Garden Talk: July 2012

Sunday 15 July 2012

Queen of the Cut Flowers

Ask any florist and they will agree the lovely delphinium is truly queen of the cut flowers. Arrangements using these delicate beauties are absolutely stunning! Colors range from pure whites to deep purples and blues. Use of this bloom for arranging in large vases dates back to Victorian times. They are classic because of their form, prized for their longevity and deserve their status as queen.

Pricey to purchase as a cut because of their delicate nature, growing your own is an easy option.
Requirements include full sun, well drained rich soil and slug protection. Plant in backgrounds as some varieties grow to 5 feet! Tall bloom spikes may need to be staked. Delphiniums can start to bloom as early as June while some varieties bloom well into August. Cold hardiness is not an issue here as most delphiniums are hardy to –40C.

We currently stock many different colors including purples, blues, lavenders and raspberry.

Another Fragrant Beauty

Mother Nature loves her perfume and she lavishes it on this next beauty! The Oriental Lily group is
intoxicatingly fragrant as well as being gorgeous. Enjoy their blooms in the garden or for use in large vases indoors. Bloom time is later than other lilies so they can be planted with Asiatic lilies that bloom earlier. Asiatic lilies are very hardy and make excellent border and patio pot choices. Planting different types and varieties of lilies ensures a prolonged blooming period and height and color ranges. We currently stock many types of lilies that are either in bud or bursting into color. Hardiness ranges from zone 3-9. Mature heights range from 14” all the way to 48”. I recommend checking out the stunning ‘Casa Blanca’ lily with its enormous pure white perfumed blooms and the ‘Stargazer’ lily with its deep fuchsia colored blooms.

Lilies are exceptional perennials. They are easy to grow in full sun to light shade. Divide clumps in fall every several years. Stems should be staked for tall growing varieties.

Hypericum Mystical Series

A recently new introduction of landscape Hypericum shrubs from Fisher Farms in Oregon is a fun choice for the home gardener. In recent years Hypericum has risen to the top 50 cut flower stems in the world, making it the most successful berry producing shrub ever. With the introduction of the Mystical Series, you can enjoy Hypericum that were exclusively bred for the cut flower industry in your own garden! What does this mean? It guarantees beautifully colored fruits on perfectly branched varieties for your enjoyment, whether its in the garden or as cuts for your home. Choose from red, orange or black berries and fill your fall garden with interest and your floral arrangements with lovely colored hips! Perfect for a sunny border, Hypericum can be used as a specimen plant or in drifts where they truly show off.

In spring, enjoy bright yellow blooms on compact low bushes. Varieties available are Mystical Orange, Mystical Red Star and Mystical Black. Mature height 30-36”. Zones 5-9

Lil’ Kim Rose of Sharon

I love it when new twists on old favorites come on the market. This week it’s a new form of Rose of
Sharon. A unique dwarf variety with dainty little white flowers punctuated with a showy red eye. Late
summer flowers last for up to three days instead of the typical one of Rose of Sharon. Lovely in containers or as a hedge or specimen shrub. Plant in partial to full sun in a well drained soil. Prune in fall and feed in early spring for the best show of flowers. Once established, seldom needs watering. Mature height is three to four feet tall and wide. Hardiness zone 5-8.

Proven Winners Market Mates

Proven winner plants are preferred by both new and experienced gardeners because a better garden starts with a better plant. Proven Winners are top performers – healthy, disease resistant, and easy to grow producing long lasting color with wow power.

The plants that make the final cut are chosen for their all- season color and bountiful blooms, resistance to disease and insects, and tolerance of heat and humidity. The rigorous selection process takes 2 to 3 years to assure Proven Winner plants perform better while using fewer chemicals.

To help you enjoy the best success with your hanging baskets, we are proud to offer Proven Winner Market Mates. These are professionally themed plant combinations available in all color schemes.

