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April 2014
"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything"
William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
Mid-Atlantic Weather Watch: Snow, mainly in the northern part of the region (1); fair, windy and cold (2,3,4,5,6,7). Showers, severe storms in the south (8,9,10) turning fair and cool (11,12,13,14). More showers (15,16), windy, and colder (17,18,19,20) with some showers and a chance of snow in the north
(21,22,23,24) returning to fair skies, cool temperatures, and some showers in the south (25,26,27,28,29,30).
The Moon: April’s full moon will occur on April 15th. Many Native American tribes called it Pink Moon because of the pretty pink hues many flowers display as they bloom throughout the month. And because fishing starts to improve in lakes and streams due to warmer weather during the month, it has been often referred to as Fish Moon as
well.
Special Notes: Earth Day is observed on Tuesday, April 22nd. Try to go a bit easier on our fragile planet and look into ways to help treat her better. Call the Earth Day Network at 202-518-0044 or go to www.earthday.net for some ideas and activities that will help promote a healthier relationship with good ol’ Mother Earth! How about
this… Check out the 80+ varieties of trees at the National Arbor Day Foundation’s website at www.arborday.org and try and plant a tree on Arbor Day on Monday, April 25th.
The Garden: Now is the time to do some serious Spring "cleaning" in the garden. Trim back dead foliage and gather up winter’s detritus, such as small branches and excess leaves. Trees and shrubs like Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Spiraea, and Viburnums planted, if planted now, will provide some beautiful late Spring color. Set out annuals
and other perennials now. If a perennial has been grown outside, rather than in a warm greenhouse, plant it as soon as you get it. Otherwise, give it a few days outside in a sheltered location (such as in an unheated garage) to allow it to harden a bit. Cool season vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and beets can be planted as soon
as the soil can be worked. A good test of "soil readiness" is to take a handful of soil and squeeze it. If it remains in a ball, it’s too moist and should be allowed to dry further. If it crumbles, start planting!
J. Gruber’s Thought For Today’s Living
"Only a fool expects to receive compensation for never accomplishing anything."
Index of Past Month's Entries
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