Mark Cullen Garden Guru

January Wrap-Up

2012-01-25T07:58:00.005-05:00

~ January 25, 2012

This winter I have decided to acquire more tropical plants for indoors than usual. Study after study has proven that the addition of green, living plants produce oxygen, clean the indoor atmosphere of airborne toxins and add significantly to the humidity of our incredibly dry Canadian homes during the winter months. Our average home has about 12 to 15% humidity mid winter. The Sahara desert averages about 25%.

The kitchen table will always have a flowering plant on it. The lowly indoor chrysanthemum is a favourite with NASA as a clean air plant.
Flowering plants also lift the spirits and brighten an otherwise dull room when our days are short.

I start my impatiens seeds the first week of February: this launches me nicely into the new ‘seed sowing season’.

Outdoors, wet snow needs to be brushed off of mature evergreens, especially the upright varieties like cedar and junipers, to avoid permanent damage.

Birds need feeding especially during times of heavy snow fall.

Ambitious gardeners will prune their apple trees in winter – just like the professionals do.

‘Garden with your head’. Take the time to read all that you can get your hands on about gardening as you develop your strategy for the best garden season ever this coming spring.

And finally, pray for a deep frost. This minimizes the insect problems that you will have to deal with this coming season. This is cold comfort when it is -25oC I know, but hey, I’ll trade it for the dreaded Japanese beetle.

Feeding Feathered Friends

2012-01-18T09:11:00.005-05:00

~ January 18, 2012

As I peer out the window of our kitchen this time of year I am grateful for the birds that visit the seed heads of the ornamental grasses that I let stand over the winter. I am so glad that I resisted the temptation to cut them down in the autumn.

The ‘winter garden’ is more interesting than ever; I took more time to consider the appearance of my garden in the ‘off season’ when planting this past year. The evergreens and Blue Holly look so much more interesting than a flat yard of snow. And the bright red crabapples that remain on my Malus ‘Red Jade’ look fantastic. Soon the birds will find these appealing too.

This is the perfect time to attract song sparrows, chickadees and overwintering Blue Jays and Cardinals with a ‘song bird seed mix’. Or just use straight black oil sunflower seeds. To prevent the mess associated with sunflowers use the hulled variety – more expensive but all ‘meat’ and no waste or mess to clean up.

Winter feeding birds need the carbohydrates contained in suet. I always hang several out for the winter. That way, if I don’t replace one of them after it is finished the birds always have another to feed on.

As for the myth that feeding the birds creates a dependency on your feeding station that is not healthy for them – hogwash. If they are disappointed by the selection of seed in your yard they go hunting for available seed in the wild. In most cases, they have the option to go next door or down the street to the home of another generous gardener come bird feeder.

Orchids Made Easy

2012-01-12T11:45:00.005-05:00

~ January 12, 2012

In spite of their new level of popularity, home grown orchids are still misunderstood. Chief among these ‘misunderstandings’ is that orchids are hard to grow. This is not necessarily true.

The orchid family is the largest in the plant world. Most people who are just starting out with orchids are looking for a long-flowering, easy to care for plant with exotic flowers and a general habit of reblooming without much fuss.

There are orchids that are so easy to care for that I put them in the same category as African violets: only orchids are easier.
If you enjoy ignoring your indoor plants, allowing them to go dry for long periods of time, I have the answer for you. And many of your friends are going to think that your brown thumb morphed over the New Year into the greenest of green!

I will classify the popular orchids according to the amount of care that they require and their desired location in your home:

Phalaenopsis

This is the most popular of orchids for the home gardener. They are epiphytic, which means that they grow in trees and rocks in the tropics. When the bloom fades, cut the stems below the last flower, just above a node (where the leaf meets the stem). In most cases a new stem will develop and it will re-flower.
Location: warm home, low light conditions. If space is limited, look for a miniature Phalaenopsis.

Light: no direct sun. Enjoys a north facing (low light) window but prefers an east facing one.

Temperature: low of 18°C and high of 29°C.

Humidity: stand in a tray of pebbles among a group of like-minded plants. Mist leaves with tepid water often including the roots that are exposed.

ReBlooming: 3 weeks of cooler (18 °C) temperatures will ‘kick start’ this orchid into reblooming.

Paphiopedilum

These are ‘ground dwellers’ (terrestrial) orchids that grow naturally in tropical and subtropical Asia. They are easily identifiable by their pouch-like lip, much like our native ‘Lady Slipper’ orchids. This is a spectacular species with gorgeous single blooms born on a stem ranging in colour from white, green, brown, claret, red, yellow and pink.

Location: defused light to direct sunshine. Versatile.

Temperature: low of 13°C this time of year to 24°C in summer. Generally they like it cool. Green-leaved hybrids are the toughest of them all vs. varieties with mottled leaves.

Special needs: humidity using a pebble tray increases humidity. Misting can cause mould.

Cambria

Cambria orchids provide a spray of bloom on a single stem that is quite impressive.

Location: diffused light, north or west facing window is ideal most of the year. North is favoured during the intense summer time.

Temperature: low of 13°C and high in the summer of 24°C.

Humidity: group with other plants and use a pebble tray with water in the bottom of it to raise humidity, especially in late spring and summer. In winter reduce temperatures and watering frequency. Fertilize with half strength Schultz orchid fertilizer.

2012 Perennial Plant of the Year

2012-01-04T08:40:00.006-05:00

~ January 4, 2012

Brunnera Macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ has been named the Perennial Plant Association's 2012 Perennial Plant of the Year. It carries the common name Siberian bugloss. And I love it.

I have grown Jack Frost in my own garden for several years and it is one of the greatest garden performers out there. This outstanding perennial plant is known best for its clear, distinctly variegated foliage. The silver/white inside margin of the heart-shaped leaves look their very best on an overcast or rainy day. How many plants can you say that about?

Insect and disease resistant in the extreme! I love what ‘Jack Frost’ does in my woodland garden and I think that you will enjoy it in a shady spot in your garden too. Note the ‘forget-me-not’ type sky-blue flowers in early spring.

Light – Perfect for a woodland garden. ‘Jack Frost’ prefers shade but can handle a sunny location. Requires afternoon shade to prevent leaf scorch.

Soil - This plant performs well in all but the driest conditions.

Hardiness - USDA Zones 2 to 9

Brunnera “Jack Frost” is not difficult to find at retailers and performs well in half sun to full shade locations.

A Fundraiser for the Windsor Hockey Heritage Society

2011-12-27T21:28:00.004-05:00

~December 28, 2012

Let’s save the Hockey Heritage Museum in Windsor Nova Scotia!

I love to garden, but when I get the winter off, I love hockey just as much as gardening.

The Windsor Hockey Heritage Society in partnership with the Town of Windsor, King’s Edgehill School, Windsor Home Hardware and Howard Dill Enterprises (Long Pond) are working together to create an exciting fundraiser for the Windsor Hockey Heritage Society.

The event will be called the Birthplace of Hockey, Long Pond Heritage Classic. The event will be the ultimate hockey experience for the true hockey fan. The day will include a private viewing of the hockey museum, the chance to follow the historic footsteps of those youngsters at Edgehill School in 1800, by playing in a game on Long Pond, an after game meal, and an evening of hockey with like minded individuals. The players will keep their own unique jerseys, custom made hockey stick, as well as receive a tax receipt for $250. Organizers are expecting 72 players at $500 each. I recommend that you sign up soon. I have 8 guys planning to fly out there from the Toronto area. It will be a hoot for anyone that loves hockey!!

This event will take place on February 11, 2012.

For more information; watch the video (http://youtu.be/-cRqqKrOS4o) and visit www.longpondclassic.com.

The Perfect Hostess Gift

2011-12-21T11:23:00.004-05:00

~ December 21, 2011

I get a greater response from this idea as a hostess/house warming gift of all.

During this busy time of year it's very important to say 'thank you' to those who go out of their way to entertain or those who you simply want to acknowledge as being special!
Why not leave them with a gift which will bring colour and beauty to their home in the New Year.
The Mark's Choice Amaryllis Kit comes complete with a decorative ceramic planter. My amaryllis are guaranteed to bloom. The bulbs are 'super-sized' and 22% bigger than most of the amaryllis sold in Canada. This means bigger flowers and more of them. Available exclusively at participating Home Hardware stores across Canada. (item# 5029-303, red and # 5029-304, striped). Be sure to pick up an extra kit for yourself.

Amaryllis: What to do After Blooming

Once your Amaryllis has finished blooming it requires some attention. Cut the flower stalk back to about 2" in height. Allow the leaves to continue to grow and water when the soil feels dry. This will allow the leaves to produce energy which the bulb will store for future blooms.
In the spring plant your Amaryllis (and the pot) in your garden. Find a location with partial shade and water during periods of drought. Fertilize regularly with a high phosphate liquid plant fertilizer.
In late September bring the pot indoors and cut back the foliage. Dry the bulb for 2 weeks at 65 degrees F and then store for about 10 weeks in a cool, dry, dark place. At the end of this storage period you will need to repot your Amaryllis bulb in fresh potting mix and start the cycle again.

Whether your host chooses to re-bloom their amaryllis or not, they will enjoy it and think of you often.

Let It Snow

2011-12-14T15:23:00.005-05:00

~ December 14, 2011

Looking for the best insulater in the business for plants – one that is free? I have it for you – Snow. It acts as an insulator and protects your garden from the cold and frost. It is important to remember that a heavy snowfall can also cause branches to break and damage delicate plants. A few simple steps will help protect your yard against snow damage.

* Shake excess snow from the branches of trees, shrubs and hedges. This will ensure that your plants keep their desired shape.
Wrap conifers with string to support branches. Once a branch has been stretched out of shape it will not return to its original form.

* Avoid walking on your lawn when it is snow-covered. This can damage the grass and leave marks on the lawn which become visible in the spring. Driving across the lawn or walking on it during the winter can also encourage fungal growth leading to disease problems.
Be careful when clearing the snow from driveways and walkways. If you pile snow against your trees, shrubs or hedges it can cause further damage. The weight of the snow leaning against your plants can break branches or bend them out of shape.

Clearing snow and ice from your driveway and walkways can be a lot of work. Many municipalities have by-laws which state snow must be cleared within 24 hours following a snowfall. Consider these suggestions the next time you are faced with the daunting task of snow removal around your home. Avoid shoveling heavy snow by clearing the snow early and often.

If you are home during a snow storm it is a good idea to begin shoveling when a light covering of snow is on the ground. This will help you avoid moving heavy, packed snow.Warm up before you start snow removal to help reduce muscle strain or injury.Invest in a great snow shovel which is designed for 'pushing' snow rather than 'lifting'. Pushing the snow puts less stress on your body. If you must lift heavy snow make sure you use your legs. Lifting with your legs will keep the stress off your back muscles. Lift small amounts and through straight forward. Do not throw the snow over your shoulder or sideways. Twisting motions will also stress your back muscles.

* Use Alaskan ice melter to clear ice and prevent ‘salt’ damage to your precious garden plants.
Salt can be a gardener's nightmare. It can cause winter injury and dieback. Salt spray can desiccate foliage and runoff can injure roots. Salt runoff can also be absorbed by the plant and cause further damage to the foliage. Burlap barriers provide some protection against salt spray damage. Alaskan® Ice Melter is safe for use near vegetation when used as directed. It contains an environmentally inert TrueBlue marker that marks where the ice melter has been applied. The blue colour marker protects against over-application and allows you to see where you have placed the product to avoid contact with your plants.

Winterize Garden Tools and Last Minute Garden Prep

2011-12-07T11:51:00.005-05:00

~ December 7, 2011

You have a substantial investment in garden tools and equipment, therefore I recommend that you spend some time with them before putting them to bed for the winter.

I recommend taking the time for preventative maintenance. This will extend the life of tools and equipment and make them work more easily and efficiently.
Remove dirt from all tools using a wire brush or water. Oil all pivot points and springs. Sharpen the cutting edges of shovels, hoes, spades, loppers and pruners. Replace or repair any broken or bent parts. As a final step, treat all bare metal parts and cutting edges with KL73 to prevent rust. This is a long lasting rust inhibitor which lubricates, penetrates and displaces moisture. KL73 is available exclusively at Home Hardware.

Store all tools indoors in a dry location. If you haven't checked out the full line of Mark's Choice cuttings tools, this is the perfect time. It is time to throw away or recycle your old broken tools and invest in the latest Canadian-made cutting tools. Available exclusively at Home Hardware, I chose these cutting tools for the Mark's Choice product line because of their exceptional quality and durability.

Before storing hoses away for the winter, drain all the water from them and store in a dry location. This significantly reduces the chance of hoses springing a leak. If your garden hoses are cracked and/or leaking, replace them with the Mark's Choice non-kinking, continuous flow hose. It is designed and made in Canada and features anti-kink technology. The fittings are the very best quality brass and I am proud to have this hose in the Mark's Choice line of gardening accessories available exclusively at Home Hardware.

While we are talking about ‘winterizing’ let us not forget to prepare evergreens for the winter ahead.
Sunny and windy winter days can dry out the needles of evergreens. Snow and ice can also accumulate on branches causing them to break. Use a double layer of burlap to protect evergreens during the winter. You can either loosely wrap the fabric around the plant, or build a screen. When you wrap evergreens with burlap, be sure to leave the top and bottom open about 1 foot to allow for air circulation. Another option, used for recently transplanted evergreens, is to insert 4 stakes in the ground around the plant and wrap the burlap around the stakes. Lightly fill the space between the burlap and the foliage with dry leaves. Bind upright evergreens, like cedars and junipers, with strong cord or Vexar Mesh to prevent the branches from being pulled out of shape by snow and ice.
Broad-leaved evergreens, such as rhododendrons and hollies, can suffer from desiccation and sun-scald during the winter. They should be shielded from the wind and partially shaded with burlap screens as soon as evening temperatures have fallen below freezing for a couple of weeks and sprayed with Wilt-Pruf, an anti-desiccant. Young evergreens should have the ground around them soaked thoroughly with water before the first big frost. This will help prevent desiccation or drying out.

To prevent rodent or deer damage apply Bobbex. In my experience it is the best repellent on the market. Note that it is the taste and smell of the stuff that keeps rabbits, mice and deer away. No harm to the animal. Go to http://www.bobbex.ca/ for more info.

Spring-Flowering Bulbs in Containers

2011-11-30T09:01:00.008-05:00

~ November 30, 2011

It never fails. Every year at this time I receive an email from a gardener who has forgotten to plant their tulip bulbs. My advice to them: Why not create a containerized display to impress the neighbours next spring?

This recipe also works with the bulbs you buy at the ‘end of season’ clearance sales.
Choose a large decorative planter with good drainage. Start with a layer of gravel on the base of the pot. This will keep the drainage holes clear of debris. Use a container soil mix which has peat, vermiculite and compost (Mark’s Choice Container Mix is excellent).

In order to maintain a succession of flowers, several types of bulbs can be planted in the same pot, providing it is deep enough. Be sure to plant the largest flowering bulbs on the bottom, smallest on top.

To make this simple, I created a variety of spring bulb collections that work well when creating a great show of several bulb varieties in one container. Look for the Mark’s Choice bulb collections at Home Hardware.

Add a layer of container mix, and place the biggest bulbs on this, such as Narcissi. Then add a further layer of container mix to about 2.5 inches and place the next layer, in this case, Tulips. Add a further layer of container mix and plant your final bulbs, such as crocus, and top the container off, finishing the soil an inch below the top of the pot to allow for watering. The result will be a beautiful display of colour which flowers in successive stages.

Bulbs in containers do not usually survive harsh winter temperatures. Make sure the container is free-draining and bury the whole thing in the garden for the winter. Another option is to keep the container in an unheated garage against the wall shared with the home. A cold cellar is the ideal place to over winter the container.
Remove it from cold storage or from the garden in spring when frost is out of the ground and place in the desired location.

Colourful Poinsettias

2011-11-23T08:21:00.004-05:00

~November 23, 2011

If there is one thing that gets me into the Christmas spirit, it is the arrival of poinsettias at Garden centres. Right now they are full of ‘painted’ Poinsettias in all colours of the rainbow. Along with the traditional varieties, these holiday favourites make wonderful gifts for your family and friends.

Taking Care of your Poinsettia
With proper care your poinsettia will last through the holiday season and well into the New Year.
Place in a room where there is sufficient light and warmth, not where the sun will shine directly on the plant.
Avoid hot or cold drafts or excess heat from appliances, baseboard heaters or heat ducts.
Place the plant high enough to be away from traffic and unmonitored children and animals.
Set the plant in or on a waterproof container to protect your furnishings.
Water the plant thoroughly when the soil is dry to the touch. Remember to discard excess water for them saucer.
To prolong the bright colour of the bracts, temperatures should not exceed 72F during the day or 60F at night.

How to Re-flower a Poinsettia
It is not easy to maintain a healthy Poinsettia and have it flower again next year for the holidays. However, if you follow these directions carefully it is possible.
· December: Plant is in full bloom. Water as needed.
· February: Colour will fade. Keep Poinsettia near a sunny window and fertilize when new growth appears. Cut back to about 8”.
· June 1: Repot if necessary and fertilize. Continue to water when dry to the touch. Move outside it temperatures do not fall below 50F. Place in shade.
· Late August: Move plant inside. Cut stems back leaving 3 to 4 leaves per shoot. Place plant in a sunny window. Water and fertilize as needed.
· September 20 – December 1: Keep in light only from 8am to 5pm. Plant must be kept in complete darkness from 5pm to 8am.

While many Poinsettias will join the compost bin soon after the holiday season it is possible to keep these plants through the entire year.

For the Love of Trees

2011-11-16T07:52:00.004-05:00

~November 16, 2011

Much has been said about the benefits of trees in our neighbourhoods – especially urban communities.

- Trees sequester carbon and produce prodigious amounts of oxygen.
- Trees filter pollutants from the air.
- Trees filter toxins from water and slow the ‘run off’ in extreme weather.
- Trees shade us and our living environment to the extent that they can save us hundreds of dollars a year on air conditioning costs and (placed properly) an evergreen tree can shelter a home from the cold blast of winter winds, thereby saving us heating costs.
- Trees are essentially noiseless (unless you count the sound of the wind passing through them), they don’t bark, require oil changes, diaper changes, fluid top ups, cleaning or feeding. Watering, yes.

Imagine a machine that could deliver so many benefits. What would you pay for it?
For some reason we seem stuck on the practical benefits of the trees that we live with. How much money they save us, how much comfort they give us. But has anyone actually sat down to quantify the unquantifiable? The ‘cheer’ that trees give us as urban dwellers?
In a recent issue of Canadian Business magazine, author David Owens’ new book Green Metropolis was reviewed. In his book Mr. Owen kicks holes in many of the traditional feel-good urban eco-projects, except for one: planting trees.

A quote from his book: “Planting trees along city streets, always a popular initiative, has high environmental utility, but not for the reasons that people usually assume: trees are ecologically important in dense urban areas not because they provide temporary repositories for atmospheric carbon — the usual argument for planting more of them — but because their presence along sidewalks makes city dwellers more cheerful about dwelling in cities. Unfortunately, much conventional environmental activism has the opposite effect, since it reinforces the view that urban life is artificial and depraved, and makes city residents feel guilty about living where and how they do.”

Now I don’t know David Owen and I have not read his book, but I think that it is great that he recognizes that trees are more than just natures clean air machines. They are just great to be in the company of.

Trees are fun.
We climb them, picnic under them, swing from them and cool our heels under them.

The Miracle of Compost

2011-11-09T10:31:00.009-05:00

~ November 9, 2011

I believe this is the most wonderful time of the year. Not only are the Holidays fast approaching, it is also time to experience the miracle of composting season.

It is fitting that you do two things this time of year to celebrate the great composting season:
#1 empty your composter if you have not done it since last fall
#2 fill it again.

Empty it.
When you remove the composted material from your composting unit (or pile….) be sure NOT to spread it like salt and pepper all over your yard. Compost is not a condiment. It is the meat in the sandwich. It provides the lifeblood for all plant life in your garden by feeding the micro organisms that support the perennials, annuals, vegetables etc. that you plant out there.

I spread finished compost 3 to 5 cm thick (1 to 2 inches) all over my garden this time of year. In most cases this means that the contents of your composting unit will not go very far. That is o.k. as you can buy more or spread next years’ compost supply over another part of your yard next fall.

Fill it.
1. Put a shovel full of finished compost in the bottom of the composter. This will help to ‘get the party started’ - in other words, the beneficial bacteria in the compost will initiate the decomposition process.
2. ‘Layer’ your compost beginning with a thick layer (10 to 15 cm, scrunched down) of ‘brown stuff’ – fallen leaves is the #1 brown stuff of choice. You can use shredded newspaper if they are scarce in your area.
3. Next layer is ½ as thick of ‘green stuff’. Finished tomato plants, annuals, grass clippings or kitchen scraps will do the trick.
4. Continue to alternate a thick layer of ‘brown’ with a ½ layer of ‘green’, pushing the contents into the composting unit as you go to maximize the volume in it.
5. Add water as you go….. it only in the presence of moisture that decomposition takes place. Pity the poor people in the desert that try this….
6. Add Green Earth Compost Accelerator every 2 to 3 layers to speed up the decomposition process.

If your composter has a lid, put it on the unit but only if you have pre-moistened the contents! Remember, dry stuff just sits there! If you composter does not have a lid, no worries. I don’t really get the point of the lid anyway, except that it ‘neatens’ up the look of the unit.

Siting your compost.
Position your compost in as much sun as possible and as close to the kitchen door, for convenience. You can add compost all winter long, regardless of where you live in Canada. While it will freeze solid in most regions, it will also thaw in time and when it does, the greatest decomposition occurs. The frost ‘rips and tears’ the cell structure of the organics that you place there: the warmth of spring will activate the ‘good guys’ that do the breaking down of the works.

What to put in:

Anything organic, providing that it is NOT any of the following:
- meat or meat byproducts
- cat and dog droppings (or any meat eater, for that matter)
- dairy products
- wood, bark, metal or plastic
- weeds that have gone to seed (though, I break this rule all of the time)

Back to the beginning: when you spread finished compost over the surface of your garden you encourage earth worms to come up and pull the compost down into the soil. They eat this stuff; convert it into organic, nitrogen rich earth worm castings that feed the soil. Earth worms also open up the soil, allowing oxygen to flow to the root zone of your plants. (Note: all plants need oxygen at their roots.)
And finally, there is the wonder and awe of watching what WAS something recognizable, like leaves, banana peels and grass clippings, convert into the useful soil additive ever created. Your plants thrive: they grow faster, resist insects and disease and they produce flowers and fruit like never before. They are happy.
And all you did was organize ‘waste material’ into a pile or composting unit and wait.

THAT is the miracle of compost.

Gentle Reminders as Winter Approaches

2011-11-02T13:15:00.005-04:00

~November 2, 2011

Now is the ideal time of year to protect your young fruit trees from rodent damage with one metre long plastic spirals and Bobbex deer repellent. The enemy in this case consists of mice, rabbits and rats that will find a meal of tree bark on an apple, pear, peach or you name it, including many ornamental trees like crabapples quite tasty come mid winter. These critters will get so desperate for sustenance that the bark of a tree that is 5 years or younger is mighty tempting indeed. Put your spirals on and spray with Bobbex before the snow seriously gets going in your area.

Upright evergreens need protection from wind and sun. Wrap up in two layers of burlap or look for a Canadian-made product called ‘Better than Burlap’ (that is its’ name). It insulates very well and has a gloss to its finish on one side of the material that encourages snow and ice to slide off. Cool.

I offer another reminder that rhododendrons and yews need to be protected from wind and sun too. The burlap treatment is useful, plus I recommend that you spray them with an anti-desiccant called ‘Wilt-Pruf’ (Home Hardware item# 5097-815).

Also, this is a good time to feed the birds, if you are not already doing so. Who, after all, does not have an unused bird feeder in the garage or basement? Get to it now, while you still have a chance to influence the choice of feeding stations that your neighbourhood song birds will frequent come mid winter. Yes, our fine feathered friends are creatures of habit, much like ourselves. You won’t regret your decision when the snow is lying hip-deep.

Have you winterized your roses yet? A reminder (yes, I mentioned this 2 weeks ago) to get to it before the Grey Cup game, if only to reward yourself by settling down into the couch with a beverage of choice while watching whoever smash up someone else whose name you do not know, unless of course you were watching the CFL before the final game of the season. The point is that wasting some time in front of the tube is your reward for doing something useful in the garden when it is generally not very tempting to be out there doing physical work.

The Trouble with Impatiens

2011-10-26T12:58:00.004-04:00

~ October 26, 2011

Did you plant impatiens this year? Did they dieback mid-season leaving you disappointed? Well, you are not alone. I have heard from many gardeners who experienced the same puzzling results.

According to Horticulture Review, there is no clear explanation for this problem. One contributor blamed the large amount of rain early in the season, which caused fungus in the soil. This was followed by extreme heat and dry conditions.

Horticulture Review contacted scientists for answers:
Shannon Shan at the University of Guelph’s Pest Diagnostic Clinic received a few samples with a couple of root and crown rot pathogens showing up after culturing them. Shan’s thoughts are that perhaps the cool wet spring provided the perfect growing conditions for Rhizoctonia, a crown rot, and that gardeners should be using crop rotation with ornamentals – just like we do with vegetable crops.

OMAFRA specialist Wayne Brown looked at photos of dead impatiens. He said, “It is very difficult from the photos to say with any degree of certainty the cause of the defoliation. In the one instance, it looks like it might have been caused by Rhizoctonia, because the basal stems looked blackened, but Rhizoctonia does not typically cause defoliation. The defoliation is more consistent with either Alternaria Leaf Spot or downy mildew, but I can’t confirm based on the photos which of the two disease pathogens it might be.

Brown added that watering the plants during the night, or very early morning would promote development of either disease, and also recommended planting something other than impatiens next year to allow over-wintering inoculum to diminish.

Michael Celetti, a plant pathologist with OMAFRA, thought the problem might be Pythium, a water mold, causing root rot. Celetti notes that Pythium can be managed in the greenhouse, but once the plants are installed in the landscape it is difficult to control as it is spread by water. To help control Pythium, it is better to water lightly and frequently – which goes against the usual recommended practice of irrigating infrequently and deeply.

While there is no clear answer at this point, it is comforting to know I was not the only gardener whose impatiens packed it in early this year. I plan to rotate my annual plants to new locations next year and hope for better results.

(Source: Horticulture Review – October, 2011)

Your Fall To-Do List (Part 2)

2011-10-20T09:05:00.005-04:00

~ October 19, 2011

The deadline that we have before us today is winter. We can go south to escape the cold and wind but your garden does not have that option.

It is with this in mind that I continue my comprehensive to-do list from last week’s blog.

Veggies

• Pull up your remaining tomato plants and hang them in the cellar or the garage while the green fruit ripens. They do not need light to do this.
• Harvest leaf lettuce, mesclun and the like.
• Remove the spent bean and tomato plants, etc. and put in your compost.

Compost and Leaves

• Put spent annual plants in your composter or compost pile in layers with fallen leaves (shredded with your lawn mower). Alternate 1 part green stuff with 3 parts leaves.

• Steal leaves from your neighbours who have put their leaves out for recycling pick up, neatly pressed into paper bags for you to take home and compost. Free fertilizer.

Lawns

I think I mentioned this last week but it is definitely worth repeating.

• Fertilize your lawn – this is the most important application of the year. The nutrition that your lawn receives this time of year will not produce a great looking lawn this fall, but it will strengthen the grass roots and prepare the plants for a fast green up come spring. The results are less snow mould and a stronger, green lawn after the spring melt. Look for a slow release nitrogen product, like Golfgreen fall formula, for best results.

Plant Colour!

Remember that there are plants that will survive and even thrive in cold weather. Belgium Mums, New England Asters, Sedum Spectabile and ornamental grasses all look great this time of year. Don’t forget flowering cabbage and kale: they improve their looks with frost!

Pumpkins, ornamental grasses, corn stalks, hay bales and goose necked squash can all play a part in an entrance display at the front of your home. Be creative and have fun.

A Short List of things to do in the Garden

2011-10-19T15:10:00.005-04:00

October 12, 2011

• Fertilize your lawn – this is the most important application of the year. Use a slow release nitrogen product for best results. I use CIL Golfgreen Fall Lawn Fertilizer.

• Cut your lawn (maybe for the last time!) about 2 ½ inches or 6 cm high.

• Dig your carrots, leeks, left over potatoes etc. and store in bushel baskets ½ full of pure, dry sand. Put in your basement or fruit cellar.

• Yank out your annuals and finished veggie plants. Put them in your composter or compost pile.

• Plant Holland tulips, daffodils, crocus and the like.

