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Planting guide · Spring (Mar–May)

What to plant in April in Dubai

Last planting, then shade and mulch
Mean high33.7°CMean low22.3°CTo sow or plant33Flowering or fruiting70

April is the last call. Highs reach 34°C, the cool season is over, and every plant you add now has to establish while the weather tightens its grip. That does not mean stop. Heat-lovers such as okra, sweet potato, chilli and Armenian cucumber go in happily, as do Vinca, Portulaca and well-adapted succulents, provided you can give them attention for the first fortnight.

The bigger job is protection. Move watering to the early morning, mulch every bed 5 to 7 cm deep, and fit 30 to 50% shade cloth over new planting and sensitive vegetables before May. Ease off feeding slow-growing natives; they do not need pushing into summer. Cool-season vegetables are finished, so clear the beds. Service the irrigation now, while a blocked emitter is an annoyance rather than a casualty.

A Dubai villa garden in spring: frangipani in flower, bougainvillea in full bloom along the boundary wall and pink vinca in the planters, beside a sparkling pool under a bright blue sky
  1. Jan24°
  2. Feb26°
  3. Mar29°
  4. Apr34°
  5. May38°
  6. Jun40°
  7. Jul42°
  8. Aug42°
  9. Sep40°
  10. Oct36°
  11. Nov31°
  12. Dec27°
  • Soil prep
  • Prime planting
  • Bloom and harvest
  • Last planting
  • Survival

Bar and figure: mean daily maximum, °C

Plant now

Sow and plant in April

33 plants have a sowing or planting window this month in our library, best bets first.

Vegetables & herbs (4)

Edible crops, herbs and fruit

Okra
Earth100's Okra Plant, growing in Hong Kong, on August 25, 2012

Okra

Abelmoschus esculentus

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Chilli
Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio

Chilli

Capsicum annuum

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Cucumber
ARS cucumber

Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Plant
Curry leaf
Curry Trees

Curry leaf

Murraya koenigii

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers

Flowers (4)

Bedding and flowering annuals

Portulaca
White Portulaca grandiflora (moss rose) flower, close-up

Portulaca

Portulaca grandiflora

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Bird of paradise
Ave-do-paraíso, Strelitzia reginae, em Bagé, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

Bird of paradise

Strelitzia reginae

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Celosia
The Celosia flower

Celosia

Celosia argentea

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Heliconia
Near Palm Tree House, Woodfordhill, Dominica, W.I.

Heliconia

Heliconia psittacorum

Part shadeSalt: 1 of 5
Flowers

Trees & palms (5)

Shade, structure and fruit

Moringa
Moringa oleifera. Common names: Drumstick Tree. Horseradish Tree.

Moringa

Moringa oleifera

Full sunSalt: 3 of 5
Adapted
Flowers
Washingtonia Palm
A Mexican Fan Palm tree in Enterprise, Alabama.

Washingtonia Palm

Washingtonia robusta

Full sunSalt: 3 of 5
Adapted
Flowers
Banana
Banana (Musa acuminata) plant with broad leaves, flower blossom and a forming fruit bunch

Banana

Musa acuminata

Full sunSalt: 1 of 5
Flowers
Traveller's palm
Botanical specimen in Sankyo Garden, Guam, USA.

Traveller's palm

Ravenala madagascariensis

Full sunSalt: 1 of 5
Flowers
Papaya
Developing papaya fruits clustered on the trunk of a papaya tree

Papaya

Carica papaya

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers

Shrubs & climbers (7)

Borders, hedges, succulents and groundcover

Wedelia
Creeping Oxeye (scientifically known as Sphagneticola trilobata) is a fast-growing, mat-forming perennial herb widely...

Wedelia

Sphagneticola trilobata

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Caution
Flowers
Desert Rose
Desert rose (Adenium obesum) with pink flowers and a swollen caudex

Desert Rose

Adenium obesum

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Native
Flowers
Coral vine
ニトベカズラの花（2025年9月 沖縄県石垣市 バンナ公園）

Coral vine

Antigonon leptopus

Full sunSalt: 3 of 5
Caution
Flowers
Rangoon creeper
Chinese Honeysuckle, Rangoon Creeper

Rangoon creeper

Combretum indicum

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Allamanda
Flowers of Allamanda cathartica in West Bengal, India. Photo taken by Yogabrata Chakraborty, on August 1, 2022.

