With the month of April comes the annual return of the Eastern Bluebird. After some years of neglect and deterioration of our original bluebird houses, six new ones have been erected in Wolf Creek Garden that we hope these beautiful birds will find inviting to nest and raise their young.
April also is the month of rising temperatures and longer days. After a cold start on the morning of April 1st with a low of 19º F, anything above freezing is welcome although this past week has been warmer than that although not exceptionally warm that makes for a slower start to spring and is always welcomed by gardeners.
This week too is the start of our set up of the tree section with arborvitae, flowering trees and conifers! After the initial set up this past week, stock from Lake County nurseries will be arriving by the truckloads from small one gallon shrubs to large 2½ inch caliper trees. Lake County has been the home of the nursery industry in Ohio for well over 100 years as the Lake Erie plain with its sandy soils and the influence of Lake Erie to moderate wild swings in temperatures and because of the Lake’s reputation of being a snow machine that blankets plants with a protective layer of snow. Lake County was also home for a large number of immigrants from the Netherlands as they found work in the nursery industry here due to their skills of propagation and growing of plants from their horticulture education back home.
Bare root hibiscus have arrived this week from Michigan to be potted up and grown until they are ready for about the third week of May. April signals too the turning off the lights as our dahlias and coneflowers no longer require lights to extend the day’s duration to keep the plants growing.
Another chore not done last weekend at the nursery was the spraying of the extensive tulip beds with deer repellent as non-stop rain on Saturday prevented the application of this important work. For sure, April is the gardening month.
Tom