• Begin thinking about winterizing your roses that are not of the ‘shrub’ type. Hybrid Teas, Grandifloras, Floribundas etc. will need about 50 cm (1 ½ feet) of fresh triple mix piled up from the bottom. If you live on the Prairies, now is a good time to do this. In central Canada and the Maritimes the best time is just before the Grey Cup game – the game is your reward for doing the job!

• Clean and sharpen your lawn mower before you put it away.

• Wrap spiral plastic collars on young fruit trees to protect them from rodent damage.

• Spray broad-leafed evergreens with Wiltpruf (an anti-desiccant) to prevent the drying effects of winter wind.

• Wiping down all of your digging and cutting tools with an oily cloth.

• Rake fallen leaves off of your lawn and on to your flower beds where the earth worms will pull them down into the soil. Good insulation for your perennials this winter.

• Empty your compost bin of last years’ material and fill it with new.

Enjoy these last few days in the garden before the hard frost of late fall. The air is clear and hopefully you will receive some sunshine for your fall work days!!

Digging and Storing Dahlia Tubers

2011-10-05T08:51:00.006-04:00

~October 5, 2011

This is the time of year to harvest dahlia tubers, before or after the first hard frost. If your plan is to dig the tubers early you need to cut the stalks down to 8-10” above the ground. This prompts the formation of nodes on the tubers. If you allow your dahlias to experience a hard frost the stalks will dieback naturally.

Use a garden fork to loosen the soil around the tuber. Carefully lift the tuber out of the soil and wash gently to remove remaining dirt. Allow the tuber to dry for 24 hours in a cool, dry location.

This is a good time to divide large dahlia tubers into smaller sections. Each new division must have an eye (bud) to produce a new plant. Use a sharp, clean knife to divide tubers into sections.

Place tubers in a cardboard box with sawdust, dry peat moss or vermiculite. Label the storage container to help you identify the tubers next year. Be sure to dust the tubers with Green Earth garden sulphur powder to prevent rot and disease while in storage (it is harmless to pets and children).

Choose a storage location in a dry area where the temperature will remain near 10 degrees C or 48 F. Check on the tubers periodically during the winter. Look for signs of shriveling. If the tubers are beginning to shrivel I recommend that you moisten the storage medium to ‘beef’ them up again. But be sure to check weekly for mildew or rot.

Grub Control for Your Lawn

2011-09-27T23:23:00.002-04:00

~ September 28, 2011

One of the most frequently asked questions that I get each fall involves controlling grubs in the lawn. Grubs feed on grass roots causing the lawn to die. Patches of dead grass will lift up easily if pulled by hand. Skunks, raccoons and moles will also dig in the lawn to feed on grubs. The fall is the best time to control grub populations. Larvae hatch in the fall and can be killed quickly due to their small size.
I recommend applying beneficial nematodes. These are microscopic worms that infest the grub larvae in the soil. Applying beneficial nematodes in the fall is a proactive approach to controlling lawn damage next spring. Visit http://www.pthomeandgarden.com/home for more information on Grub Busters Nematodes.

One of the secrets to getting the nematodes to work for you is to water heavily after application – apply 3 cm (about 4 to 5 hours with most lawn sprinklers).
A healthy lawn will often hide the symptoms of grub damage. A thick lawn which is watered and fed properly will grow new roots quickly. This helps repair grub damage and keeps brown patches to a minimum.

Late Season Lawn Care

2011-09-21T13:32:00.004-04:00

~ September 21, 2011

Now that the intense summer heat is behind us for the year it is a good time to focus on the lawn. This time of year is perfect for lawn maintenance, repairs and laying sod. The weather and soil are still warm and more importantly fall rains have returned. This means that grass seed will germinate with ease and new sod will put down roots.

To repair any bare spots that occurred over the summer rake away any debris. Spread an even layer of lawn soil 2-4cm (1 to 2”) thick over the patch. Sow quality grass seed. I use CIL Golfgreen All Purpose Grass Seed (Home Hardware #: 5065-644). Spread this over the soil and gently rake it in. Lightly firm the soil to put the grass seed into good contact with the soil and water well. Keep the soil moist but not wet to encourage faster germination.

Also apply CIL Golfgreen Starter fertilizer (Home Hardware #: 5024-617) to help get it off to a good start and put down a good root system before cold weather sets in.

In one to two weeks the grass seed will germinate and begin to fill in the area

This is a great time of year to over seed your entire lawn to thicken it up around this time as well. The process is much the same as above except over the entire lawn. When doing this, concentrate on filling in the depressions with the triple mix or Mark’s Choice lawn soil to create a level lawn surface.

In a few weeks (mid to late October is optimal) you will give your lawn the most important feeding of the year with a fall fertilizer application. This application will help encourage good root growth and get the lawn off to a running start come next spring.

Your lawn will thank you.

Fall Planting

2011-09-15T08:10:00.005-04:00

~ September 14, 2011

With fall just around the corner now is the time to squeeze in some late season gardening and plant any new additions you had your eye on. Take a trip to your local garden center and you will be surprised at what you can still find and at amazing sale prices. Planting at this time of year requires a couple of extra steps to ensure your plant survives the winter.

When planting, dig the hole to twice the diameter of the pot and to the same depth. Backfill with a mix of half the original soil that was dug out and half triple mix. Triple mix is an equal blend of peat, compost and sand and is an ideal soil mix for plants. After backfilling lightly compact the soil around the new plant to remove any air pockets.

Do not compact the soil too firmly as new roots will not be able to grow well.

Water the plant deeply at least two to three times a week. This is important as it will settle the soil and help reduce transplant shock. I recommend using CIL Plant Starter as it contains a special acid that will help the new plants put down roots quickly.

Do not be tempted to use a high nitrogen fertilizer on your plants as this will cause them to produce new top growth which will not be able to harden off before cold weather arrives.

As the soil is already warm your new plants should take quite well and be off to a great start next spring.

Although spring is the traditional planting season early fall works equally well. Get out to your local garden center, see what they have and start planting.

Dividing Peonies

2011-09-07T09:20:00.004-04:00

~ September 7, 2011

Peonies are a classic summer-flowering perennial found in many gardens across Canada. Very old peonies need to be divided when they stop blooming at the centre of the plant. This is the time of year to divide them. You will need a good garden fork, a sharp knife and some muscle power.

The first step is to dig out your existing plant. Dig a circle around the crown of the plant with the garden fork and pull the plant up with the tines. Peonies have thick strong roots so you do not have to worry about seriously damaging them. Once you have exposed the crown wash the soil away with a gentle stream of water. This will allow you to fully see the crown and the “eyes” or buds which are next year’s shoots.

The number of divisions you can make depends on the size of the peony. Generally each division should contain at least three eyes for good flowering.

To make the divisions take a sharp knife and cut through the crown and root system. Leave as many good roots intact as possible while making sure each division has at least three eyes.

Now that you have the divisions, dig a hole that is double the size of the crown and root system. Plant each division so that the buds are no more than 1-2 inches below the soil surface. Amend the hole with plenty of well rotted compost and Green Earth Bonemeal. As peonies are long-lived and very heavy feeders this will help them get off to a good start.

Mulch with two to three inches of straw or bark mulch and water thoroughly. Peonies do not like to dry out so keep the soil moist. This will help the new plant put down a good root system before the first frost of the season.

Generally it takes two years for the plant to fully recover from this process so you will have to be patient. Do not expect a show of blooms the first year after division.

Give it a try! If you have a large Peony and want some more colour around the garden or house, do not hesitate and start dividing these great plants.

Dividing and Planting Hostas

2011-08-31T09:12:00.005-04:00

~ August 31, 2011

This is a great time to work in the garden. The weather is warm but not overly hot and there is a lot less humidity in the air. One of the best things to do in early September is to divide and plant new perennials. One of the most common perennials to divide now is hostas.

Hostas are shade loving perennials and can often outgrow their space in a few years. When this happens they must be divided. The best time to divide a hosta is when they are about 3-4 years old. Start by digging a circle six inches away from the crown with a good garden fork like one of the Mark’s Choice garden forks available at Home Hardware. Next, pop the plant out and gently wash the soil away with water to expose the clumps. This will loosen up the crowns and allow you to see the root structure.

Separate the hosta by wiggling the crown apart. This may be difficult and you may end up having to cut it. When cutting the crown in half start in the middle of the plant and avoid damaging the leaves. This process can be done repeatedly until you have four or five plants in total.

Once separated, you need to keep the roots wet at all times and plant the new divisions as soon as possible. Dig a wide hole approximately 1.5 inches deep and set the crown in the hole evenly spacing out the roots. Cover the hole and water deeply but do not tamp down the soil as this will compact it.

Hostas will root out nicely in the fall because the weather and soil are warm. They will also perform much better in the spring if most of the original root structure is left intact.

The key to success when dividing hostas is to water frequently and deeply thereby minimizing transplant shock and encouraging new root growth.

With a little bit of effort, some patience and care, dividing hostas can be no problem at all. It is a great way to expand your shade garden. All you need is some time and the right tools. Give it a try this September.

Rose of Sharon

2011-08-23T21:17:00.004-04:00

~ August 24, 2011

Gardeners of every age will appreciate the beauty of the Rose of Sharon shrub. This plant makes a brilliant addition to any garden. I have planted a few of these in my own garden. These deciduous shrubs have a distinctive three-lobed leaf which is late to emerge in the spring. They are also available in a standard tree form or can be trained for espalier.

Rose of Sharon is a late bloomer. It starts in August and goes right through to the end of September or the first hard frost depending on where you live. They are available with bi-colour blooms such as red and white or purple and blue. They are also available in solid white, pink or blue. Some varieties are double flowering.

Rose of Sharon is hardy to zone 5 and prefers rich well drained soil in sunny locations. They can tolerate a range of soil acidity. These shrubs can grow to 4 meters high and 2 meters wide. However, with diligent pruning, they can easily be kept to 1.5 meters high and wide. Prune Rose of Sharon in the fall after it is done flowering as it blooms on new wood only. Pruning during the summer will limit the flowers that are produced but make any remaining ones larger.

This fall plant a Rose of Sharon in your garden. They are attractive to pollinators like honey bees and butterflies love them.

Espalier Apples

2011-08-17T08:16:00.004-04:00

~ August 17, 2011

The first time I ever saw an espalier apple fence was at Monet’s garden during my visit to France. The term Espalier refers to growing and training plants, in this case fruit trees, along a structure like a sunny wall or fence to create a living object. Monet was a pioneer in this growing technique and in the 1920’s planted his espalier apple fence. Since my visit there, I planted my own apple fence on the farm and quite enjoy it.

The best fruit trees to grow in this manner are pears and apples as they lend themselves well to vigorous pruning and are available in smaller varieties. There are also a couple advantages with this method. Espalier is a very good space saving option because the trees are kept small and well pruned. The second advantage is that it will save your back. By growing the trees at arm level pruning and harvesting is really easy and does not require you to bend down or stretch on a ladder.

Making your own espalier fence is actually not that difficult. If you want to grow your trees on a sunny wall simply run heavy gauge stainless steel guide wires from end to end on anchors drilled into the wall. Leave at least 15cm of room between the end of the anchor and wall to allow for good air circulation. If you want to grow the tress along a fence the process is the same. Run the heavy gauge wire taught between wooden posts spaced approximately 8’ (2 1/2 m) apart with I-hooks screwed into them. Make sure there are at least two tiers of wire to train the branches on. You can also use an existing chain-link fence if you do not wish to construct your own and use the top rail as the top tier.

Choose dwarf varieties of apples and smaller varieties of pear as they lend themselves better to being trained. Also, buy whips (small single stemmed bare root plants) or smaller container grown nursery stock as this will make training and growing a lot easier. Site the plants 15 cm away from the fence or wall, ideally where the posts are located and plant like you would normally. Water well, especially, in the first couple of years as the root system is still small. When the plant produces horizontal branches tie them in multiple spots with twine or plastic growers tape to the support wire.

Now just sit back and enjoy your work. In a couple of years the plants will mature enough to fruiting size and you will be able to harvest your first crop.

Ornamental Grasses

2011-08-10T08:55:00.006-04:00

~ August 10, 2011

Ornamental grasses are great additions to any garden especially for those gardeners looking for some four-season appeal and winter privacy. These grasses are nothing like what’s on your front lawn. There are many types of ornamental grasses to choose from and they all come in a variety of textures and colours. Three of my favourite ornamental grasses are Purple Majesty Ornamental Millet, Bluestem and Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass.

Purple Majesty Ornamental Millet is a great choice for gardeners who want a different look. Unlike normal grasses, its foliage and bloom are a bold purple-black colour. This plant is best grown in full sun in wetter areas as it does not like to dry out between waterings and it can grow from 90-120cm high. Hardy to zone 5, this borderline perennial makes great cut flowers and attracts many butterflies. This plant looks best when grown among very colourful flowers as it provides a nice contrast.

Bluestem grass is another great option. It is a prairie native hardy to zone 3 and comes in two varieties, ‘Big Bluestem’ and ‘Little Bluestem’. Big bluestem can adapt to many different growing conditions and can grow from 1-3m high depending on the site. It prefers full sun but can handle light shade and likes moist fertile soil. As it grows it takes on more of a blue colour in its stems and makes a great four season privacy screen when planted on mass.

Little Bluestem is very similar to big bluestem except it only grows one meter tall. Its foliage starts gray-green, develops a light blue tint in the summer and turns reddish-purple in the fall after frost.

Both of these grasses are drought tolerant making them great selections for any location.

My final favourite ornamental grass is Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass. It prefers a sunnier location with moist to wet fertile soil but can grow equally well in dry sandy soil or clay. Hardy to zone 3 it grows between 1.5 to 2 meters tall. When planted on mass, in a bunch or in a row they make a great privacy screen. On a windy day they also look very appealing as the attractive green foliage sways in the wind. This grass flowers in June through July.

Give one or more of these plants a try in your yard. Make sure to plant on mass so they stand out and you will not be disappointed! Once established they require very little care besides cutting back in the spring. They are a great choice for any gardener.

Product Feedback

2011-08-03T08:08:00.007-04:00

~ August 3, 2011

This week I want to hear from you. Have you ever purchased a Mark’s Choice item? Did it meet your expectations?

You can send your feedback this week (through this link) or anytime you have a comment (through the button on my homepage). I want to hear what you think of the Mark’s Choice products you have purchased over the years as I am always trying to improve the line. Be honest, I want to hear the good, bad or ugly and if you have any suggestions for improvements to individual products please let me know. It will only take a couple minutes and your comments are greatly appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you.

Mark's Choice items are available exclusively at Home Hardware. You can view the full line of products on http://www.markcullen.com/ and http://www.homehardware.ca/.

Wasp and Hornet Control

2011-07-28T11:10:00.004-04:00

~ July 27, 2011

Anyone who has ever had a picnic outdoors knows how troublesome wasps and hornets can be. Social wasps are the most common stinging menace across many Canadian cities. They are attracted to sweet foods and are usually found scavenging garbage cans for their meals. These insects live in nests made out of paper. The nest can take on many shapes and sizes but the two most common are enclosed with an opening near the base or a broad open structure. Sometimes these nests are hidden in a corner or are in plain view hanging on a tree branch.
The best way to prevent wasps from making a home on your property is to inspect your yard and home early in the summer for any wasp or hornet activity. It is easier to discourage a single queen wasp from establishing too close to your home than to handle a full-size nest later in the season.

The next best way is to try to limit their food sources. Do not leave pet food or picnic leftovers out in the open and try to keep food and drinks covered while eating. Place a secure tight lid on garbage containers so the wasps cannot scavenge in it. Also, when spending time outdoors avoid wearing scented products like perfume or hair spray as wasps are attracted to the scent.

Wasp traps, like the Green Earth Wasp Trap, are another great way to lure these insects away from your living area. Make sure to place them away from patios and children play areas as wasp activity is increased around these traps.

If you discover a nest, treat it with Wilson One Shot Wasp and Hornet Spray to effectively trap and kill the wasps inside. Spray the nest after dusk when there is less activity and wear protective clothing to prevent getting stung. Do not shine a light directly on the nest as this will alert the wasps. Instead, put a red filter over it so you can see the nest without alerting the wasps.

If the location of the nest does not present a health hazard, you can leave the nest until November or December. Once it has been abandoned, you can remove the nest and dispose of it with less risk in these colder months.

Plant a Row Grow a Row

2011-07-20T07:57:00.004-04:00

~ July 20, 2011

Have you ever found yourself in the vegetable garden and not knowing what to do with the extra produce? Well the answer is simple. Give it away to people who want it, can use it and will benefit measurably from its consumption.

In 1988 a couple in Winnipeg by the name of O’Donnagh found themselves long on pears from their backyard pear tree. They looked at each other and said, “why not” and took the extra lot to the local food bank on the off chance that they would pass them on to people in need of pears. The plan worked – the O’Donnaghs were greeted with open bushel baskets, which were soon loaded with the pears.

Days later the two of them got the same idea: if giving fresh produce to the local food bank provides a worthwhile service in the community, then why not spread the word and get our neighbours to donate their excess produce too?

And so it began.

More than two decades later this idea of donating your extra produce to the food bank has become what is known as Plant a Row Grow a Row for the hungry. Food banks are always looking to receive fresh local garden produce and donating your extras helps those in need.

Last year alone Canadians donated hundreds of tonnes of fresh produce.

It is easy to get started and there is nothing to fill out. All you need to do is pick your extras and bring them to the food bank; they will take care of the rest. Go to www.growarow.org/ for all the details.

I urge you to do this! Taking part in this program is a great way to get out and help your local community. It is something small that you can do and means a lot to someone in need.

http://www.markcullen.com/

Deadheading - Removing Spent Flowers

2011-07-14T08:20:00.004-04:00

~ July 13, 2011

One of the many summer time chores, especially on my farm, is deadheading (removing spent blooms). Deadheading is great for plants as it prevents them from going to seed. This allows plants to conserve energy and focus on root development and overall plant growth. In fact, some perennials and shrubs like, Delphiniums, Veronica and Weigela can even bloom a second time later on in the season if deadheaded right after the first bloom is finished.

Deadheading is simple and straight forward. Once the bloom is finished use a good sharp pair of pruners like the, Mark’s Choice Forged Bypass Pruner (Home Hardware Item # 5067-130) and make a cut right below the spent bloom at the closest leaf terminal. If you want to prune back your plant at the same time make this cut lower on the branch but always at the terminal.

In a couple of weeks you will see new growth from the place where you made the cut. These new branches will contain the second flower buds so do not be tempted to remove them. Once these blooms are spent also cut them back.

Not all flowering shrubs will bloom a second time but all will benefit from deadheading. If you have roses in your garden it is extremely important to deadhead them as it will prolong the blooming season but also strengthen the plant to help it endure the winter.

Therefore, this month when you are out in the garden do a little deadheading. It does not take a lot of time and will certainly pay off as you can enjoy the colours of your garden for a second time and make the plants “last” a lot longer.

Balcony Gardening - The Essentials

2011-07-06T08:14:00.006-04:00

~ July 6, 2011

If you love gardening but do not have the space, balcony gardening is a great option. It is simple, relatively low maintenance and does not require a lot of material to get started.

When selecting plants make sure that they are suitable for the amount of sun you receive. If you have a sunny location plants like: Impatiens, Nasturtium, Nicotiana, Pansies or vegetables and herbs are great choices. However, if you have a north or east exposure, with primarily shade, plants like: Wax Begonia, Sweet Alyssum, Coleus, Impatiens and Petunias will work well.

Once you have selected the plants, use clay pots that are deeper than they are wide for any vegetables and window or railing boxes made from wood or plastic for the herbs and flowers. These materials are light and inexpensive which make them ideal for balcony gardening.

When planting, place a Mark’s Choice Water Wick under the plants to conserve moisture and reduce watering. Use good quality potting soil like, Mark’s Choice Premium Container Soil (Home Hardware # 5053-500) for optimal results. Water frequently, especially in hot dry weather, as the containers will dry out quickly.

If you are planting vegetables, add roughly 30% well rotted compost or manure to the potting mix as they are heavy feeders.

You can also maximize your vertical growing space by using hanging baskets for flowers or strawberries or even an upside down tomato planter.

Give it a try! Even if you already have a garden, balcony gardening is fun, simple, convenient and a great way to get the family involved.

P.S.: The Mark’s Choice Hang N Grow Tomato planter is a great choice and comes with a water reservoir which reduces the need to water.

It is not too late to plant

2011-06-29T09:43:00.007-04:00

~ June 29, 2011

Although it may be the end of June, it is not too late to plant in the garden. You can still plant last minute annuals for colour, perennials, roses (I just planted 4 last night!), shrubs and trees. Unfortunately, it is too late to plant a vegetable garden as most varieties will not mature before cooler fall weather sets in. However there is a chance to sow some lettuce and other greens later in August for ‘fall greens’.

Plant early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the hottest part of the day. Also, keep plants in the shade until you are ready to use them.

This time of year is much warmer and drier than the typical planting months of April and May. New additions to the garden will require special attention. The most important of which is to water frequently. New plants have limited root systems and they will need constant watering until they get established, as often as twice a day during hot and dry weather.

Use quality soil, like Mark’s Choice flower and veggie soil (Home Hardware item# 5053-695) for best results.

Water in the morning to reduce the amount of moisture lost to evaporation. Water deeply to encourage deeper roots.

Along with watering frequently, add at least four inches (10cm) of mulch around new plantings to insulate the soil and conserve moisture. If planting trees, use a thicker layer of mulch around the base while keeping it away from the trunk.

The use of Plant Prod Ultimate Plant Starter 10-52-10 will help plants get established faster by stimulating rapid root growth. Do not be afraid to plant now as there is still a lot of time left in the growing season. Plus, as an added bonus, one benefit of planting late is that you can get most everything on sale at your local garden retailer which saves you money.

Composting 2: What to put in and how to keep it going

2011-06-22T08:34:00.004-04:00

~ June 22, 2011

If you are composting already or just starting to experiment with it you might ask yourself, “Now that I have set everything up, what do I put in it and how do I keep it going?” The answer is straight forward. As mentioned last week you can compost anything organic except: bones, fish, meat etc.

When adding material to the pile keep in mind the golden ratio of 30:1. That is, 30 parts carbon (the dead ‘brown’ stuff) to 1 part nitrogen, the green stuff. This ratio is ideal for the functioning of the organisms inside the pile. Add the material in alternating thin layers to help speed up decomposition.

Also, as a rule of thumb, try to keep the moisture similar to that of a squeezed out sponge.

When first adding material, the composting rate will be very slow. To help give it a kick start, mix in some Green Earth Compost Accelerator and some fresh manure if available. The manure provides a great infusion of organisms and the accelerator provides key enzymes and nutrients for the organisms to get established.

In the fall add more compost accelerator to keep the process active over the winter.

Your compost will be ready in 3 to 6 months. When it is ready the compost will have a dark brown/black color, crumble easily and smell like earth. Great compost is the consistency of chocolate cake. It will make a dramatic difference to all that you grow.

Try composting: it can save you money, it is good for the environment and it is a lot of fun. Get your kids involved.

p.s. check out my tumbling composter for extra fast results at www.markcullen.com/buyers_guide/markchoice_products4.htm.

Composting - Getting Started

2011-06-15T12:52:00.004-04:00

~ June 15, 2011

What is composting? Composting is nature’s way of recycling nutrients and organic matter back into the soil for use by new and growing plants. It has been around for centuries and is a great way of returning fertility to and improving your soil quality. To get started all you need is a composting bin, which you can buy or make, compostable material and some patience of course.

There are many options when it comes to choosing an appropriate composting unit. There are composters made from plastic, wood or even wire mesh, however, which one you choose is really dependent on your own personal needs.
If you have a lot of compostable material than building a composting bin is probably the best choice. If you only have food scraps and some garden waste than purchasing one is not a bad choice at all. The Mark’s Choice Compost Tumbler, available at Home Hardware, is an excellent option. The tumbler works aerobically (using oxygen to break down organic matter) but saves you a lot of effort as you do not have to manually turn the pile just simply spin the composter on its stand. My compost tumbler works much faster than a free standing composting unit also.

As a good rule of thumb you can compost pretty much anything that once lived. For example; food scraps, leaves, grass clippings etc. However, there are a few things you should leave out in order to avoid any problems in the future. Do not to compost bones, dairy, fatty/oily foods, fish, meat, or weeds. These materials can produce foul odours and attract unwanted wildlife to the compost heap.

When setting up a composter select a sunny location in your yard that is not too far from your kitchen. This will make adding food scraps convenient, especially in the winter.

For more information about composting go to http://www.markcullen.com/resources/article.aspx?_id=529

Peonies

2011-06-08T08:57:00.005-04:00

~ June 8, 2011

Peonies are one of the most easily grown and one of the most outstanding looking early summer flowers ranging in colour from coral to red to white and yellow. They add a massive infusion of colour into the garden and are fairly maintenance-free besides fall clean up. Moreover, they prefer cooler climates with harsher winters and full sun making them ideal for zone 4, 5 and 6.

There are two Peony classes, the Regular Garden type, Chinese, (die down to the ground in the winter)and the Tree type, Japanese, (remain above the ground over the winter).

Chinese peonies are herbaceous, relatively easy to grow and can live for quite a long time in the garden. Amend the planting hole with plenty of rich organic matter. They prefer soil that drains well. Planted with the 'eyes' no more than one inch below the soil. This will help to promote the plant to grow quickly but more importantly, reach flowering size quicker and produce more blooms. They do not require much pruning - mainly only for shape/clean up and once estalibshed do not need watering except in very dry weather.

Japanese Tree type peonies are much the same as above, however, differ in a couple of ways. They prefer slightly more alkaline soil and can tolerate light shade during the hottest part of the day. Unlike their cousins, the graft of Tree peonies should be buried approximately four inches deep to protect it from cold winters.

Both types of Peonies are fairly resistant to disease, however, they can be affected by Grey Mould Blight which attacks and ruins the flower buds. To prevent this ensure plenty of sun and good air circulation and if persistent, Green Earth Lime Sulpur can be used as a fungicide.

This weekend is the annual Peony Festival at the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens. The event runs June 11 and 12 from 10am to 4pm. For more information, visit www.oshawa.ca/ovbg.

Check out my facebook page next Monday for photos from the Peony Festival.

The Secrets to a Successful Strawberry Patch

2011-06-01T13:20:00.010-04:00

~ June 1, 2011

Growing strawberries is a delicious past time of many adults and children across Canada. Below are some tips and secrets to growing a successful strawberry patch.

Tip #1: Select an area with full sun and southern exposure. This is important as full sun will yield more and better quality fruit. If planting multiples, space plants 60cm apart in rows and 120cm between rows. Strawberries can be space hogs because of their runners.

Secret #1: Prepare the soil in the fall with plenty of organic matter like manure or well rotted compost and remove any weeds. Mound the soil into rows about 6 inches high and plant directly into the rows. This will help improve drainage and air circulation. Mounding the soil will also help the soil warm up quickly in the spring which is very important for good strawberry production. Apply a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer in the early spring.

Tip #2: Select a plant that is disease resistant especially to powdery mildew, this will save you a lot of time and aggravation in the future. Two good varieties are "Lateglow" and "Tristar". Plant as soon as the ground can be worked.

Secret #2: In the first year remove all the flowers in the spring. Sacrificing the crop in the first year will make the plant larger and stronger and thus create a larger crop next year.

Tip #3: Once planted, apply about 1 inch of straw mulch over the planting area in order to keep the developing berries off the soil. Netting helps deter birds and animals from feeding on the berries while they are developing.

Secret #3: After berry production the plant will produce runners, also known as daughter plants. They can quickly overrun the patch if left unattended. Prune out some of the runners as they appear. Keep 3 or 4 of the daughter plants making sure they are evenly spaced around the mother plant.

Tip #4: After the first hard frost remove all leaves and destroy them. Apply 5 to 6 inches of straw mulch over the patch for winter protection.

Container Gardening with Specialty Plants

2011-05-30T14:41:00.006-04:00

~ May 25, 2011

Weather conditions, or more accurately, the growing zone dictates what gardeners can and cannot grow. Canada covers a wide range of growing zones. Gardening in a colder zone does not mean you cannot enjoy the pleasure of tropical plants. This is where container gardening really becomes unique.

Consider the mature size of the plant. Most exotic plants can be kept to a manageable size (8 feet high, approximately 30 inches wide) with vigorous pruning and some tying with string. However, there are some tropicals that cannot be maintained at a manageable size. Do your research and verify the mature size listed on the plant tag.

Select a container that is large enough to support the plant you want to grow. Keep in mind that you will need to carry the plant indoors come fall. As the plant grows you will transplant into a larger pot in early spring.

Choose a container that is lightweight and durable. The plant will be moved around a lot and will get heavier. A ceramic pot would not be wise because it is simply too heavy and fragile. Plastic pots are perfect for this type of application and are relatively inexpensive. In addition, a pot with handles or wheels is very helpful when moving. Make sure the pot has adequate drainage holes to drain excess water.