Allamanda

Allamanda cathartica

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Passion flower
Flor da paixón, O Grove

Passion flower

Passiflora caerulea

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Elephant ear
Alocasia macrorrhiza specimen in the Jardin botanique du Val Rahmeh, Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, France.

Elephant ear

Alocasia macrorrhizos

Part shadeSalt: 1 of 5
Plant

Lawn & grasses (6)

Turf and ornamental grasses

Vetiver
Ramacham1

Vetiver

Chrysopogon zizanioides

Full sunSalt: 4 of 5
Caution
Flowers
Bermuda grass
Cynodon dactylon (Couch Grass) photographed on a private property in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.

Bermuda grass

Cynodon dactylon

Full sunSalt: 3 of 5
Adapted
Plant
Lemongrass
Gardenology.org-IMG 2892 rbgs11jan

Lemongrass

Cymbopogon citratus

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Plant
Zoysia grass
​在一個庭園裡的「臺北草」與造景兼具實際功能的踏腳石等。

Zoysia grass

Zoysia matrella

Sun/part shadeSalt: 3 of 5
Plant
St Augustine grass
Starr-160716-0140-Stenotaphrum secundatum-habit with Quercus sp-Boca Regional Hospital-Florida (29668096745)

St Augustine grass

Stenotaphrum secundatum

Sun/part shadeSalt: 3 of 5
Plant

Indoor (3)

For cool, air-conditioned rooms

Peace lily
Peace lily - 1 - cropped

Peace lily

Spathiphyllum wallisii

Part shadeSalt: 1 of 5
Plant
Anthurium
Flamingo lilies

Anthurium

Anthurium andraeanum

Part shadeSalt: 1 of 5
Plant
Calathea
Calathea roseopicta. Common name: Rose Painted Calathea.

Calathea

Goeppertia spp. (syn. Calathea)

Part shadeSalt: 1 of 5
Plant

Water plants (4)

Ponds, rills and water features

Umbrella Sedge
Cyperus alternifolius, Landscape plants of the UAE, Monocotyledonous flower

Umbrella Sedge

Cyperus involucratus

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Adapted
Plant
Water Lily
A flower of the 'Peach Glow' cultivar of hardy water-lily (genus Nymphaea), photographed just after rain at the Brook...

Water Lily

Nymphaea (tropical hybrids)

Sun/part shadeSalt: 1 of 5
Flowers
Lotus
Flower of Nelumbo nucifera, bean of India.

Lotus

Nelumbo nucifera

Full sunSalt: 1 of 5
Flowers
Papyrus
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, UGANDA

Papyrus

Cyperus papyrus

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Plant
A sunny Dubai apartment balcony with pots of basil, mint, coriander, rosemary, chillies and a curry-leaf plant

Herbs for heat

Pots you can move are the safest bet

Basil, lemongrass, curry leaf and chillies cope with April's heat in containers you can shift into morning sun and afternoon shade as the weather builds.

Herbs for Dubai

In flower or fruiting now

What is at its best in April

70 plants are in flower, fruit or harvest this month, so there is something to cut, pick or simply enjoy.
Prosopis cineraria tree known as Khejri in Rajasthani and Hindi
In flower

Ghaf

Prosopis cineraria

Ziziphus spina-christi growing in Israel
Harvest

Sidr

Ziziphus spina-christi

Tamarisk tree (Tamarix aphylla) — in southern Algeria.
In flower

Tamarisk

Tamarix aphylla

It is a neem tree in the month of January in Rajasthan state in India in 2025
In flower

Neem

Azadirachta indica

This Plumeria rubra tree was photographed at Pune.
In flower

Frangipani

Plumeria rubra

Tabebuia rosea (pink trumpet tree) in full bloom against a blue sky
In flower

Pink Trumpet Tree

Tabebuia rosea

Wild Olive tree — Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata. Cape Town.
In flower

