thegrassisalwaysgreener.net

What to do in your Southern California Garden in April

Spring is in the air, the birds and butterflies are appearing and it’s starting to be very enjoyable outdoors. Here is a list of garden chores that you should take care of this month.



It is a great month to plant your annuals to start creating summer color



April is the time to start plant fall-blooming bulbs such as Aconitum
Amaryllis, Begonia, Lycoris Spider Lily (not supposed to bloom here, but mine do)
and Trycirtis.

You can buy bulbs at a nursery or online – here are two online suggestions.

Brent and Becky’s Bulbs
McClure Zimmerman Bulbs




It’s time to feed and water blooming and growing cacti and succulents.



Your peach trees should be sprayed for peach leaf curl, peach leaf blight, and canker.



If you didn’t do it last month, time to feed houseplants that are growing or blooming.

You can prune spring-flowering shrubs and vines while they are blooming or just after they finish. The beautiful Hardenbergia (Lilac Vine) is almost done blooming, so soon will be a perfect time to prune them.



If you did not go to Tomatomania at Tapia Farms last weekend, put Tomatomania in Fillmore (Otto & Sons) on your calendar (April 1-3) It’s getting warm so this month you can transplant warm-season vegetable seedlings, when you plant your fabulous new tomato plants.



Plan to attend the Earth Day Celebration at Whole Foods Valencia on April 10, 2010 from noon to 3:00 pm – Tami Smight and I will be outside with some fun demos for you. We’ll help you recycle your old pottery, vases, and more into new decorative, green accessories for your home.

Happy Gardening!

For more information: www.thegrassisalwaysgreener.net