Select or create a soil that drains quickly but retains enough moisture to keep the roots moist. Use a slow release fertilizer, like Smartcote, when planting and water according to the plant specifications.

The list of what you can grow in containers is virtually endless. Some examples are: figs, citrus, cactus and palm. I grow a Banaana tree which is 8 feet high and produces a small crop each year. Select a quick maturing variety if you want any chance of a harvest.

Winter Storage.

When the plant goes dormant in the fall, move it into a cold cellar. Storage temperatures should not dip below 0C or above 7C in the winter.

When spring arrives move the plant out of storage and gradually harden it off to the outdoor conditions, keeping it protected from spring frosts.

Spring Showers will bring May Flowers

2011-05-18T08:45:00.006-04:00

~ May 18, 2011

This spring has been one of the coldest and rainiest in memory. I encourage you to take advantage of this unusual weather and visit your local garden centre.

"A rainy day is a great time to visit a garden centre -- not only does it give you a head start on your neighbours, it can also be a rewarding shopping experience. Shorter line-ups at the cash register, parking spaces close to the entrance and a full inventory of plants will make life less hectic. Easier access to knowledgeable staff, just waiting to offer local gardening advice will ensure your garden gets off to a fantastic start this year," says my buddy Denis Flanagan, public relations manager, Landscape Ontario.

The late spring has another bonus for shoppers -- garden centre staff are spending more time caring for plants which are bigger and healthier than ever. And a rainy day is automatically a great day for planting!

Get out in the garden now to ensure you won’t be playing catch-up when the weather finally does warm up. Here are a few activities to get you through this cold and wet spring:

· Plant woody plants and hardy perennials now! Ontario garden centre inventories have never been as healthy or looked as good. The late spring has provided great growing conditions and extra time for plants to mature.
· Think ahead. Landscape projects that you would like to tackle this summer take planning, conceptualization and design. Avoid disappointment by calling contractors now. If waiting until late May they may already be booked.

Your best source to find local garden centres, contractors and other specialties is at http://www.landscapeontario.com/. “Find a Company” by searching a city, postal code, or specialty, etc.

Get the Most from Your Soil

2011-05-11T08:55:00.005-04:00

~ May 11, 2011

Perhaps you have heard me say this before but these are words to live by: 90% of the success that you achieve in your garden is the direct result of proper soil preparation.

So what does that mean to you? ….. glad you asked!

First, figure out what type of soil you have.

The simplest and most accurate way is to figure out your ‘soil type’ is the jar test. Simply take a shovel full of your soil, mix it together and then take one cup of soil from that and half fill a 1L mason jar with the soil. Top up the jar with tap water and shake it for 5 minutes or so. Then let it sit for 24-48hrs while everything settles.

What you should see is three layers or ‘strata’ of soil on the bottom half and somewhat murky water on the top half with floating organic matter. The bottom layer will likely be separated into 3 layers: sand on the botttom, the middle silt and the top clay.

Looking at the jar carefully you can estimate the proportion of each layer according to the soil triangle.Ideal soil is a sandy/medium loam which is approximately 40 percent sand, 40 percent silt and 20 percent clay. This is a great all purpose soil for any garden bed no matter what you want to plant. It allows plants to root easily, holds onto water but also drains excess water easily.

In reality most garden soils do not have this composition and need some amendments.

CLAY SOIL

The easiest way to deal with a primarily clay soil is either to dig it out and remove it to a depth of 40 cm and then fill in the void with good quality triple-mix and as weed free as possible. Triple-mix is an equal mix of peat, compost and sand. Add about 10 cm more triple mix than soil that you removed. The new soil should be well above grade for it to provide a good home for your new garden. It will settle over time and you will add more each year to keep it topped up.

If you do not want to dig, remove and backfill with the ‘good stuff’ (and if you have a lot of patience!) add sharp (coarse) sand and well rotted compost which will help loosen up the soil, improve drainage, air circulation and organic nutrients. Turn it into the existing soil the best that you can using a shovel, spade or rototiller.

SAND

Dealing with a primarily sandy soil is much easier; to do this till in peat moss and well rotted compost or manure which will improve the soils ability to hold water but will also add missing nutrients.

Next week: knowing the acidity (or pH) of your soil – why it is important, how to do it and what to do with the information.

The Dirt on Spring Planting

2011-05-04T10:58:00.004-04:00

~ Blog May 5th 2011

A question: would you build a house without a foundation?
Of course not.

It is, indeed, planting time: with many Canadians finally getting the good spring weather that we have been waiting for – and with Mother’s Day here (a cue to many Canadians to get planting in their gardens).

This is your very best opportunity to build a foundation for your garden this year that will support plant life and grow –in reality – the garden that you have imagined all winter long. My advice is that you begin your spring planting by not planting at all, but rather, get into your garden with a sharp shovel or spade in hand and dig some holes.

You are not digging just for the fun of it – you are going to examine your soil to determine what needs to be added to it in order to grow a great garden this year.

Some helpful tips:
* Take a handful of soil and squeeze it in the palm of your hand, then bounce it around a few times.
- If the soil breaks up in your hand, you have a pretty good start. Add lots of organic material in the form of finished compost from your composter or purchased from a reliable local source. If you are buying your compost by the bag, look for a good quality national brand like C.I.L., Green Earth or Hillview.
- If you are purchasing compost by the cubic yard (i.e. truckload) make sure that you are buying from a supplier that has a solid reputation for quality. There is no sense going to all of the expense and effort to have it delivered (the easy part) and spread over your garden (the hard part) if it is second rate material.
- If your soil samples do not break up in your hand, but stay in the shape of the soil that you squeezed, it is time to assess more closely: is it clay? If so, add generous quantities of sharp sand, otherwise known as play sand (but NOT beach sand!). This will open up the clay particles, which are so small that they bind together to form an impenetrable mass. Also add the compost – as described above.
- If you are unsure of the quality of your soil (after all, you likely have a day job and chances are good that soil analysis is not a big part of it) then I recommend that you take it to a local hardware store or garden centre and talk to a trained professional. Someone who deals with soil issues often can tell you a lot about the quality of your existing soil and how to improve it.
- If you have solid clay (e.g. you could make bricks or cereal bowls out of it) I recommend that you seriously consider removing it to 40 cm (15 inches) deep and backfilling it with 50 cm of triple mix (18 inches).

What is triple mix, you ask?
An equal portion of quality top soil, peat moss and finished compost (vs. ‘unfinished’ or ‘green’ compost).

I have pretty good quality soil in my garden, but you know what, I add 2 cm or one inch of mushroom compost (the ‘high octane’ stuff) over the entire garden every spring. I just let the earth worms pull it down and convert it into nitrogen rich earth worm castings. This takes about 6 to 8 weeks, depending on rainfall.

If you are in a hurry or just enjoy the experience of digging, turn it under with a garden fork or small rototiller.

How important is it to prepare your garden this way?
Well, about as important as building a foundation under a house or garage. Try building one without it and you will soon understand the wisdom of building one in the first place.

If I prepare the soil well, will I still need to use ‘fertilizer’ on my garden plants?

This depends on the plants. Roses, clematis, most annual flowers and tomatoes are heavy feeders, so yes, you would be wise to add some fertilizer – synthetic or organic – to the soil at the time of planting and every 4 to 6 weeks until the middle of the summer. Organic gardeners should look for Green Earth products: otherwise, there are many quality synthetic products like So Green, Vigoro, and C.I.L. that will do the job for you nicely.

If you are looking for a really easy way to feed your plants over the summer try the super slow release fertilizers that are sold under the ‘Once and Done’ or ‘Smart Cote’ labels.

After you have your soil prep done, it is time to go shopping – almost.

Have a great week and remember to keep your knees dirty!

Mark

Best Lawn on the Block #2

2011-04-27T11:54:00.006-04:00

~April 27, 2011

We had such a great response to my blog last week about ‘Lawn Care’ that I thought I would expand on ‘Lawn Care #101’ here. There are many unanswered questions that I hope to clarify for you this week.

Why fertilize my lawn?

Under normal circumstances you would enrich and enhance the soil around the roots of the permanent, perennial plants in your garden. I recommend that you spread 2 cm of finished compost or organically-enriched soil over your entire garden each spring or fall. You may dig this in with a garden fork or wait for the earthworms to pull all of that good stuff down into the top soil.
‘Feeding the soil’ works well for your garden, but this is generally not practical for your lawn.
I recommend a fertilizer that has high nitrogen content (the element that your lawn craves the most come spring) and has a slow release nitrogen ingredient in it. I recommend Golfgreen (20-0-5) because it has the highest and most sophisticated content of slow release nitrogen of all national brands.

Fertilize once in early spring, again in early summer and (most importantly!) a final application before the snow flies in late summer.

Why don’t you recommend other national brands?

Other national brands like Vigoro, So Green, and Nutrite are excellent products, just not as good as Golfgreen. The most important thing is that you apply a quality product this time of year to take full advantage of the early season growth activity of your lawn.

What do the 3 numbers on the bag mean?

All 3 numbers refer to the percentage of an element found inside of the bag, measured by weight.

The first # is Nitrogen.
The second # is Phosphorous.
The third # is Potash.

Each of these ‘elements’ represents one of the primary ‘food groups’ for plants. Different plants require different amounts of each of these elements. In spring and early summer your lawn responds best to nitrogen. Potash encourages strong roots and enables your grass plants to use the nitrogen.

How do I get rid of earth worms that are making mounds of earth in my lawn?

This is always an awkward question for me to answer as I am a great fan of earth worms – ‘the foot soldiers of the garden’ as I refer to them. But I acknowledge that they can make for a bumpy lawn, when their castings erupt on the surface of the soil at the root zone.
I suggest that you ‘even out the mounds’ and ‘fill in the valleys’ with triple mix. Buy as much as you need (a few cubic yards or a truck load?) from a reliable supplier – keeping in mind that not all suppliers will send you the best quality stuff.
Triple mix is an equal combination of screened top soil, composted manure and peat. Spread it with a shovel and rake with a straight, hard rake smooth, being mindful of creating as smooth a surface as possible.

Over Seed Your Lawn.

As mentioned in my previous blog (2 weeks ago) this is a great time of year to thicken your lawn with fresh grass seed. You will compete many weeds out of existence and produce an even, thick lawn by Fathers Day if you do it now. Don’t worry about pending frosts or even snow … no harm.
If you are spreading triple mix over your lawn as described above, now is the perfect time to sow grass seed at the rate of one pound for every 400 sq. ft (1/2 kilo per 10 sq. metres). Apply the seed by hand, letting it roll off of your index finger as you move your wrist or arm from side to side slowly.
Rake smooth.
Roll with a lawn roller filled only 1/3 full with water or step on it with flat soled shoes (if it is not a big area).
Water and fertilize.

You can sow grass seed and fertilize on the same day, unless you are using a fertilizer with a weed control product in it. A ‘weed and feed’ will need about 6 weeks before you sow grass seed and a crabgrass preventer will vary depending on the brand. Follow directions on the bag.

Just laid fresh sod last fall or this spring?

If you are laying sod or starting a new lawn from seed use a ‘lawn starter’ fertilizer with a formula like 10-20-5. The high proportion of phosphorous will encourage strong young roots. Apply same day if you like.

If you laid fresh sod last spring or earlier, use Golfgreen Lawn Fertilizer or another national brand.

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark

The Best Lawn on the Block - without Chemicals!

2011-04-20T08:36:00.005-04:00

~April 20, 2011

As Canada emerges from the deep freeze we tend to get pretty antsy to get out of doors. Before you can walk on your lawn and get into the garden you may satisfy your urge to enjoy the first sunny day by washing your car. At this point hosing down the driveway can feel like a trip to Florida.

After the driveway/car experience we turn our attention to the lawn.

Everyone, it seems, wants to have a nice green lawn. Even if you spend the rest of the gardening season on the golf course or at the cottage, I find that even the most negligent of lawn owners take some time in early spring to spruce up the lawn, one way or the other.

My job is to make sure that the time and money that you invest in your lawn – however little that may be – is well spent.

It must be said, too, that recent experience tells me that Canadians have a high regard for the environment. This is because we care. Not that people of other nations don’t care, it is just that we happen to care a lot. We are a country of caring people: it is part of our character.

I only say this based on my travels across the country talking about gardening everywhere that I go.

I have noticed that there is a conspiracy against the lawn, in some quarters. There are people out there who would like lawn-loving people like me to feel guilty about our nice green lawn.

Your Lawn is like a Potato.

To all of the lawn naysayers and doubters I have this to say: think of your lawn like a potato. We know that a baked potato contains all kinds of good stuff: vitamin C and D, fiber, minerals – the kind of stuff that makes you strong.

It is the stuff that you PUT on your potato that is not so good for you. “Will you have that loaded?” was the question when I was last at the Keg for a New York strip loin and baked potato side. That would be a generous helping of butter, sour cream, chives and bacon bits. I, of course, said that I was not interested in having MY potato ‘loaded’. Jeez, no. I asked her to hold the chives. Who wants chive breath?

The point of course is this: we have the option to put all kinds of stuff on our lawns that is not good for the environment.

Make no mistake: your lawn is good for the environment.

A lawn sequesters carbon, filters toxins out of rain water, eats CO2 and returns fresh oxygen to the air. It is soft to walk on bare foot, is 5 to 10 degrees cooler than asphalt and supports a host of wildlife, most of which is too small for the naked eye to see but believe you me, it is there in abundance. A handful of rich root-level subsoil is teaming with over 4 billion micro organisms: michoriza, beneficial bacteria, sow bugs, millipedes, earth worms and the like. These are the good guys.

In short – a lawn is the most sophisticated living ground cover known to mankind.

All of that said, here is how you can enjoy a nice lawn, without the use of weed or pest controls (to be performed in this order):

1. Rake your lawn lightly with a fan rake – the goal is to get the grass blades to stand upright and to remove the winter debris.

2. Aerate if necessary. I only aerate my lawn where foot traffic occurs as this is where the soil is compacted and most in need of the fresh air that you introduce when aerating. Use a power aerator if you are doing your whole lawn or buy an inexpensive manual ‘foot’ aerator at the hardware store for small areas.

3. Overseed where your lawn is thin and where weeds are a problem. Use a good quality grass seed (I recommend Golfgreen) and remember that the ultimate pedigree of your lawn is in the bag! Lay down 2 to 3 cm of triple mix (equal parts top soil, peat moss and compost). Rake smooth. Spread the grass seed thinly at one pound for 400 sq. ft (1/2 kg per 40 sq. metres). Rake THAT smooth. Water. You will thicken your lawn nicely and compete most weeds out of existence –before they even get a start!

4. Fertilize. Use a good quality fertilizer that is relatively high in nitrogen (about 20 to 28%) which is represented by the first # in the 3 number analysis. And make sure that it contains a ‘slow release’ nitrogen ingredient. This produces a greener lawn over a long period (8 to 10 weeks) AND feeds the lawn with the one element that it craves the most – nitrogen.

5. Cut 2 ½ to 3 inches high. Often we cut our lawns much too short. Remember this: the taller the grass blades the longer the roots. The longer the roots the greater the resistance to drought, disease and insect problems. AND most lawn weeds are ‘shaded out’ by long grass.

6. Mulch. Use a mulching mower and return the nitrogen-rich grass clippings to the root zone of your lawn.

7. Use a reel-type push mower. Eliminate emissions and enjoy the sound of the cutting action of an old fashioned reel-type mower. Note: the new models are much lighter than those of 30 or 40 years ago. And they hold their cutting edge much longer.

Replace your old mower. You have heard that gas driven lawn mowers are big emissions spewers… right? Well, the new lawn mowers on the market are much ‘cleaner’ burning than the old ones. Look for MTD or Honda for two of the cleanest burning brands. And avoid the 2 cycle mowers that require you to mix oil with the gas.

Just following a few of the guidelines above will improve on the environmental impact that your lawn has on your neighbourhood.

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark

More Things To Do in the Garden

2011-04-13T09:02:00.004-04:00

~April 13, 2011 I know that it has been said before, but remember to amend your soil with generous quantities of compost early in spring, before you plant. The organic gardener’s mantra says, ‘Feed the soil and the plants will take care of themselves’. True, to a large extent. If you provide lots of goodness at the root zone of all of your plants you will be amazed at how few insects, disease and other garden-nasties you will experience. There is no better time of year than spring to take care of this ever important task. Veggie Garden. In the vegetable garden, be sure to sow your onions, peas, snow peas, carrots and your first crop of radishes before the last frost. For most of us that is in mid to late April: in northern Ontario/Quebec during the first two weeks of May. Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and all members of the so-called ‘gassy’ family of vegetables perform their best when planted as transplants at the same time as you sow the aforementioned seeds. Make sure that your transplants have been hardened off before planting out. Rock Gardens – cut back and weed. Remove weeds and cut back straggly growth of rock garden plants. Lightly loosen the soil in pockets adding a teaspoon of ‘Once and Done’ slow release fertilizer or bone meal. After each variety has flowered, take up each plant, divide and replant to maintain proper control, plant vigor and proportion in the rockery. Prune evergreens. Maintain the healthy appearance of your cedars, junipers, yews and other foundation planted evergreens with a light sheering (or a major cutting back, if the plants have been ignored for years). The fresh flush of new growth that occurs later in spring will fill your evergreens in very nicely. Plant Bleeding Heart amongst your daffodils and narcissus. For a great show every spring, plant perennial Bleeding Heart among your spring flowering daffodils and narcissus. All are reliable performers from year to year and they will bloom together almost forever. Look for Bleeding Heart ‘Luxuriant’ for a longer blooming variety to mix with the old fashioned Bleeding Heart. Take pictures! Use that digital camera that you received for Christmas to record the daily progression of change in your garden this spring. Reviewing these pictures later will give you ideas and inspiration for your garden in future years. Keep your Knees Dirty! Mark

Ready, Set, Go!

2011-04-07T08:26:00.004-04:00

~ Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Time to give your garden the once over before you get planting.

I am frequently asked; “what is the one word of advice that I can give Canadian gardeners that will ensure success”. The answer is always the same: proper soil preparation.

This is why I devoted 1/3 of my latest book, The Canadian Garden Primer An Organic Approach, to the subject.

If you have ever tried to produce a gorgeous garden in heavy clay soil, you know what I am talking about. The same is true for pure sand.

Adding generous quantities of organic matter in the form of compost makes a world of difference to most any garden.

My recipe for a great looking garden:

(Assuming that you have poor to average quality soil.)

1. Spread finished compost one to two inches thick over the planting area and around established perennials and shrubs. If your garden soil is made up mostly of heavy clay add 1/3 sharp sand (not beach sand!) to the compost.

2. Turn the compost under using a garden fork (a fork disturbs the roots of established plants much less than that of a shovel or spade and is easier to push into your existing soil).

3. ‘Slap’ the mixed soil/compost to get rid of large clods of earth: small ones will not matter.

4. If the consistency of the newly turned soil is not ‘open’ enough to easily push a garden trowel you have three choices: add more 2/3 compost and 1/3 sand, dig it over again a couple of times or get a better trowel.

This is less work than it may seem, if you take it a step at a time (read: stop digging when your back begins to hurt) and if you don’t tear into it, but rather take a slow easy pace. In the long run you will get more done and enjoy the experience.

The goal here is to create a ‘friable’, open, rich organic based soil that is ready for planting.

In April you can plant trees, shrubs, evergreens, roses and some hardy perennials that have not been forced early in a greenhouse somewhere (these will be ‘soft’ and frost tender). Never mind if you get some frost or snow between now and the ‘traditional planting time on the long weekend of May’.

There is a myth out there that you can only plant on the May 24th weekend, but it is very misleading. For one, this rule only applies to ‘frost tender’ plants like annuals and tender vegetable plants.

Secondly, there are some tender plants that perform better in warm soil, like squash, pumpkins, corn and beans. In the flower garden I plant my impatiens last as there is nothing they like less than to have ‘cold feet’.

Finally – there are parts of the country where a late May planting of tender plants is too early – Newfoundland and the northern prairies as an example. Check with your local gardening authorities to be sure (they may be the operators of a local greenhouse, garden centre or your Home Hardware).

While we are talking about getting ready for the planting season now would be a good time to fertilize your lawn (see last weeks’ blog), sharpen your lawn mower blade and change the oil.

Oil and sharpen all of your digging tools. A bastard file does the job in most cases and a squirt of WD 40 or equivalent.

Get out your garden hose, lawn furniture, the garden ornaments that you put away for the winter and if any of these need a coat of paint, now is a great time to give them a new coat.

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark

Things To Do...

2011-03-29T19:04:00.008-04:00

~ March 30, 2011

With the forecast for much of the country being ‘excellent’ over the next few days it seemed only fitting that I help you get a leg up in the garden before you find yourself thinking that spring has passed you by and you missed out on all of the fun.

All kidding aside, I can help you save time and money – by being pro-active on a number of fronts.

1. Kill over wintering insects and diseases. Use all natural ‘Dormant Spray’ to bring under control many of the diseases and insects that wreak havoc over the balance of the gardening season. Dormant spray is not to be feared, unless you are a tent caterpillar or the spore of ‘maple blotch’ and chances are good that you are neither of these. Just because it is a ‘spray’ is no reason to think the worst.

Truth is, an application of Green Earth Dormant spray this time of year will save you a ton of trouble later by eliminating insect and disease problems that manifest in warm late spring weather.

When to apply? When evening temperatures are reliably above 0 Celsius (freezing) and stay there all night AND before the buds on the plants that you are applying it to have broken open in to leaf or flower.

What do I apply it to? Lilac, mock orange and most other deciduous flowering shrubs, all roses, berry plants like raspberries, most deciduous trees and of course all fruit trees.

2. Fertilize your lawn. Apply a good quality, slow release lawn food now (Golfgreen is the best, in my opinion. It is all that I use on my lawn). The difference that this will make in your lawn over the long haul is remarkable. Your grass plants will be thicker, greener and healthier. They will compete with weeds before they become established and your lawn, duly strengthened, will resist the damage of the common gray and white grub, among other ‘nasties’.

3. Over seed your lawn with fresh grass seed. If feeding your lawn sounds like a panacea, I apologize. The job is not complete until you have tackled the bare or weak spots in your lawn with a bag of triple mix, spread about 2 to 3 centimeters thick, raked smooth and a thin layer of grass seed applied. Rake that smooth, step on it with flat soled shoes to get it in firm contact with the soil and water well. This will thicken those thin spots like nothing else…. Apply the fertilizer before or after the seed. No matter.

4. Cut back perennials that remain standing from over the winter – right to the ground. Dig and divide the old ones that are too big for their space or are just not performing as they once did. Divide them and replant around your garden or give away to friends. This works really well with monarda, hosta, day lilies and the like. Leave the division of your peonies until mid September.

5. Rake, using a fan rake: your lawn and garden. Pick up loose debris that has arrived over the winter and compost the soft, brown stuff like last years leaves and perennial leaves etc.

If you are blessed with sunshine this weekend – enjoy it and remember why you started to garden in the very first place – it was going to be fun!

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark

Nature's Miracle - Spring Bulbs!

2011-03-22T21:05:00.004-04:00

~March 23, 2011

Chances are, you have noticed the selection of tulips, daffodils and crocus flowers expanding at retailers across Canada over the last few weeks. Truth is, most of these are not only grown in Canada in commercial greenhouses but we actually grow so many of them that they are deemed an ‘export’ crop. Go figure. And you thought we only sold wheat abroad.

Now is the time to bring these treasures home. There is more than meets the eye or even the nose with spring flowering bulbs: let me explain.

Spring flowering bulbs bloom for a long time. The secret is to keep them in a bright room but not in direct sunlight. The more sunlight that they receive the faster that they finish blooming.
They do not need fertilizer. Not while they are in bloom anyway: that is the ‘miracle’ part of the thing. All of the nutrients are built right into the bulb.
Spring flowering bulbs will last for years. How is that, you say? Well, after they have finished flowering THEN place them in bright sunshine where the leaves will absorb the energy of the sun, convert it into plant sugars and push those natural energy boosters down to the root zone where they store the energy ‘til next season.
After the leaves have turned yellow, plant them in the garden, in a sunny position. Because they are very winter-hardy this works in most any part of the country. Next year they will bloom at their natural time of year.

Is now a good time to plant bulbs in the garden?

Yes and no.
Yes, you can sink a pot full of forced bulbs into the garden, being careful not to do it so early that a really deep frost kills them off. On the other hand, they have ‘built in anti-freeze’ and as such are resistant to frost down to about minus 8 for the most part.
If you plant pre-started flowering bulbs in the garden you will get a record early show of colour and likely fool a lot of your neighbours into thinking that you are some kind of miracle/green thumb.

No – you plant the bulb itself in the autumn.

How do I keep squirrels out of my bulbs?

Short answer is not to plant tulips – they are edible to both humans and rodents.
Narcissus and daffodils are not the least bit interesting to squirrels and are considered mildly toxic.
The other answer is to plant your tulips with chicken wire placed over the top of them to deter the little pests.

How long will flowering bulbs last in my garden?
Depends on the species and variety.
As a rule tulips will last up to 4 years, daffodils 5 or 6 years and hyacinths 3 or 4 years.
However, when you shop for bulbs this fall look for the words ‘suitable for naturalizing’ and plant these. They will grow and improve year after year forever.

Another note:

With night time temperatures flirting above freezing in many parts of the country these days, it is time to think about applying Green Earth Dormant Spray. It is a natural combination of mineral oil and lime sulphur. Both are harmless to plants and people but when sprayed in combination they will kill and otherwise control overwintering insects and diseases.
This is a ‘must do’ for fruit trees, roses, berries, flowering shrubs and any deciduous plant material that gives you problems in this department during the gardening season.
I highly recommend that you apply this before the flower or leaf buds break open.

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark

Greatest Show on Earth.

2011-03-14T12:39:00.005-04:00

~March 14th, 2011

The back of winter may not be broken where you live, but the strength of the sun continues to increase and we just received a one hour raise this past weekend (except in Saskatchewan where they did not turn their clocks back). So days are longer and the sun higher and the first day of spring is this Sunday.

Things could be worse for Canadian gardeners.

Before I launch into a series of blogs that will feed you timely information that you can take into the garden and use, let’s talk about where to find inspiration for this years’ garden.

This week, beginning on Wednesday, I am speaking at Canada’s largest flower and garden festival, Canada Blooms. I look forward to this festival every year as it provides a great opportunity for me to meet a great number of Canadian gardeners under one roof AND to get inspired myself by the feature gardens that have been installed there.

At the time of this writing the construction phase of Canada Blooms is almost over and I am once again impressed by the sophisticated level of design and the professionalism of the landscape installations. Over $9 million worth of plants, materials, labour and design expertise go into this event and is paid for by the industry professionals of Landscape Ontario, our industry trade association.

In addition to the ‘feature gardens, the ‘Floral Hall’ features the works of international floral designers from New Zealand, Europe, Africa and points beyond. It is the only juried flower show of its kind in the country. The Garden Club of Toronto puts on an outstanding display of flower arrangements that includes numerous categories. If you enjoy flower arranging you won’t want to miss it.

I am looking forward to the ‘Marketplace’: this is where you can buy stuff for your garden. Plants, seeds, bulbs and cut flowers are available in abundance. Pick Ontario is there with bouquets of flowers that will knock your gardening socks off. There are clothes for gardeners, hats, garden décor items, outdoor furniture, garden tools and you name it. Quite possibly this is the largest assemblage of garden ‘stuff’ any where in Canada at any one time.

Over 200 hours of education.

There are 3 permanent ‘stages’ from which speakers provide almost a constant flow of information: learn how to garden, cook, build a deck or don’t learn a thing, if you want. Just sit and enjoy a break in your busy day at Blooms.

How do you get there?

Exhibition Place, Direct Energy Centre. Go to http://www.canadablooms.com/ for all of the info.

If you are driving, it is easy.
If you are flying, Air Canada and Westjet both have some great last minute deals – I recommend that you check them out. Last year I flew Porter, from the Toronto Island Airport for the first time and was thrilled… check them out too, if you live near Ottawa, Montreal or Halifax.

And go to VIA for rail travel info – and note that VIA is sponsoring the VIA Garden Route contest at Canada Blooms… check it out and get on board!

Is it worth the trip?

You could spend 3 days at the festival and still not see it all.

What should I bring?

- camera
- flat soled shoes
- money (‘cause you will want to buy stuff and feed yourself)
- a laid back attitude that allows you to drink in an early, most inspiring spring.

See you at Blooms this week!!

Mark

Grow Your Own

2011-03-08T14:54:00.004-05:00

~ March 9, 2011

March is the month to get sowing. Seed orders are arriving in the mail and the seed racks at the garden centres are filled with a great selection. Don't forget about the seeds you collected from your garden last year. Growing plants from seed is both rewarding and economical.