Olive

Olea europaea

Moringa oleifera. Common names: Drumstick Tree. Horseradish Tree.
In flower

Moringa

Moringa oleifera

Also at it this month

Damas (in flower),Date Palm (fruiting),Foxtail Palm (in flower),Bismarck Palm (in flower),Bougainvillea (in flower),Arabian Jasmine (in flower),Ixora (in flower),Hibiscus (in flower),Oleander (in flower),Yellow Bells (in flower),Lantana (in flower),Arak (in flower, fruiting),Texas Sage (in flower),Hopbush (in flower, fruiting),Sea Jasmine (in flower),Desert Rose (in flower),Wedelia (in flower),Desert grass (in flower),Crown of thorns (in flower),Mint (harvest),Basil (in flower, harvest),Cherry tomato (harvest),Bird of paradise (in flower),Traveller's palm (in flower),Heliconia (in flower),Mango (in flower, fruiting),Lemon tree (harvest),Fig (fruiting),Pomegranate (in flower),Guava (in flower),Papaya (fruiting, harvest),Mulberry (fruiting, harvest),Okra (in flower),Chilli (harvest),Aubergine (in flower, harvest),Cucumber (harvest),Lettuce (harvest),Curry leaf (in flower, harvest),Coriander (in flower, harvest),Duranta (in flower),Jatropha (in flower),Plumbago (in flower),Ruellia (in flower),Natal Plum (in flower, fruiting),Bottlebrush (in flower),Parkinsonia (in flower),Yellow Trumpet Tree (in flower),Purple fountain grass (in flower),Lemongrass (harvest),Coral vine (in flower),Rangoon creeper (in flower),Allamanda (in flower),Passion flower (in flower),Sesuvium (in flower),Gazania (in flower),Sunflower (in flower),Snapdragon (in flower),Dianthus (in flower),Cosmos (in flower),Prickly Pear (in flower),Kalanchoe (in flower),Water Lily (in flower)

Jobs this month

Heat is building; shift watering to early morning

Garden

  • Move watering to early morning as daytime temperatures climb past 30°C
  • Mulch beds to slow moisture loss as the soil warms
  • Watch new transplants closely; they are still establishing root systems
  • Reduce feeding of slow-growing natives; they do not need pushing into summer

Pool

  • Increase testing frequency as evaporation and UV exposure rise
  • Clean skimmer baskets more often as leaf and blossom drop increases

Our tips for April

  • Plant only what loves the heat

    Stick to okra, sweet potato, chillies, Armenian cucumber, vinca and portulaca. Anything that is not heat-adapted should wait for autumn.

  • Water earlier and deeper

    Shift to the cool end of the day and give established trees a deep soak rather than frequent sprinkles. Roots follow water down, and deeper roots cope with summer.

  • Mulch every bed

    Lay 5 to 7 cm of organic mulch, kept a hand's width away from stems and trunks.

  • Put the shade cloth up

    Use 30 to 50% density over young trees, shrubs and vegetable beds, fixed so it does not touch the leaves.

  • Service the irrigation

    Walk each drip line and look for blocked or popped-out emitters before the heat peaks.

Watch out for

Common April mistakes

  • Transplant shock in heat

    A plant set out on a 35°C afternoon can lose its leaves in a day. Plant at dusk or early morning and shade it straight away.

  • Feeding into summer

    Pushing growth now creates soft tissue that struggles later. Reduce feeding as the heat builds.

  • Spider mites

    Hot, dry weather suits them. Look for fine webbing and stippled leaves on beans, cucumbers and ornamentals.

Keep reading

Guides for this time of year

Macro shot of a drip emitter releasing a bead of water onto dark mulch at the base of a flowering bougainvillea, dew on the leaves

Costs & water

Watering your garden through a Dubai summer

Water before 8am or after 6pm, favour drip over spray, and expect new planting to need far more water than anything established — plus what it actually costs on your DEWA bill.

29 Sept 2026 · 5 min read

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