Hopping into April with some of your plant questions

“...we call this Friday good.”

April stirs a gardener’s blood with a host of gardening opportunities in Laguna.

The largest selection of flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees are available this month. Your favorite nursery is literally overflowing with tempting spring bloomers, vying for attention with Easter holiday plants.

Read on, and let’s get back to the garden with the Plant Man.

Q. I forgot to fertilize last month. Am I too late?

A. Absolutely not. But the sooner you do so, the quicker your plants will benefit.

Q. When was Easter Island discovered?

A. Easter Island was discovered Easter Sunday in 1722, 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile by the Dutch explorer Roggeveen.

Q. What is that orange stuff on my rose leaves?

A. Rose rust is a fungus that appears on the undersides of the leaves first. The onset of moderate temperatures and the presence of moisture allow the spores to infest roses. Rather than spraying fungicides, I recommend stripping infested leaves.

Keep the ground beneath your roses raked up and clean!

Q. What’s the best annual color now?

A. I recommend planting marigolds, petunias, cosmos, phlox, and bedding begonias for brilliant color in April.

Q. Is it time to plant vegetables?

A. Vegetable planting is well under way. Seeds of most kinds may be sown now, such as beets, carrots, corn, lettuce, peas and radishes. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and eggplant may be found from starters.

Q. Should I prune my fuchsias?

A. Catharine has begun to prune our fuchsias, so I guess it’s OK. Prune them to make them bushier this month, and to stimulate new growth.

Q. Will daylight saving time have an effect on my plants?

A. Only that your plants will have more attention from you, because you’ll be able to garden into the early evening!

Although I call every Friday good, today marks the beginning of the Easter holiday.

I will soon be “opening” my Easter basket. Nestled amid the artificial grass will be brightly colored, hard-boiled eggs and jelly beans, which I will set aside for later.

At that moment, heart racing, I only want to enjoy my foil wrapped, chocolate Easter bunny for the 58th year. See you next time.

STEVE KAWARATANI is married to writer Catharine Cooper. He can be reached at (949) 497-8168, or e-mail to plantman2@mac.com .