Always check the date on the package before you buy. The sell-by date is equally important for seeds as the items you purchase from your grocery store, and guarantees freshness and successful germination. On the reverse side of each package you will find complete growing advice, including the number of days you can expect to maturity and whether to plant in sun or shade.

Sowing seeds can be as simple or sophisticated as you choose. A sunny window can provide sufficient light or you may opt for supplemental grow lights. Plastic-domed mini greenhouses with cell pack inserts are available at most garden centres. The humidity dome helps to seal in moisture and encourages germination. Indoor lighting systems, heating coils and self-watering equipment are available for those looking for a more advanced approach.
Light weight potting mixes, like Green Earth Seed Starting Mix, promote optimum growth.
Seed starting mixes contain sphagnum peat moss and perlite or vermiculite. They have great water retention and drain well.

Peat pellets are another option. They are made from compressed sphagnum peat moss and have a mesh cover. Add water to these pellets and they expand. You can use peat pellets to sow seeds or to root cuttings.
Plant starter fertilizer from Plant-Prod helps all plants develop a strong root system. It has a high concentration of phosphorous, 10-52-10, for strong and rapid root growth in seedlings.

Next Week: Canada Blooms
Celebrating 15 great years
At the Direct Energy Centre
Preview Party March 15
Festival March 16-20
http://www.canadablooms.com/

The Countdown to Spring. Starting Seeds, Bulbs and Forcing Flowering Shrubs.

2011-03-01T17:09:00.006-05:00

~ March 2, 2011

For many gardeners, March is the start of the growing season. While you are waiting for the temperature to warm up and spring to officially arrive you can keep busy with a number of activities. Starting seeds indoors, potting up tuberous begonias and forcing blooms on cut branches are just a few ideas to get you thinking about spring.

Starting Seeds Indoors:
Always check the date on seed packets before you make your purchase. The sell-by date ensures that the seeds are fresh and will germinate successfully. It is important to read seed package instructions carefully as each variety of plant will have its own specific needs. Different plants and vegetables have different maturity requirements and this information will be listed on the seed packet. Seeds which should be started in March include Asters, Carnation, Dianthus, Dusty Miller, Nicotiana, Pansy, Phlox, Portulaca, Salvia, Snapdragon, Celery, Eggplant, and Peppers. You can wait until early April before starting Castor Bean, Celosia, Dahlia, Marigold, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Cucumber, tomatoes, watermelon and Onion.

Tuberous Begonias:

If you are searching for an impressive plant for a shaded area in your garden, tuberous begonias are a winner. They can provide a wide range of flower and leaf colour in areas of the garden which do not receive a lot of light. This is the time of year to start tuberous begonias, early March. They will need 2 to 3 months before you set them outside at the end of May. Tubers should be started in a shallow tray with a layer of peat moss on the bottom. Place the tubers hollow side up in the moss and add enough peat moss to just cover the tuber. Keep the peat moss slightly moist until the tubers have developed roots. The tray should be kept in a warm spot while the roots form. You will need to transfer your tuberous begonias to a 4" clay pot once they have developed roots. Make sure the pot has good drainage and use fresh potting soil. Leave the pots in a sunny window until top growth starts. Tuberous begonias can be moved outdoors at the end of May once the danger of frost has passed.

Forcing Blooms on Cut Branches:
Branches of spring flowering trees and shrubs can be cut and forced into bloom indoors. Wait for the flower buds to begin swelling and then harvest the branches with a pair of sharp pruners. Choose branches at random from all parts of the plant to maintain the natural shape. As soon as the branches are cut they should be placed in water. Treat branches like any cut flower and keep the vase full of clean water. Keep branches away from hot air vents and heat sources to prolong the life of the blooms. A short list of branches which are easy to force indoors includes: Forsythia, Camellia, Redbud, Dogwood, Flowering Cherry, Crabapple, Witch Hazel and Pussy Willow. Once a pussy willow branch has produced its catkins (fuzzy flowers) you have two options. If you remove the branch from water it will dry and can be used in everlasting arrangements. The second option is to leave the branch in water and allow the catkins to mature and fall off. You will see new leaves emerge and the branches will take root. Plant your new pussy willow outdoors once the danger of frost has passed.

A Reminder that Canada Blooms comes to Toronto, Direct Energy Centre March 16 to 20th. Get your discounted tickets on line at http://www.canadablooms.com/

Veggie Garden Primer

2011-02-22T13:54:00.008-05:00

~ February 23, 2011

Canadians have fewer diversions in late winter: swimming, boating, fishing and, yes gardening, are distant memories. It is difficult to even remember what warm sunshine feels like, never mind get outdoors and absorb some vitamin D.
Oh for those spring time diversions!!

If mid-winter blahs are a concern to you, I am here to give you hope. Useful diversions are as close as your local garden centre, hardware store and even on line. Read on!

This brings me to food; the kind of food that you grow in your garden. We are in ‘prime’ seed buying season. Now is the time to get into your local garden centre or hardware store and look over the fresh seeds on the racks. Check out what is new and plan on starting some of your seeds early, indoors.

I order many of my vegetable seeds by ‘mail’, even though you can do this very easily over the internet.

Some of my favourite on-line seed suppliers are:
Veseys Seeds in P.E.I. (http://www.veseys.com/)
Dominion Seeds in Ontario (http://www.dominion-seed-house.com/)
Ontario Seed (http://www.oscseeds.com/)
Stokes Seeds in Niagara(http://www.stokeseeds.com/)
Early’s Seeds in Saskatoon (http://www.earlysgarden.com/)
and of course the granddaddy of them all, McFayden Seeds in Brandon Manitoba (http://www.mcfayden.com/)

Some seed buying tips:
Assuming that you are a ‘home gardener’ and not a commercial producer, avoid the varieties that are recommended for production purposes.
You are looking for freshness and flavour, above all.
Of course, if you want to grow some squash to save for months into the winter, by all means look for that quality in the variety that you choose.

Some of my favourite vegetable varieties include:
- Snap beans – ‘Provider’ - Veseys
- Pea – Sugar Sprint (new) - McFayden
- Runner Bean – Scarlet Runner – everywhere – great for a fast fence, screen, garden tee-pee and the beans are o.k. too, when picked young.
- Radish - Sparkler – high in vitamin C: easy to grow – get the kids involved in this one! - McFayden
- Tomato - Brandywine – a favourite ‘heirloom’ variety. Produces 2 lb fruit in 75 days. Everywhere that heirlooms are sold.
- Tomato - Early Canadian Beef. A small beefsteak (7 to 10 ounces) that produces early, 75 days. - McFayden
- Carrots – I always buy ‘coated seed’: it is easier to sow and requires less ‘thinning’ than non-coated varieties. For me, the coating has been the difference between success and failure some years!

I will provide you with an extended list of vegetable favourites as we get closer to spring.

Keep in mind that now is the time for planning your veggie garden AND acquiring seeds – but it is too early to start vegetable seeds indoors. Stay tuned to this blog for timely information in that regard.

Early as it may be for vegetable seed starting, it is not too early to start some herbs indoors from seed. Go to http://www.richters.com/ for the best selection of on-line herb seeds on the continent.

Basil.

I like to have some basil on the go all of the time: it is useful indoors for cooking even before you plant it out in the garden come May. Keep some growing on your kitchen window sill where it is handy when making soups, pasta sauce, etc.

Some basil facts, courtesy the Horticultural Therapy association of Canada (http://www.chta.ca/) with special thanks to Yvonne Snyder:

Basil is a symbol for ‘Love and good wishes’.
Sacred to the Hindu tradition, considered an aphrodisiac in Italy (what isn’t?).
Look for a wide selection of varieties: lemon, dark opal, bush type, ornamental and of course many culinary types.

Cultivation:
Best started from seed and transplanted outdoors in late May or early June, when the soil has warmed.

Harvesting:
Serve fresh.
Can be dried or stored in olive oil, but the flavour is not as intense when preserved.

Uses:
Culinary: makes great pesto, use in culinary vinegars, ‘cooked in’ with tomatoes. A good companion with garlic.

Household: place potted plants on window sills to deter flies.

Folk Medicine: An infused tea can aid digestion, many uses in aromatherapy.

My 18th book!

Pick up a copy of my book, The Canadian Garden Primer, for more information on the above subjects. There is a chapter dedicated to growing your own veggies and a separate chapter on growing herbs. Available at Home Hardware and retail book stores.

And keep your knees dirty,

Mark

A reminder that Canada Blooms comes to the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto Wednesday, March 16 to Sunday, March 20th. Get discounted tickets on line at www.canadablooms.com. I will be there each day (though not Sunday) to open the festival with Denis Flanagan at 11:30am. Bring a camera, walking shoes and a relaxed attitude… you are going to have a good time!

Get the Jump on Spring

2011-02-15T14:51:00.005-05:00

~February 16, 2011

You know the feeling of planning for a big day so far in advance that you kick back and just kind of dream about it and then all of a sudden you realize that the big day is not that far off and you had better get your butt in gear and get serious about it? Well, that day is today.

I know that there is likely a lot of snow on the ground where you live right now and some of you are still in the deep Canadian freeze. We often forget that the piles of snow at the margins of our driveway will melt away in just a few short days. This may not happen tomorrow or the next day, but it WILL happen and when it does it behooves all of us gardeners to be prepared for it.

The usual cycle is: snow to water, water to ice, ice with snow on it, snow to ice and ice to water and then a big wind and then the sun and then you just want to be outside because hosing down the driveway feels like a trip to Florida.

On that first day of plus 15 °C with the sun shining down, you open the door and shove the kids out of it and get yourself a cup of something hot and sit on the steps and watch them play. Maybe my kids are a little too old for this scenario as they have all moved out, but I will still do this only the kids are now the wild birds that I will sit on the step and watch play. And if it is late in the day it will not be something hot that I will be drinking….

All of this is to say that February is a wonderful month to be a gardener as we have SO much to look forward to and ‘the big day’ – which is really a ‘season’ - is really not that far away. For all Canadian gardeners, the truth is that we are over the hump and more than half way through our ‘time out’.

This Saturday take a break from winter and start planning for this year's growing season at Get the Jump on Spring.

If you are counting the weeks until Spring arrives you can look forward to one of the earliest harbingers of the season at the Toronto Botanical Garden's Annual event, Get the Jump on Spring, on Saturday, February 19, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is FREE, but a $2 donation to the TBG will give visitors chances at great, garden-themed hourly prizes!Put on in partnership with the Ontario Horticultural Association, District 5 and the Toronto Master Gardeners, the event offers a chance to find out more about horticultural societies, garden clubs and environmental organizations from across Ontario. Master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions and there are fascinating hourly lectures and demonstrations, a popular floral design competition and a marketplace with spring flowers and many garden-themed products for sale. Indulge in a delectable treat at the Jump Cafe.

PRESENTATIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS

Every hour, starting at 10:30 a.m. well-known gardening experts and members of the Toronto Master Gardeners will give free 45-minute presentations and demonstrations on subjects ranging from Bee Keeping in the City and Balcony Gardening to tips on cooking with and preserving herbs.
Location: Toronto Botanical Garden, 777 Lawrence Avenue East (at Leslie) Toronto.

Free parking.For more information call 416-397-1341 or visit http://www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca/

A reminder that Canada Blooms comes to the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto Wednesday, March 16 to Sunday the 20th. It is the biggest and the best flower and garden festival in the country. Come say Hi – I will open the event each day with Denis Flanagan at 11:30. (though, not on Sunday.)
Get a discounted ticket on line at www.canadablooms.com

Countdown to Canada Blooms

2011-02-09T08:31:00.006-05:00

~February 9, 2011

As I write this I am sitting in the mid morning sunshine of one cold day. Forecast high of -9 Celsius. Sure feels like winter.
Sometime between now and the growing season of April and May I have a lot of work to do elsewhere - like at Canada’s largest annual ‘garden festival’, Canada Blooms.

I am speaking there, with my friend Denis Flanagan, each morning at 11:30am (Wednesday to Saturday). Denis and I will welcome visitors to the show and help you plan your day at the festival. I am also speaking at 1:00pm on Saturday, March 19, with my daughter Heather. We have some terrific stories and pictures to share with you.

Canada Blooms runs Wednesday, March 16 through Sunday, March 20, 2011 with a preview party scheduled for Tuesday night. Tickets for the preview are only $75 at http://www.canadablooms.com/
Pick your day – but do it very soon. More details below!

Canada Blooms
Canada Blooms produces a monthly e-newsletter – with more frequent communications as we get closer to festival dates. Sign up at http://www.canadablooms.com/.
This year Canada Blooms is partnering with the 40th Anniversary JUNO Awards. As part of the JUNO awards excitement, Canada Blooms will create a new “JUNO Rocks” garden feature. Five selected JUNO Award nominees and winners will collaborate with garden builders from Canada Blooms to create beautiful personalized gardens reflecting each artist’s particular style and genre in honour of the JUNO Awards Ruby Anniversary. Gardens will be judged by attendees with one lucky 'voter' winning a JUNO VIP Package which includes tickets to all of the events of the 2011 Juno Awards.
Tickets are available online (www.canadablooms.com), at the Canada Blooms Head Office or at the Toronto Botanical Garden.
Wherever you live, be sure to try and get to this years’ edition of the event. Canada Blooms is the largest flower and garden festival in the country and the 2nd largest in North America (Philadelphia is 1st).

I am really charged up about Canada Blooms this year and I hope that if you do get to the festival be sure to say Hi and introduce yourself to me.

Check out my facebook fan page for regular updates.

http://www.markcullen.com/

Fight the Winter Blues

2011-02-01T13:37:00.005-05:00

~ February 1, 2011

Reduced light levels and long cold days can take their toll on us. Resist the temptation to close the curtains and hibernate until spring. There are many 'gardening' activities to keep you busy.
The air in your home can be very dry during the winter. Dry air often leads to the occurrence of spider mites on your tropical plants. Spider mites can be green, brown or red and they are difficult to see without a magnifying glass. The first symptom of spider mite damage is deformed leaves. They will turn yellow and become dehydrated. Once the leaves turn brown they will fall off the plant. If you spray the plant with water you will see the small webs created by the mites. The most effective treatment for spider mites is misting the plant with water and spraying with Green Earth Insecticidal Soap daily for a couple of weeks. Spraying with water will help increase humidity in the air around your plant.

The #1 question I hear this time of year: “How do I look after an amaryllis when it is finished blooming?

Once your Amaryllis has finished blooming it requires some attention. Cut the flower stalk back to about 2" in height. Allow the leaves to continue to grow and water when the soil feels dry. This will allow the leaves to produce energy which the bulb will store for future blooms. In the spring you can plant your Amaryllis (and the pot) in your garden. Find a location with partial shade and water during periods of drought. Fertilize regularly with a high phosphate liquid plant fertilizer. In late September bring the pot indoors and cut back the foliage. Dry the bulb for 2 weeks at 65 degrees F and then store for about 10 weeks in a cool, dry, dark place. At the end of this storage period you will need to repot your Amaryllis bulb in fresh potting mix and start the cycle again.

Feed The Birds!

Look after your feathered friends. Watching birds in your backyard is a great form of entertainment year round. As the snow piles up outside don't forget to fill your bird feeder on a regular basis. Remember that birds also need a supply of fresh water throughout the winter. A bird bath heater can be installed to prevent the water from freezing. I recommend that you use quality bird seed. When we developed the Mark’s Choice line of bird seed we took our time and made sure that we were including only the most attractive bird seed varieties in each bag. We also purchase our seed from reliable, Canadian sources. Check out the full line of Mark’s Choice birdseed mixes (http://www.markcullen.com/buyers_guide/markchoice_products3.htm). You will attract lots of birds and enjoy hours of entertainment outside your window. Be sure to use fresh food and keep your feeder clean. Watch for ice build-up and clear snow away from ports.

Believe it or not Canada Blooms is only a few weeks away….Wed. March 16th to Sun. March 20th at the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place Toronto. I will be there with my buddy Denis Flanagan at 11:30 a.m. to help get you started (we are not there Sunday). Come on by and say Hi! For discounted tickets go to http://www.canadablooms.com/.

Advice for traditional Guys this Valentines.

2011-01-26T09:16:00.005-05:00

~ Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I know that Valentines is 2 weeks off: consider this a public service from your buddy Mark.

I am a guy, which means that I qualify as one of those people who does not take a lot of risks around the special occasion that we call Valentines Day.

I am a member of the majority of guys who buys red roses for his sweetie on Valentines Day. In spite of what you hear and read about buying candles and fragrances and underwear, the average guy – and I claim not to speak for anyone else here – is into dinner out and long stem red roses.

If we have a sweetie that really likes chocolate and is not likely to hit us over the head with a box of them, we might buy them too. But be careful with this one: chocolates can send a message that you have not been listening lately to the ‘does my butt look big in these’ questions. Read between the lines.

No Risk Giving.

So guys: if you are like me and not about to risk your most special relationship on a Valentines purchase that may not go over really big, stick to the roses. And if you are sticking to the long stem red roses, at least buy them with some measure of knowledge – which is where I come in.

First of all, some reasons to buy roses as an expression of your love for someone:
a. They do not last forever. That is precisely the point. Plastic does not say the same thing –in fact plastic flowers are a language that most women do not understand.
b. In the Victorian ‘language of flowers’ roses were a sign of loyalty and strength - that is why they are associated with royalty.
c. The same Victorians believed that Red roses were a sign of passion. Not a bad message on Valentines day, to the right person, right?

How do you know that your roses are fresh?

1. Give them the squeeze test.
Every self-respecting florist will get on the rose-delivery truck and squeeze the rose buds before taking delivery.
If the rose bud is firm – like an onion – you have fresh roses. If the rose bud is soft and mushy, best take a pass.
2. Look at the stems. Yes, the stems may be knobby and scrawny. If that describes your cut roses, you are paying no more than $15 a dozen and you are paying too much. Better to get 3 really good quality roses with some girth – about the thickness of a pencil, measured about 24 inches or 60 cm down the stem.
3. Long stems. That is why they call them ‘long stem roses’. They should be at least 30 inches long, if they are the real thing. And don’t let the florist cut off too much of the ends before plunging them into water or applying the water picks (see below).

Get them home looking good.

How do you get your investment in quality roses home is good shape?

The florist will put a ‘water pick’ on the end of each rose stem. Some people call these water condoms. Not me.
‘FloraLife’ is the brand name for the little envelope of preservative that is packaged with the cut flowers. Use the entire contents in the first vase of water.
Use a deep vase. The more water that makes contact with the stems of the roses, the longer that they will last.
Change the water daily. O.k. – you really want to score points with your sweetie? Change the rose water every day and use only room temperature, tepid water straight from the tap.
Put the cut roses in a cool room or refrigerator every night before bed. Think of the roses as your new pet –one with a short life, granted. But you can extend the life of your (her) roses by several days by exposing them to cool evening temps.

If your roses should collapse, which is not uncommon: the rose bud will just droop at the stem. This is a bubble of air that has become caught at the top of the green stem. Pre-moisten newspaper, wrap the entire rose, stem and all, in an upright position in the wet newspaper and put it in the refrigerator over night. By morning the rose bud should stand up on its own.

Viagra can help.

Finally, to maximize the life of your long stem red roses, drop a half a Viagra tablet into the water – the same water that you are going to change every day. According to a study at the University of Tel Aviv in Israel, this works wonders at helping your long stem roses keep their heads up.

This is a good excuse to buy some Viagra. If anyone meets you at the drug store cash out, just tell them that I told you that the stuff really helps to keep your long stem roses up.

Really.

And what you do with the left over Viagra is your business.

Valentines is a fun time, for those of us in love.

If you don’t have a significant other, than buy yourself some fresh cut flowers. The selection this time of year is at its all time best. The industry is geared to it, so go with the flow and indulge yourself.

And remember to keep your knees dirty.

Mark

Let the Therapy Begin!

2011-01-19T09:01:00.010-05:00

~ January 19, 2011

In recent weeks I have waxed on here in my blog about dreaming, planning and scheming your new 2011 edition of your garden.
Enough already.
Time to actually get to work.

You see the garden that you dream about is only going to become reality with the aforementioned plan and some – ahhhhemmmm (throat clearing) – work. There. I said it.
Those of us in the gardening business do not think of the slugging, bending, pulling, pushing and grunting associated with the garden as ‘work’ – it is more a kind of therapy.

So I say – “let the therapy begin!!” by starting some seeds indoors.

Seed buying.

You may be thinking in terms of your veggie garden – which is good if you are buying your seeds at your local garden centre or hardware store this time of year. I encourage you to get in there and buy your heart out as the selection of garden seeds – garden variety seeds and the rare ones more so – is at its very best right now. Store seeds in a cool and dry place, out of the sun, humidity and away from mice. And make a note mental or otherwise where you put them or you will have to buy them all over again in a month or two.

Vegetable seeds do not require germination yet. The #1 home grown crop – tomatoes – are actually started 6 weeks before the last killing frost in your area… so find out what that is by going to http://www.markcullen.com/ and locate your town/city on the zone map. When you find out what the last frost date is, count back 6 weeks and voila. For zone 5, where I live, that is about the 3rd week of April. So there is lots of time for that.

Flowers are a different thing – violas, pansies, impatiens, petunias and geraniums should be started now.

Getting started.

Follow the directions on the back of the seed packet and keep in mind these general rules of ‘green thumb’:

- Use a ‘seed and cutting’ seed starting mix – not ‘soil’. Look for good quality brands like CIL, Green Earth, Premier and Schultz.
- Fill seed starting trays/cell packs with the mix and premoisten it. In other words, water the soil mix and let it soak in for a half hour or so before you sow your seeds.
- Impatiens require darkness to germinate. After you sow the seeds, place a piece of black plastic over them until germination takes place in about 10 days. Place the seeding tray on the top of your refrigerator where it is warm, to speed germination.
- Use a ‘misting’ atomizer to apply water to the surface of the soil until about 10 days or 2 weeks after germination. This is the most gentle method of applying water at a time when the seed/seedling does not like to be disturbed.
- Allow the soil to ‘dry to the touch’ between watering. This is a rule that you can live by – use it when starting most any seeds, otherwise you will have to deal with the next point:
- If a white powdery mildew appears on the surface of the soil, apply Green Earth Garden Sulfur to prevent damping off. This is the result of overwatering, water logged soil and poor air circulation. A small fan placed a half metre or so from the seedlings, will discourage further problems with damping off.

Above all, have fun. Involve the kids, grand kids, neighbourhood kids in the project if you can and remember that you are saving a ton of money in the process by avoiding the purchase of bedding plants come spring.

Remind yourself of this should some of your seeding efforts end in failure.

And keep your knees dirty!

Mark

Salt Alternatives

2011-01-12T08:39:00.003-05:00

I hear from Jason, my Winnipeg connection, that things have warmed up considerably in the last few days on the Canadian prairies. So much so that his young kids can now go outdoors to play and not risk life and limb due to minus ice-age temperatures.

This reminds me of all of the salt that we use in this country, especially when the temperature ‘warms up’ to greater than minus 12°C. (Note: only someone from the Prairies would consider -12°C ‘warm’).

Truth is, salt does not effectively melt ice or snow at temperatures below minus 12°C. (+5°F) which explains why most cities on the prairies favour the dirty grit that they spread on their roads for traction as a salt alternative. This stuff makes your car such a dirty mess that you often can’t tell a Mercedes from a Chevy, but for the most part, it does the job.

In the rest of the country we reach for the salt when clearing the roads of ice and snow, which is a danger to the plants in your garden, our water, our soil and a threat to aquatic life. Other than that, it is fine.

Protect Your Plants.
I recommend that you wrap your upright evergreens, especially cedars, on the east side of a busy road with two layers of burlap to avoid the inevitable ‘salt drift’ that occurs when traffic kicks the salt solution or brine up off the road. The prevailing winds push it in the direction of your prized evergreens. The two layers of natural burlap will insulate them from the inevitable damage that will occur from the burning effects of the salt.

I could go on about the toxic mess that salt creates, but I am not here to bash the use of salt. Let’s face it: salt is cheap and it provides for much safer driving conditions when the temperature is right (see above).

Alternatives.

However, for those of us who are not under contract to the highways department for snow and ice removal (i.e. if you are only concerned about your front walk/steps and driveway) there ARE alternatives to common ‘road salt’.
Some are synthetic and others are 100% ‘natural’. Both have their features, benefits and limitations. From a practical point of view these products provide a reasonably economical alternative to the much less damaging and slower working common salt.

I have been using Alaskan Ice Melter for a few years: it is Canadian made and contains a combination of calcium chloride, CaCl2 and urea. The granules are ‘colour marked’ so that you can tell when you have put down enough or used too much. It works even when temperature dip to as low as minus 31°C(-24°F), it lasts twice as long as rock salt, is gentle on concrete, grass, plants and pets when used as directed and it provides good traction the moment that you apply it. http://www.icemelter.ca/

Downside.

There are other ‘ice melters’ on the market that are worth a try, I am sure. In my opinion the less salt that we use, the better all round. Let me say that if you over-apply an ‘ice melter’ they often produce a white residue on your boots and your car floor mats, but this is much less stubborn than that of salt and washes out easily.

Also, if you use more than directed on the package you may cause damage to your lawn, plants or concrete, but you would be challenged to do this. Again, my experience tells me that salt is far more damaging to anything that is living and we have all seen the damage that it can do to concrete over time. Just visit a building in most any part of Canada with concrete steps over 20 years old…. Look carefully and you will see that the steps are pock marked, beat up and aged or they have been replaced or repaired over time. Unless they have used a salt alternative.

All Natural.

Home Hardware sells their own brand of salt-less ice melter under the Natura brand. I have not tried it, but I trust the brand. (http://www.homehardware.ca/)
Another natural alternative is Get a Grip® Natural Ice Melter (www.icemelter.ca/products/getagrip_e.php). It will melt ice at temperatures down to – 18 C, contains a similar ‘colour marker’ as the Alaskan brand, provides instant traction and is reportedly ‘gentle on concrete, grass, plants and pets. No mention of kids in their press release but I assume that it is gentle on them too. I would not recommend that you keep them indoors just because you ‘salt-alternative’ the front walk.

Give the alternatives to salt a try and let me know how you do.
If your experience is anything like mine, you will be hooked and will never buy another bag of salt for anything. Except maybe the water softener.

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark

Next week: time to get off your butt in earnest and ‘Start Your Garden Indoors’ – I will tell you how, why and what to sow for a great looking (and cheap!) garden.

Dreaming

2011-01-05T14:16:00.004-05:00

Well gardeners – are you enjoying your ‘time off’?
God gifted us with this season that we call ‘winter’ to relax, reflect on the season ahead, educate ourselves and drink lots of coffee.
We do this now because there is precious little time for any of it come spring.

I took a walk around my garden the other day after a particularly beautiful snow fall. Only a couple of centimeters had arrived overnight, but it landed so lightly and in such cold conditions that I would have turned down a free trip to Florida even without the usual hassle of customs and airport security just to be in that moment.

Here is a shot of my now famous hydrangea garden covered in a fresh shroud of snow.

Here also is a shot of the same hydrangea garden in mid summer, looking its best.
One has to marvel at the dramatic changes that occur over the year in the average Canadian garden, regardless of where you live. We observe the cycles of new growth, flowering, fruiting, colour change and the slow onset of dormancy knowing that we – the gardeners – exercise very little control over any of it.

Plant Managers.

I am not sure that gardeners even orchestrate change – waving a baton at the key players in a symphony of colour, fragrance and flight of wing. No: I think that we are, at best, plant managers.

Gardeners can design and plant a garden. We can add to the existing soil or dig the whole mess out and replace it with the good stuff. We can prune existing shrubs and trees and move perennials around the yard as they mature. But we don’t actually ‘grow’ anything. Evolution took care of that job for us many generations of Hosta and hoyas ago.

If you don’t believe me, take a look around you and you will notice that there is a whole big green world out there that is growing without any help from any of us. Thank you very much. Before the Europeans arrived in this land the woodlands were left for the most part on their own. Carbon dioxide was exchanged for oxygen and a few other goodies and voila – forests grew up all over the land.

The best time to plan and to dream.

Mid winter is the best time of year for us to think about the garden that we want this coming year, to plan for it, to make some calls to contractors and designers to enlist some assistance in this process. And to dream.

It would be easy for me to recommend that you subscribe to seed catalogues right now, to read gardening magazines, to visit my website to get your nagging gardening questions answered at http://www.markcullen.com/ and to go to a few horticultural meetings. These meetings are occurring all across the country in greater frequency than ever before. They are a great way to meet like minded people and engage in some conversation that will get you going in a direction that will help you produce the garden of your dreams.

But I am not going to suggest any of that.
Instead I merely want you to do one thing this week: to dream the dream of the greatest garden and yard that you ever had.
No great accomplishment in this world ever occurred without a dream.

It is your turn, Canadian gardeners.

Our ability to dream is a vital part of the gift.

