Well, hi there! Happy Sunday. Our April weather has been all over the place, from cold and snowy to double digit plus degrees. What a wild and wonky month. Hoping for April showers to bring May flowers… and green up our lawns, clean things up, make everything feel fresh again.
That said… the snow is gone, bulbs are starting to pop their heads up, the rhubarb is pushing through the soil, perennials are starting to green up, and best of all? Ladybugs are coming out to sun themselves during the day. They are in the mulch, in the leaves, in the garden beds, and most especially all over the early perennials.
Please do not do garden clean up yet! Much too early, all of these ladybugs will be gone, plus their larvae and eggs. These are the good guys that are going to eat all those early aphids.
Spring Tasks
- April Rose Care: Pruning, Feeding, and Pest Prevention – This is a simple to read, easy to follow guide for growing roses. The only thing I would say is that you do not really need all that fertiliser. It is completely possible to grow fantastic roses that bloom profusely using organic methods. Just give your roses a shovelful or two of compost or well rotted manure around it’s base in spring. Follow up with a second feeding in mid-summer, if you feel they need it (I never do).
- Spring Yard Cleanup Checklist: 10 Lawn and Garden Tasks to Do Now
- Sow These 10 Vegetables Outdoors in April for Early Harvests
Shade Gardens
- 6 Charming Coral Bells Varieties to Brighten Up Your Garden
- The 7 Best Perennials for Shade Gardens
- Foamflower Care and Growing Guide for Shade Gardens
Planting Inspo
- 8 Hummingbird Nesting Tree Options For Your Backyard
- These Hardy Perennials are the Toughest on the Block
- Episode 15: Plants for Pollinators – this is a nice podcast. Ideas for what to plant for the pollinators. Sometimes it is nice to just sit back and listen to a great podcast, eh?
- How to Create a Pollinator Pit Stop in Your Garden This April
- 25 Spring Cold Frame Decor Ideas for Gardeners and Stylists
- 20 beautiful plants slugs and snails won’t touch
- Native Wildflowers To Sow In April For Pollinators | Homes and Gardens
- How to Attract More American Robins to Your Yard
- 21 Fast Growing Vegetables For Impatient Gardeners
- Spring Garden Projects That Refresh the Landscape
How To Grow
- Asparagus: How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Asparagus (the tip about soaking is vital to planting success!)
- Asparagus and More In The New Potager – here is my post on how to start a new asparagus patch : )
- Grow Tomatoes Like a Boss With These 10 Easy Tips
- Cucumber Companion Plants: 10 Best Plants to Grow with Cucumbers – The sunflowers with cucumbers is a myth that keeps being shared. Do not plant sunflowers in your food garden as they can be allelopathic (emit a substance into the soil that slows down/inhibits the growth of other plants.
- Carrot Companion Plants: 10 Best Plants to Grow with Carrots
How to Make A Cheese Platter – these boards are one of my most favourite things. Great for a celebration with the girls, a small dinner gathering, nibbling and chatting with a glass of wine. Don’t want to make one? Check out Boujee Charcuterie – Charcuterie – Red Deer, Alberta. Highly recommend these guys. I give them 5 out of 5 stars.
- spring salad with new potatoes
- How to Jazz Up Store-Bought Salad Kits
- Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta Recipe
- Vegetarian Chopped Liver Recipe with Mushrooms
- Moist Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe – I made one of these last year, for a light summer dessert. It was so yummy! Light, perfect spring/summer dessert.
- Easy Sourdough Discard English Muffins (No Mixer)
- Stand Mixer Sourdough
- Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Lemon Moscow Mule – I am all about anything citrusy. My brother is all about the mules. Therefore, this seems like a no-brainer for the next family dinner… assuming we actually get some spring like weather ; )
Use Salt to Clean Cast Iron and Lift Stubborn Buildup – Love my cast iron frying pan but keeping it up can be a thing!
The Marigold Potager - A Zone 3 Prairie Garden 
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