April Gardening Tips for the Pacific Northwest

Visit nurseries now to discover perennials that can add splashes of bloom to your spring garden. Candytuft, basket-of-gold, primroses, and bleeding heart are just a few. Count on early-flowering perennials to provide reliable color for spring borders.

As bulbs blossoms die, clip flowering stems as close to the ground as possible. Let leaves die gradually. While they're alive, they're building food reserves to support next year's blooms.

Test Garden Tip: Disguise yellowing bulb foliage with perennials that unfurl leaves as bulbs fade. Choose garden phlox, coreopsis, daylilies, perennial geranium, or anise hyssop.

Stage your own garden show by stuffing containers with forced spring bulbs purchased from supermarkets and garden centers. Mingle columbine or wallflower between bulbs to extend the pot's bloom season. When all flowers fade, tuck any perennial bulbs and the columbine and wallflower into planting beds.