Dream about keeping your knees dirty – and pour yourself another cup of coffee.

Mark

Join me on Thursday, January 20th for an event with the Applewood Garden Club. The event takes place at the Lakeview Golf Course in Mississauga. For more details, visit http://www.applewoodgardenclub.org/. Hope to see you there!

Investing advice for 2011.

2010-12-28T19:21:00.003-05:00

I just received an interesting memo from my financial portfolio manager. It is a ‘top ten list’ of important things to remember when investing in the stock market this year. The most dominant message is that things have changed and by the way in case you forgot, things have changed and they are going to change some more.

Well, I have some advice for all of the stressed out financial advisors out there (and if they are not stressed out, they should be): bet on the gardening experience to produce dividends that you have only dreamed of.

You see, gardening is a blue chip investment from any point of view. Take a packet of seeds, for example. I don’t know who said that the best bet that you can make is with some good soil and a packet of seeds, but he or she had a point. The risks are few and the potential rewards many.

It is in the garden that we connect with the natural world around us and learn, providing that we are listening and asking the right questions in the first place. We learn, for example, that whatever goes up must come down. Try growing a vine in your garden and you will learn that it won’t go up in the first place without some support. And in time, the vine outgrows the support and the vine grows downwards again. You have to keep shoring up the support or cut down the vine.

Everything has a life cycle. By planting in one season and removing the finished plants in another we learn that every living thing has a life cycle. Even the mighty oak will fall, someday. Hopefully not on your house. The productive tomato finishes its work in one season. Garden leeks and garlic need to experience some frost in order to maximize their flavour. Raspberries are best in their 3rd and 4th years, strawberries in their 2nd year and asparagus never seems to quit after it’s 5th year, but man are they slow to come around until then! The same for rhubarb. But even they will peter out in a generation or two. Everything that grows eventually regresses.

Even plants that seem never to quit are actually just fooling you. Take the peony for example. If you visit the location of a long-ago homestead, where a farm house once stood but has long since disappeared, you will often find a lonely peony or two just hanging out on their own with no seeming interest in civilization – occupied house or not. Maybe it was planted there over a hundred years ago.

Truth is, the root structure of the original peony plant has died and been replaced by other, newer roots. The vigour of the peony plant is constantly refurbished in this way. This is why peonies will often appear to change colour over time: it isn’t the original root that is changing. The new one is just taking a different genetic direction. This is Mother Nature’s way of renewing the original plant. And as far as you and I are concerned the peony looks like it has been there forever.

Renewal is our reward. For being patient, we experience the natural division of plants as they multiply before our eyes. Take the Lily of the Valley for example. They seem to go and grow without stopping. The root is a rhizome that moves beneath the soil making new plants as it moves. A lawn thickens much the same way.

We are not alone. In gardening, we engage in a partnership with Mother Nature and grow relationships with neighbours and friends, creating a sense of community that is without price. I believe that people who spend time writing for the financial pages and the financial planners themselves would actually benefit by spending more time in the garden.

The support system is invisible. The burgeoning popularity of organic gardening offers one very basic tenant that is worth keeping in mind: the health of your garden plants is determined by the health of your soil. A colony of thriving bacteria, beneficial insects and protozoa = good quality soil. Add lots of raw organic matter in the form of compost for these critters to feed on and your plants will grow almost despite themselves because a buffet of goodies is at their feet.

Now, how is this helpful to financial planning professionals?

Let me sum up:

Everything has a life cycle. The markets had been growing for a record period of time then took a plunge and then recovered. Funny – just like Nature to behave that way.

Renewal is our reward. As sure as the markets are up they will go down. How fast and how far is anybody’s guess. But they will bounce and new, better stocks will replace some of the tired old ones. Be smart and be patient.

We are not alone. They say that 47% of Canadians were invested in the stock market last year. Remember that when you open your investment update this month. As Red Green said many times, ‘We are all in this together.’

The support system is invisible. The news is full of union disputes, large companies that are standing in line for government bail outs, other companies that are in decline and some that are closing their doors.
The media will not tell you about the people who are making their best effort to create a product or service of value: many are hanging in there. The majority of us are reporting for work on time, getting the job done and making a small but significant contribution that helps to make Canada great.
Those companies that are hanging in there are making something or selling something that people want and can afford. I had to wait in line today behind 4 people at McDonalds for a fillet-o-fish. Somebody other than me seems to want their product.

But I digress: it is a new year and time to reflect on what is important.

From William Alexander, author of The $64 Tomato.

“Things that I remember: witnessing childbirth, finding myself standing absolutely alone before DaVinci’s Last Supper. And planting potatoes on a perfect spring morning.”

If you like this message I hope that you forward it to your financial advisor.

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark

Gift Ideas for Gardeners

2010-12-20T18:39:00.004-05:00

I have said for some time that it is easy to buy for gardeners: generally you do not have to worry about the colour or size (except for gloves). In most cases the gift will get used because so many things that a gardener needs cannot be “over acquired”.

Take good gloves as an example. I have lost track of the numbers of pairs that I have around the property….tool shed, barn, garage, truck, car trunk and at the front door cupboard. Look for goat skin or reasonable substitute, reinforced finger tips, an open weave back to allow your hands to breathe and a Velcro closure at the wrist to stop dirt from travelling down into the working portion of the glove. I have just described the Mark’s Choice garden glove at Home Hardware. $15.

Garden Magazine. A copy of the latest Canadian gardening magazine does the trick, if you are looking for a ‘stocking stuffer’. For the more generous there are some great deals on subscriptions. We are blessed in Canada to have several great publications that address the peculiar needs of the Canadian gardener. Look for Canadian Gardening, the tried and true (http://www.canadiangardening.com/). For information guaranteed to meet the regional needs of gardeners pick up Gardens West/Central/East, for which I write (http://www.gardenswest.com/) and the newest publication on the block is Garden Making, for lots of colour and columns by some names that you may be familiar with (http://www.gardenmaking.com/).

The Truly Canadian Almanac, by Harrowsmith. Finally there is a great, 100% Canadian almanac that provides you with weather forecasts, small town stories, trivia and all manor of washroom reading. Sure to keep the receiver of this gift busy for hours. $5.95 at Home Hardware and books stores.

How bout yourself?

Consider donating TIME to the receiver of your Yuletide largess. This may be the most appreciated gift of all!

Weeding. Offer to donate several hours of weeding at a mutually convenient time. Every gardener gets weary of pulling weeds, after the romance of the thing wears off about mid June. Bring your own equipment, including a long handled Mark’s Choice Speedy Weeder from Home Hardware. At about $28 it is the best investment that you can make in effective, chemical free weed control - without the back pain associated with stooping and bending.

Pruning. Most of us do not like to cut our own kid’s hair. Ditto the plants in our garden. Offer to come over with your loppers/shears and a green wood saw and do some trimming. Take away the trimmings for a bonus. Btw, the best loppers and hedge shears in the business are made right here in Canada. They are the Mark’s Choice limb loppers ($50 and $70) and hedge shears ($50) at Home Hardware.

Consultation. If you love to garden offer your services to people on your list who have a moderate interest in gardening. Your experience is worth something. Likely more than you know. Can you give advice on plant placement? Soil prep? Accompany your friend(s) to a garden retailer next spring and offer advice on the best deals on the lot, noting that the lowest price is not as important as the quality of a live plant.

I hope that these ideas are helpful.

With many thanks for reading each week, I wish you a very Merry Christmas this week. Regardless of your religious beliefs I encourage you to take the time to reflect on a world of peace and goodwill towards our fellow humans.

Hold the people close to you closer.
Hold the door for a stranger.
Hold out the hand of friendship to someone in need.

And God bless.

Mark

Gearing up for a great Christmas

2010-12-14T09:30:00.006-05:00

Garden Gear for the gardeners on your Christmas list.

We are not exactly ‘on the home stretch’ of the Christmas buying season, but we are at the 7th inning stretch. That means that the ‘last minute’ people are beginning to think seriously about their gifts for this Christmas and the long-term-planners are about to sit down with a good book and light a fire.

Which brings us nicely to the juncture where I can talk about MY favourite gifts – the ones that I would most like to receive at Christmas – as a gardener.

Here are my suggestions:

1. Books. Gardeners love to read, especially now that HGTV doesn’t run ‘gardening shows’ per se any more. We become starved for ideas and reflections on the growing season as the winter wears on.
* Middle Aged Spread. By Sonia Day. What my good friend Sonia has done here is to lay out the reality check everyone needs who has EVER even just thought of moving to the country. Her ‘dream garden’ becomes an adventure in living that even someone with the diverse background and travel experience of dear Sonia cannot anticipate. Funny. Engaging. Informative. Available at Book City and on line from Indigo/Amazon. Retails for $24.95.

* Gardeners Journal (especially for gardeners in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe). Provides excellent weekly tips, what to do, contact info for all horticultural clubs, associations, government agencies, gardening media (i.e. TV, radio shows, magazines etc.), space for your own garden photos, and an extensive list of garden retailers including the bricks and mortar and e-retailers. http://www.torontogardenbook.com/

* Canadian Garden Primer, by Mark Cullen. This is my most exhaustively complete work, with an organic bend. Most everything that you need to know to grow a great veggie garden or a fabulous looking landscape (including an environmentally responsible lawn!). Lots of colour. Clear, concise text. For experienced and novice gardeners alike. Available at Chapters/Indigo and Home Hardware. http://www.markcullen.com/

2. Tools. Experienced gardeners love to use quality tools. They are a pleasure to work with and, just like your favourite pair of jeans, we ‘break our tools in’ and become attached to them over time. Buy the best that you can afford and the receiver will think of you favourably forever.
* Pruning saw. Not just any saw: look for a comfortable fit in the hand, light weight, Canadian Made with a Swedish blade (they still make the best). You cannot go wrong with name brands like Felco, Corona or (frankly) Mark’s Choice. http://www.homehardware.ca/

* Hand pruners. Why is it that many gardeners will not part with enough cash to buy themselves a good quality pair of hand pruners? And yet, there is not one gardener alive who does not value the experience of working with a quality pair. Look for a comfortable feel in your hand: weight, balance, rubber grip, aluminum handle and a high carbon steel cutting blade. To be a real hero, include a small tube of honing oil, a small blade sharpener and a belt holster. THAT is a gift!! Name brands like Felco, Corona and (there it is again!) Mark’s Choice are recommended. http://www.homehardware.ca/ or http://www.leevalley.com/

* Stainless steel digging tools. Why stainless steel? They are smooth and cold - dirt does not stick to them as readily as with cheaper steel. They hold an edge – you will not have to sharpen them as often. They do not rust and they look great. http://www.homehardware.ca/

3. Gardeners also love wildlife and colour. Consider a magazine subscription. (Gardens West or Canadian Gardening, National Geographic, Canadian Geographic, Outdoors Canada etc.)

4. Nature/garden calendars.

And if your gardening friends have everything that they could ever want for their garden, why not plant one for someone else, in their name! There are great Canadian charities that are providing the resources for less fortunate people all over the world to access tools, soil, water and seeds in an effort to feed themselves. Every gardener that I have ever met would relate to and appreciate such a gift. Go to http://www.shareagfoundation.org/ or http://www.worldvision.ca/.

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark

Choose the right Christmas Tree

2010-12-08T09:21:00.005-05:00

Just when you thought that life is not at all predictable, I come along with a morsel of information that shatters your illusion.

With Christmas little more than a couple of weeks away we are coming up to THE big weekend for Christmas tree sales. In fact, most Christmas tree sales will occur exactly 2 weekends prior to December 25th.

I know this based on more than a few years in the retail ‘Christmas tree’ business.

Which brings me to the most asked ‘gardening’ question this time of year, which is, “What is the best Christmas tree?”

It is a great question because not all Christmas trees are created (grown) equal and there are new varieties/species offered almost every year. I will get to that in a moment, but first a short speech in defense of the ‘plantation grown’ Christmas tree.

There are sincere but misguided people out there who will tell you that buying a Christmas tree is bad for the environment. The thinking goes like this: why would you cut a perfectly good tree down in the forest when it could continue to serve a purpose left standing there? Wildlife benefits from trees as does the environment (all of our oxygen, after all, is produced by the green living world around us).

IF we cut trees down in the forest for Christmas – trees that otherwise would stand for a long time naturally – I would agree with the above stated argument. But the truth is that no respectable retailers in Canada would sell cut Christmas trees that were cut from a natural stand of evergreen trees. Virtually all of the trees that are available for sale from nurseries, garden centres, retailers, Boy Scouts and church groups are ‘plantation grown’.

The truth about the Christmas tree that you buy:

It takes between 8 and 10 years to grow a good quality Christmas tree.

They are generally grown on marginally productive land to begin with. While growing they provide valuable protection and a home for a wide variety of wildlife including birds, deer, rodents and butterflies. Christmas trees sequester carbon and exhale pure, clean oxygen (like all other trees). They reduce soil erosion and filter air borne pollutants. They are not (generally) fertilized while in the field, and the use of pesticides seldom occurs and when it does, they are used judiciously (Christmas tree growers are not necessarily environmentalists, but the cost of pesticides alone discourages the practice of using them).

Now that we have established the benefits of supporting the Christmas tree growers of Canada (they are a net-export crop by the way), let’s look at the various qualities of the trees that are available:

Canadian Christmas trees: in order of my personal favourites:
Five *’s = very favourite
One * = poor choice.

Fraser Fir *****. Tall, straight, wonderful evergreen scent and above average needle retention. A traditional look. Soft needles: easy on the hands. I will put one of these in my home partly because they are easy to set up. Have you ever put up a Christmas tree that had a crooked trunk? It is a test of anyone’s good will and ‘Christmas spirit’. If I am ever visited by the ghost of Christmas past, I am sure that he will take me to that day in the garage when I tried putting a Scots pine into a 3 legged tree stand. Not a pretty picture.
Cost for a 7 foot: between $45 and $65.

Noble fir *****. Much like the Fraser Fir but with a wonderful silver tone to the underside of the needles.
Cost for a 7 foot: $50 to $90

Balsam ****. Great needle retention, straight trunk, nice scent. A maritime native. Only downside is the distance between branches is rather generous, giving the tree a thinner look than its’ Fir cousins. You will get fewer ornaments on a Balsam, but if the tree has been aggressively pruned on the farm it can thicken up quite nicely. The lower cost may encourage you to look for this one at your local supplier.
Cost for a 7 foot: $35 to $50.

Scots Pine ***. This was the #1 cut Christmas tree a generation ago. It was the tree that my Dad hauled home from the garden centre for our personal use for as many years as I can remember. The greatest advantage of the Scots Pine is that it has long needles that are stiff enough to hold up most any tree ornament. Also, it is densely branched, providing an excellent opportunity to load it up with lights and decorations. However, the trunk of the Scots Pine is seldom straight and never as straight as that of the Fraser Fir. It has reasonable needle retention, a gentle scent that is most intense when you first bring it into the house and the price is lower than any of the more popular trees.
Cost for a 7 foot: $30 to $45.

White spruce **. The very first Christmas tree, which, legend has it, was cut somewhere in Bavaria, Germany about 350 years ago, likely was a spruce of some kind. This gives us the ‘traditional’ shape that most of us associate with the Christmas tree. That is about the limit of features that the White Spruce has to recommend it.
It has poor needle retention, usually has wide gaps between branches (minimizing the opportunity for decorations and lights) and the scent is moderate.
Above all, I steer away from the White Spruce for the fire hazard that results from the dramatic needle drop.
If you live in the country and are cutting a spruce down on your own property, be sure not to bring it indoors until about 5 days before Christmas. And take it back outdoors a couple of days after Christmas. That way the ‘needle drop’ will not cause too much of a problem: like clogging up your vacuum cleaner.
Cost for a 7 foot: Cheap, if you can find them.

A couple of tips when choosing and preparing your tree for indoors:

1. Look for a tree with a straight trunk – anyone that has tried to put a crooked tree in a stand will tell you the same thing.
2. Look for bushiness that suits your space. Look for a tree that is the right height for the room you plan to put it in. You pay for height when you buy a tree – no use cutting off a foot or two!
3. Cut about 2 inches off of the bottom of the trunk the same day that you plan on putting the tree up. This opens up the capillaries in the tree, increasing its ability to take up water.
4. ALWAYS use a stand that holds water and make sure that you keep it topped up. This, more than anything else that you do will help the tree to hold its needles for the longest time possible.
5. When you dispose of your tree, leave it for the municipality to recycle OR place it in the garden, stand and all, until spring. In the mean time it will provide protection for visiting birds. I put mine within 20 ft of bird feeding stations.

Above all, take family and friends out for the tree selection experience and get the Christmas spirit stirred up well ahead of the big day!

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark Cullen

Christmas carols on the radio. Christmas carols in TV commercials.

2010-11-30T20:57:00.005-05:00

So, Christmas is in the air. And it is time to think of the gardeners on your Christmas list.
If you are a non gardener, have no fear. I am here to help guide you through the quagmire of gardeners’ gifts.
If you think of yourself as a gardener, I can give you some suggestions that will help you help the gift givers that are after you for your list.

First of all, let me help you do some thinking for yourself: when it comes to gardening gizmos: tools, equipment, supplies etc. you want to think about stuff that is not only useful but that:

A. lasts i.e. quality (because you want the receiver to be thinking good things about you while using the gift)

B. is useful (vs. say, a popular gardening tool like the Gold Digger, which often hangs in the tool shed until it ends up in a garage sale somewhere)

C. is of a certain nature that the gardener receiving it would not have purchased it themselves (e.g. a digital camera).

The digital camera is not such a bad idea, even for the person who already has one. I am thinking of the less expensive kind: a camera that is dedicated to garden use more-or-less exclusively. You would store this camera in your garage or even your tool shed (assuming that the roof doesn’t leak). It would be there for the ‘impulse shots’, just a few steps away from the rose that is flowering at its peak, the rare looking bird that just arrived on the feeder and (most importantly!) the light that is perfect – but only for a moment.
A gardener will put these photos into a special place, if only in a special ‘garden’ file on their computer, where they will think of you every time that they visit it.

Nothing gets more practical than a pair of hand pruners. Here, high quality goes a long way. Any gardener can tell you that using a cheap pair of pruners is hard on the hands: often they do not spring back into position after a cut, the blades will separate under moderate pressure and they will not hold an edge for long as the blade metal is cheap, just like the rest of it.

True, I have my own pair under the Mark’s Choice brand which is made by Corona: they have a reputation for excellent quality and a cutting edge that holds for a long time. But they, frankly, are second best. The very best hand pruners on the market are still made in Switzerland by Felco. When I had a nursery farm and 30 field workers, we outfitted every one of them with Felcos because they never (almost never) let us down.

Felco hand pruners are twice the price of Corona pruners. About $30 vs. $60 to $80. You are comparing the cost of a good quality garden tool that is designed and manufactured for the passionate gardener (Corona/Mark’s Choice) vs. the professional grade (Felco). Now you can make an intelligent choice. Visit http://www.homehardware.ca/ to view the Mark’s Choice/Corona pruners.
$10.
If you are looking for the $10 stocking stuffer for a gardener, I have a little secret: every gardener is human and as such, forgets what she planted where. Answer: aluminum plant markers.
I have about 300 of these on the go in my garden at any one time. Use a permanent nursery marker or a Sharpie to permanently mark perennials, roses and shrubs. You can stand on these things and the worst that will happen is you will bend them. If that happens, pull them out of the soil and bend them back with your gloved hands. I find that the names of my plants need to be re-written every two years or they do fade. This is a good thing as I have forgotten the plant name by then anyway and writing it down yet again reinforces the name in my forgetful mind. When I am through with the marker (i.e. the plant dies or I pull it out) I simply put the marker on my wire wheel in the shop and rub the printing out. Or you can use a solvent to do the same thing.

$15.
For anyone that loves gardens and trees: The Toronto Tree Portraits desktop Calendar.
Many of my blog readers are not from the Toronto region: I appreciate that. However, this calendar is unique and it celebrates the green spaces and heritage trees in one of the greatest cities in the world (arguably). You will love it.

You can order on line at www.torontoparksandtrees.org/portraits.htm.

$15
Book: A Sandbox of a Different Kind. [hardcover]
Personal reflections on the Canadian garden experience.
My 17th book, but my first ‘story book’. 52 short gardening stories based on the many Canadian gardeners that I have met, my own gardening experiences and some reflections on the stories told to me by my Dad. This book is light, refreshing and fun. And my kids say that if you read it you will sleep like a baby. Nice kids.

Available at Chapters/Indigo, independent book sellers and Home Hardware.

I’ll bring you some more Christmas gift suggestions in the coming weeks, but in the mean time, some reminders about your garden:

- It is not too late to protect valuable young fruit trees with a plastic spiral. This will prevent potential mice, rat and rabbit damage.

- Be sure to secure upright junipers and cedars with burlap. I find the ‘tensor’ type of burlap easiest to apply. In other words, you don’t have to invite a few friends over to help you wrap up your evergreen when you do this job.

- Water the plants under your house eve. All plants enjoy going into winter with moisture at their root zone.

Indoors: this is a great time to start an amaryllis bulb. Get it potted up now and in a sunny window and it will be in bud for Christmas. Maybe, with some luck, it will be in full flower for early in the New Year.

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark

The Best Time to Start Gift Buying

2010-11-23T18:47:00.004-05:00

"Seedsmen recon that their stock in trade is not seeds at all – it’s optimism.”
~ Geoff Hamilton

This week I would like to suggest a gift for the non-gardeners on your list – the kids.

There are little people all across the country who have not yet been introduced to the miracle of growing plants. Or the miracle of compost, but that is for another time.

Where kids are concerned, there can be no argument that an introduction to soil, water, sun and their collective effects on the plant world is in order. The younger the kid the better. If you have any doubt about the importance and – indeed – the relevance to the future of civilization and the earth generally, read the book ‘The Last Child in the Woods’ by Richard Louve.

In his landmark book he explains how a whole generation of youngsters now suffer from a malady that he calls ‘nature deficit disorder’. This disconnection of the human species from the natural world around us is creating an attitude that we are somehow not a part of it – nature, that is. And with that attitude comes a whole wheelbarrow load of problems that I won’t get into right here – remember, this blog is about engaging kids in the gardening experience.

So, to the list:

1. Make it easy – start an amaryllis or a handful of paperwhites. These easy to grow bulbs are so easy that you don’t even need soil to get results. Amaryllis will produce two or three stems about 40 cm high and 4 or 5 flowers per stem. ‘Spectacular’ might describe them when in bloom.
2. Paper whites are almost as much fun. Members of the narcissus/daffodil family, these miniatures grow almost as aggressively as the amaryllis – the main difference is that the flowers are smaller and they smell funny. Some would say that they smell sweet – which is an understatement and the reason why I think that they smell funny.
3. Flower seeds. Soil. Starting tray/cell packs. When you buy flower seeds for the first time gardener, make them ‘easy to grow’ and as fool proof as you can. Sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, marigolds and calendula are about as foolproof as they come. Be sure to offer a chart of ‘seed sowing times’ so that they are started early enough that they are ready for the garden come planting time.
4. A small shovel, rake, or trowel. Nothing like a shiny new tool to claim the gardening experience for yourself. Home Hardware has the line up of small, wooden handled stainless steel digging tools that are suitable for medium sized kids, say, 6 years or older.
5. A tree. The best way to give a tree at Christmas is to give a gift card to your local gardening retailer with a picture of the tree that you have in mind. Or give them a gardening catalogue with a post-it note in the tree page.
6. If the kids on your list do not have access to the real estate to plant a tree, I suggest that you plant one in Africa (www.worldvision.com) or in public space in an urban area (http://www.torontotreesandparks.com/). A message to this effect in a Christmas card works nicely.
7. Membership in a local botanical garden (Montreal, Toronto, Burlington – ‘Royal Botanical Gardens’) – or a local ‘kids gardening program’ – go to the website of your local horticultural society for details.
8. A few hours of your time, in the garden, with seeds and soil. Come spring there is ample opportunity to get down on your hands and knees with your kid – or someone else’s kid – and sow seeds or plant transplants. What could be more rewarding for you?

As I think about it, this would be a great gift FROM a kid to his/her parents/grandparents/aunt or uncle… a couple of hours in the garden ‘helping’.

You can take it from there…….

More to come.

Keep your knees dirty.

Mark

A Last Minute Chance to Invest in a Fabulous Spring.

2010-11-17T11:53:00.006-05:00

For over 50 years our family owned and ran a small chain of retail garden centres in Toronto. ‘Weall and Cullen’ was what my Dad ‘did’ when I was a kid. It was, like so many family businesses in this land, what we ate, drank and breathed as an entire family for so much of the year.

So it came as no surprise when Dad showed up sometime just before Christmas with a bunch of unsold tulips in the trunk of his Chevy. He called them ‘excess inventory’ otherwise known as waste, had he not put them to good use.

Which brings me to this: today there is ‘excess inventory at your local garden retailer in the form of spring flowering bulbs. I am here to save you money, help you to create a fabulous garden and encourage you to use what remaining time there is left before the winter sets in for earnest….. That is, as long as you can dig the soil, there is potential for a great spring. Cheap.

Do all spring flowering bulbs produce when planted this late?

No. I discourage the planting of daffodils and narcissus beyond Thanksgiving. You will notice that the remaining bulbs of this ilk are often not very firm when squeezed. If they are dry and soft, they are blanks. Nothing good will come of them.
Even if they do have what I call ‘viability’ they will likely rot in the ground because there just isn’t enough time for them to put down the roots that they need before the hard freeze up.

You dummy – where I live the frost is in the ground and the snow is on it!!

If you live in the great white north or the great Canadian prairie, I understand that you may well be under some of our famous snow.
That does not mean that the tulips for sale at a remarkable price at your local retailer are no good. Bring them home and put them in pots filled with quality potting mix and put them in a cold area…. About 8 to 10 degrees C works great. Water them from time to time, keeping the soil only moist and not ‘wet’ and wait for the growth to begin to poke through the soil surface.

Bring these upstairs into the living area of your home where it is warm – one or two pots at a time so that they do not bloom all at once.
Give them away at Christmas. Your family will think that YOU were the one born with the green thumb. Your friends will spread very complimentary rumours about your generosity and about how clever you are.

How 'bout crocus, Scylla, grape hyacinths and the like? Will they grow and bloom if I plant this late?

Yes, likely. But tulips – ALL tulips – are foolproof in this regard.
Seems that they don’t need the time in the fall to put down roots: they will do this come spring as the ground eventually thaws (remember that it does not thaw in one day……).

What kinds of tulips are best?

Chances are that the pickings at your retailer will be so slim about now, that it you won’t have much choice. However, I like the early flowering Darwin Hybrids best of all. They give the best early show. Early flowering bulbs provide colour for an extended period of time as they are blooming during the cool part of the season. The cooler the weather (to a point) the longer the blooms last.
This works in reverse, of course, for late blooming bulbs.

Do I need special soil?

Not really: just well drained soil. If your soil is heavy with clay, add lots (50% by volume) of sharp sand to improve the drainage and do not plant as deeply as you would normally.

Do I need to feed bulbs this time of year?

Fact is, all of the goodness that a bulb needs to bloom and please come spring is right in the bulb itself. However, there are two special products that do provide nutrition to the bulb when it is needed most: when the bulb has finished blooming and the foliage is building up the roots for the upcoming season of blooms.
These two products are:
- bone meal
- Holland Bulb Booster (http://www.vigoro.on.ca/)

Drive over to your favourite bulb supplier this weekend and see for yourself… and check out the selection of Amaryllis bulbs which just arrived. Once again, the newest and the best selection is available early in the selling season.

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark
http://www.markcullen.com/

Nature tells us everything.

2010-11-10T13:26:00.004-05:00

Last week I remarked that I had not taken many ‘walks in the woods’ this autumn as I had hoped.
This weekend I began to right the situation.
Mary and I walked to the back of the farm, about a kilometer, to have a look at the small hardwood bush that we have standing back there. I had been cutting up a fallen green ash tree that was 97 years old, as per the number of rings that I counted. Wow. That is a lot of struggling to push through the undergrowth and reaching past its’ fellow hardwood trees for sunlight.
Not to mention that it survived the rigors of wind, thunder and rain, ice and squirrels (just thought that I would throw that in). I believe that the old ash has earned a special place in my woodpile, where it will fuel the fires of our air-tight stove this winter on many a cold evening.

So, we think we know something about competition.
Well, if the trees in the forest could only talk, eh?

We had the large trees on our 10 acre garden fertilized this past week. Jim Mastin of Noble Tree Service remarked that the mulch that my guy Rudy had mounded around the base of the trees was a few inches too deep. You can actually smother a tree to death by covering up the bottom couple of inches of bark on the main trunk.

“Look at what Mother Nature does in the forest, if you want to know how to mulch trees. Note that the leaves on the ground never extend past the flare of the root at the base of the tree” he said.