Here is a quick sampling of our current combinations:
• White Celebration – an all white assortment including petunias and lobelia
• Love at First Sight – pink, white, coral red
• Bright Skies – lavender, pink, white
• Fragrance Mix – heliotrope, nemesia, chocolate cosmos
• Shade Combo – lime, orange, black, blue
• Lemon Zest – lime, blues, lemon
• Calibrachoa Vibrant Mix – reds, oranges, yellow

We have carried this line of Market Mates for a few years now and believe me, we have a dedicated group of customers that return year after year to purchase them because they have enjoyed great success in their hanging baskets. Note: They can be used for planter pots as well. I use two Market Mates in my half barrel deck planter and they look FABULOUS every year!

The beautiful Jasmine Vine

Jasmine has long been treasured for it’s delicate, sweet scent. There are many, many varieties of jasmine but this article concentrates on the lovely Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). This is probably my favorite jasmine because of its long, long blooming time. It is an evergreen vine with dark green small glossy leaves and masses of tiny star shaped white fragrant blossoms. It is not prone to any fungal diseases (unlike other fragrant vines) and I’ve never seen it with insects of any kind.

Star Jasmine arrive in garden centres in May, in full bloom, and remain in full bloom until close to
Halloween! This is great value for the money. Unfortunately, they are rated a zone 8 hardiness which
means you can leave them outside in winter only if you live in sunny Whiterock or perhaps English Bay. For this reason, it recommended they be grown in a container that can be overwintered in a greenhouse or naturally lit garages.

We have a huge stock of them in all sizes ranges from staked one gallon pots to stunning trellis specimens in 5 gallon pots. Stop by soon to inhale their beautiful scent!

Kilimanjaro Viburnum

A new and hardy shrub, Viburnum plicatum ‘Kilimanjaro’ has flat clusters of pure white flowers in
early summer and a striking, upright and pyramidal shape. The attractive flowers are followed by masses of bright pinkish/red berries in late summer/early autumn. This is a handsome specimen shrub with a distinctively narrow habit. It flowers best in a sunny position. Grows 8’ tall and 2-3’ wide. Zone 5

This is a new item for us here and we are quite excited to share it with our customers who are looking
for something with interest but have small spaces. The beauty of the Kilimanjaro is that it only takes up vertical space!

Plant Summer Bulbs Now

For summer color in flower beds, plant bulbs, corms and tubers now and they’ll carry color through the summer, many times into early fall. Right now there is a wide array of lillies, dahlias, gladiolas to name just a few. Many of these bulbs will remain forever in your flower beds (growing larger each year) while a few may need to be lifted in the fall for winter storage.

When planting, remember to plant each bulb as deep as the diameter of the bulb; if the diameter is one inch, plant the bulb one inch deep. The soil needs to be well-drained and mulchy, with lots of organic materials. Apply a small amount of all purpose fertilizer after the bulb emerges from the soil.
Some of my favorites include crocosmia, acidanthera, tigridia and sparaxis. Try something new this year and you may have your own new favorite!

Heirloom Tomatoes – Have You Tried Black?

Art Knapps has enjoyed a long association with a well known local grower of heirloom tomatoes. Boy, after a conversation with him, you’ll be pumped up and eager to experiment with all sorts of unique heirloom varieties! The difference between a regular tomatoe and an heirloom variety is often in taste. Commercial tomatoes are grown for hardiness as they often have to travel thousands of miles before landing in your local grocery store. These tomatoes have to stand up to the rigors of much handling but lack the ‘fresh picked from the garden’ taste. Heirloom tomatoes are varieties that were grown pre1950 before mass hybridization began. Our grandparents would have saved their own seed from year to year. Thus each growing season, the tomatoe would have remained true to type.

Heirloom tomatoes are softer than grocery store types but if you are eating them right after picking, then this is not a problem. Sometimes the fruit will be slightly misshapen but if it’s just going in your BLT sandwich, who cares? Great flavor is what home gardeners want and heirlooms trump grocery store tomatoes every time!

There are so many varieties, I’m not even going to try to list them but instead in this article am
concentrating on one category of heirloom, the black tomatoes! They are called black because of their dark blood-red skin and dark flesh. Again, after chatting this week with our heirloom grower, he convinced me to try black tomatoes because he claims they have the most real, from your childhood taste of all colors of tomatoes.

