Gardening chores for April

April is National Garden Month, and for good reason: Signs of new life are everywhere. As plants come out of dormancy so do we gardeners, as we get busy planning, planting, dividing and watering. By the end of the month, we'll even be mowing. Welcome to a new season!

1. Prune Rose of Sharon, and consider planting Azurri Satin, the new well-behaved variety that doesn't self-sow.

2. Sow peas directly into the garden before it's too late.

3. Install a drip-irrigation system now and it will be ready when you need it.

4. Have questions? Join me in a live chat at noon today at newsday.com/gardendetective and start the season off right.

5. Pinch back leggy seedlings growing indoors to make them grow stockier.

6. Plant brambles like raspberries and blackberries.

7. Plant strawberries in a sunny spot, but not where tomatoes, peppers or potatoes have grown in the last three years.

8. Uncover wrapped or buried fig trees and water.

9. It's time to divide crowded bog plants.

10. Mix a generous helping of compost into garden beds to enrich soil and improve drainage.

11. Pinch back tips of vining houseplants to force them to grow fuller, and trim brown tips.

12. Repot houseplants that will spend the summer outdoors, moving up to the next size pot.

13. Deadhead pansies to keep them blooming.

14. Plant grapes.

15. Today is the average last frost date on Long Island, so it's finally safe to plant new perennials, vines and ground covers.

16. Aerate the lawn and rake up debris.

17. Don't lime the lawn unless a pH test indicates it's necessary.

18. Passover begins at sundown. Start parsley seeds indoors and plant horseradish root cuttings directly in the garden.

19. Divide late-blooming perennials, like asters and Joe Pye weed.

20. Scratch 1/2cup of Epsom salts into the soil around roses to boost flower production and plant fullness.

21. Got weeds? Rip them out by the roots before they take over.

22. It's Earth Day! Commemorate the occasion by starting a compost pile. My complete instructions are at newsday.com/lilife.

23. Harden broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and lettuce seedlings by gradually increasing daily outdoor time over the next week before planting.

24. Happy Easter! Remove the yellow anthers from lilies received as gifts, and they'll bloom longer -- and more neatly.

25. Resist the temptation to remove foliage from spring bulb plants before it turns brown. The bulbs are busy storing food needed to bloom next year.

26. When forsythia blooms, it's time to apply pre-emergent crabgrass control like corn gluten meal.

27. Plant annual seeds directly into the garden.

28. Deadhead rhododendrons immediately after flowering, and prune azaleas after they bloom.

29. It's Arbor Day, time to plant trees.

30. Start mowing when grass is 3 inches tall. No need to water yet, and don't fertilize until Memorial Day.