Standing in our small bush we could see that he is dead on.

This reminds me of something that I have heard and repeated many times, while talking about the principles of great gardening: When in doubt, look to Mother Nature for the answers.

On another topic, I was in Shediac, New Brunswick 2 years ago, about this time, with CTV and Home Hardware. We were celebrating the new backyard improvements of Wilt and Andree: the winners of the $50,000 Ultimate Backyard Makeover contest that we ran last spring.
It is amazing what $50,000 can buy you in outdoor improvements. The winners chose to include an extended deck made of a new composite cedar/plastic material that will never need painting, does not require nails or surface screws and is guaranteed for 25 years. Cool.

The backyard makeover also included a new gazebo, otherwise known as the ‘west nile room’ as it is completely mosquito free. It has electrical service, insulation and double glazed windows too. It is really a ‘3 season’ room. And a great ‘doghouse’ for Wilf for those days when his beloved needs a wide berth. Don’t get me wrong, Wilf seems like a very nice guy and Andree a delightful person who, I am sure is very easy to get along with. But I have learned in 28 years of marriage that we all need our space, from time to time.

I was reminded while in Shediac, where old man winter is inching closer, faster than he is at my home in Stouffville, Ont. Now is the ideal time of year to protect your young fruit trees from rodent damage with one meter long plastic spirals. The enemy in this case consists of mice, rabbits and rats that will find a meal of tree bark on an apple, pear, peach or you name it, including many ornamental trees like crabapples are quite tasty come mid winter.
These critters will get so desperate for sustenance come January that the bark of a tree that is 5 years or younger is mighty tempting indeed. Put your spirals on before the snow seriously gets going in your area.

Upright evergreens need protection from wind and sun. Wrap up in two layers of burlap. Or the newly redesigned Mark’s Choice Mummy Wrap at Home Hardware. (item# 5094-519)

A reminder that rhododendrons and yews (taxus) need to be protected from wind and sun too. The burlap treatment is useful, plus I recommend that you spray them with an anti-desiccant called ‘Wiltpruf’. (item# 5097-806)

Also, this is a good time to feed the birds, if you are not already doing it. Who, after all, does not have an unused bird feeder in the garage or basement? Get to it now, while you still have a chance to influence the choice of feeding stations that your neighbourhood song birds will frequent come mid winter.
Yes, our fine feathered friends are creatures of habit, much like ourselves.
You won’t regret your decision when the snow is lying hip-deep.

Have you winterized your roses yet? A reminder (yes, I mentioned this last week) to get to it before the Grey Cup game, if only to reward yourself by settling down into the couch with a beverage of choice while watching whoever smash up someone else whose name you do not know, unless of course you were watching the CFL before the final game of the season. The point is that wasting some time in front of the tube is your reward for doing something useful in the garden when it is generally not very tempting to be out there doing physical work.

Note that the snow has not really fallen in earnest (i.e. it hasn’t stuck to the ground much) in most parts of the country. You have the opportunity to look out of the window of your favourite room in the house and observe the space in your imagination. Take some snap shots of it in your mind as you imagine how it will look come spring. And summer. And for years to come. Imagine a sequence of colour from one end of the gardening season to the other. Imagine bird song and butterflies. Imagine entertaining guests, “Oh yes, it was nothing really. Just years of planning, digging, weeding, deadheading, extravagant expense and the divorce over it all was just a bump in the road.”
o.k. – don’t get carried away with this.

Just remember the rule, “Look to Mother Nature for cues.”
It works every time.

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-11-03T08:34:00.006-04:00

Christmas is only a few weeks away and they will be playing this song ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year’ on the radio until we are very glad that December 26th has rolled around.

I argue that THIS is the most wonderful time of the year because of another miracle: compost.

You may think that I am nuts and you would not be alone. Join the line up right over here behind my kids. Truth is, I am not alone either.

Talk to my friend Lorraine Johnson, with whom I co-wrote a book called The Real Dirt, The Complete Guide to Composting in Canada. It is out of print, but is still used in some post secondary schools as text for the subject. Lorraine is a passionate composter.

So is my friend Susan Antler. She is the executive director of the Composting Council of Canada and while she is very enthusiastic by nature, she reserves her greatest output of exuberance for the subject of composting. http://www.compost.org/

Yes, we are out there. The crazy composting community stretches far and wide across this great land.
So, it is fitting that you do two things this time of year to celebrate the great composting season:
#1. Empty your composter if you have not done it since last fall.
#2. Fill it again.

Empty it.

When you remove the composted material from your composting unit (or pile…) be sure NOT to spread it like salt and pepper all over your yard. Compost is not a condiment. It is the meat in the sandwich. It provides the lifeblood for all plant life in your garden by feeding the micro organisms that support the perennials, annuals, vegetables etc. that you plant out there.

I spread finished compost 3 to 5 cm thick (1 to 2 inches) all over my garden this time of year. In most cases this means that the contents of your composting unit will not go very far. That is o.k. as you can buy more or spread next years’ compost supply over another part of your yard next fall.

Fill it.

Put a shovel full of finished compost in the bottom of the composter. This will help to ‘get the party started’ - in other words, the beneficial bacteria in the compost will initiate the decomposition process.
‘Layer’ your compost beginning with a thick layer (10 to 15 cm, scrunched down) of ‘brown stuff’ – fallen leaves is the #1 brown stuff of choice. You can use shredded newspaper if leaves are scarce in your area.
Next layer is ½ as thick of ‘green stuff’. Finished tomato plants, annuals, grass clippings or kitchen scraps will do the trick.
Continue to alternate a thick layer of ‘brown’ with a ½ layer of ‘green’, pushing the contents into the composting unit as you go to maximize the volume in it.
Add water as you go….. It is only in the presence of moisture that decomposition takes place. Pity the poor people in the desert that try this….
Add Green Earth Compost Accelerator (www.greenearth.ca) every 2 to 3 layers to speed up the decomposition process.
If your composter has a lid, put it on the unit but only if you have pre-moistened the contents! Remember, dry stuff just sits there! If your composter does not have a lid, no worries. I don’t really get the point of the lid anyway, except that it ‘neatens’ up the look of the unit.

Siting your compost.

Position your compost in as much sun as possible and close to the kitchen door, for convenience. You can add compost all winter long, regardless of where you live in Canada. While it will freeze solid in most regions, it will also thaw in time and when it does, the greatest decomposition occurs. The frost ‘rips and tears’ the cell structure of the organics that you place there: the warmth of spring will activate the ‘good guys’ that do the breaking down of the works.

What to put in: Anything organic, providing that it is NOT any of the following:
- meat or meat byproducts
- cat and dog droppings (or any meat eater, for that matter)
- dairy products
- wood, bark, metal or plastic
- weeds that have gone to seed (though, I break this rule all of the time)

The Foot Soldiers arrive!!

Back to the beginning: when you spread finished compost over the surface of your garden you encourage earthworms to come up and pull the compost down into the soil. They eat this stuff; convert it into organic, nitrogen rich earthworm castings that feed the soil. Earthworms also open up the soil, allowing oxygen to flow to the root zone of your plants. (Note: all plants need oxygen at their roots.)

And finally, there is the wonder and awe of watching what WAS something recognizable, like leaves, banana peels and grass clippings, convert into the most useful soil additive ever created. Your plants thrive: they grow faster, resist insects and disease and they produce flowers and fruit like never before. They are happy.

And all you did was organize ‘waste material’ into a pile or composting unit and wait.

THAT is the miracle of compost.

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark

http://www.markcullen.com/

Frost is on the Pumpkins

2010-10-27T06:35:00.006-04:00

Well the frost is on the pumpkins now…. The girl at the gas station said that they are calling for snow in Ottawa.
Note to self: contact brother Peter in Kanata and give him a hard time.

Our home in Stouffville Ontario (about one hour north of Toronto) is not immune from the ravages of an early winter.

Snow may be cold and it may remind us of Christmas, but for gardeners it is a great motivator to get those things done that we have been putting off.

The good news is that the first few snow falls generally don’t last. Thank goodness for temperatures above freezing. This is the redemption that nature sends our way after reminding us that winter is coming.

I had been putting off planting the rest of my spring flowering bulbs….. Tulips and crocus are finally put to bed. I would recommend that you do the same, even though technically you can wait with the tulip planting until Christmas. This is only true if you can dig a hole. If the ground is frozen, my experience tells me that you will have trouble.

This is a great week to wrap your upright evergreens. Junipers will benefit from a double layer –one to prevent sun burn (which usually occurs at the end of winter) another to break the wind. No, not that wind. The north and west wind that dries out the foliage and turns it brown. Check out the new Mark’s Choice ‘Mummie Wrap’ for this purpose at Home Hardware (item #5094-519). We improved on the original product by making the width broader.

Broad Leafed Plants.

Same advice for yews and (if you are lucky enough to have any) rhododendrons.
Apply a coat of ‘Wilt-Pruf’ (sorry for the spelling but it is an American product so we don’t need to take credit for some marketing person attempting to be clever here in Canada). This stuff really does work by insulating the moisture inside of the foliage of evergreens while still allowing the foliage to breathe. Wilt-Pruf is effective on boxwood too. And it makes a great Christmas tree preservative. Available at independent garden centres and Home Hardware (item #5097-806).

Fruit trees are very susceptible to rodent damage over winter. Think rats, mice and rabbits primarily. The best deterrent (and easiest to deal with) is to wrap a spiral plastic trunk protector from the bottom up. When you buy these get the biggest ones as the snow can mound deep and rabbits can stand on their hind legs if they really want to make a meal of your fruit tree bark.

Fruit trees only need rodent protection for the first 5 to 7 years or until the circumference of the trunk is about 8 to 10 cm thick. They are not interested in mature bark, just the young stuff.

I know that I have reminded you recently that this is the most important time of year for applying a good quality lawn fertilizer but it IS important. So, this is another reminder.

Indoors I wish to note that the new amaryllis crop is in. Yes, you can find all kinds of great looking amaryllis at garden centres and of course some hardware stores.
The best way to tell if you are buying a good quality amaryllis bulb is to look at the measure of its circumference. If the package indicates that it is smaller than a 26 cm bulb you are buying a small one and you will get small results. Fewer blooms, smaller blooms.

A ‘top sized’ amaryllis bulb is 27cm or bigger. More blooms: bigger blooms. Look for the new top sized Mark’s Choice Amaryllis at Home Hardware (item# 5029-303 red, 5029-304 striped). And yes, you can buy cheaper amaryllis elsewhere: that is not the point. Our competition who sell the undersized bulbs do not have customers sending them pictures of 3 stem plants loaded with up to 12 blooms…. I do.
Keep in mind that there some excellent varieties of amaryllis that are worthy of growing that are small by nature. Look them over and note that many of them are quite expensive (a really large amaryllis or one that is rare can run you $15 to $25).

If you are looking for a broad selection of truly exotic amaryllis go to http://www.gardenimport.com/ and look over Dugald Cameron’s offerings. His bulbs always inspire me.

Christmas Presents!

I buy about 20 amaryllis this time of year and pot them up in new clay pots. I then put them in the basement and water them. It is cool down there and they are slow to grow. Which is what I want as most of them will end up as Christmas gifts. Great for a house warming and much longer lasting than a bottle of wine (though less intoxicating). Your hosts will think of you all winter; mostly in a good way as the show lasts for up to 6 weeks. Late in the winter a lazy gardener may wish that you would just show up and take it away as the leaves are not the most attractive thing. But that is a minor point.

For the ambitious reader I will tell you how to re-bloom your amaryllis in a later blog. Stay tuned.

Much ,much more to come. Gardening is the song that never ends… the tune just keeps changing.

Keep your knees dirty and remember that it ain’t over yet out of doors…even for Prairie gardeners.

Mark
http://www.markcullen.com/

Perennials: Some you cut down, some you leave standing.

2010-10-21T12:23:00.004-04:00

The questions about what to cut down in your perennial garden and what to leave standing just keep coming.
I think that we need a ‘rule of thumb’ or something – a guide – so that when you are out there in your garden you can make an intelligent decision, “THIS is getting its head cut off, and this one will stand for the winter.”

Here is the best ‘guide’ that I can come up with:
IF it has a seed head on it that is mature or has not yet matured (one that birds might enjoy chowing down on) – leave it standing.
IF it has a rigid stem and will not blow over in winter winds – leave it standing.
IF it is an ornamental grass (Calamagrostis, Miscanthus, etc.) leave it standing.

However:
IF it has floppy foliage that has already turned yellow or brown and looks poorly in your garden – cut it back and throw the leaves into your compost (e.g. daylilies and peonies).
IF it is ugly and you don’t like the look of it – cut it back.
IF the birds have had their time with the seed heads and there are no seeds left (like with many of my Echinacea) cut it back.
I am including this picture of my front yard as an illustration of what I decided to cut back and not….. Notice that ALL of the Shasta Daisies were cut back to about 5 cm. Some of the blue Veronica was cut back because it was full of an aggressive clematis – gone wild! – And I wanted to comb it out before winter. Other Veronica was left standing because it has seed heads on it that the birds will like.
Truth is there is no harm to cutting herbaceous perennials back to the ground or leaving them standing. I like some left upright for the winter for winter interest. Yes, the snow will fall on them instead of all of it falling on the ground and that can be interesting. Right now you may be thinking that that does not sound too attractive. But you have forgotten how desperate we Canadians become when winter really hits home.

Believe me – we are the people who escape from the indoors at the first sign of spring to hose down the driveway (the garden still has snow on it) and this feels like a trip to Florida.

The only danger of leaving them flat to the ground come spring is that they can rot there and can encourage the same thing to move through the crown or root structure of the plant.

For the most part Mother Nature takes care of the thing.

We are not all that far away from trick-or-treat time and you will likely be acquiring a pumpkin.

This is good. For one, the pumpkin is now our 7th most popular agricultural table crop and farmers need the money. Not that long ago pumpkins were hardly on the radar.

The odd thing is that many Canadians (dare I say, urban ones?) don’t view the pumpkin as a ‘food’ crop at all. I think that many actually believe that it is just another disposable commodity, like disposable diapers and Dixie cups. Truth is a pumpkin is 99% water.

So tell me, why is it that so many of us leave the pumpkin out for the trash pick up, like so much ‘garbage’?

Here is a much better idea: put it in your compost pile or your bin. Cut it up to make it ‘break down’ faster and it will take up much less room there.

Don’t have a compost? O.k. – just leave it on the surface of the soil – anywhere! – But not where the kids will be tempted to pick it up and throw it on the road.

Frost will come and it will go. We will get some thaws and then more frost. Your pumpkin will melt – before your eyes! - And you will be left with a thin – VERY thin – layer of orange pumpkin skin on the soil. You can dig this in come spring or break it up with a hoe.

That is it! You have saved some water from being dumped in the land fill (think of the trucking costs that you will save!) and your soil will be marginally better off for it.

Short list of things to do in the garden:
- Fertilize your lawn – this is the most important application of the year. Use a slow release nitrogen product for best results.
- Cut your lawn (maybe for the last time!) about 2 ½ inches or 6 cm high.
- Dig your carrots, leeks, left over potatoes etc. and store in bushel baskets ½ full of pure, dry sand. Put in your basement or fruit cellar.
- Yank out your annuals and finished veggie plants like tomatoes. Put them in your composter or compost pile.
- Plant Holland tulips and crocus.
- Prune cedar hedges.
- Begin thinking about winterizing your roses that are not of the ‘shrub’ type. Hybrid Teas, Grandifloras, Floribundas etc. will need about 50 cm (1 ½ feet) of fresh triple mix piled up from the bottom. If you live on the Prairies, now is a good time to do this. In central Canada and the Maritimes the best time is just before the Grey Cup game – the game is your reward for doing the job!
- Clean and sharpen your lawn mower before you put it away.

More next week folks!
Enjoy the harvest season ….. We can see the end of it on the horizon so get out and breathe deep!

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark

A Final Fall Checklist as Winter Approaches

2010-10-14T08:53:00.004-04:00

Here in my zone 5 garden we have turned a significant page in the gardening year. Last night we experienced our first killing frost. Luckily I put bed sheets over my tropicals: the hibiscus will bloom another day. The bananas are not so lucky as they are too big to drape sheets over them. The frost has done some damage but nothing permanent, according to Rudy, my right hand man. He is a native of the island of Grenada and knows his bananas. By next spring they will be good as new, he tells me. All of this activity draws to our attention the fact that we are well into the autumn season, regardless of what growing zone you happen to live in. That means that we need to be thinking of the jobs that are ahead of us that must be done before the really cold winter arrives. Winter (oh how I hate to use the ‘w’ word already!) is a wall for gardeners: miss the deadline that it conveniently provides and bingo, your garden is susceptible to goodness knows what. Rabbits, mice, frost, freeze/thaw cycles. They play their role in challenging the gardener to sharpen our focus on the issues that really matter.
- Putting the spiral plastic collars on young fruit trees to protect them from rodent damage.
- Spraying the broad-leafed evergreens with Wiltpruf (an anti-desiccant) to prevent the drying effects of winter wind.
- Fertilizing your lawn for the last time with CIL Winterizer (the most important application of the year).
- Sharpening the lawn mower, cleaning out the cutting deck and changing the oil: draining it of gas, after the last cut.
- Wiping down all of your digging and cutting tools with an oily cloth.
- Finally (I leave this to the end) hilling up the roses for winter to prevent damage from freeze/thaw cycles.

All of this provides a gentle reminder that now is a great time to plant spring colour in the form of spring flowering bulbs. Don’t do it now and you could be in for a dull early spring. Do it now and the colour that results will put a spring in your step, a smile on your face; it will lighten your burden and remind you that winter was just a necessary stop in our annual journey around the calendar. Without it we would not appreciate the beauty of spring nearly so much.
Keep your knees dirty.

Mark

http://www.markcullen.com/

2010-10-05T21:13:00.003-04:00

No one could have predicted 5 years ago where the ‘local food’ movement would go. Or that there would even be a ‘local food movement’! For Canadian gardeners the idea of eating food that is grown within 100 miles/kilometers or meters from home is very exciting. Perhaps the very message of eating locally grown fruits and veggies is preaching to the choir – but in any case – gardeners are fully on board, you can be sure.

The benefits of eating locally produced food cannot be overstated: generally fewer chemicals (or none at all!) are needed to produce great food that does not have to endure long distances to get to market, it tastes better, is better for you and it supports the local economy.

I might add that growing your own food is a great way to bring people together too. It is a poorly kept secret that gardeners are generous with information. Ask an experienced gardener how to grow most anything and you will gain the benefit of his or her knowledge without prodding. Conversation flows between gardeners with a shared interest in food gardening. In short you could say that the activity of gardening cures shyness!

As you gather round the Thanksgiving table next week, give the abundance of Canadian gardens some thought.

And be thankful that we live in a country where our soil and climate generally lends itself to feeding the nation. Right from our own backyards.

As we focus on the harvest and the success of our crop

s, let us not forget the beauty of these edible plants. Growing food plants in the garden provides us with sustenance – to be sure. But have you thought about feeding the soul with food plants? Put another way, the ‘look’ of food plants can provide an appearance that draws people into your garden just as a flowering shrub or flowering perennial can. Truth is, there is a lot of colour in the new Swiss Chard varieties that anyone will find attractive. Not to mention the textured blue leaves of a Savoy Cabbage (how are they any different from a large leafed Hosta, from this point of view?), the fine leaves of a carrot could be mistaken for a fern (in the sun, no less!), the flowers of your runner beans are as ornamental as a clematis, when you get down to it.

You get the point.

Of course, this is coming from a guy who prefers to travel the back roads of the country vs. highways so that I can get a look at many of the fine vegetable gardens on Canadian farms and rural properties. To me, the straight rows of edibles equal the vision of a flowering perennial garden. The look is different, to be sure. But given that much of the food that we eat comes from the garden, our appreciation for the sight of it should be deeper.

Mark Cullen

Goodbye September, Hello Fall!

2010-09-30T08:19:00.005-04:00

Any semblance of ‘summer’ is about to slip between the tines of my manure fork. September is on its way out the garden gate and I still have lots that I want to do in the garden. For one, I have not started to plant any fall ‘Holland’ bulbs. And I am not worried.

There is about 6 weeks in my zone 5 garden to wrap things up before the winter wind blows and I batten down the hatches for 4 months of bad hockey (you guessed it, I am a Leafs fan!). For the next month and a half I have to move quickly to get all the stuff done that I want to do out there in the yard and garden: time to make a list.

For this week:
- Get a start on bulb planting. Daffodils and narcissus like to be planted ‘early’ in the fall season vs. hyacinths and tulips which are simply not very fussy about when you plant them. When my Dad was a garden retailer he would bring home all of the left over tulips the week before Christmas and they reliably put on a great show come spring.

- If you have been feeding the hummingbirds, be sure to bring in and wash out your feeders after the first frost as you do not want to encourage the little hummers to stick around.
- Pick the remaining tomatoes and put them in a cool, well ventilated place. Notice that I did not say put them on the kitchen window sill: though, that would be fine if you want a convenient place to inspect them daily. They will ripen faster up there, to be sure. But be sure to save some for eating later – the later you can enjoy them the more you will enjoy them.
- Peppers, basil, corn and beans need to be harvested before the first frost.
- Brussels sprouts (you can actually eat these?) ‘improve’ with frost as does savory cabbage, leeks and most ‘brassicas’ – i.e. ‘gassy’ vegetables.
- Plant trees, shrubs and evergreens now. Such a great time of year to do it! They put down roots this time of year to support new growth come spring and often you will find good quality stock on sale as retailers like to move their plants now.

- Build a deck, stain the tool shed, etc. Before it gets too cold and wet.
- Mulch perennials and shrubs with bark mulch to protect them over the winter. A 5 or 6 cm layer over the roots will do the trick.
- If you have finished compost in your composter now is a great time of year to clean it out and spread the compost on the surface of the soil of your veggie or flower garden. No need to dig it in as the earth worms will do that for you before you plant next spring.
- Prepare to fill the composter with 4/5 fallen/shredded leaves and 1/5 ‘green’ stuff like the finished tomato plants and petunias and the like. This will get the microbial activity going.

That should do it for the week. Next week we can begin thinking about what to do with the fallen leaves, the cut down perennials (if you are cutting them down at all), the finished annuals, etc. I will explain.

In the mean time enjoy the temperature and the wonderful ‘harvest’ time of year. Visit a local farmers market and buy up lots of produce while it is cheap to store at home.

Until then, keep your knees dirty.

Mark

http://www.markcullen.com/

Home for the Harvest

2010-09-22T09:01:00.000-04:00

“Seeds men reckon that their stock in trade is not seeds at all – it’s optimism”
~ Geoff Hamilton

Autumn breezes. Autumn frost.

A few ‘blogs’ ago I talked about all of the wonderful, redeeming features of the ‘harvest’ month in the Canadian garden.

You must think I am nuts.

Soon it will be Thanksgiving weekend and the kids are home from University and we are going to enjoy the finest turkey since, well, since last Thanksgiving.

Giving thanks for the bounty of our great land is reason enough to talk about the harvest. Let’s start with the frost tender stuff:

Tomatoes
Peppers
Cucumbers
Eggplant and the like.

If you are lucky enough to have some ripened ‘fruit’ in your veggie garden, you would be well advised to go pick it. Now. Don’t even finish this blog. If you don’t pick it and use it right away the birds will. Or it will rot.

Pick the unripe fruits too.
Immature peppers? They are just as good as the big ones, only smaller. Better still, ‘can’ them or ‘put them up’ in mason jars

Small cucumbers? Pickle them.
Egg plants? Mix with your ripe tomatoes for fabulous pesto sauce. BBQ them.

As for the frost ‘hardy’ stuff, no panic.

But truth is your winter squash, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots etc. have reached their peek. There is little advantage to putting off the harvest now.

What to do with:

Carrots: as winter draws close dig all of the keepers and ‘replant’ in bushel baskets 2/3 full of clean, sharp sand (not beach sand) put in your garage until hard freezeup, using them as you please. Before they freeze hard in the damp sand, place them in the coolest part of your basement.

Potatoes: Cool storage (14 – 18 degrees C) dark and dry. The cold cellar seldom works as it is too damp.

Cabbage and Kale: cool as you can get it: without freezing. Your garage or shed works until hard frost occurs, when you will move them into the cellar. Keep your eye on them for signs of rot… roll them over every week to keep the bottom side from rotting.

Onions. Braid them if you can. Place in a cool, dark and dry place. Hanging them works best of all.

Leeks. Actually improve in flavour with late frost. Dig soon though, to avoid rotting. Either make potato/leek soup for the freezer or just puree the leeks for later use with potatoes. Store in the freezer.

There is a theme here – ‘cellar’ or ‘basement’. This is your autumn work out. As you go up and down those steps be sure to give thanks. We live in the greatest country on earth. If there is any doubt, imagine life without a harvest.

Eat well. Stay well.

And keep your knees dirty.

Mark
www.markcullen.com

Save money, save the planet: save seeds!

2010-09-15T08:28:00.006-04:00

You planted them. You watered and nurtured them to maturity. Now, why not harvest them?

This is the best time of year to collect seeds from your favourite plants: clean them, sort them and save them for planting next year. For many of the plants in your garden, this is easy and great fun.

Annuals that will reproduce nicely from seed gathered from your garden include zinnias, many marigolds, portulaca (which self-sows at my place!), cosmos, 4 o’clock, euphorbia, some nicotiana, sunflowers and virtually all of the large seeded varieties that are not hybrids. The hybridized annuals that you planted this spring will not reproduce true in colour or growth habit to their parent plant. However, sometimes the results are interesting!

Vegetables that produce well from garden seed include beans, tomatoes, peas: most all ‘large seeded’ plants. The ‘hybrid rule’ mentioned above still applies.

My favourite perennials from garden seed include the native Echinacea, some rudbeckia, Russian Sage, Bee Balm (Monarda) and, once again, most of the large seeded plants that are not hybridized.

What to do:

1. Let them mature. The whole reason – the ONLY reason from the plants’ point of view – that a plant produces a bloom is to produce seed. And the only reason that it produces seed is to reproduce. It is a basic law of nature: plants, like animals, have an inherent need to multiply or, at least, to perpetuate the species.

2. Remove when dry. After the seed has dried (and before the birds eat it), remove the seed head (the finished blossom) from the plant and bring it indoors. Remove the seeds from the seed head or pod and place them on a screen or in a ceramic saucer. Do not use a paper towel as they will stick to it.

3. Place is a sunny window for 7 to 10 days.

4. Put the seed in an envelope, label it carefully (don’t skip this step or you will regret it next season…) and place in a tightly sealed jar.

5. Store in a cold cellar or in the veggie crisper in your fridge.

6. Most perennial seeds can be stored for a long time in the freezer. I do not recommend this for annual or vegetable seeds, though you can experiment with some and you may be surprised at the germination rate of the ‘frozen’ ones come spring.

How do you know when seed is ‘viable’ (will germinate)?

Place a few seeds in a glass of water and let stand over night. The seeds that are floating in the morning are the duds, the ones on the bottom of the glass are the viable ones. You can also do this experiment with pre-moistened paper towel by rolling the seeds up in the towel, keeping it wet for 7 to 10 days and unrolling it to see how many have germinated.

The ‘germination test’ is a good way of determining the % of seeds that will grow and therefore how densely you should sow them come late winter/early spring.

You can learn more at http://www.markcullen.com/, www.primalseeds.org/seedsaving and www.seedsave.org/issi/issi

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark
http://www.markcullen.com/

Grasses, Cosmos and the BEST time of year in the Garden!

2010-09-07T13:17:00.004-04:00

Breathtaking. This morning in the garden was just unbelievable.

As I poured fresh rain water (we had lots over the weekend) into a bucket for my morning ritual... watering our 25 chickens, picking up the Toronto Star at the end of the lane... I was dumbfounded by the appearance of light fog over the property. The sun was not quite up over the trees on the east side of our property, the sunflowers not quite conscious of a dawning day.
No wind.
I saw one of our hummingbirds, yes the one of the many that my wife Mary is fed up of me pointing out: I saw one of them hovering over a hosta, ready to pounce on some nectar.

A snapshot of a gardening season in progress... on the high side of middle age, I would say (the garden, not me!). I feel that way because the ornamental grasses are tasseling (or, flowering). This is a sign that summer is nearing its end and autumn is pulling up from behind with its own surprises.

I don’t know why we don’t see more ornamental grasses in Canadian gardens. Just when you return from your summer vacation or cottage, the kids go back to school, the evening air turns cool and morning dew gets so heavy that you really need rubber boots to go for an early walk: this is the time of year that gardeners should reward themselves with some real action in the garden. Ornamental grasses deliver.

My two berms feature 150 Maiden Grass, Miscanthus Sinensis ‘Rotsilber’. I planted them 5 years ago this fall from one gallon pots. They have grown 20 fold, as near as I can determine. And they are so thick that I hardly have to weed them any more.