There are 2 types we carry: Black Krim and Black Cherry.

Black Krim – an indeterminate tomatoe, medium size fruit, strong, sweet smokey taste, fantastic depth of flavor

Black Cherry – indeterminate, rare variety, dark flesh, rich complex taste, vigorous, one of the few black cherries

Because both of these varieties are indeterminate, allow more space than if they were bush types. They can grow to 6 feet but I often pinch out the top growth to keep them down to 4-5 feet.

Try these, like me, this year and we can all compare notes in September! (Supplies are limited)

Raspberry Shortcake

Raspberry shortcake offers everyone a chance to enjoy raspberries like never before. This revolutionary, thornless raspberry has an endearing compact, rounded growth habit and thrives in a patio pot or in the landscape. Perfect for children and adults, this carefree patio raspberry requires no staking, or big garden spaces. Raspberry Shortcake produces full-sized, nutritious and super sweet raspberries mid-summer.

This dwarf red raspberry produces abundant new canes each spring and fruits on new canes that have gone through a winter dormancy period. Once fruiting is finished, prune out canes at the base that have fruited leaving new canes to fruit next season.

Raspberry Shortcake is best suited to large patio containers, and will fill out no matter the shape! If you choose to plant Raspberry Shortcake in the ground, as with any raspberry, take care to plant in an open landscape or garden where moderate spreading is tolerable.

Grows 2’-3’ Medium size fruit
Zones 5-8 Flavor: Sweet/Vanilla Essence

The Wonderful World of Onions

What kitchen pantry wouldn’t be complete without the presence of wonderful onions. While not being as glamorous or trendy as say arugula, imagine meals without the unmistakable flavour of onion! There is such variety available to home gardeners that can be grown in your backyard with minimal effort! Onions are sold in roughly ½ lb packages in the bulb form. Started from this size, they will mature faster than if started from seed. The exception is green bunching onions that can quickly be grown from seed. Green onions can be grown in large containers but the rest will be better in the ground. Plant them now to get them rooting as fast as possible.

Here is a quick listing of choices of onions you could grow this year:

Yellow – This is the traditional cooking and storage onion. It’s what you buy all winter long from the grocery store in 5lb mesh bags. It is medium size with yellow skin, lower sugar content but great storing abilities.

White – A higher moisture content than yellow onions so they won’t do well at storing but have a nice flavour and typically are larger than yellow onions.

Red – Everyone has had red onions if they’ve ever eaten a greek salad. Red onions have a red skin over red/white flesh. They are often large yet any I’ve grown have only been medium sized at best. That being said, I just finished the last red onion from last years’ crop and it was still as perfect as the day I pulled it out!

Shallots – A small brown skinned onion with a mild flavour. It’s small size lends itself to being easily chopped into fine bits when only a small amount of onions is required.

Multipliers – This onion type produces clusters of small onions for each bulb planted. They are mild and can be slightly garlicky if your soil allows. Soil composition plays a role in the flavour of all onions.

Walla Walla – This onion is usually purchased in starter root form that is roughly 4 inches long. This onion is named after the area in Washington state it was developed in. Because of it’s high moisture content, it must be eaten fresh as it will not keep. Walla Walla onions are however famous for their high sugar content making them fabulous for eating raw in salads, sandwiches and on steaks (my personal favorite).

Spanish – This is another name for a yellow, storage onion.

Reblooming Lilacs!

A few years ago, there came on the market a fabulous new type of lilac called Bloomerang. It blooms in the spring and again from midsummer to frost. It’s small habit fits into any garden with a sunny spot. All lilacs love heat, sun and once established can be drought tolerant. Top dress with lime (applied at the drip line) once yearly in early spring and feed with a low nitrogen fertilizer in spring. They are not heavy feeders so don’t go overboard. Prune lightly after blooming to maintain a nice shape. Bloomerangs will attract hummingbirds and blooms can be cut and enjoyed indoors. There is nothing like the unique, sweet scent of the lovely lilac!

