April in the Garden
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Greetings from Birch Meadow,
As the recent equinox balances our days and nights and crisp, unbearable lightness seems to breathe vitality into all living plants and creatures, hope blossoms for a more open, connected, and peaceful world.
May we all take time to stroll outdoors and witness the miracles on our properties and beyond.
THINGS TO DO IN YOUR GARDEN IN APRIL
• Here is a link for things that should have been done in March, just in case you are still catching up!
• Click here for Central NC Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs.
• Free your trees and shrubs from invasive wisteria and honeysuckle. Pull out by the roots. Poison ivy is yet to come!
• Prune spring-flowering bushes, such as forsythia, azalea, and spirea immediately after flowering. Finish cutting back any dead foliage on perennials and ornamental grasses (if you haven't done so already), to make way for new growth.
• As daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips fade, clip off their flower stalks. This encourages the plants to store energy in their bulbs instead of setting seed. Just be sure to leave the foliage alone until it fades naturally. The plant needs the leaves to make energy for next year’s flowers.
• Newly planted trees require regular watering through their first summer.
• House plants can be gradually brought outdoors by the middle to end of the month, and any overcrowded plants can be divided and re-potted.
• Prepare fruit, vegetable, and herb garden beds with compost before planting. Add lime only if recommended by soil test reports. Set out young pepper and tomato plants in mid- to late April after night-time temperatures are above 55 degrees. Wait a few more weeks before setting out cold-sensitive eggplant and basil plants.
• Direct-sow seeds of green beans, limas, field peas, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, winter squash, and sweet corn. Harvest garden peas, sugar snaps, and snow peas every few days. Thin fruit on apple, peach, and pear trees to increase fruit size, prevent limb breakage, and reduce insect/disease problems. Fruit should be thinned when they are about the size of a nickel.
• Plant tender bulbs such as caladium, tuberous begonia, and canna directly in the garden.
• Plant oregano, thyme, lavender, chives, mint, and sage. They require a sunny spot that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight a day. If you have heavy, clay soil, mix in sand and compost at planting time to improve drainage. Herbs will not thrive in wet, mucky soil.
• Grow a salad garden – Plant salad crops such as Swiss chard, beets, lettuce, arugula, carrots, radishes, and peas. To increase yields, scatter the seeds in 4- to 6-inch wide bands or rows.
• Fix bare spots in your lawn now. Rake the area to remove dead grass or other debris. Then, seed with Kentucky bluegrass, perennial rye grass, creeping red fescue, or better yet, clover, which most lawns were covered with in the 1950s and the honeybees love!
• Plant Roses – Bare-root and container-grown roses can be planted in April. For great color and easy care, select landscape varieties such as Knock Out. These tough-as-nails roses offer almost continuous bloom. Plus they are gorgeous paired with perennials such as black-eyed Susan, Russian sage, and catmint. Select a location that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight.
IT’S TIME TO PLACE BULB ORDERS FOR FALL PLANTING!
If you’re interested in ordering bulbs, please let us know before May 1, which is the first day we can place orders. Many bulbs are sold out by the end of July, so if you know you would like something, please order soon. Bulbs will be delivered in late November.
If you prefer to order on your own and save the 50% Birch Meadow markup fee, you can order directly from Johnscheepers.com or Vanengelen.com. Unfortunately, we must charge for handling.
HIDDEN SCULPTURE IN THE GARDEN
Please join the folks at Amina’s Gift for a glass of wine and a stroll in the lovely gardens of Volker and Pascale Mittendorf in Hillsborough. Amina’s Gift is pleased to offer a new selection of sculptures from Zimbabwe. In addition to the garden sculptures, they will offer a special selection of small “gems” that are appropriate for inside.
When: April 23, 24, 30, and May 1 (1-5pm)
Where: 1 Winnawa Walk
Hillsborough, NC
Suggested donation: $10
The donations and sales will benefit Amina’s Gift, a non-profit organization with a mission to educate and provide healthcare for the children of Africa.
CHAPEL HILL GARDEN TOUR
The 2022 Tour, Vision & View, showcases six beautiful private gardens and the North Carolina Botanical Garden (NCBG). The gardens, ranging from historic to modern, personal to campus, mountaintop to lakeside, have been thoughtfully created by passionate, visionary gardeners with diverse properties and points of view.
Saturday, April 23, 2022 (10 am – 4 pm)
Sunday, April 24, 2022 (11 am – 4 pm)
Seven gardens – rain or shine:
KISS THE GROUND - INFORMATIVE DOCUMENTARY!
This inspiring and groundbreaking film reveals that, by regenerating the world’s soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies. Using compelling graphics and visuals, along with striking NASA and NOAA footage, the film artfully illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon, soil is the missing piece of the climate puzzle.
This movie is positioned to catalyze a movement to accomplish the impossible – to solve humanity’s greatest challenge, to balance the climate and secure our future.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH - SCROLL DOWN FOR NETFLIX LINK
If you would like help tending your established garden or installing a new one, please let us know! Click here for Maintenance Policy & Pricing.
The Birch Meadow Team
Mary Beth, Kelley, Barbara, Karla, Jared, Frankie, Jess, Rachael, Kell & CommUnity Based Landscaping
919-224-9697