This weekend, July 24 to 25, the gardeners of the City of Buffalo open their gardens for a tour-de-hort that’s free to all and sundry, including we Canucks (and no HST!). And after a sneak preview during a recent garden bloggers meet-up (yes, Virginia, there are enough garden bloggers out there to meet up — more than [...]
Whether it’s the World Cup, Olympic Games or the Oscars, everybody loves celebrating a winner, and right now garden communicators like me are congratulating one of our own for her Silver Medal Award-winning garden calendar. The Garden Writers Association has just annouced the winners of its annual awards program, and Niagara Falls-based Theresa Forte has won big [...]
You may prefer the creamy edges of Brunnera ‘Hadspen Cream’ or the gold-rimmed ‘King’s Ransom’ or even the silvery leaves of ‘Looking Glass’, but my heart will always be true to ‘Jack Frost’. It’s not just the snowy foliage (it reminds me of Frosted Flakes cereal — maybe it’s a nostalgia thing…), or those gorgeous forget-me-not [...]
10.Give it an Edge
Finish your spring spruce-up by edging flowerbeds. The easiest way is to dig a shallow trench between lawn and border using an edger (a half-moon shaped tool available at hardware stores). It may take time, but the payoff is a garden with a professional edge!
9.Rake it off
Raking the lawn is not only a pleasant spring pastime, but it helps remove thatch buildup, which can weaken the roots of turf grass. Rake off the winter mulch from flowerbeds too, so they warm up faster. Reserve the mulch, mix it with compost and reapply as a top dressing in a few [...]
8.Clean tools and pots
Skip this task if you were good and cleaned, sharpened and oiled your shovels, secateurs and spades last fall. For those of us who put it off till spring, unearth abandoned gardening tools and forsaken containers, and clean them up so they’re ready for another season.
7.Weed, weed, weed
Before they get out of hand, control annual weeds that germinate in the spring, such as crabgrass, purslane and lamb’s quarters, and perennial weeds that overwintered, including chickweed and wild mustard. Hand pulling is most satisfying, but there are organic herbicides and all manner of specialty tools available, like this dandelion puller from [...]
6.Feed flowering shrubs, trees and vines
Although compost makes an ideal spring tonic for plants, to keep them blooming their best, flowering shrubs, trees and vines benefit by a dose of fertilizer too. Apply slow-release fertilizer granules formulated for flowering shrubs and vines such as roses, clematis and rhododendrons – then stand back and watch them bloom!
5.Compost Rules!
Take only one piece of advice and yours will be the most robust garden in the neighbourhood: Feed the soil to feed your plants. One of the best ways to feed the soil of perennial garden beds is to top-dress them with a layer of compost every spring. Compost adds nutrients to the soil, [...]
4.Plant before the rush
Hardy perennials can weather the pre-May 24 weather, so beat the rush to the nursery and select some of the season’s choicest plants as soon as they arrive. Once the ground has thawed and dried out, it’s a good time to plant shrubs and trees too, especially magnolias, birch, oak, yews, rhododendrons and [...]
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