Pruning Is Like Flossing

One of the most overlooked or forgotten tasks in the garden is pruning. It’s kind of like flossing one’s teeth. Dental professionals tell us flossing must be done regularly for good health but we often let it slide. Pruning keeps shrubs and bushes healthy. It removes dead, damaged or weak branches. It also can determine form and structure. Yes there are many rules for pruning, but don’t let that daunt you. If you aren’t sure if a certain shrub needs pruning (because not all do), research on-line, consult a gardening book or ask advice at your favorite nursery.

Some shrubs, like rhododendrons, don’t normally require pruning because they naturally maintain a dense form. Older, neglected rhododendrons may, for esthetic reasons, cry out for a major overhaul to bring them back to their original glory. Because rhodos form their flower buds the previous year, this will result in loss of blooms for one year. It’s worth the sacrifice because in the end you will be left with a rejuvenated, beautiful to look at shrub. This type of pruning should be done in the dormant time.

If a plant grows too tall or large from lack of pruning, it can overwhelm neighboring plants and
surroundings. A little pruning each year helps keep the plant in bounds, keep it healthy, allows good light penetration , improves air circulation and encourages blooms every year.

Grow Your Own

Want to find a low cost way to grow your own herbs, veggies and flowers?
We have seed prices starting at only 99¢ per package! Our seed are from Canadian companies such Westcoast Seeds, Pacific NorthWest Seeds, Nature's Garden and Mr. Fothergill's. Renee's Garden is an international seed company that also has great prices and products. Our selection has organic seeds, seeds for container gardening and kids varieties to fit any style of gardening.

Plus we carry various seed supplies from starter soils to windowsill greenhouses to peat pellets. We have
everything to get your garden growing and get you one step closer to eating for less than if you bought it at the grocery store.

Vegging Out This Spring

An often asked question is "Can I grow food at this time of year?" To which I answer, "Sure you can!" Here are a few recommended crops for early spring in this cold weather.

Lettuce: Cool, wet springs are perfect for growing lettuce as it won't bolt and you should get multiple harvests out of each plant. Plus it is simply crisper and tastes better when grown in cooler temperatures.

Peas: Traditionally St. Patrick's Day has been the time to plant your first peas, but planting in April is fine as well. Peas prefer warmer temperatures, but they don't like the heat. Peas are known to grow well after the last frost. Snow Peas and Sugar Snap Peas do especially well in these conditions.

Rhubarb: Rhubarb is a cool season crop that is grown for it's leaf stalks which are both sweet and tart. It is great for pies... or tarts and is a perennial too!

Spinach: Spinach loves cool weather and is a quick grower, so you'll have to keep planting new spinach to extend the harvest. It is great in salads, hot or cold. Mmmmm!

Other cool weather crops including both vegetables and herbs are:
Parsley: Both a traditional curled and tastier flat leafed Italian varieties are available.
Cilantro: Quite flavorful!
Dill: Good with fish, and great for pickling!
Swiss Chard: Great in salads and full of nutrition too!
Arugula: Also called rocket is full of peppery goodness.
Onions and Chives: A perennial crop that adds zest and flavor to any meal.

So there you go! Have at it and start planting your spring crops today to enjoy them tomorrow! Well not really tomorrow tomorrow, but you know what we mean.

Tender Love and Care for your Lawn

Here are some simple things to remember:

1. Keep off the lawn in the early spring until the ground has dried out, and firmed up enough to walk on.

2. Rake up leaves and other debris, as rotting vegetation can transfer leaf mold to your lawn. This can cause unsitely dead patches.

3. As our soil on the wet coast is pretty acidic, apply ime in early spring to neutralize some of that acid. Grass is not partial to acidic soil, so your lawn with love a bit of lime!

4. Aeration is recommended, and should be done every other year or so. More often in high traffic areas as soil compaction squeezes out air pockets and suffacates the root systems. Aerating allows oxygen to get to the roots and will reinvigorate a tired lawn. Remember, roots need air too!

So hop to it and give your lawn the tender love and care it needs to thrive!

