Your Guide to a Stress-free Garden: April Edition

April Reality Check

It’s April 1st here in Wisconsin, and that means it could be 25* or 75* outside 😅

You might be staring out at a snow-covered landscape dreaming of spring or already sweating from the outdoor mulching you just tackled. 

While the weather may be flip-flopping, there's plenty you can do during those brief pockets of sunshine between work, family responsibilities, and everything else on your plate.

Since I know you’re as busy as I am, I put together this guide to help you find some quick wins and get ahead of the spring gardening game this season. 

Gotta love that taproot feeling

Stress-free April Garden Tasks 

Spring gardening can be overwhelming. The good news? You don't need entire weekends to make progress. Even 15-minute sessions can be refreshing breaks that gradually transform your outdoor space.

Here is a list of seasonal tasks to help your April garden feel stress-free:

• Purchase trees and shrubs - Mid to late April is a great time to get out to the garden centers 

• Plant new trees and shrubs - April’s cold nights give trees and shrubs time to develop roots underground. Bonus: Spring rains will help you keep them watered!

• Weed, fertilize and mulch - Getting on top of weeds now will make your life so much easier in the future (trust me lol)

• Plant bare-root roses and perennials - they don’t mind the cold temps

• Prune summer-blooming trees and shrubs

  • Shrubs: Roses, some varieties of hydrangeas (be careful!), summer spireas (not spring snowmound varieties), rose of Sharon, potentillas, ninebark, etc.

• Prune fruit trees: serviceberries, apples, pears, cherries

• Sow seeds indoors (or in the ground if the seed packet says so!). Some flowers I’m starting inside now are zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, and marigolds.

Note: DO NOT prune spring flowering shrubs yet (i.e. lilac, spring spirea, viburnum, aronia, forsythia, weigela, mock orange, rhododendrons, and azaleas, etc.)

Nature's Rhythms to Notice During Your Quick Outdoor Breaks

There’s nothing like watching nature wake up in the spring. Taking even five minutes to observe these April changes can be a powerful stress-reliever:

• Returning birds (tree swallows, bluebirds)

• Bird migration activity

• Perennials peeking through the soil

• Early wildlife movement

  
  

  

  Beautiful late-April blooms

Blooms to Notice Here in April:

Note: if you live in town (where the weather is more temperate!), your plants may be a week or two ahead of rural gardens

• Crocus

• Scilla

• Magnolias (some early varieties)

• Forsythia

• Daffodils (end of month)

• Early tulips (end of month)

Stress-free Tree Shopping for Your April Garden

Our Favorite Places to Buy Trees:

Don’t know the best spots to buy trees and shrubs this month? Here are our favorites!

• Arbor Vista Nursery (Delavan)

• Minor’s Garden Center (Milwaukee)

• Home Depot (best balance of selection and affordability)

• Ty Ty Nursery (online)

Native Trees That Thrive With Minimal Maintenance

Here are some natives that we add to our property each time we get a chance:

• Serviceberry

• Oaks 

• Maples (NOT Norway Maples - very invasive)

• Crabapples (not native but good for wildlife)

  
  

Quick Native Swaps for Invasive Plants

It can be so tempting to snag some of the common shrubs and trees below. Here are some good alternatives:

Instead of:

• Burning bush → Try serviceberry for gorgeous fall color (plus spring blooms!)

• Barberry → Try aronia (chokeberry)

• Butterfly Bush → Try Spirea Alba or Summersweet

• Callery/Bradford Pear → Try serviceberry or crabapples

  
  

Remember: Gardening is a process; You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t need to spend hours and hours outside. Even ten minutes here and there connects you with nature, clears your mind, and gradually creates the outdoor space you deserve.

If you have any questions or want to share your favorite perennials or trees to plant, either email Kendra at kendra@dogwoodfarmswi.com or comment below - we’d love to hear from you!