There are so many gorgeous ornamental grasses to choose from.

The ones that come back each year are available in generous numbers. Look for Sea Oats, Chasmanthium latifolium for a unique look that matures at about one meter high. Or Feather Reed Grass, Calamagrostis acutififlora ‘Karl Forester’ which was the 2001 Perennial Plant of the Year. I have a bunch of these down by the pond. They grow to 1 ½ meters high and behave themselves.

These are just a few of my favourites… there are many more. Take a look at your local retailer and keep two things in mind - you are looking for a variety that is winter hardy in your area AND (this is most important!) ones that Do NOT travel…. Some of these rascals are very aggressive.
Like Ribbon Grass, Phalaris arundinacea. My sister Sue fell in love with this colourful, easy to care for grass and gave it away to unsuspecting friends and neighbours. She was an ornamental-grass-goodwill-machine for about 4 years. Then it dawned on her and others that she had been giving away a weed.
In time she did the only respectable thing, and moved out of town.

Don’t make the Sue mistake.

Keep in mind that all ornamental grasses need sun. The more the better. (Just one reason why they love the prairies!)

People that planted cosmos earlier in the season are getting their just rewards. Wow! And you can do this from seed….!

Echinacea is attracting countless finches as they chow down on the maturing seedheads. Watching them hang up-side-down is kind of fun. They almost seem drunk…..

To the lawn for a moment: the grass seed that Rudy and I sowed over 3 weeks ago is germinating and growing very well. How is yours? Don’t forget that this is a great time to lay sod too.

And it is a great time to build a composter. Why not, you are handy enough – come on! Besides, before you know it the leaves will be falling and you will need a place to put them. And don’t even think of putting them out to the curb side. That is paramount to pouring money down the storm sewer…. Your leaves are God’s gift to the gardener. Compost them or put them on the surface of the garden soil.

More on that later, as we get closer to the composting season.

Meantime, lots to do and even lots not to do – like doing nothing but enjoying the sights and sounds of your garden. The clock is ticking. We will be indoors enduring bad Leafs hockey soon enough.

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark

http://www.markcullen.com/

Cedar hedges: an investment that grows.

2010-09-01T09:14:00.005-04:00

One of the ‘most asked’ gardening questions that I get is, “Is it o.k. to trim my cedar hedge now?”

Cedars (Thuja) are one of the most versatile evergreens in Canada. There are very few areas of the country where you cannot grow at least one variety of cedar and they always lend themselves to ‘trimming’ and make a great looking hedge.

When can I trim?
The truth is that you can trim a cedar hedge most any time of the year – you just cannot hurt it by pruning it at the ‘wrong time’ even in mid winter. However, there are better times of the season than others for pruning/trimming and this would be the best time of year, if you ask me.

Most cedar trees grow relatively consistently throughout the growing season. From late in the summer until early fall they push new growth, as long as there is moisture in the ground and the temperatures are not too high (say, over 30 degrees C). By pruning cedars this time of year you are giving them the ultimate shape that you desire and will still benefit from a slight ‘filling in’ of the foliage before winter sets in. This is akin to getting a hair cut and waiting a couple of weeks before you get your picture taken.

You know how your hair looks just after a trip to the barber? Kind of severe. A couple of weeks later, it has filled in a bit and looks pretty ‘natural’. Not a bad time for picture taking! Your hedges behave much the same way.

What Kind of Cedar makes a good hedge?

In Central Canada the native White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is the most popular of all for use as a hedge. It is inexpensive and often is dug from ‘native plantations’ almost bare root. They sit for a year or two in your garden before growing but when they do you can expect up to a meter of new growth each year. This usually occurs in the 3rd year.

Other Cedar tips:

- Autumn is a great time for planting all cedars!
- Prairie gardeners can choose from the ‘almost winter hardy’ Emerald Cedar (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’) (which will need to be planted on the east side of your home or wrapped with burlap in late fall for protection) and the much more hardy ‘Brandon Cedar’ (Thuja occidentalis ‘Brandon’).

- B.C. coastal gardeners can choose from many cedars including the native B.C. Cedar otherwise know as (Thuja plicata).

Pruning tips:
- When pruning, always shape the bottom of the hedge wider than the top. This allows even exposure to sunlight and helps to keep the entire cedar hedge looking thick and healthy.
- Use sharp, quality shears. I recommend ‘Mark’s Choice’ pruning shears. Guaranteed 5 years and made in Canada.
- If your hedge has been ignored for several years you can still bring it under control by removing up to 1/3 of the foliage each year until it looks the way that you want it to.
- A cedar hedge will live for 30 to 60 years depending on the variety and its’ location.

It is not true that cedars attract mosquitoes: they get this reputation from growing in low/wet land where mosquitoes tend to breed. It is their environment that can cause mosquitoes to grow in numbers, not the cedars themselves.

It is true that cedars are your best bet for a fast growing, evergreen hedge in most parts of the country.

Planting cedars:

- Mark your line with a string or garden hose, to get the hedge straight.
- Dig a trench ½ meter wide and 1/3 meter deep.
- Back fill the bottom of the trench with triple mix (1/3 top soil, 1/3 peat and 1/3 compost) or Mark’s Choice planting mix (the best that money can buy!).
- Stand your cedars upright in the trench before piling the remainder of the triple mix on their roots.
- Once the cedars are lined up straight, plant them using triple mix and step firmly on the soil as you plant, making firm contact between the soil and the roots of the new trees.
- Water thoroughly and stake every 2 meters with a ‘T’ bar or 2” X 2” stake, using heavy gage wire to secure them in place.
- Most important! Don’t be too ambitious when choosing your new cedars! New trees about 1 meter high will establish much more quickly than large, 2 meter high specimens, unless the large trees have been nursery grown.

Be patient! Your cedar hedge will grow and mature into a thing of beauty as time passes – and you attend to the annual trimming (yes, only once a year will do the trick!) AND you will have an investment that grows in value each year – unlike installing a fence!

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark

http://www.markcullen.com/

Of Flower Bulbs, Nursery Stock and a Quiet Garden

2010-08-24T21:49:00.006-04:00

Why is it that when the kids go back to school the atmosphere changes?
We have just finished the finest summer of recent times: lots of sunshine, tolerable heat throughout most of the days and an adequate amount of rain.

To the garden and some things to do of importance if you want yours to look good and feel good as it matures into the autumn:

- Lawn. A great time to apply lawn fertilizer. Not the ‘fall’ fertilizer yet: you will apply it in late October or November and it IS the most important application of the year. In case you didn’t hear that before.
o This is still the best time of year to start grass seed or lay sod (the ‘season’ for this one is mid August up to the end of September for most parts of Canada).
o Use Mark’s Choice Lawn Soil and spread Golfgreen Grass seed (weedfree/Canadian) at the rate of one pound per 400 sq. ft. or ½ kilo. Per 50 sq. meters.

- Perennials: Dig and divide. You can successfully dig and divide many perennials now. I dug up a bunch of ‘Monarda’ (Bee Balm) in spite of the fact that they were still in bloom (sort of). Now, I would generally discourage this sort of thing… digging up and dividing perennials in bloom. But this is one tough plant species and the truth is, you will have a hard time killing it. Just make sure that you water the root zone thoroughly before you dig up the plant and after you have planted it. AND make sure that you plant in good quality soil.

- Apples and pears are ripening now. I picked my first truly ripe apple (vs. the sour ones that I kept handing to the kids saying, “try this and tell me what you think.”) It was a ‘Liberty’. Quite good. The point of course is that you should pick fruit while it ripens on the tree – as close to its peak of ripeness as possible. However, it is better to pick fruit before it reaches its peak vs. after. Unless you like a mouthful of rotten apple/pear.

- Tomatoes are now ripening to beat the band. Be sure to pick them as they ripen too, whether you plan on using them right away or not: otherwise the over-ripe ones that rot on the ground and fill with earwigs will just harbor more of the same for the more desirable tomatoes. No point in letting them rot/get eaten by bugs before they ripen to your kitchen plate!

- To market, to market! If you can’t pick your own, go to one of the many local farmers markets that have sprouted up (weekends) across the country. This whole idea of the ‘100 kilometer’ diet and ‘locavors’ is an idea that is catching on. My brother in law Guy is a ‘pick your own’ farmer (www.farintosh.com) and he tells me that the number of people coming that he has never seen before is quite noticeable. He puts this down to the new trends. Especially among young consumers (would you care to qualify that please? I assume that you mean anyone under 60).

- PLANT! the first week of September marks the beginning of the autumn planting season… the best time of the year to plant trees, shrubs, evergreens and (if you can get them) roses. These winter hardy plants will put down roots before our winter hits home which will support substantial growth come spring. Fall planting provides much more satisfying results than spring planting. AND many retailers are selling at discounted prices to move stock before winter. They would literally rather have you plant now than have to overwinter excess stock.

- The Bulbs are in!! Yes, the Holland bulbs arrived at garden retailers across the country this week and believe me that this is the best time to shop for them. The selection will not get any better as (the truth is) they all arrived on a boat from the Netherlands and they do not send more over later. One boat: one chance at the best selection. Go to http://www.dutchbulbs.com/ for more information (likely more info than you want!). More to follow in upcoming blogs.

Last weekend I had a very pleasant day with two of my kids – we took our bikes over to Toronto’s Centre Island. Our favourite part of this trip is to slowly ride around the quiet pedestrian streets of Wards’ and Algonquin Islands. The cottages are remarkable for their architecture, and in some cases they are in such poor repair that it is remarkable that they are still standing! In any case, the gardens alone are worth the day trip.

With the kids back in school – take time to enjoy some quiet and to enjoy the beginning of the most restful season in your garden – fall.

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark
http://www.markcullen.com/

A '101' Tutorial on Lawn Care

2010-08-17T11:13:00.005-04:00

Judging by the number of lawn questions that I am getting at http://www.markcullen.com/ it seems to me that the season of seeding, sodding and lawn fertilizing is here in earnest.

For several years now I have been saying that late August and early September is the best time of the year to thicken an established lawn or start a new one. Many of my associates in the business have been saying the same thing.

The heavy dew in the evening, the cooler temperatures at night (generally) and the regular rainfall of late summer/early autumn combine to create the perfect conditions for grass seed germination and the ‘putting down of roots’ of freshly laid sod.

Here is a short tutorial on late summer lawn care. I offer the information in the form of answers to the many excellent questions that I am getting on my web site:

How do I control Creeping Charlie, plantain, dandelions etc in my lawn without the use of chemicals?

Answer: Compete them out of existence by spreading fresh grass seed over the weed infested area.
Think of lawn weeds as competitors… nothing more. You give them the space in your lawn to put down a root and they will take the opportunity to thrive and multiply.

How useful is it to dig or pull weeds out of my lawn?

Answer: A good weed puller can be useful when bringing weeds under control but if you do not overseed with fresh grass seed at the same time you are often just postponing a bigger lawn weed problem. The ‘hole’ in your lawn that the weed leaves is an invitation for the remaining root to re-grow and other weeds to put down a new root.

How do I sow grass seed in an established lawn for best results?

Answer: Spread a 2 cm (one inch) layer of triple mix (1/3 top soil, 1/3 peat, 1/3 compost) over the area that weeds are thickest.
Broadcast quality grass seed over the area at the rate of ½ kilo per 40 sq meters (one pound per 400 sq. ft.). I spread the seed by hand but you may opt for one of those hand-held whirly gigs. In any case just make sure that you spread the seed as evenly as possible and incorporate the seed with the triple mix by raking it in lightly and then stepping on it with flat soled shoes to get firm contact.
Use only the best quality grass seed. I only use Golfgreen.

Is this a good time of year to fertilize my lawn?

Answer: if you have not fertilized since spring (within the last 8 to 10 weeks), now is an excellent time of year to do it. Fertilizer is not a substitute for good quality soil, but a quality brand like Golfgreen, So Green or Green Earth will provide the elements that your lawn craves the most.
Note: The most important application of lawn fertilizer all year is in the late fall – about 8 to 10 weeks from now!

Should I use an organic fertilizer?

Sure. There is no reason why you shouldn’t. However, keep in mind that you will not get the ‘lasting’ results of a sophisticated synthetic based fertilizer and as a result it will not last as long. I use Green Earth 9-3-4. It contains natural kelp for a broad range of nutrients.

How often should I water my lawn?

Answer: If we enter a period of more than a week without substantial rain (over a centimeter) and with no rain in the forecast, I advise that you apply water from a quality lawn sprinkler once a week only. Leave your sprinkler on for 2 to 3 hours to allow the water to sink deeply into the ground: the goal is to get to the root zone.
A daily sprinkling of water on your lawn accomplishes nothing and encourages shallow roots that are not drought tolerant.

How should I cut my lawn?

Answer: Cut it high (at least 6 to 7 centimeters) and use a mulching mower.
The taller the grass blades the deeper (and more drought tolerant) the roots.
The mulching attachment on your mower returns the natural ingredients in the raw grass clippings to the root zone of your lawn where they break down, providing nutrition and an insulating layer that protects against the drying effects of the sun.

How can I produce the ‘perfect’ lawn?

Take a page out from the British: cut your lawn with a ‘reel type’ lawn mower, like the one pictured. Or use a manual reel type mower. Keep the blades sharp and clean.
And for added effect, put down a line of string that is 90 degrees diagonal, follow the line for the entire area of your lawn and repeat the process going in the opposite direction.
This way, you will end up with a ‘look’ that is professional: like the ball parks on TV that use natural grass.

For me – I will stick with my Honda powered Yard Man. And I will cut it only once.

Thank you very much.

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark
ww.markcullen.com

Flower Arranging for Klutzes

2010-08-10T08:53:00.005-04:00

“I dig: therefore I am”.

I can relate to this statement as a gardener. It is the joy of digging that draws me to the gardening experience more than anything. I wrote about this in my book A Sandbox of a Different Kind: Personal reflections on the Canadian gardening experience. (‘I Love to Dig’, chapter 43). http://markcullen.com/buyers_guide/books.htm

Cutting the bounty of all that digging and planting to bring indoors this time of year is not second nature to me. I am a flower arranging klutz.

But having said that, I sure enjoy seeing the fruits of my gardening labour displayed indoors in a deep vase full of water. Years of listening to the professionals has taught me more than a thing or two about what to cut, when and how to display it to best advantage indoors.

So, in a nutshell, here is everything that you need to know about cutting flowers and arranging them, just as long as you are not trying to win awards. Like they say in the Tim Horton’s ads for pee wee hockey: the primary idea, after all, is having fun:

Think Fresh. With apologies to another national advertiser for stealing a good line, when you are out there in the garden doing a tour in search of the best flowers for cutting, keep in mind that the plants that are currently coming into bloom will provide you with the longest show of colour. In other words, if the plant has been in bloom for some time, the flowers will not stand up in a vase for very long.

Use a limited range of colour. Say what you will, mixing up colours without regard for how they look together is hard to pull off without producing a mish-mash. Stick within a narrow range of colours when cutting flowers for a vase. If you have lots of different colours to choose from in your garden pallet, then create more than one arrangement. Think ‘monochromatic’ – tints and shades of the same colour.

Take a long stem. The most common mistake of all is cutting too short a stem for the flower for the vase/arrangement. The heavier the flower, the longer the stem. (I made this mistake years ago when cutting peonies in June... the whole bunch were wasted.) Also: the larger the flower the lower it should be placed in the arrangement.

Greenery? What greenery? When you buy cut flowers at a florist they always through in some asparagus fern or leather fern or what-have-you. No need for this stuff when you are cutting flowers from the garden. For the most part the flowers speak very well for themselves without the addition of greenery. Many flowers have leaves that add plenty of interest on their own.

Use a deep vase. You want your cut flowers to last as long as possible indoors, right? The best way to do that is to use a good, deep vase and fresh, cool (not cold) water. Change the water every couple of days to prolong the life of the flowers.

What would Mother Nature do? It is a simple question, but the answer is not always so obvious. Take your time to observe how nature arranges flowers in a meadow or how they mature in your own yard. Take your design cues from her. They are effective and free.

Have fun. You are arranging flowers for the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of your gardening labour indoors. Even if you are making a special effort to do this for expected company, remember that you need to be satisfied with the look of it, above all.

Right now my garden is awash in colour from Echinacea (purple cone flower), several varieties of rudebeckia (Brown Eyed Susan), and Veronica, all of which make for great flower arranging.
Fyi – daylilies, while they look great in the garden, do not perform well as cut flowers.

Give it a shot. Maybe, like me, you will find that you CAN do it and get a lot of satisfaction from it, even if you are a klutz.

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark
http://www.markcullen.com/

2010-08-04T11:31:00.004-04:00

I am in a good mood these days.
The fruits of my spring labour are finally coming to fruition. With emphasis on the ‘fruit’ part of the fruition.

The tomatoes are awesome. No, really. I don’t know what I am going to do with all of them, if they don’t keel over before I get them all picked I will have enough here for the entire Blue Jays baseball team. Plus a few baseball fans!

I have 200 or so tomato plants: 4 kids, 21 chickens and a wife.

You do the math and you can plainly see that we do not need all of these tomatoes.

Alas, we live in prime tomato growing country (that is why Heinz planted their tomato processing plant in south western Ontario – they grow great tomatoes).
While I don’t live near Leamington, the home to Heinz, I do live within a ½ days’ drive. So I think that Stouffville qualifies for ‘great tomato growing’ territory. Besides, the 20 yards of fallen leaves and 6 yards of finished compost that I churned into the soil this spring must count for something in the fertility department!

Now I must confess that I don’t pick ALL of my tomatoes.
Rudy – my Grenadian friend and right hand culprit gives me a lot of help.

Truth is, I would much rather grow them than pick them.
Can’t tell you why, I just experience more pleasure from the former rather than the latter.

We are picking from our 3rd crop of snap beans now. And pulling some mighty nice carrots too.

If you have not ‘grown your own’ this summer (maybe you just enjoy reading about growing your own?) then I encourage you to look for the locally grown produce in your neighbourhood. Truth is, it doesn’t matter where you live in this great land of ours, you are never too far from some great ‘home grown’ fruits and veggies.

If you look around you will find that a lot of farms will deliver their produce to a market near you: if you live in an urban centre.

In Toronto I am hearing great things about the Brick Works Saturday market. Go to http://www.ebw.evergreen.ca/ for more info.
And if you live in Ontario you may find copies of ‘Harvest Ontario’ still available at your local Home Hardware. It is a 120 page book that directs you to pick-your-own farms, farmers markets and bed and breakfasts’ across the province. Go to http://www.harvestontario.com/ for more info.

For the rest of the country go to http://www.harvestcanada.com/ for more info.

Remember ‘Plant A Row/Grow a Row’ for the hungry.

It is simple and works like this: you grow more veggies and fruit than you can eat and you take them to your local food bank. They LOVE the fresh, perishable stuff, in spite of what you have been told about ‘non-perishable’ etc. It is good for them- food bank clients, just like it is good for you.

In the ornamental garden, I continue to look for perennials that need cutting back. After they have finished blooming the plants seem to go into hiding. Without the eye attracting colour of the bloom you have to wade into your garden seeking them out.
But there they are – right now the Shasta Daisies are standing there waiting for autumn, bloomless.

If you cut off the finished blossoms and about 25 cm or so of the stem you will be amazed how they often re-bloom later in the season. This is true of gardens located in the north.
In fact, the further north that you go, the more likely that you will experience re-blooming of your perennials. You see, northern gardeners enjoy longer days, longer.
In other words, more daylight hours than their southern neighbours.
Of course this is made up for during the winter when they have shorter days, longer. But that is another story. Let’s just say that they have earned the long growing season!

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark
http://www.markcullen.com/

Extra Bounty? I have the answer.... and gardening advice to live by.

2010-07-26T14:06:00.008-04:00

As we enter the mid life of this years’ garden you are anxious to pick your first tomato. Right? And why not: I know that I was! Pleased to say that I picked my first ripe tomato yesterday. I brought it in to the kitchen with pride: big smile on my face, and presented it to Mary.

She poached 3 lovely eggs that she had plucked from their mothers’ warm bosom that morning and presented me with the tomato, cut nicely into 6 wedges, ready for the fresh ground pepper.

mmmmmmmmmmm. Heaven.

And so the journey begins. Harvest season is upon us.

Soon I will be bringing tomatoes in from our garden by the quart, then the bucket and finally the bushel. At which point Mary will throw her hands up in the air, take a deep breath and scream: “enough! Enough – I can’t use anymore…….. tomatoes!”

Another deep breath.

Our infatuation with some vegetables is longer than others. The zucchini, for example, are not as lucky as the tomatoes. In fact from the first zucchini delivery to the kitchen I get this look that says, “Is it THAT time of year again?”

What to do with extras….

So the perennial question of course is, “what do I do with all of the vegetables (and fruit) that we produce each summer that we cannot eat or prepare in jars or freeze for ourselves?” I would not be the first to suggest that you can leave the zuch’s in a basket at the front door of a neighbour, or someone that you don’t like very much. Or in the front seat of a convertible car, with the top down. Great for a laugh.

To be serious, lots of Canadians have the same problem each summer. And I have the answer: give it away to people who want it, can use it and will benefit measurably from its’ consumption.

A Great Canadian Success!

The plan worked – the O’Donnaghs were greeted with open bushel baskets, which were soon loaded with the pears. Many thank you’s later and they were on their way back home. Days later the two of them got the same idea: if giving fresh produce to the local food bank provides a worthwhile service in the community, then why not spread the word and get our neighbours to donate their excess produce too?

And so it began.

More than 2 decades later the whole continent is jumping on the bandwagon. The ‘program’ is now called Plant a Row Grow a Row for the hungry. The Garden Writers Association, of which there are over 600 members (I am one) receive regular e-bulletins from the organization asking us to remind our readers/listeners/viewers to please remember that the food banks ALL love to receive fresh garden produce. Go to www.compost.org for all of the details.

Last year alone Canadians donated several hundred tones of fresh garden food to food banks.

There is no form to fill out.

No organization to join.

No fees to pay.

Just pick the food and deliver it to your local food bank. They will take care of the rest. Clients of food banks generally have a diet that lacks in fresh produce. Processed foods, often high in salt and fat, are easier to store and often cheap and, therefore, accessible. Fresh produce not so much.

I urge you to do this. And take a moment to reflect on the fact that it was a Canadian couple who started the whole thing…. Understated and modest.

Another great Canadian success story that most of us are not aware of.

Now, while I am on the topic of tomatoes, a very important message: prevent the #1 scourge of tomatoes by applying Green Earth Bordo mixture now. Do not leave this too long. Truth is early blight (which is related to the blight that attacked potatoes that began the Irish Potato famine in the mid 1800’s) can spread so fast that you will barely see the signs of it one day and your tomato plant will collapse the next. Unless you have sprayed with organic based Bordo.

What is in Bordo that is so effective? Copper.

Is Bordo banned for use in provinces with pesticide bans? No. It has been recommended and used by organic gardeners for years. Truth is, there never was a chemical spray that proved to be as effective in preventing early blight, to my knowledge.

For the BEST tomatoes:

Remember: pick your tomatoes as they ripen. If you allow them to become over ripe on the vine the plant will not produce as much ripe fruit as it otherwise would.

Stake tomatoes off of the ground: you will double your crop.

If you allow tomatoes to rot on the vine you are inviting diseases that can wreak havoc.

Words to live by: ‘If it ripens, pick it”

This is true for any fruit bearing plant. Beans, peppers, eggplant, apples, pears, cherries: you get the idea.

What to do with the extra produce that your garden is spewing this time of year?

Ideas!

- preserve it in mason jars

- dry it for future use (either buy a dehydrator or hang upside down like you would herbs or like pioneers did with apple rings)

- ‘salt it away’ like they did for long voyages across the ocean

- Have a ‘preserving party’

What ideas can you share that would help the rest of us put our excess garden produce to good use?

I would love to hear from you: just send your ideas to us at www.markcullen.com and click on ‘contact us’ – we would love to hear from you!

While you are at it, remember that we are always looking for recipes for green tomatoes. What do you do with yours?

Looking forward to hearing from you...

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark

www.markcullen.com

Pruning and Loafing

2010-07-19T11:01:00.003-04:00

In a recent article in the Toronto Star I suggested that this is the time of year to take it easy – sit back and drink in the benefits of all your spring time activity in the garden.
Hammock time is what I called it.

Evidently not all of you took the advice.

I am getting a lot of questions about moving plants from one place to another. ‘Bleeding heart, Japanese maples, peonies, day lilies’ – that was just today! Some people want to move these established plants to other, more appropriate parts of the garden and some want to split/divide and give away parts of established perennials.

My answer: don’t.

Not now, anyway.

In most parts of Canada we have enjoyed ideal growing conditions for most everything that grows in the garden. As a result there is an incredible volume of new foliage that is just hanging out there drinking in the benefits of the sunshine and rain (or water that you have applied).

Let that foliage do its thing. Our opportunity to move plants will come soon enough. Foliage that has grown on perennials, shrubs, trees and roses this spring and early summer needs time to ‘harden off’: to do it’s primary job of strengthening the plant through the miracle of photosynthesis. Come September and October our chance to dig them up, divide them and move them around will come.

Grunt work has it’s time and place.

Same goes for starting grass seed. If you have just noticed that your lawn needs some thickening or you want to compete your lawn weeds out of existence as I have suggested that you can in earlier blogs: don’t do it. Not for a few more weeks.

The ideal time of the year to start fresh grass seed is just around the corner – the ‘window of opportunity’ is generally mid August through late September. When the correct time comes, I will tell you how to produce a fabulous looking lawn, right here. So stay tuned.

Pruning.

If you are still not satisfied with loafing around the yard, enjoying some bird song, watching the ‘flying hogs’ (as my friend Joel Marks likes to call them) drop free fertilizer indiscriminately all over your garden, then do some pruning.

Pruning Fruit Trees.

I am getting a lot of enquiries about fruit that is rotting on the tree. Apples, pears, cherries: it doesn’t really matter the species, this is a common problem. It is related to the lack of air circulation through the branches of the tree and a lack of sun being able to filter into the centre of it.

The breeze that moves through your fruiting trees discourages the growth of mold and disease, the likes of which causes fruit to rot and mildew to grow.

Likewise, the sun that filters into the crown of a tree helps to dry up the moisture that hangs on fruit and foliage far too long for the trees’ own good.

Using a sharp ‘green wood’ pruning saw (Mark’s Choice at Home Hardware product #1062-860 retail $12.99), get into the ‘heart’ of the tree and remove up to 1/3 of the old wood. Best to stand back and look at the over all shape of the tree before you start hacking away. Remember that the goal is to open the tree up, creating a series of arching branches that appear to be reaching for the sun – or, in the case of many apple trees, the branches will grow more or less horizontally.

Raspberries that have finished bearing fruit need to be pruned back to 10 cm high within the next 6 weeks.

Strawberries that have finished fruiting, and have been planted for more than 3 years, should be dug up and re planted into a separate part of the garden. The soil that you are moving the plants into should be tilled or dug up, weed free and the plants mulched with 10 cm of clean straw to help hold moisture and reduce weeding.
Your existing strawberry bed should be tilled under.

Blueberries should be given another dose of powdered sulfur and a shot of Green Earth blood and bone meal to encourage one more flush of growth before they begin to harden off for the season.

Matter of fact, this is an excellent time to fertilize all of the flowering shrubs and roses in your garden with the same blood and bone meal granules. About a handful per plant.

These suggestions should provide you with enough activity to keep even the most restless gardener happy. Go nuts! If enjoying your garden means never sitting down to enjoy it. For others, mid July is the ideal time of the year to relax and drink it all in.
Hammock time.

I don’t plan on traveling too far from my garden just yet... I am still pinching myself that this wonderful time of year is finally here. The time of year that I spent all winter dreaming about.

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark
http://www.markcullen.com/

Looking Out for the Bad Guys

2010-07-13T14:25:00.006-04:00

My 19 year old daughter calls men who make not-so-subtle sexual remarks ‘creepers’.
I use the same expression for the green worms on my roses.

The English language is interesting, no?

She could care less about the creepers on my roses and I care very much about the creepers that she calls creepers. We live with our priorities. Someday she may be a parent and understand.

Speaking of green worms on roses, there is a generous quantity of creepers on a lot of the plants in my garden right now. Judging by the questions that are left on my website, there are a lot of garden creepers out there.

Not just bugs but diseases too.

Good Bugs.

My response to this, first off, is to remind you that 99% of the bugs in your garden are ‘good’ bugs. They are performing a function that is essential to the long term health of all that is going on both in the soil and on your plants. Many bugs are eating the bad bugs (e.g. lady bugs eating aphids) and many others are assisting in the complicated business of breaking down organic matter in your soil into humus – the foundation of all good soil (e.g. earth worms, sow bugs, centipedes etc.)

