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April Showers Bring on the May Flowers!

The chance of frost has now passed and daytime temperatures are routinely in the seventies. Spring fever has struck and the garden centers are booming. When choosing your summer annuals select plants that haven’t started blooming. The new plants will become well established, grow faster and produce a larger bloom later.

Plant: Plant your summer annuals and perennials now. Begonias, foxglove, petunias, Vinca rosea, marigolds, lobelia and impatients to name just a few. Give these plants a balanced fertilizer to promote plant growth. Plant your frost sensitive plants late this month/early next month to give the maximum establishment time before the cool fall temperature return. Citrus, bougainvillea, hibiscus, plumaria, jacaranda, mandavilla and other tropical varieties will benefit from this early planting.

Fertilize: Azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, and gardenias with an iron chelate containing fertilizer. New annuals and spring bulbs should receive a balanced fertilizer to promote plant growth. Vegetables should also be fertilized to promote plant growth (fertilize to promote flowering and fruit formation once your plants gain some size).