Father's Day is June 17

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Do you find it a challenge to choose the right gift for your father each year? Let me suggest that you consider the Mark's Choice line of cutting tools. I am really excited about this line of ‘best quality’, Canadian made loppers, shears and pruning saws.

I have chosen Canadian -made tools for their outstanding quality and durability. The Mark's Choice Bow Saw is balanced to reduce fatigue (especially in your forearms!). It melts green wood without binding, twisting and cuts effectively on both the back stroke and fore stroke. It’s a lot quieter and safer to use than a chain saw too!

My hedge shears keep an edge for a long time due to the high carbon steel and Teflon coating on the blades. They have extendable handles that hold sure and firm under pressure. Years of pruning experience have taught me that a good pair of tree loppers must feel good and confident in your hands. They must hold an edge - and be made of the very best steel. The ratcheting mechanism should stand the pressures of cutting through substantial limbs without jamming or twisting. And finally, extendable handles provide access to branches that otherwise may be out of reach.

These tools have set industry standards for quality and performance. Visit your local Home Hardware store to try these tools and pick one up for Father's Day while you're there.

Planting Basics

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

The first step in choosing new plants is to choose the proper location based on the amount of sunlight your garden bed receives. Once you have determined which plants are appropriate for the sun/shade of your garden you can move on to preparing the soil. I recommend that you mix triple mix into the garden soil. Triple mix contains equal portions of composted manure, peat and loam. Spread the triple mix 2 inches (5 cm) deep over your entire garden bed and either dig it in by turning it over or leave it there for the earth worms to do the job (Which will take 6 to 8 weeks but is really quite effective).

The organic ingredients in triple mix enrich the soil with nutrients and boost microbial activity. If your garden soil is heavy clay you can amend the soil with organic matter and sharp sand. A yearly application will help break up the clay soil and improve drainage and aeration.

Now it is time to set your plants in the ground. This should be done as soon as possible when you bring the plants home. Place your plants in the ground at the same soil level as was in the container. Fill in around the root ball with your freshly amended soil and press the soil firmly around the root mass. Water in each plant well to settle the soil and make sure there are no air pockets around the roots. New plantings are dependent on you for moisture until they are established and can seek out their own moisture. For perennials and hardy shrubs water at least once per week for the first growing season. If you experience long periods of dry weather water more often.

Reduce maintenance by fertilizing with SMARTCOTE® Feed & Forget. This is an excellent controlled release fertilizer which provides nutrients to the plant over the entire growing season. Nutrient release is dependent on the available moisture in the soil and the temperature. Every time you water your plants, or it rains, SMARTCOTE® will release nutrients to the root zone of your plants. As the soil temperature rises the nutrients are released more quickly for optimal plant growth.

How to Shop at the Garden Center

~ May 30, 2012


When you visit the garden center it can often be overwhelming. I am often approached by gardeners asking me ‘where to start’. I offer this information to help point you in the right direction.

1. Good value does not always equal the lowest price. While there is a lot to be said for sale prices on most anything that you buy retail keep in mind that buying plants is unlike most other items that you put in your grocery cart. Plants are living things. A great looking plant is not pot bound, leggy, has yellowing leaves or is necessarily in full bloom. It IS young, roots only fill ½ of the container, stocky and always green. And not necessarily in full bloom.

2. Labelling pays for itself. During this, one of the busiest times of the year at garden retailers, it is not always easy to get answers from a sales person to your gardening questions. For this reason accurate picture labels are worth their weight. A good label is printed in Canada and is appropriate for our growing zone, includes a picture and detailed cultural information. It is also a handy reference placed next to your new plant in the garden.

3. Roots do not encircle the inside of the container. Young, white fibrous roots are ready to take off in your garden. These roots must make a home in your soil before the top part of the plant can thrive. It is o.k. to turn a plant upside down while at the garden centre, gently remove it from the pot and inspect it. If the roots circle the inside wall of the pot or cell pack put it back and look for a younger, perhaps less impressive looking specimen.

4. Full bloom is not always a good thing. It takes energy for a plant to produce a bloom. It is, after all, an effort on the part of the plant to attract pollinators (not buyers) and to reproduce. A great garden performer will have much more green growth on it than blooms. The power reserved in the roots will be there when you most want it to push the blooms to max while planted in your garden over the next month or two, rather than on the retailers shelf.

5. Wet. The hallmark of a good plant retailer is one that pays close attention to the maintenance of the plants that they sell. Many mass merchant retailers fall down in this department, allowing plants to become dry after they are received at the store. A plant that dries out excessively 'hardens off', reducing the vigor that it had when it left the green house. Avoid buying plants that are 'light weight' [dry] as they may just collapse on you before you get home. Buy wet plants.