Now, when you find ‘bad bugs’ that exist in numbers too great for the good bugs to control, then you may have to call in the infantry. This can take a number of forms. On my potatoes, I hand pick the Colorado potato beetles for a while (how did they ever get to my garden anyway, over 4,000 kilometers from their home?). But let’s face it, there is a limit to that. For one, you may not have the stomach for squishing the larvae in your fingers –even with gloves on. Also the potato bug can grow in numbers very quickly and literally get out of control.

Potato Beetles.

As an organic gardener my ‘infantry’ for the potato beetle is ‘Dio’ or diatomaceous earth. Harmless to the earth, kids, pets and you. It is sold everywhere as a powder. You just puff it on from the squeeze container and make sure that you get it under the leaves of the plants where the bugs ‘harbor’ (which means “mate” and “eat”) and do most damage. The goal is to make contact with the potato bugs. They walk on it and their under bellies dry up and they die of thirst. (Would you rather squish them with your fingers? O.k., so it pays not to think too much about the details.) Reapply when it rains, if the problem persists.

For the green worms on my roses I use Green Earth insecticidal soap. This is not to be confused with Palmolive or whatever – it is a scientifically selected fatty acid with insecticidal properties. It does most of the work for you where insects are concerned and is considered safe for use around pets and kids.

Spider Mites

One ‘hard to kill’ insect is the dreaded ‘spider mite’. Common to Dwarf Alberta Spruce and many garden variety flowering plants, this one hates water. To find spider mite on your plants, hold a piece of white paper under the plant while shaking it. If tiny coarse ‘grains of sand’ drop down onto the paper – especially grains of sand that move, you do not have sand but mites.

I discourage mites by using a strong blast of water from the end of the hose – the pistol grip hose attachment works well. Or just hold your thumb over the end of the hose for a coarse spray. I find that this works until my thumb goes numb from the cold and the pressure. Spray the infected foliage with water every day for a week, every second day for another week. Keep your eye on this one.

I continue to cut down young weeds with a sharp hoe. Use a ‘bastard’ file to sharpen your hoe every time that you use it. This makes the difference between hard work and a barrel of fun. O.k., not a barrel, but a bucket. A small bucket.

I am busy deadheading roses and peonies and staking my helianthus and delphiniums. Anything that has grown tall enough in your garden to risk being blown over by high winds should be staked. I like the new heavy wire ‘link stakes’ that you can purchase from Home Hardware.

I think that the garden is about 2 to 3 weeks away from its peek in colour production. If your garden is dominated with annual flowering geraniums, petunias, impatiens, etc. then yours will ‘peek’ later than mine, which is mostly flowering perennials and roses.
Keep all of this in mind with your camera not too far away. A visual record of your garden in progress will be an inspiration come winter and will spur you on with all kinds of ideas for change come next spring.

Which is one of the great beauties of gardening as a hobby. Every year provides additional opportunities to change and improve on the previous years’ garden. Winter is our time to dream. Spring our time to plant and sow. Summer is our time to wallow in the fruits of our labour – both the edible kind and the eye candy. And to keep an eye out for the bad guys.

Enjoy! And keep your knees dirty.

Mark
http://www.markcullen.com/

So You Think You Can't Garden

2010-07-07T08:46:00.003-04:00

I was watching ‘So you think you Can Dance’ (http://www.ctv.ca/) the other night and I thought to myself, “There is no way in the world that I could do any of that stuff on the dance floor.” To which my wife responds: No kidding!

When you are all feet and no rhythm, you know what I mean, middle aged white guy that I am.

The thought occurred to me that there are some people out there who think the same thing about gardening: why plant it when you know that you are going to kill it anyway.

I have heard it all: “I have black thumbs.” “I kill everything.” “My Mom was the gardener.” and my favourite, “My wife is the gardener” As much as to say: why start, I am only going to fail anyway.

To which I respond: there are no failures in the garden, only composting opportunities.

So, off to the golf course they go to churn up someone else’s’ lawn with their divots and donuts (circles in the turf made by turning hard on the wheel of the power cart while tromping on the gas peddle circling the ball).

For readers of this blog who are inclined to think that gardening is for everyone else, a message:

If you breathe, you will get a kick out of gardening.
If you can hear, you will get a lift from the songs of birds in your garden.
If you can feel, you will sleep better having nurtured and grown the clean air machines that we call plants in your own yard.
If you can see you will pause during your ‘work’ in the garden and become temporarily breathless as you observe a hummingbird sucking nectar from a flower.
If you still don’t get it, go back to the top and re read.

My friend Sarah Rurka at the Home Hardware location in Lloydminster, Alberta sent me this wonderful quote from the book ‘Second Nature’. I think that you will like it:
Sarah says that “This book of narratives is a book of tales of failure, overcome.”

And from the book, “All of the accomplished gardeners I know are comfortable with failure... and understand that, in the garden at least, failure speaks louder than success... his failures have more to say to him. The gardener learns nothing when his carrots thrive, unless that success is won against a background of prior disappointment. Outright success is dumb, disaster frequently eloquent, at least to the gardener that knows how to listen.”

The idea that a person cannot or will not pick up a spade or a trowel and plant something in the soil out of fear of failure is a foreign concept to the successful gardener. Failure, as Sarah and the author of Second Nature reminds us, is what we do.

Imagine if you met someone at your next cocktail party who introduced themselves as a failure. You might look for a quick exit from that conversation.

And yet I know the feeling of failure and the exhilaration of learning from it. Oh, the high of getting it right after learning from a good failure!

While in business it has occurred to me that we waste a lot of time talking about our successes. Look at the financial pages these days and you will read lots of stuff about people who have profited from the down turn in the economy. I would ask, “Who has a failure that they wish to talk about – and what did you learn from it?”

A ‘failure’ forum might just draw a big crowd and who knows, maybe we would learn more from a few of these shared experiences than all of the successes put together.

Gardeners who have been at it for a few years get it: we work to fail so that we can succeed the next time. It is a cycle that keeps us going.

Maybe that is why gardeners live longer.
Our bodies are more flexible and our minds more open than non-gardeners because we exercise muscles that seldom get a workout otherwise. Under normal circumstances we go out of our way to get things right (think child-rearing and careers).

As Sarah rightly points out, “Weathering the recession in this market has been an interesting experience for our family. The fear/intimidation that we feel in business is no different than that of new gardeners just setting out to plant their first garden.”

It is early summer everywhere in Canada and a great time to sink a spade into the soil and plant. Anything. Prepare the soil with some compost. Water the new plant. Nurture it. And if you fail, give it another shot (most retailers now guarantee plants against death anyway, regardless of the reason why).

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark
http://www.markcullen.com/

The Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden

2010-06-29T14:45:00.003-04:00

Four years ago I moved into my ‘dream’ garden.

My wife Mary and I decided that we wanted to move to the country and it seemed obvious where that should be as a portion of her family farm was available to us at the time. One warm summer night, very early on in the negotiation, I made the remark that I would like to move there providing that I could have my ‘dream garden’.
She said, “It’s a field of soybeans, so go nuts.”
And off I went.
I walked in to the property from the road until it just felt ‘right’ and there I drove a broken hockey stick into the ground. This was the demarcation of my new Canadian garden.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had carved off 10 acres of ‘soybeans’ with the intention of converting it into a hummingbird and butterfly haven.

Here is what I have learned about attracting butterflies and hummingbirds:

You can attract butterflies and hummingbirds (and song birds too!) largely by your choice of plant material.
Your choice of plants should include lots of native species, if you want to maximize the value of them as ‘magnets’ to butterflies and hummingbirds.
Look for bright coloured perennials and annuals with ‘trumpet’ shaped flowers for the hummers and flat, bold faced flowers for the butterflies that they easily perch on (specifics to come...)
Plant lots of trees for nesting and protection (for the birds, hummers included).
Place lots of still water around your yard for drinking (bird baths work as well as anything – just empty them weekly to avoid mosquito breeding).
This garden performs best in sun to partial sun (so don’t over plant the trees).
It is beneficial to have a hummingbird feeder set up near your kitchen window so that you can see them for yourself, without always having to take a tour of the garden to find the little rascals. Besides, the hummers may just announce their arrival to your place with a visit to your feeder first. You best be there to greet them!

Where do you go from here?

Some details:
1. Make a plan of your butterfly and hummingbird garden now, and be sure to include many of the plants that are known to attract them.
2. Native plants that work: Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower), Rudebeckia hirta (black eyed susan), yarrow (great for hot dry places), perennial salvia and liatrus (shooting star).
3. Bright, trumpet shaped flowers: trumpet vine, honeysuckle (both the hardy shrub and the vine), salvia, foxglove, lupines, jasmine (tropical, but you can bring it indoors for the winter), hibiscus (the tropical varieties, the hardy perennial and the ‘rose of sharon’ woody shrub) – they all work nicely, lavatera (annual), rose mallow (annual), hollyhock (biannual), delphinium, all hostas, daylilies, fuchsia (annual) and nicotine (annual – and one of the best!).
The ‘flat flowering’ plants that provide a nectar rich platform from which butterflies will feed and ‘spread their wings’ include Shasta daisy, Queen Anne’s Lace, rudebeckia, asters (perennial and annual) and many others.

For the complete list go to http://www.markcullen.com/

4. Plant a mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees as both provide protection, food sources and other varied benefits.
5. I have several bird baths in my front and back garden that get a lot of use – some are more ornamental than practical: all used by birds and butterflies more for drinking than bathing. Remember to dump still water weekly to prevent the mosquitoes from breeding...
6. Bright sunshine is favoured by most butterflies and hummingbirds in fine weather, but trees provide protection from wind and severe weather.
7. I received an e mail from the executive. Director of Hummingbird Canada to say that hummingbirds actually arrive in many parts of Central Canada in mid April, contrary to popular belief. Keep this in mind next spring and get your feeder out early. Go to http://www.wildbirds.com/dnn/Favorites/Hummingbirds/tabid/694/Default.aspx

Be sure to clean out your feeder every week or so to prevent mold from building up inside of it.
And keep in mind that hummingbirds are migratory. They pass through our gardens in urban and suburban areas once in spring and again in late summer/early fall. I find that it is easier to get them to stick around during their southern migration late in the season.

So – be ready. The most desirable wildlife is about to arrive at the party. And with it, our reputation for being quiet, modest Canadian people that everyone seems to think that we are, is about to fly out the window.

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark
http://www.markcullen.com/

June = Roses Galore (without pesticides)

2010-06-22T10:00:00.005-04:00

I had some meetings in the big city last week – the big city of Toronto, which is about as big as they get in this country. I chose to drive home using a meandering route that took me through some of my favourite old neighbourhoods, with gardens that have been established for some time. And right past my favourite public park at St. Clements and Yonge Street. Well, it is my favourite this time of year for only one reason – the roses!!!
When Toronto roses begin to bloom I am sure of one thing – the west coast roses of British Columbia have been blooming for some time and the roses of Quebec, Ottawa, the Maritimes and our Prairies are blooming to beat the band... just as sure as the sun rises in the morning and sets in the afternoon.

I dropped by the Sheridan Nurseries location on Yonge Street for a dozen rose plants and talked with Amin, the manager. He told me that many people are holding off on the purchase of roses this year because of the pesticide ban in Ontario. Perhaps the same can be said for Quebec and P.E.I. where similar bans are underway. In B.C. the sale of pesticides has been severely restricted for years.

The fear is that roses without the chemicals to control the bugs and diseases that bug them aren’t much good. Or, are at the very least very risky.

I am here to report that there is an answer... I know: I have been growing roses in my garden for 20 years without the use of pesticides.
The secret?

How to grow roses without pesticides.

Three answers:

1. Buy roses that are naturally “disease and insect resistant”. These words, when written on the tag of a Canadian grown rose, are golden. A rose variety that carries on with it’s business of flowering and attracting butterflies and songbirds to your garden without surrendering to black spot, powdery mildew and aphids (to name a few of the potential enemies of the rose grower) is a winner in anyone’s books.

2. Change your habits. Sometimes the ‘problems’ with roses are the result of things that we do in an effort to grow them. Black spot and powdery mildew? Water only at the bottom of the plant, avoid wetting the foliage, water in the morning so that the sun burns off surface moisture and by all means allow the soil to get dry between waterings about 5 cm down. This is most important of all!

3. If you have a persistent problem with insects or disease on your roses use an all natural solution – diseases? Use garden sulphur or Bordo mixture for control.

Insect problems? You will be surprised at how many of them can be dealt with nicely using Green Earth Insecticidal Soap.

There is one other solution to insect and disease damaged roses... change your standards. In other words the perfect, blemish free rose may not be the only rose worthy of our attention. I have seen some very fine flowers born on thorny stems with some black spot on the leaves. Truth is: the black spot will not spread into your vegetable crisper or onto your cheese over night.

A few aphids on the new growth of your roses? Give them a stiff blast of water from the end of the hose – there now. You are the police in riot gear, moving the maddening crowds of aphids out of their wrongful place with a fire hose. Only it is just a garden hose and you are only wearing jeans and tee shirt. And I know that you are a nice person, because all gardeners are.

We have been hearing from the organic producers of apples, tomatoes and all manner of edibles that we need to look at the fresh food that we consume a bit differently: we need to accept that not everything fit to eat looks like a perfect picture. I am arguing that the same is true for your roses.

So when your roses bloom over the next few weeks, please cut a few and take them inside to display on the kitchen table... or wherever you can enjoy the colour and fragrance of one of the greatest gifts in God’s creation.
And if you don’t have roses growing in your garden right now, remember that there is no better time to plant them than right now. And who knows, maybe you will get a fabulous deal at your retailer!

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark
http://www.markcullen.com/

Low maintenance gardening = mulch, mulch, mulch

2010-06-15T12:57:00.004-04:00

Golfers and sailors, listen up! June and July are ‘Mulch Months’.

I know that this may come as a surprise to some of you, especially as I announced that June was mulch month in my newsletter (http://www.markcullen.com/) however, June mulching was such a success that I decided to hold it over for one more month.

What is mulch and why is it important to virtually every Canadian gardener?

Glad you asked, as there is really no other activity in the garden that will both benefit your plants and free up your time for other things like golfing and sailing quite like it.

By definition, mulch is “A protective covering placed on the earth around growing plants esp. to prevent moisture evaporation, protect roots from freezing and to retard the growth of weeds.” (Websters II)

You spread mulch to reduce weeding by about 90% the first year, reduce watering by up to 70% and provide an insulated area in the root zone of your trees, shrubs, evergreens, roses, perennials and veggies that encourages the very best in garden performance.

Other than that, there is little need for it.

I love to mulch. I love it so much that I would classify spreading my favourite mulch as one of my top 3 garden activities. Why, its’ right up there with planting and composting!!

Now – anytime in the early summer – is the perfect time to add mulch because the hot, dry weather is just ahead of us. And the weeding season is upon us.

My favourite mulch is finely ground up cedar or pine bark... emphasis on the ‘finely ground up’ part. You buy this stuff by the bag, cubic yard, truck load or, if you are lucky enough to live near a lumber mill, you don’t buy it at all. You cart it away and the mill operators thank you for taking care of a waste headache. This is your compensation for living near a lumber mill.

I spread bark mulch over most of my garden 5 cm thick. This seems to be the magic amount as less than this will allow weeds to push through quickly and more can smother otherwise healthy growth on your favourite plants.

I use other forms of mulch, especially in the veggie garden. I use 2 or 3 ‘wafers’ of clean straw (about 1/10 of a standard bale). At $4 bale, this works out to less than $.50 per tomato and man... does it save me a lot of time! And happy tomatoes? You have not seen such happiness since the ducks discovered your swimming pool in April.

Just spread the straw under the plants and over the soil loosely. Rain will settle it down onto the soil, providing the same kind of insulation value that the bark mulch provides to your ornament plants.

Right now is a good time to fertilize too. I know that I have said this in recent weeks, but this is about the last week that you would apply a ‘once a season’ fertilizer like ‘Feed and Forget’ ‘Once and Done’ will do the trick. After this week you would be best to use the more traditional once-a-month granular products... or, if you are an organic gardener, use compost tea.

Make compost tea by stealing an old pillow case from the bottom of the linen closet. She won’t miss it, besides; it likely has a picture of snoopy on it, which is why it was at the bottom of the pile. ½ fill it with finished compost or composted cattle/steer manure. Hang it on a string into your rain barrel or a big container of water for 48 hours to one week. No longer or it will begin to smell very bad.

Apply this compost tea to everything that you grow every time you water. You can’t go wrong.

Also, remember to stake tall growing plants. Delphiniums are coming into their best across much of the country. Think of this – you have waited all year for these perennials to finally bloom – don’t let a strong wind or a heavy rain fall mess them up after all of this!

Speaking of heavy rain, I have counted 5 thunder storms in the last week. Our 10 acre garden, located one hour north of Toronto, is well watered. And if there is any truth to the rumour that lightening super-charges the earth with nitrogen, then I can count on my tree collection providing us with record growth.

Only problem is that one of these electrical storms entailed a deluge of small hale…. Creating a blanket about 2 cm thick before it was through. Every one of my 100+ hostas has holes in the leaves about the size of a quarter.

The solution for hale damage on hostas?
A change of attitude is the only reasonable answer.

It is kind of like ‘how do I control deer in my garden?’ or ‘how do I get my husband to garden?’ – Questions to which there is no definitive answer. Except the ‘husband’ question. I find beer is a great enticer, especially early to mid afternoon.

The lightening does seem to have scared the ‘begeebers’ out of our 26 chickens. They have never laid so many eggs!

On that subject, I have the solution to ‘what to do with all of those broken clay pots’. I put them in a heavy plastic bag and bang them with a sledge hammer. Then I include the pieces in the chicken grit.

Time to get back to the mulch pile… ohhh, heaven, I am here!

Keep your knees dirty.

http://www.markcullen.com/

Give Dad the Best Lawn on the Block!

2010-06-08T08:15:00.004-04:00

It is just about that time of year when your lawn begins to look a bit shop-worn. The tremendous bust of green growth that occurred early in spring is waning and soon ‘the bloom is off the rose’ to use a metaphor from another part of the garden.

Here is a suggestion: give your Dad a great looking lawn this Fathers Day June 20! Yea – a ‘kit’ of lawn stuff that will help him to produce the great looking lawn that he dreams of. And believe me, he DOES dream of these things. I know: I am one.

Your ‘lawn care package’ could include any of the following:

- A bag of the best lawn seed in the business. Weeds? Compete them out of existence by spreading good quality grass seed over the areas that are thin. I use Golfgreen grass seed because it is virtually weed free, contains excellent quality grass seed varieties and is produced here in Canada. Keep in mind that one kg spreads over about 100 sq. meters (one pound over 400 sq. feet). Cost: $12 to $15 bag.

- Several bags of triple mix. You cannot just spread grass seed over your lawn and expect it to grow new grass plants. It has to have somewhere to put down some new roots. That is where triple mix comes in – it is a combination of equal parts top soil, compost and peat moss. Together, these ingredients provide a quality base for your new lawn or the thickening of an old one. Cost: $3 to $5 per 20 kg bag.

- A good lawn sprinkler. There are lots of lawn sprinklers on the market. Not all are created equal. Look for a sprinkler that produces a fine spray: these water droplets will penetrate the soil quickly and get to the root zone of your grass plants more efficiently. Look for a great line up of Rainforest sprinklers that are inexpensive, designed and made in Canada. They work under 5 pounds of pressure and up to 45 pounds. Go to http://www.rainforestsprinklers.com/ or http://www.markcullen.com/ for my own exclusive version of their product for more information. (Hint: they make the Mark’s Choice brand). Cost: $7 to $40 depending on model.

- Fertilizer. O.k., so Dad fertilized the lawn early in the spring. If he used a good quality brand like So Green, Golfgreen or Vigoro, he would be well advised to re-apply after 8 or 10 weeks. Why? #1 to thicken up his lawn and #2 to keep it healthy. A healthy lawn is more resistant to disease and insect problems. If concern about the environment is an issue, the new formula of Golfgreen is phosphate free. Slow release nitrogen, found in good quality lawn fertilizers, only releases as the temperature rises, rain falls and microbial activity takes place in the soil. In other words: only when the lawn needs it.
Cost: $18 to $25 for an average sized lawn.

Still looking for Dad gifts?

How bout a push lawn mower.

Lots of Canadians are embracing the idea of cutting the lawn the ‘old fashioned way’ with a manual, reel lawn mower. The new ones are much lighter weight and hold an edge much longer than the ones he will remember from his youth.

Also for Dad:
A new pair of hand pruners (get good ones as the cheap ones are, well, you can finish the sentence….. in fact using them over a long period of time is like a sentence!!)
Gardening gloves – look for reinforced finger tips: the gloves will last up to 4 times longer!
Tree loppers and shears (see last week’s blog).

Noticeable by their absence in this column are power tools….. leaf blowers, chain saws, power trimmers/weed whackers etc. There is a reason for this. I hate them all. Not the tools but the noise and the pollution that 2 cycle engines produce. However, if he is into this kind of thing, get a good quality brand and ask your retailer about the noise levels produced by each product as they do vary a lot from brand to brand. Your neighbours will thank you.

Power Lawn Mowers

As for lawn mowers – you would do your Dad a great favour if you replaced his old 2 cycle (the kind that you mix oil and gas together...) with a cleaner burning 4 cycle. The brands to look for are Honda and MTD if you are concerned about air pollution and noise levels. These two brands have proven to be the most efficient where emissions are concerned.

Here is a novel idea... Buy Dad some flowers!
There was a day when this was for sissies.
No longer.
Today men are much more confident in their masculinity than they were a generation ago. There is not a man on the face of the earth that would not put a smile on his own face with the gift of flowers. Fresh cut flowers from the florist, your own garden, potted gift flowers, flowering plants for his garden or a shrub that flowers each year on Fathers Day …. Test this one out and let me know if I am wrong here.

Dads love flowers.

By the way, some great flowering shrubs and perennials that will bloom reliably in mid June include: Japanese tree lilac, Preston lilac, German/Bearded Iris, water iris, Gaillardia, Veronica (Speedwell) and climbing clematis. Check the hardiness zone of each plant with the hardiness zone at your Dad’s place. Go to http://www.markcullen.com/ for the Canadian Zonal map.

Happy shopping!

Keep your knees dirty,

Mark

Stuff to Do in the Garden...

2010-06-01T10:15:00.004-04:00

This month I have travel plans that will take me from BC to Newfoundland. As I travel across the Prairies I will see some wonderful American Elm trees on the streets of cities and towns that are most impressive. As a native Toronto boy, the great Elm is a remote memory as they all succumbed to the Dutch Elm disease in the late 60’s and 70’s.

My hat is off to the guardians of the last great Elms on Canadian streets in prairie towns and cities. There are thousands of fine, caring Canadians who are going out of their way to protect these spectacular trees from the Dutch Elm disease. From Winnipeg to Calgary, there is war being waged against this disease. Reliable sources tell me that we are winning. Go warriors go!!

Now, let’s talk practical gardening stuff for a moment:

a. This is a great time to plant, after all. And stake. I recommend that you acquire some stakes (not STEAKS) and bang them into the ground around your tall growing perennials. Better still, look for the new heavy gage ‘link stakes’ that make supporting peonies, delphiniums and other tall growers easy ….they are Canadian made and last a life time.

b. Your tomatoes need support too….. I am using the new, aluminum twisted ‘spiral’ stakes that do not require the plant to be tied. Get to this job before the tomatoes begin to bloom as you will double your crop as a result (less susceptible to disease and insects: more blossoms and fruit).
c. Be sure to fertilize roses and tomatoes this week: they are heavy feeders. There are some great organic fertilizers for all veggies and flowering plants in the Green Earth line up.

d. June is ‘mulch month’, just in case you didn’t know. Likely you didn’t as no one has been talking about it. That could be because I made it up. We will call this our little secret… the point of course is that by laying down a 5 cm layer of finely ground up cedar or pine bark you will eliminate 95% of your weeds in the first year. And reduce your watering by 50 to 70%. June is the perfect month to do this as most of your planting has been done and the ‘watering’ season is just ahead of us, when the heat and drying winds come.
e. While the ‘planting’ starting pistol was set off in late May we have been planting like fury. If you have not put your annuals, perennials or veggies into the ground yet the good news is that it is not too late for most anything. This week I will put another row of green and yellow snap beans in for late summer harvest. I will sow another patch of carrots and radishes. I will finally sow the thousands of sunflower seeds that I purchased from Veseys seeds in P.E.I.

f. Your flower gardens, including hanging baskets, window boxes and other containers will still produce lots of colour with mid June planting. And the really good news is that the roses, perennials, trees, flowering shrubs and evergreens that you have been meaning to plant still can be. All summer, for that matter. Just make sure that you prepare the soil well and water after planting.

Talk to you next week; meantime keep your knees dirty.

Mark Cullen

A Stake that Dad can Really Dig for Father's Day

2010-05-25T08:50:00.003-04:00

With Father's Day just ahead of us I am offering some useful gift suggestions for (what I am told) the ‘toughest guy to buy for’ in your family.

Also, as promised, I am recommending some excellent annuals and perennials for use in containers this summer.

On the first note, it is helpful to think ‘Tool Time’ when it comes to Dad. All dads love tools – gardening dads as much as the next guy. So what kind of tools will delight even the most casual of Gardening Dads?

Dad’s Make the Cut.

Let’s start with cutting tools – like loppers. When it comes to trimming trees and shrubs, there are a lot of options. The new ‘tree loppers’ on the market have been improved over recent years, dramatically! Here is how:

A good quality pair of lopping shears will have:
- High carbon steel cutting blade that will hold an edge even under heavy use.
- A Teflon coated blade, for smooth cutting
- A ‘geared’ hinge provides for less effort to ‘make the cut’
- Some loppers will have aluminum shafts for handles, which are extendable.
Good quality short handled loppers are $35 to $70 depending on the size and cutting capacity.
Long handled ‘pole pruners’ for trimming tall trees etc. are $100 and up.

Dad’s Dig It.

Digging in the garden can be viewed as drudgery or fun – depends on your point of view and whether you are using a quality, sharp tool.

First of all – buy Dad a metal ‘bastard’ file. He can use it to keep an edge on the shovels, spades and hoes that he has hanging in the garage or tool shed. Advise him that he should put a new digging tool on the grinder to give it an edge and then keep that edge using the file.

Secondly, buy Dad a good quality spade or shovel. The new ones are made of superior quality steel, hold an edge (once he makes one….), provide maximum leverage for effort expended and last for a very long time.

Dad Loves a Good Stake.
Here is one of the greatest inventions in modern gardening history, costs only $7 or so and he will never (likely) buy himself one.
It is an aluminum ‘spiral tomato stake’ for his tomatoes. Here are the benefits:
- Staking his tomatoes will double his crop vs. growing them on the ground.
- No tying is required. With one hand he can twist the main stem of the tomato onto the spiral stake while with the other he can hold a coffee (if he is doing this in the morning) or a beer (afternoon or evening activity).
- They are 6 ½ ft. tall – tall enough to support even the most successful tomato.
- They will last his life time – and then some. At the appropriate time you could suggest that he leave them to you when he is done with them.
- They look good lined up in the garden! (who said that a veggie garden was not attractive?)

There are many retailers that carry upscale, quality gardening tools. My own line of Mark’s Choice is available from Home Hardware and can be viewed at http://www.markcullen.com/

There is more – so stay tuned next week to this blog.

This is a good time to be thinking of planting in containers. And with it, the opportunity to put in mountains of colour in the form of annuals and perennials.

Yes, you can plant perennials and annuals together. Not only will you create a unique look, but it will be one that will sustain itself very nicely over the entire summer.

Great combos:

For sun: I love to put perennial Gaura/Indian Feather together with annual Sweet potato vine. The Gaura will spike up nicely, giving you the height that you are looking for, while the sweet potato will grow down to the bottom of most any pot. Chose from Sweet potato ‘Blacky’ or the many lime green and yellow varieties that are out there.

Another great perennial/annual combination for a sunny position is perennial Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’, perennail Creeping Jenny with annual geraniums and/or Cape Daisy. The Scabiosa will grow to 30 cm. tall and bloom the entire season, as will the geraniums and Cape Daisies

Other great perennials for the sun that lend themselves well to container gardening are:
Columbine, Coral Bells, Cranesbill (geranium), lungwort, salvia, thyme, viola and yarrow. For dry, intense sun look for Hens and Chickens, Sempervivums, yarrow, euphorbia, ice plant and stonecrop.

For shady positions in the garden look for these perennials for containers:
Hosta, fern, Deadnettle (lamium), Bugle Flower (Ajuga), Sweet Woodruff, and Irish or Scottish Moss.

Next week, more Fathers Day Gift suggestions, including some tools that will help him to maintain a great looking lawn.

Meantime, keep your knees dirty!

Mark