5 Rules to Successful Gardening

Having spent more than 2 decades in the horticulture industry and having served thousands of customers along the way, I often thought there are some very basic gardening rules that if people were aware of them it would make a huge impact on their gardening endeavors.I’ve repeated these ground rules (pardon the pun, I couldn’t resist) often while speaking to Garden Clubs and thought an article was definitely warranted. They are mostly common sense but when said out loud or read in print maybe they will remain in one’s memory.

1. Patience – Ask any old gardener and he will agree. Patience must be exercised in spades (again pardon the pun) to enjoy long term success in gardening. Rome wasn’t built over night and your garden won’t turn into the Gardens at Versailles over night either. Many conifers and deciduous trees appear to “sit doing nothing” for up to 3 years after planting while in reality they are growing. The growth is all underground where you can’t see it but trust me, it’s there! Top growth will naturally follow as soon as the roots have established themselves. Certain plants are slow to leaf out each spring; like hibiscus syriacus or Rose of Sharon or Nurserymens Nightmare as it’s often called by those of us in the industry. It often won’t leaf out until nearly June causing many customers to unceremoniously rip it out of the ground, return it to the nursery and exclaim loudly “This plant is dead!” Well, it is now we often reply. I have a friend who was given a Photinia in tree form that was taken roughly out of it’s home and dropped in her yard. She planted it and waited. And waited. And waited. Meanwhile it had almost completely defoliated and I admit to being skeptical myself as to it’s survival. My friend, being of Scottish descent, stubbornly clung to the hope that the tree would indeed survive and flourish. Well it’s a good thing I didn’t wager on it’s demise because sure enough, it began to leaf out again and I chastised myself for not following the number one rule of gardening!

2. Work with what you have – So many times I am asked by customers things like “What can I grow underneath my cedars?” Oh dear. Very, very, little grows well under cedars because cedars are water hogs and take all the moisture for themselves, not to mention they drop needles constantly making the soil quite acidic and lastly create too much shade for most plants to have a hope at survival. Yet people persevere purchasing more and more plants because by gum they want to have something under their cedars!! Fighting against challenges such as too much shade, too much sun, too little moisture, too much slope, etc. is counter productive. Accept that sometimes you will have a spot in your yard that simply won’t do what you want it to. Give in to reality and embrace the options. Low elevation with water pooling? Try not planting and instead think pea gravel for it’s drainage qualities. You can always dress up the area with containers filled with color. Grass won’t grow well in your North facing back yard? Stop trying to grow grass and think of maybe putting slate pieces in with creeping thyme or Scotch Moss peeking out from between them. Step back and look at the area with a more objective eye and think of alternatives. Ask and listen to advice at your local nursery for help with problem areas and mostly be willing to think outside of the box!

3. Proper site preparation – There is an old saying that I first heard from Bill Vanderzalm many years ago. It simply states “Don’t put a $10 plant in a 10 cent hole”. Still holds true today. Common sense but yet you’d be surprised how often its ignored. The most expensive plant in the world will not flourish if the soil is poor! Take the time before planting to properly prepare the planting hole. Start with good quality planter soil for container gardening for example. Invest in soil conditioners, manures, or composts if you are not sure of the quality of what’s in your yard. Use gardeners’ secrets like liquid transplanter at planting (probably the smartest thing you can do). It’s absolutely worth every penny. Think of it as money well spent. Enough said.

4. Fall is for planting – I once worked at a nursery with a young chap from Britain called Niles. He was (andstill is) a trained horticulturist. He used to tell me of the crazy fall seasons at nurseries in England. Britons know (it must be in their blood, world class gardeners that they are) that fall is truly for planting! A typical May day in any BC garden centre is a typical fall day in a British garden centre. The Canadian horticulture industry has tried promoting this concept for years but it appears to be ingrained in our psyches to do the bulk of our planting in spring. Sadly, people are losing out on the best time for planting shrubs and trees. Now let me explain exactly why this is so. In fall, the ground temperature is warm and the air is cool. Perfect rooting and growing conditions for freshly planted shrubs and trees. In spring, the ground is cool and the air can be warm. Not perfect rooting and growing conditions for freshly planted shrubs and trees. Any person who has started seeds indoors will confirm that soil temperature is critical to success. Roots naturally reach out in warm soils and stop cold in cool soils. Cooler air temps are desired because then there isn’t any heat stress. Trees and shrubs will actually do a lot of root growing through the fall and into early winter, getting themselves established before the following spring giving them a head start. Again, it’s the common sense thing.

5. Be realistic of your time – If you are a weekend gardener that likes a tidy, manicured yard whilst enjoying other backyard pursuits such as reading a good book in your chaise, playing fetch with Fido or leisurely chats with friends who bring beer then don’t plant a rose garden of hybrid teas! Be realistic about how much time you are willing to devote to maintenance of your plantings. Often people have misconceptions as to the amount of work involved with some of the plant selections they make. On the other hand, there are many keen gardeners out there who think nothing of spending a whole day lovingly tending to their flora. Be specific when inquiring with nursery staff about the care required for plant material you find interesting. Low maintenance choices abound so be honest and decide before planting how much time can you devote to these plants. It is possible to have a fabulous garden for almost every skill level of gardener. All you have to do is ask the right questions.

New Low GI Potatoes

New this year is the Low GI Seed Potatoe ‘Nicola’. The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale of 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels in the 2 or 3 hours after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Foods with a glycemic index value below 55 are low GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, they release blood sugar gradually into the bloodstream – keeping blood sugar levels steady, and have proven benefits for health.

Low GI foods are often the ones with “good” carbohydrates, low fat, high dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. These foods help in keeping the blood sugar levels stable. Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and 2).

Sold in 500 gram packages, they are ready for harvest in late summer. If you don’t have a vegetable garden you can try growing them in potatoe bags which are ideal for patios or balconies. Each bag requires only 3-5 seed potatoes in approximately 40 litres of compost. They have an opening section for easier harvest and side carry handles. Sold in packages of 2.

Thinking of Going Organic?

In the last few years, more and more of our customers have been inquiring about organic gardening. There is increased awareness regarding the importance of returning to the gardening methods and principles of our great grandparents when stewardship of the land was paramount. If homesteaders didn’t take care of their land, their very survival could be at stake. Fortunately there are now many more organic options in the way of products available at the consumer level than there was 10 years ago. Products such as biodegradable landscape fabric to biological pest controls. Here are some very simple tips to grow organically.

• Start from the ground up. Build a healthy soil with compost or manures. It encourages the beneficial microbes to do their job and lessens the need for additional applications of synthetic fertilizers. Products such as bone or blood meal, green sand, kelp, glacial rock dust are examples of organic sources of soil health enhancers.

• When starting your own flowers or vegetables, choose organic seeds. Seeds of Change is a seed company that has for 25 years, committed itself to harvesting and preserving seed free from being genetically modified and is grown without synthetic herbicides or pesticides. The seed is collected from only certified growers.

• Utilize Mother Nature’s own army of insect eaters by purchasing ladybugs and releasing them into your yard for a natural control of aphids.

• Plant flowers amongst your veggies to attract pollinators and insect eaters.

• Rotate your crops. Try not to plant the same crop in the same spot year after year. This will prevent depletion of various minerals from the soil and will not allow disease and or fungal spores to build up in the soil.

• Practise biodiversity. Instead of concentrating on a handful of plant varieties, include many different species to increase you garden’s biodiversity. This is easier than it sounds; merely tuck a curly parsley into your mixed annual planter that sits on your back deck or squeeze a few marigolds in with your lettuce rows. Be very brave and plant lovage in the back of flower beds and marvel at its thirst for greatness! (If you’ve ever grown lovage, you’ll know what I mean). The more variety of plants in your yard and garden, the more butterflies, ladybugs, pollinators and birds you will attract, and that my friends is a good thing!

Planting Guide

A little care and a few simple steps when planting new plants will get you well on your way to a successful garden.

When to plant

Today, most hardy nursery stock is grown directly in the container you purchase the plant in or has been dug and potted at the proper time of year. Since this minimizes transplant shock, it’s now completely safe to plant from April through to November.

