April Garden Tips
April is when the garden really takes off. Days warm up, growth accelerates, and irrigation needs start changing quickly—especially inland. This is the month to shape spring growth, feed key plants, and stay ahead of pests and weeds.
Light, timely pruning (not hard shearing), steady nutrition, and smart watering that encourages deeper roots.
Prune and shape in April
April pruning is mostly about timing and restraint: shape plants that bloom on new growth, wait on spring bloomers until after flowering, and avoid “scalping” plants that set buds on last year’s wood.
Palm Trees
Palms are monocots (more like grasses than woody trees) and benefit from the right fertilizer.
Palms respond well to palm-specific fertilizer, and many also benefit from magnesium—often included in palm blends or applied as Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). Apply around the drip line (not against the trunk) and water in. Garden View crews often make small holes around the drip zone to place fertilizer below the surface for better uptake.
Pygmy date palms often show a strong response to feeding. King palms also respond well and can look more resilient when kept on a good nutrition plan.
Santolina
Cut back before the main spring push.
Shape santolina early in the season to keep it compact and dense. Avoid cutting deep into old, leafless wood—aim for a tidy mound.
Manzanita
Pinch tips after flowering for a tighter form.
In early spring (after flowering), pinch or lightly tip-prune to encourage branching and keep plants compact. Avoid heavy pruning unless you’re correcting structure—manzanitas prefer a lighter touch.
Justicia Shrimp Plant
Annual spring cutback keeps it tidy and blooming well.
Cut back to about 12 inches in early spring to refresh the plant and prevent it from getting woody and sparse.
Carex ‘Frosted Curls’
Cut back about 1/3 and divide in spring if needed.
Carex prefers moist soil but tolerates some drought once established. Refresh plants by trimming about one-third in spring. Division is best done now if clumps are crowded.
Boxwood Hedges
Avoid constant tight shearing—let light into the interior.
Aging boxwoods are tricky because they’re formal plants expected to stay green year-round. Constant shearing forces most foliage to the outside, leaving the interior thin. Then, when you trim back to the same size, you expose older growth that can look yellow.
A stronger shaping cut near the end of winter/early spring helps control structure and allows sunlight into the hedge so new growth can develop inside the plant. Some recovery time is normal—spring growth helps reduce downtime.
Cuphea (Mexican False Heather)
If winter was cold, feed and let it rebound.
If cuphea dropped leaves over winter, don’t panic. A spring feeding (often higher in nitrogen) and steady watering usually brings a quick recovery. Remove dead tips and shape lightly once new growth is active.
Abutilon
Tip-prune for fullness; hard prune if size control is needed.
Tip-prune young plants to encourage branching. If abutilon gets tall and leggy, cut back to a leaf joint to force new side shoots. You can also prune harder in spring to control size.
Abutilon is a heavier feeder—steady fertilizing supports stronger bloom.
Red Bird of Paradise
Cut back hard for a compact mound.
Red bird of paradise is typically cut back in late winter/early spring—often close to the ground—to keep it compact and full. Related bird-of-paradise shrubs may be pruned more lightly depending on the variety and the look you want.
Mexican Bird of Paradise
Clean up before the first big flush of growth.
Prune before the first strong spring flush to remove dead/damaged wood and wayward branches. If you want a more tree-like form, gradually remove lower limbs over time (don’t strip everything at once).
Wisteria
Best pruned right after flowering.
Prune wisteria after it finishes blooming. New growth becomes the foundation for next year’s flowers. Wisteria can overwhelm structures if left alone—regular pruning keeps it manageable.
Avoid cutting the main trunk. Focus on trimming lateral (side) growth so you keep the framework healthy.
Hydrangea (Bigleaf) — Don’t Prune
Spring pruning can remove this year’s flower buds.
Bigleaf hydrangeas set flower buds in late summer to early fall. Pruning in spring (or late fall after buds set) can remove blooms for the season. For now, deadhead spent flowers only.
After flowers fade later, selectively remove dead and weak stems to keep the plant vigorous—don’t remove all old wood at once.
Thin Fruit
Fewer fruits now = bigger fruit later and less limb breakage.
Thin fruit when it’s about olive-to-grape sized. This reduces limb breakage and improves fruit size at harvest. Thin nectarines, peaches, and Japanese plums to roughly 4–6 inches apart. (European plums typically don’t need thinning.)