Growing in Containers

~ May 23, 2012

I have a way to cut your watering down by up to one half this summer. Water Wicks are a great product in the Mark’s Choice line up that I am very excited about. Each ‘Water Wick’ tea bag absorbs up to 400 times its’ weight in water.

When you prepare a hole for planting, drop a pre-moistened Water Wick tea bag into the bottom of the hole and place the plant directly on top of it. Firm the soil around the plant as per usual. Now, as the soil dries out the plant will draw moisture from the Water Wick. When you water your plants the Water Wick is automatically recharged with water.

The results are that you will water much less and your plants will become deeply rooted in their search for water at the bottom of the planting hole.

How do we know these work? We tested them ourselves. But not until the Ontario Flower Growers applied them to over one million potted plants that were shipped to retailers across the country. The Water Wick concept was such a hit that reforestation projects are now using them when planting tree seedlings. We (Home Hardware and I) have the exclusive use of the product in the retail market.

Give them a try and let me know what you think. I have used them in the veggie garden, under newly planted perennials and in containers with great success.

Water Wicks are made in Canada and are a 100% Canadian concept!

More information visit http://www.markcullen.com/.

What's New with Mark's Choice - Part 2

~ May 16, 2012


Last week I introduced you to some of the new items in the Mark’s Choice product line. This week we will look at some great new Canadian-made, solid cedar items for your yard.

Woodpecker Feeder – This feeder with double reinforced mesh sides and cedar ends with feeding holes is sure to be a woodpecker favourite. Fill with nuts and enjoy the show!

Butterfly Habitat – If you plant flowers to attract butterflies then you need to provide them with a home. Place a small branch in the house to provide a perch and place this house in your flower bed.

Mason Bee House – Mason bees are solitary, non-aggressive insects that can be observed at close proximity. Supplying them nesting sites in the holes of this untreated cedar house can be an educational and fun activity for the entire family.

Bird Suet Plug Feeder – Enjoy this attractive, high-quality cedar suet feeder that is durable and weather resistant. Fill with easy to handle, no mess suet plugs.

This year I am excited to introduce the Mark’s Choice line of Premium Vegetable Seeds. These 12 varieties have been selected for: garden fresh flavour, ease of growing in Canadian conditions, and overall garden performance.

I have grown these seeds and presented the harvest at our table. I believe that you will equally enjoy the experience of growing AND eating these vegetables.

Varieties: Bush Green Bean, Bush Yellow Bean, Kestrel Hybrid Beet, Juno Hybrid Carrot, Fanfare Hybrid Cucumber, Red Lettuce, Leaf Lettuce, Mesclun Mix, Early Frost Pea, Samich Hybrid Spinach, Yellow Zucchini squash, Blue Spice Basil

What's New with Mark's Choice

~ May 9, 2012


The Mark’s Choice product research team thoroughly reviews and tests new products, one at a time. Before a product is approved to carry the Mark’s Choice name, it must meet very stringent criteria.

• Does it succeed in fulfilling a specific need for the Canadian home gardener?

• Is it tough enough to stand up to commercial grade use?

• Is it manufactured with the highest standard of materials?

• Will it perform a unique function and assist Canadian gardeners in creating a great looking lawn and garden?

The answers must always be ‘YES’. I believe that every Mark’s Choice product will help you to succeed in your garden. I would not put my name on them if I did not believe this.

New for 2012

Firefighter’s Nozzle – The new Mark’s Choice Firefighter’s Nozzle is fun to use. The adjustment is finely tuned to mist new seedling AND it can blast water up to 23 feet (7 metres), plus everything in between. The quality is superior to anything I have ever used, and I believe it will help you grow a better garden.  Home Hardware item# 5042-512.

Floa Constrictor – Provides the convenience of controlling water pressure virtually anywhere on your hose, eliminating trips back and forth to the tap. Adjustable to any hose size, you can easily irrigate exactly where you want, when you want, without wasting water. Simply place sprinkler in position, then snap the Floa Constrictor onto the hose in view of the sprinkler head. Close the valve tightly. Turn on the tap, and slowly open the valve on the Floa Constrictor until the correct water flow is achieved.  Home Hardware item# 5042-960.

Mark Cullen Edition Golfgreen Lawn Fertilizer – Exclusive to Home Hardware, this new formula of Golfgreen lawn fertilizer will produce a thicker, greener lawn for a longer greening period. The slow-release ingredient feeds your lawn when the rain falls, temperatures rise, and microbial activity in the soil takes place. It works when your lawn needs it the most, and gives your lawn what it craves the most. I only use Golfgreen fertilizer on my lawn. Special note: When you purchase a 12kg bag (or two 6kg bags) of Mark Culleh Edition Golfgreen at Home Hardware you will receive a complimentary copy of my new book Canadian Lawn & Garden Secrets.  Home Hardware item# 5024-503 (12kg) and 5024-502 (6kg).


Next week: more new products in the Mark's Choice line up.

Attracting Wildlife to Your Garden

~ May 2, 2012


Attracting wildlife to your yard is one of the great benefits of gardening – you just want to ensure that you are attracting the right kinds!

While we all garden for our own personal reasons, everyone loves hummingbirds, songbirds, and butterflies.

My new butterfly house provides the perfect environment for butterflies to nest, pupate, and morph, out of the reach of predators.

Attracting mason bees to your garden is ideal because they are very effective pollinators. They nest in 3/8” (1cm) tubes like those found in the new Mark’s Choice mason bee house. All you do is mount if out of the wind and clean it out with a drill once a year.

When planning your garden be sure to incorporate as many plants that attract desirable wildlife to your yard as possible. Many native plants like Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) and Rudebeckia (Black eyed Susan) attract butterflies and songbirds. A hummingbird magnet is Monarda (Bee Balm).

Keep in mind that all of our flying friends enjoy still water for drinking and bathing, a protected place to perch, and many enjoy the addition of feeding station in your yard.

Gardening and Your Health

~ April 25, 2012


Incorporating regular physical exercise into a routine helps boost energy, cope with stress, counter depression and improve sleep. Gardening for just 30 to 40 minutes will significantly contribute to overall health.

Gardening's weight bearing tasks (ie. digging holes, pulling weeds, pushing a mower) have been linked to osteoporosis prevention. Women aged 50 and older who gardened at least once a week showed higher bone density readings than those who performed other types of exercise, including jogging, swimming, walking and aerobics. And, exposure to sunlight boosts vitamin D production, aiding the body's calcium absorption.

Recommendations: Use the right equipment. Whenever possible, look for equipment that is designed to be ergonomically correct. Keep in mind, a garden hose is easier to manage than a watering can, and a sturdy cart or wheelbarrow makes transferring easier. Pace yourself. Taking a few brief breaks each hour is recommended. Change your body position every 10 to 15 minutes, changing the focus from legs to arms, to hands to back. Relax and spread the work over a few days. Take it slow. Using different muscles than you're accustomed to can make even the most in-shape person slightly sore. So, take it slow, and alternate between heavy chores (ie. digging) and less physically demanding tasks (ie. planting).

[Source: Obus Forme report]

What To Do (and What NOT To Do) in the Garden

~ April 11, 2012

Is there another time of year when we feel such a surge of anticipation? The spring planting season will be here in earnest soon enough and with it a limitless supply of ‘to-do’s for even the most ambitious gardener.

In the meantime, some ‘NOT to do’s:

- Do not remove winterizing protection from evergreens, roses, and rhododendrons until you are certain that hard frost or heavy snow will not occur. Generally this is around the third week of April for southern Ont./Quebec and later as you go north.
- Do not stop feeding the birds. It is a myth that they only need to be fed in the winter.
- Do not turn your soil until it has dried to the point where it crumbles as you fork/spade it over. Otherwise, you will end up with large clumps of dried mud in your garden. And a sore back.
- Do not plant tender plants until the threat of frost has disappeared.

DO, however:

- Plant your little heart out – but plant only winter hardy evergreens, flowering shrubs and trees – while there is still the threat of frost. Perennials that have been ‘hardened off’ out of doors also transplant well in early spring –including the ones that you want to move around your own garden.
- Fertilize your lawn with a lawn food containing a slow release nitrogen ingredient. Better for your lawn –better for the environment. Rake out winter debris and seed thin spots in existing lawn.
- Turn your compost when frost has made it’s exit. This will introduce needed oxygen to get it heated up for late spring application to your garden.

Still restless? Then hose off the road salt from the evergreens nearest the road and the grass along the boulevard with a blast from the end of your garden hose.
Start your tomato and annual flowering plants indoors.
Start your dahlia tubers and canna lillies in one gallon sized pots. Place in a sunny window.
Take a deep breath: the great Canadian Gardening Season is here. You have a 7 to 8 month window to immerse yourself in the joy and to wear yourself out.

Things To Do in the Garden

~ April 4, 2012

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.

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.