You’re not limited to spring and fall planting only. When planting in the summer, water to a depth of at least 10 cm (4”), and never allow new plants to dry out. Be aware of natural precipitation and adjust your watering schedule accordingly. Autumn can be dry and warm as well so continue to pay attention to soil moistness. As long as the soil is dark in colour and cool to the touch you don’t need to water that day. Transplant established plants in early spring before they leaf out. Consult an expert from Art Knapp Plantland for more information.

Care Upon Arrival

How to Plant... evergreens, shrubs, and trees.

Step 1

Dig a hole twice as wide as the container and 20 cm (8”) deeper. If the soil is compacted, gently loosen it at the bottom and on the sides with your shovel.

Step 2

Fill the bottom 20 cm (8”) with Planting Mix and pack it down so the rootball doesn’t sink below ground level when watered.

Step 3

Measure the height of the rootball before lowering it into the hole especially in the case of large plants that are very heavy. You want your plant to be 2.5-5 cm (1-2”) above grade to allow for some initial sinking.

Step 4

Lower the rootball into the planting hole following directions listed for different containers. Make sure all plants are watered well in their containers before planting.

Step 5

Adjust the position of the plant in the hole so that the sides are facing in the desired direction.

Step 6

Start filling the sides of the hole with Planting Mix and pack firmly as you go to avoid air pockets. Once you have filled the hole halfway, water to remove air pockets and continue to fill the hole with a mix of Planting Mix and existing soil.

Step 7

For larger plants, make a circular ridge of soil that forms a trench so that water won’t run off.

Step 8

To strengthen and stimulate root growth add Transplanter with water as per directions and water area thoroughly with this mixture.

Step 9

Trees will need to be staked so that they will grow straight and if not staked they end up leaning away from the wind. Secure the trunk to the stakes using tree ties (as pictured above). Check these ties regularly to ensure they don’t tighten around the bark. Remove stakes and ties after one or two years when the plant feels firmly rooted and doesn’t move when lightly shaken. Left longer, these ties can severely damage bark and impede the flow of nutrients and water to the upper branches.

Knock Out Roses

Being a gardener who prefers my plant material to be of the tougher nature, 4 years ago I selected a Knock Out Rose to feature in a high profile area on my patio. I’m thrilled at its performance. It has survived quite nicely through every winter including the dreadful winter of 2008/2009! I must confess to paying it little attention. I prune it in early spring, feed it twice a year only with a handful of slow release rose food and mulch it with Sea Soil in spring and again in the fall. If you are thinking of adding roses to your floral inventory, I strongly recommend choosing a Knock Out Rose.

We currently stock 3 varieties:
Double Knock Out – pinkish/red
Rainbow Knock Out – single pink
Sunny Knock Out – yellow buds that open to soft white

The Knock Out Family of Roses are easy to grow and do not require special care. They are the most
disease resistant rose on the market. They have stunning flower power with a generous bloom cycle (about every 5-6 weeks) that will continue until the first hard frost. All of the Knock Out Roses are self cleaning so there is no need to deadhead.

The Knock Out Family of Roses are winter hardy to zone 5. If unpruned, they can easily grow to be more than 3-4’ wide x 3-4’ tall. An early spring (Feb/Mar) cut to 12 inches above the ground is recommended for maximum performance.

This is a photo of my Double Knock Out taken June 12th of this year.

Reminder to Thin Fruit Crops

Now is the time to thin your apple crops. Apple trees produce often heavy crops. Some of the fruit will abort naturally but we still should help the tree by thinning manually. If all the fruit remains on the tree, the branches will be heavy and more likely to break. Also the fruit will be smaller as it is crowded and therefore has to compete for nutrients. Pictured is my Honeycrisp apple. I plan to thin 30% of the fruit. I recently had relatives from Holland visiting and they said they remove 50% of the fruit. I will see in the fall if my 30% was sufficient to produce nice size, healthy apples. Don’t pull on the fruit when thinning but instead use pruners for a clean snip with no pulling.

