April - Welcome to the Wild — A Little Dirt Can't Hurt

April’s focus for me is making sure the pollinators have enough food and water in my garden.

The first part of 2026 was spent moving my vegetable garden, amending the soil, and getting vegetables and fruit trees in the ground. I also left a lot of old plant debris, leaves, and mulch in place to protect the tiny wild world living underneath.

Then in March, we had a windstorm and a brief freeze that really set things back. I had planted around 40 pentas, and a lot of them ended up with frost damage, along with most of the vegetables I had just put in.

So this month feels a little different.

I’m cutting back what was damaged, replanting where I need to, and watching what’s coming back on its own.

Then there’s my little wildflower garden. I built it last year, and this year’s blooms are better than I could have imagined. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for this corner of my yard.

Wild Things To Do

This month is less about starting from scratch and more about working with what’s already showing up.

I’m adding in some new perennials and pollinator-friendly plants, but I’m also letting last year’s plants and seeds come up and do what they’re going to do.

As the little sprouts grow, this is my thought process:

is this something I planted
is it helpful to pollinators
is it safe for my dogs
or is it something that needs to go

Not everything needs to be pulled right away. I’m (im)patiently waiting for the new growth to get big enough so I can identify the plant properly.

What else to do this time of year:

fill up all the bird feeders, especially for the hummingbirds
put out water for pollinators, we haven’t had much rain and they are thirsty
plant native perennials and anything that supports pollinators
it’s not too late to get mature plants of squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and warm weather herbs in the ground
plant seeds like radish, green beans, marigolds, zinnias, and sunflowers
clean up any leaves damaged by wind or frost
take a walk through your garden and decide what belongs and what doesn’t

And if you end up with extra plants, there’s always another gardener who will want them. Gardeners are known for taking in orphaned plants.

Rooted Pick of the Month

This month, my favorite plant is Salvia farinacea 'Augusta Duelberg', a beautiful white, fluffy, salvia.

She was the first to flower, has made a lot of babies that I’ve shared with my neighbor, and is supporting bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies.

She’s got a husband, Henry Duelberg…he’s purple. The story goes, horticulturalist Greg Grant found both in a cemetery near their graves, and named them after the couple*. Both are great choices for our hot environment, especially through droughts.

Last year, my Augusta bloomed from spring all the way through the first freeze, and it didn’t take it long to come back.

*Source: https://txmg.org/hendersonmg/publicity/augusta-in-may/

Garden Gossip

So 2 weeks ago, I finally filled up my 4 bird feeders. They are different styles, so I drove to Wild Birds Unlimited in Pearland, TX (about an hour away), just to get the right fillers. The lady told me that I would attract different birds, which I honestly didn’t believe. Well guess what?? Here come the red winged black birds, and a red-bellied woodpecker! I’ve only seen those blackbirds randomly, and never a woodpecker.

They ate everything in about 2 weeks, and now I’m out, and they aren’t happy with me. I feel like they are staring at me when I let the dogs out, waiting for me to refill. They are just going to have to wait for me to go to the store again. Sorry tiny friends.

Come Grow With Me

I’ve got a full schedule of fun this month! If you’ve been wanting a little guidance or just an excuse to get your hands in the dirt, I’ve got a few things coming up: