Make a Date to Plant a Tree

~ March 28, 2012

For a long time it has made eminent sense to me that we need more trees in our urban spaces. If we spent more time and money on the planting of trees and the maintenance of the ones that we have, can you imagine the difference that it would make?

Here are some points to ponder from a variety of studies including one conducted in Chicago by the University of Illinois called the ‘Vegetation and Crime study’.

Consider that:

- Less crime. Compared with buildings that had little or no vegetation, buildings with high levels of greenery had 48% fewer property crimes and 56% fewer violent crimes.

- Trees encourage physical activity – comfortable outdoor environments are more conducive to encouraging exercise – research in the Netherlands and Japan indicated that people were more likely to walk or cycle to work if the streets were lined with trees. Residents feel better and live longer as a result.

- Walking. The proximity of green space (and trees) to people’s homes increases the likelihood of the residents choosing walking over other forms of transport.

- Green play settings reduce ADHD symptoms.

- Less stress and fatigue. Trees and green space helps reduce mental fatigue and stress and has important benefits for child development.

- Higher property values. A survey of 1350 real estate agents showed that 85% believe that a home with trees would be as much as 20% more saleable than a home without trees.

- CP Morgan, a developer in Indiana, found that his wooded lots sell for an average of 20% more than similar non-wooded lots.

Add the well documented facts that trees cool the atmosphere, produce oxygen, sequester carbon, filter and slow storm water runoff and transpire moisture on hot days and you get the picture. The Toronto Urban Forestry Study “Every Tree Counts” estimates the value of Toronto’s Urban Forest ecologically as providing “at least $60 million in ecological services each year”.

In Toronto there are about 4 million ‘mature’ trees in public spaces and 6 million more on private land. At one time the tree canopy in Toronto covered almost 40% of our land area; today it covers approximately 20%. The tree canopy in Toronto has been in decline since the 1960’s.

As you contemplate all of these facts think about the impact that planting more trees and nurturing the ones that we currently have would have in urban spaces in our lifetime and that of future generations…

Fine Tune Your Tools

If you visited Canada Blooms this week I’m sure you are itching to get out there and do some digging in the earth. If you haven’t been to ‘Blooms yet there is still time. The festival runs until March 25. Visit http://www.canadablooms.com/ for the details.

As much as we would like to get out in the garden, even the most ambitious gardeners will need to wait for the ground to thaw and then dry out. This will ensure that damage is not done to the soil by walking on it. Until your garden is at that point, there is no point in ‘turning it over’.

However, there is a lot that you can do to prepare for the digging/gardening/grass cutting season ahead!

Let’s begin with the really easy stuff: digging and weeding.

I talk frequently about the joys of digging and hoeing. The rhythm of a spade, thrust deep into the soil, the smell of fresh earth, the feeling of a quality tool in your hands… all of this adds up to a satisfying digging experience. But what spoils it all too often is ‘dull tools’.

This is such an easy problem to solve: all you need is a good bastard file. I sharpen my hoe and my spade every time I go out into the garden to either cut down weeds or dig a hole. I just draw the file across the top of the spade or the inside edge of the hoe 3 or 4 times and again across the opposite side once or twice – just to remove the burr of metal that occurs there.

Take a good look at your digging tools – spades, shovels and the like: have they EVER been sharpened? If not, time to put them on the grinding wheel in the shop or (if you don’t have a grinding wheel) be sure to stop the guy with the bell and the grinding wheel that comes around your street each spring looking for ‘sharpening’ business. Truth is, he may look at you kind of funny as not many of us take our digging tools out to him for sharpening… we may think of the pruning shears and the lawn mower blade at the time but not the shovel. Be the first on your block to demonstrate what an amazing difference this makes to the ‘digging experience.’
Ditto your hoe(s).
Then use the bastard file to keep the edge on all of these valuable tools all season long.

A shot of WD 40 or equivalent works wonders too. It will keep the blade clean and discourage the buildup of soil on it.

Lawn Mower

As mentioned above, time to sharpen the lawn mower blade. You can try this yourself if you know what you are doing or leave it up to the neighbourhood professionals. Up to you. But it is important to do this, otherwise you are cutting your grass with dull blades and that means bruised grass blades (recognized by brown hue over the surface of the grass) and you will use more gas as your lawn mower works harder to do the job.
Also: change or clean the spark plug, clean up the cutting deck by removing any of last years’ grass clippings that are stuck up there and replace the oil. If it is a 2 stroke engine, replace the machine with a 4 stroke – a cleaner burning ‘gas only’ engine that does not require you to add oil to it.

Cutting tools

Your grass/hedge/pruning shears need sharpening and lubricating. Use a hone for sharpening and WD40 or equivalent for lubing.

Clean off any rust with the lubricant or, if it is stubborn, use a soapy brillo pad to do the job. For that matter most metal cleaners will do the job nicely.

Wheelbarrows

Grease or oil the wheel and axle, paint the metal box if it is beginning to rust and paint or stain the wooden parts to prevent them from rotting.

Rain barrels

Turn them upside-down to get out any debris and position them for a new season of rain collecting.

There now… I bet you feel better knowing that you are ready for almost anything that the gardening season throws at you.

And you will enjoy the experience of it all that much more.

Count Down to St. Patrick's Day

~March 14, 2012

I can enjoy a beer to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day along with the rest of the gang – but green beer! I prefer the green touch to materialize from my plant collection, the lucky Shamrock for example.

Look for Shamrocks at your garden centre, they are not just available for St. Paddy’s Day, they are an attractive and ‘lucky’ plant to have in your home at any time. They make a great windowsill plant in a sunny location where they will display their cup-shaped white, pink, red, or lavender flowers for many weeks, even months.

Truth is, Shamrocks sold this time of year are not exactly Shamrocks – they are Oxalis.

Oxalis (Wood Sorrel)
There are many plants that make up the Oxalis family, a genus of at least 850 species of annuals, perennials and shrubs, most of which are native to South Africa and tropical and South America. This plant has three types of root systems - bulbs, rhizomes or tuberous. The name, Oxalis, derived from the Greek for acid, alludes to the sharp acid taste of the leaves of many of the species. Some of these plants are hardy perennials, some tender houseplants and some are what we refer to as ‘weeds’, such as the yellow-blooming, extremely prolific variety that seems to appear from nowhere in our flowerbeds and lawns, spreading and multiplying faster than we can pull it out.

The leaves frequently comprise three leaflets, sometimes more, which fold up at night. The slender five-petaled flowers open in direct sunlight and close umbrella-like when out of the sun or in darkness. When the ripened capsules open, the seeds are ejected with great force, spreading far afield.

Most Oxalis bulbs can be forced to bloom at any time of the year. After a flowering period when the bulb stops blooming, allow it to go into dormancy for a few weeks, the leaves will yellow and die. The plant might appear to be dead, but don’t be deceived, it’s simply taking a rest. During this dormancy period, don’t water. The plant will re-awake itself and start sending out new shoots. At this time you can start watering and fertilizing again.

As with most plants there are good and bad in each family and you and I are really only interested in the attractive worthwhile plants that make us feel we have found something beautiful that no one else has yet discovered. Here are three members of the oxalis family that simply cannot be ignored.

Oxalis deppei (Wood Sorrel, Lucky Shamrock)
This is a dainty plant (bulb) originating from Mexico and grows to a height of around 20cm (8in.). This is often referred to as the ‘good luck’ plant or ‘iron cross’ and produces four green leaves, resembling a lucky four-leaf clover, and displays a burgundy splash-type marking in its centre. The upstanding flowers, which tower above the foliage, are reddish pink to rich purple.

The edible leaves have a sharp lemony taste, somewhat similar to sorrel.

Although these taste rather good in salads, it is best to err on the side of caution and not consume huge quantities at one sitting as the leaves contain oxalic acid and this could interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients into the body, such as calcium. This substance is also found in other nutritious foods such as rhubarb and spinach. The quantity of oxalic acid will be considerably reduced if the leaves are cooked. However, I imagine like me you have selected this plant for its attractive plant properties and not especially for its nutritional value.

Oxalis triangularis (Wood Sorrel)
This is another variety that is excellent for container growing. The very small rhizomes resemble small pine cones, leaves are deep purple and the flowers are delicate lavender pink. This plant makes a wonderful contrast in a container

Oxalis regnelli (Wood Sorrel)
Oxalis regnelli, also known as Oxalis rubra alba, is one of the more familiar varieties and is very similar to Oxalis triangularis. However, the three-lobed, large green leaves are deep purple on the reverse and the pretty clusters of flowers are pure white.

Why not experiment with a selection of Oxalis in a decorative container where they can blossom and complement each other with their varied leaf and flower colours? Enjoy, but beware this is a plant that might seduce you into becoming hooked on collecting Oxalis and, because they bloom so profusely, you might be tempted into seeking further varieties!

Canada Blooms. March 16 - 25, 2012

~ March 7, 2012

Each year at Canada Blooms my botanical buddy Denis Flanagan joins me for an overview of the festival. Over the years we have learned that there are a few ‘tricks’ to covering the event while making the very best use of your time. The co-location with the National Home makes it even more important for you to plan your day (or ‘days’) at ‘Blooms!

- Wear flat soled shoes. There is lots of walking. If you need a wheel chair, you can book one through the Canada Blooms office.

- Bring a small digital camera. Your visual record of your visit will inspire you for months!

- Plan your day ahead of time. We have invested heavily in our website so that you can get an overview of the events on each day, the feature gardens, the ‘floral hall’, marketplace and of course places to eat. Think about where you want to go first, last and in between.

- To avoid crowds and line ups, plan to visit the feature gardens either first thing in the morning or mid to late afternoon. Typically the evening hours are quieter and easier to navigate your way around.

- Bring your gardening questions. Master gardeners are on hand to answer them as are many Landscape Ontario professionals from the trade.

- Sign up for the monthly Canada Blooms newsletter to stay current on events at the festival.

- Buy your tickets on line early to avoid the possible delay at the ticket counter www.canadablooms.com

- Pick up the Toronto Star insert on March 15 with some of my special garden features. And read up on this years’ edition of Canada Blooms.

- Rest up the night before as this is the largest event of its kind in all of North America. With over 8 acres of total space devoted to both Canada Blooms and the National Home Show, you will want to be running on all cylinders!

Have fun and look for Denis and me there – we would love to meet you!

Mark

p.s. my daughter Heather and I present a power point on our trip to Cornwall England last summer on Friday, March 16th at 1 p.m. Please join us!

Bed Bugs

~ February 29, 2012

In last week’s blog I talked about ladybugs and Asian Lady Beetles. Bed bugs are another insect that will become more active as temperatures rise and days lengthen.

Adult bed bugs have received a lot of attention in recent months as reports of their appearance have spiked. The adult bed bug is about ¼ of an inch long (1/2 cm) and they are flat as paper. They have oval shaped bodies with no wings. They bite. In addition to feeding on human blood they will bite mammals and birds. They attack at night and survive for up to 6 months.
No wonder no one wants them inside their home.

Bed bugs get into your home through clothing, luggage (never put travel bags on your bed) and furniture. Once they are in your house they make themselves at home in mattress seams, creases, and folds. They will hide in cracks in the head board and bed frame. In short they are quite at home wherever it is dark during the day and where they can hide. When your body is as thin as a piece of paper, you can hide most any where!

Getting rid of bed bugs is a process.

Inspect your mattress and bed frame, particularly the folds and other places that they like to hide.
Wash all linens in the hottest water possible and place them in a hot dryer for 20 minutes.
Remove all unnecessary clutter (great excuse to purge your kid’s room!)
Seal cracks and crevices between baseboards, on wood bed frames, floors and walls with caulking.
Monitor daily by setting out glue boards or a trap/monitor. Place the monitor/trap on the bed frame near the mattress. Green Earth makes one called Crawling Insect Trap and Monitor.

Spray using an environmentally responsible insect killer that contains pyrethrins. Green Earth makes one called Biomist Insect Killer that can be diluted for application and that will do the job.

Naturally, if either bed bugs or lady beetles get out of hand I would encourage you to call a local pest control company.
If you have been bitten by bed bugs see your doctor. While most bed bug bites go away by themselves some people do get allergic reactions to them. Scratching the bites can lead to trouble in the form of infection, too.

There is more information on bed bugs at www.toronto.ca/health and http://www.greenearth.ca/.

One last word on the new bug season that is ahead of us: the vast majority of bugs in your garden are beneficial. They play a vitally important role in the decomposition of raw, organic material and the general renewal of your garden each spring. For the most part, I welcome them into my garden each spring. The aforementioned bugs excepted.

First Sign of Bug Season

~February 22, 2012

Come early March I will be overwhelmed with questions on my website about ladybugs. It was not always so.

As a kid we were told not to harm ladybugs as they did a lot of good in the garden. All of that changed about 10 years ago with the arrival of the Asian Lady Beetle. Imported by well intentioned people, the Asian Lady Beetle was ‘brought in’ in an attempt to use integrated pest management on a rather persistent aphid problem in soy bean crops. These bugs have a voracious appetite for aphids, consuming up to 270 of them in one day.

I am sure that it seemed like a good idea at the time. However, no one thought to check these beetles out to see if they hibernate indoors over winter, multiply in biblical proportions or if they bite. All of which they do.

Warm House = awakening Bugs.

As the temperatures in your home rise and as days grow longer the lady beetles that have hibernated in your home since last fall will awaken. During the day they will move towards the sunshine, that is why you find many of them on window sills this time of year.

Controlling the Asian Lady Beetle is not difficult for the most part. When you see large congregations of them vacuum them up and be sure to clean out your vacuum the same day or they will just crawl out and go back to being a nuisance. Sometimes they smell odd when you vacuum them. This is their natural reaction to being disturbed and the smell will go away.

I do not recommend that you step on them or otherwise squish them as they ooze yellow stuff that smells even worse. Besides, you could end up with a yellow smear on the wall or floor that is not easy to clean up.

Control for lady beetles may be achieved with the use of white powdered silicon dioxide. Green Earth makes a product called Slug and Bug Killer Dust that can be used around pets and children to control many household pests. Apply it on the sills of windows, along the exit through sliding doors and anywhere that they tend to congregate.

One last thing on lady bugs. The Asian variety (Harmonia axyridis) should not be confused with the 3 ‘good guys’ that are native to our land. The 7 Spotted Lady Beetle, Oval Lady Beetles and the Pink Spotted Lady Bug (or C Mac for short) are great friends to the gardener and farmer.

They too will consume nasty bugs like aphids, scale and other sucking insects that otherwise can do a lot of damage.

Soil is a Living Thing

~ February 15, 2012

As a gardener I am acutely aware of the impact that my activity has on the soil in my garden. If I plant tomatoes in the same soil two seasons in a row I invite a host of unwanted disease and pests. If I don’t add compost and sharp sand to the perennial beds every second year the productive cycle of flowering and seed production drops noticeably. I have learned that if I do not ‘feed the soil’ the plants that grow in it will draw nutrients from it to the detriment of the soil itself.

Soil – or ‘dirt’ – is a colony of living things that are interwoven in their dependence on one another for survival. Leaves and trees fall to the forest floor to provide rich fodder of raw organic material that, as it rots, feeds the bacteria and insect life that converts it into something that plant life can use. Mycorhizae and a host of insects finish the job.

And so the cycle continues.
Our gardens do not generally benefit from rotting tree limbs or the fallen leaves unless we leave them there intentionally. All too often we blow our leaves into a pile with a power assisted leaf blaster and bag them up for the municipality to haul away. Does that make sense? No, I didn’t think so.

There are some people who argue that the most valuable natural resource in Canada is not oil or natural gas or even our fresh water. It is our soil. I agree with this group. Through reading and experience I have learned that our willingness to add to and enhance the quality of our soil, to ‘invest’ in it in every way possible, not only makes eminent sense but is a necessity if we plan on farming and gardening sustainably.

Perhaps you will think that there is very little that a gardener can do on a small residential lot or condo balcony to enhance and protect the soil that feeds us. Maybe so, maybe not. Truth is our attitude towards soil and the enduring qualities that it possesses when treated with due respect is an attitude that is rooted firmly at home. That should be good enough reason to soil-save if you ask me.

Plan a Trip

~February 8, 2012

Mid winter is a good time to plan a trip for this spring or summer: you will likely save some money and once you have committed the time in your schedule it is hard to back out. You get what you plan for.

Travel opens our minds to broader horizons. We gain a deeper understanding of how gardens are created and an appreciation for the value of time. A garden that is several generations or centuries old feels different than the one in your back yard. These gardens help us understand that a garden is created not for the gardener but people who are not born yet.

Here are my top 3 gardens in North America:

Minter Gardens, B. C.
In 1980 a young entrepreneur by the name of Brian Minter was hiking through a mountain path not far from his Chilliwack home when it occurred to him that the real estate would make a spectacular garden. He was right. He bought the mountain, so to speak, built the garden and earned an Order of Canada in the process.

Today Minter Gardens is one of the great Canadian secrets of public gardens. Truth is most people travelling the Trans Canada highway through Mission B.C. will drive right past the door of the place and not even know that they are missing a tremendous horticultural gem. Many will be on their way to Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, which is also worth the visit. But it is not Minter; quiet, contemplative, wildly innovative (check out the new children’s garden) and one of the hot spots for weddings in the Fraser Valley.
Go to http://www.mintergardens.com/.

Montreal Botanical Gardens.
What the Montreal Canadiens are to hockey, the MBG is to North American gardens. You will find culture, a storied past: an icon of the city that for some reason is a big secret to many of us here in Ontario. This is hardly fair.

Recently a friend, who I would not judge to be a very passionate gardener, ‘discovered’ the Montreal Botanical Garden and came home raving about this ‘find’ where an authentic Japanese Garden, an extensive collection of trees and rare plants, wildlife and meandering paths provide an extraordinary experience within easy reach on public transit. You can discover it for the mere admission price of $16.50. Check it out on line and you will find that there is one botanical garden that rivals our own Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington: the MBG.
Go to www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin.

Longwood Gardens.
Pierre S. du Pont was an industrialist and a gardener. He also had a lot of money. Longwood is the only garden, to my knowledge, that is maintained by an endowment left by the founder. A recent six million dollar capital project was financed from the interest earned by this incredibly generous foundation. And that is in addition to financing the operating costs of the place. When you pay $18 to get in to Longwood you are merely topping up the income required to maintain this extraordinary treasure.

Longwood is a full day visit. It is impossible to do this expansive property justice in any less time. The vegetable gardens showcase traditional gardening methods and heritage varieties as well as the current hybrids. Fountains of water can be heard from hundreds of meters away due to the shear volume of them. The greenhouses always feature a seasonal display that will knock your gardening socks off and there is a great restaurant, snack bar, gift shop and …. Well, let’s just say that the entire experience is top drawer. It is worth the drive to Philadelphia (1/2 hour north). Get the details at http://www.longwoodgardens.org/.

Bulbs Help Beat the Blues

~ February 1, 2012

Forced bulbs in the home are a wonderful sight and a great pick-me-up after a long Canadian winter. What better way to celebrate spring is finally on the way than with a fresh show of colour and fragrance, and the promise of a new gardening season just around the corner?

You may have experimented by forcing your own bulbs this year, but if you ran out of time, forgot to buy extra bulbs, or simply thought you’d delay the experience until next year, this is the answer. The only effort involved is a trip to browse around the garden centre, and what could be a better way to get a horticultural ‘fix’ at this time of the year!

The bulbs you will be seeking will be green, plump with buds, and almost ready to burst into bloom. They will most likely include the proverbial herald of spring; the daffodil, together with splendid Darwin tulips and fragrant hyacinths, all displaying the latest colour shades available for 2012. If you look carefully you will also find containers of mixed bulbs combining both fragrance and colour. What could be more exhilarating when snow still covers the ground, blotting out all signs of the earth and new growth, than cheery spring bulbs?

If you bring potted flowering bulbs into your home, I suggest that you will get the best and longest blooms from bulbs when you ensure they are not in a direct line with the warm, drying air from the heat vents. It is enormously beneficial to put them in a cool spot overnight, such as a cold room to prolong the blossoming period by several days or a week.

Once the blooms have finished don’t neglect these enthusiastic performers. They will perform an encore for you next year if you plant them in your garden. Keep them watered sufficiently to maintain healthy foliage to nurture the bulbs until you can plant them directly into the ground when the soil thaws. Next spring they will bring your garden to life when Mother Nature dictates.

January Wrap-Up

~ 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.