The weather is finally warming up, spring is in the air, and we cannot wait to get to work in our gardens! We survived the “April in Wisconsin Gauntlet” and all 5,236 different types of weather it threw at us. Now it is May! Everything is greener, brighter, and warmer! Let’s get to work!

EARLY MAY

• Fertilize bush fruits, grapes, and ornamental shrubs.
• Plant broccoli, early cabbage, cauliflower, and spinach.
• Interplant annuals among spring flowering bulbs. Be gentle!
• Scout for bare patches in your lawn, raking up dead plants and debris. Now is a great time to sow grass seed to ensure it beats out the crabgrass.
• Treat lawn for control of broadleaf weeds.
• Do not roll lawn. Instead aerate which will allow much needed oxygen and nutrients to get to your grass. This is especially beneficial for lawns on heavy clay soils that are compacted, lumpy, or thinning. You may need to aerate again in the fall for very lumpy lawns.
• Prune Evergreens as new growth begins to expand.  Pinch off up to two-thirds the length of new growth “candles.”
• Prune Forsythia after they have bloomed.
• It is not too late to start seeds indoors, but beets, carrots, chard, kohlrabi, late cabbage, leaf lettuce, mustard, collards, turnips, radish, spinach, onion sets, onion seeds for bunching onions, peas, and potatoes can be sown directly into the garden.
• Purchase and plant trees and shrubs now! Ask a Vande Hey Company representative for planting instructions to ensure healthy plants!
• Examine fruit trees for Eastern tent caterpillars, being sure to remove limbs where they are nesting. You should also start your fruit tree spraying schedule. You do not want to spray when it is blooming because it can harm bees and other pollinating insects.
• When leaves start to emerge from the buds, begin fungicide treatment. Be proactive! Apply every 14 days throughout cool season. Make sure to apply to crabapples, ninebarks, roses, and honeysuckles. Call Vande Hey Company to pick up your fungicide today!
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MID MAY

• Plant bush beans, snap beans, and sweet corn.
• Plant muskmelon, squash, and cucumbers.
• Work systemic insecticides into soil around roses.
• Stake peonies and delphiniums.
• Prune out winter-killed wood on trees and shrubs by cutting back to green wood after new growth begins.

LATE MAY

• Plant geraniums and tuberous rooted begonias.
• Set out peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants.
• Start compost pile.

Staying on top of these tasks and being proactive will help keep your landscaping healthy and beautiful! Go get your hands dirty and enjoy the warming weather!

As always, let us know if you have questions! Also, stay tuned for our brand-new service “The Plant Doctor!” Ask all your plant and gardening questions and get answers!

April Showers bring May… Well, we sure hope for showers instead of snow this year! As things continue to warm up, we can all get more and more active in the backyard! Here’s our list of things you can do in April and don’t forget about Landscape Management 101: March if you are behind schedule!

EARLY APRIL

• Finish pruning trees and evergreens. Avoid pruning maple, elm, birch, oak, and walnut trees at this time. Pruning these trees now will cause excess sap bleeding and increase the likelihood of contracting diseases such as oak wilt.
• Once the ground has thawed, fertilize grapes, raspberries, and blueberries before growth resumes.
• Rake the lawn when weather conditions permit. Raking when lawns are too wet will result in pulling out large amounts of roots and live grass parts.
• Pull out last year’s dead annuals if you have not yet done so.
• Dead flowers, stems, leaves, etc. can serve as protection for new plants and compost in place. There is no need to clean up too much this early in the season.
• Prune summer flowering shrubs.
• Plant fruit trees.
• Graft apple trees when buds begin to swell.
• Plant pansies in a pot and place outside. Pansies can handle some frost and cold temperatures.
• Do not work in garden soil when it is wet.
• Collect soil samples for testing. Test multiple areas separately.

MID APRIL

• Uncover and prune roses if weather permits. You can vent rose cones (if you are still using them) during the day, but replace by sundown. Do not feed roses until mid-May.
• Check out your indoor plants. More sun and higher intensity will lead to quicker growth and more need for fertilizer and water. You can also prune back hard now to stimulate new growth.
• Seed or sod new lawns as soon as the soil can be worked. 
• Vegetables that do well in cold temperatures such as broccoli, lettuce, and parsley can be transplanted outdoors after the average last frost date (May 21-31). In the meantime, you can slowly introduce plants to the outdoors by placing flats in shaded protected areas and gradually increasing exposure to sun and wind.
• Sow seeds indoors for the following: tomatoes, asparagus, beets, carrots, chard, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, mustard, onion sets, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, and turnips.
• Reseed or sod lawn areas injured by the winter.

LATE APRIL

• Dig and divide fall-blooming perennials before top growth gets too tall.
• Consider planting flowers which can be dried for winter arrangements.  Strawflower, statice, Chinese lantern, celosia, and globe amaranth are some of the best choices for successful drying.
• Do not mow the lawn until it has grown at least 2 inches.  The roots are being renewed in the spring and grass needs vigorous initial top-growth.
• Check birch leaves for birch leaf miner. Staying ahead of pests and treating trees early leads to greater health and success in the long run.
• Plant onions, carrots, beets, chard, leaf lettuce, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, and turnips.

If you are on top of all of these things and still chomping at the bit for more, check out our blog post Get Outside! 33 Outdoor Activities You Can Do Right Now!

You’re sitting inside waiting for the snow to melt and the ground to thaw so you can finally get started on your garden and landscaping—it’s kind of like watching paint dry, but worse. Someone keeps adding paint (or in our case, snow). What’s the solution? Stop staring at the paint! Our horticultural experts at Vande Hey Company have a few practical things you can do right now. Let’s get up off the couch and get started!