Rose of Sharon
Train as shrub, small tree, espalier, or hedge.
Rose of Sharon can be trained to a single trunk or maintained as a multi-stem shrub. Prune as needed for your desired form. Removing some of last season’s growth in winter/early spring can encourage larger blooms.
Camellias
Feed now; prune soon if needed.
Camellias respond well to a slower-acting balanced fertilizer in spring. If you need to prune, there’s still time before bud set in many cases. Remove spent flowers from the plant and from the ground to reduce damp-weather fungus problems.
Deciduous Ferns
Cut old fronds to make room for fresh fiddleheads.
Cut dry fronds close to the ground. New growth (fiddleheads) will emerge clean and bright.
Banana Trees
Manage stems for fruiting; feed and water consistently.
Before fruiting, keep one main stem. After 6–8 months, keep one sucker to replace the main stem next season. After harvesting, cut the main stem down (often around 2½ feet), then remove the remainder later—leaving the replacement sucker.
Bananas need a lot of water, but avoid soggy soil (root rot). Feed monthly with a balanced fertilizer and keep fertilizer off the trunk.
Liriope
Clean out dead blades for a fresh spring look.
Remove old, dead leaves now and new growth will fill in cleanly, making plants look much better through the season.
Ficus nitida Hedges and Trees
Stay consistent—regular trimming prevents problems later.
To keep Indian laurel fig as a tidy hedge, it needs regular pruning. Don’t let it “get away” from you—consistent maintenance helps it stay compact and can reduce root-related hardscape issues over time. Garden View crews typically prune these several times per year depending on growth.
April tasks
Control Aphids
Curled or puckered new leaves often signal aphids. For mild infestations, blast insects off with a strong stream of water—aim at both the tops and undersides of leaves. Early control usually means less product is needed later.
Control Snails & Slugs
Handpick at night with a flashlight, or use bait/deterrents according to label directions. Be especially careful where pets or children have access, and choose safer products when needed.
Feed and Mow Lawns
Lawns respond well to nitrogen in spring. After feeding, deep-water. Typical mowing heights:
- Cool-season grasses (bent, blue, rye, fescue): about 2½ inches in spring
- Warm-season grasses (Bermuda, St. Augustine, zoysia): generally lower cuts, around ½–¾ inch depending on variety and conditions
Water Deeply
In heavy soils, irrigate in shorter cycles to avoid runoff: water, let it soak in, then water again. For large shrubs and trees, slow “soak” watering for longer periods can build deeper roots. Water lawns early morning or evening when it’s cooler and less windy.
If you’re considering drip irrigation, April is a good time to evaluate your watering needs before summer heat arrives.
Weed (before seeds form)
Hoe, pull, or spot-spray weeds before they flower and set seed. After weeding, add mulch to discourage new weeds and help conserve moisture.
After feeding, water deeply to move nutrients into the root zone and reduce fertilizer burn. Use acid-forming fertilizers for acid lovers (camellias/azaleas). Citrus, gardenias, and hibiscus often respond well to higher nitrogen—but avoid overdoing it.
Planting in April
Finish Planting Azaleas
Shop for late-blooming varieties and choose by flower color, form, and growth habit (upright, bushy, or spreading). Plant in soil amended with organic matter such as compost, peat moss, or ground bark.
Plant Bedding Flowers
As winter annuals fade, replace them with summer annuals. Nurseries typically stock six-packs, flats, and 4-inch pots of ageratum, asters, coleus, dahlias, dianthus, fibrous begonias, impatiens, lobelia, marigolds, nicotiana, and petunias.
Plant Citrus
Dwarf or standard citrus can be planted now. Choose varieties suited to your climate zone and provide consistent watering during establishment.
Plant Subtropicals
Many frost-tender plants can go in now: bananas, bougainvillea, hibiscus, natal plum, and palms. Keep watering consistent through warm spells until roots establish.
Plant Vegetables
Coastal gardeners can squeeze in one last cool-season crop (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leaf lettuce, spinach) using heat-resistant, slow-bolting varieties. Inland gardeners can start warm-season seeds and transplants such as beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, peppers, pumpkins, squash, radishes, and tomatoes. Coastal gardeners can also begin many of these as temperatures warm.