Think Outside the Box

When you make up as many planters and containers as I do, you learn to ‘think outside of the box’.
Summer combination planters for decks and patios obviously will have the necessary wow of blooming plants but need green fillers to provide contrast. Bored with always using the same old fillers, I’ve begun substituting tropical houseplants instead of the usual bedding plants. Often priced the same as bedding plants, or sometimes lower, I find that houseplants such as table ferns, spider plants, and arrowhead plants do the job quite nicely. Try tucking a few into your pots between the flowering annuals and enjoy the lovely contrast they provide. At the end of the season you can compost them or dig them up and bring them indoors to enjoy as houseplants. If you want colorful pots in quite shady areas, then the use of houseplants can be even more to your advantage as many will tolerate more shade than traditional bedding plants.

True Story – Last summer whilst in London, I walked past Buckingham Palace. Paying keen attention to the Brits gardens, I was surprised and delighted to see 3 large oval flower beds in front of the Palace. Each huge bed was planted exactly the same: red zonal geraniums in the center, then a circle of blue salvia, then a border of spider plants! Even the Queens gardeners are going for the untraditional and are ‘thinking outside of the box’!

The Classic Peony

A true beauty of the garden is the lovely peony. Treasured by the Chinese for centuries, this old classy
dame shines now as this is when she bursts into bloom! My mother grew peonies in every house we lived in on the prairies as did her mother. Hardy to zone 3, this long-lived perennial has been known to live for 50-60 or more years. Peonies come in all different colors and a few different forms such as bush, tree or fern-leaf. The hardiest is the bush form and once planted, dislikes being moved so choose your planting site well. They need full sun and enjoy a heavy, fertile soil. Like roses, they are heavy feeders. The better the growing conditions, the healthier the plant and the better the flowering performance. Blooms can be floated in bowls on dining tables or stems cut long and arranged in a vase for a stunning show.

Peonies can be purchased in two forms; as a tuber in packages in early spring or already started in pots. When planting the tuber, it will take 3 years before it will bloom, whereas if starting from a one or two gallon pot size, they will bloom the same year. Peonies can be planted at most times of the year, but fall planting is a really good idea as it allows them to root all winter. Very little in the plant world can compare to the size and magnificence of the peony bloom!

The Organic Advantage – A Proud Canadian Product

Many of us are now conscious of what we are releasing into the earth when we apply lawn and garden products. This is the only planet we have and its fate is in our hands. On this note, I want to let you know of a line of organic fertilizers available to gardeners that will produce the same results as the synthetic versions previously used for so many years and will benefit the earth rather than harming it. Welcome to Groundskeeper’s Pride line of products that will safely nourish everything from your lawn to your veggies and everything in between. They scientifically blend their products with micronutrients and no fillers added to help you achieve all your growing goals, simply and naturally.

• Organic Advantage 8-4-5 Lawn and Garden Fertilizer 100% organic, all natural, slow release, no filler, all purpose flower and vegetable feed with calcium, iron and magnesium. OMRI listed.

• Organic Lawn Food 10-3-3 100% organic, slow release, non-burning, pet and child safe, covers
4,200 sq ft per 10kg bag, OMRI listed

• Blood & Bone Meal 100% organic, all natural, stimulates root development and green growth,
guaranteed not to burn, use for bulbs, roses, trees, shrubs, cacti, perennials and herbs

• Kelp Meal Soil Conditioner Provides more than 70 minerals and plant growth regulators, vitamins
and hormones, reduces nutrient leaching and improves water retention, improves soil fertility, made
from seaweed harvested from Nova Scotia, stimulates necessary microorganisms that live in your soil.

If you’ve made a commitment to reducing your use of harmful products, then consider this line of
fertilizers. Also, we carry EcoSense products for elimination of weeds in lawns and driveways safely.

It’s Herb Time

Now that June has arrived, it’s warm enough to have all herbs planted. Anyone can grow herbs and have fun doing it! Herbs are very container friendly if you don’t have any ground space. Mix varieties for a pleasing look or plant single varieties of your favorites. Generally, herbs should receive a minimum of 4 hours sun a day. Choose a premixed potting mix for containers and as always stay away from small pots as they dry out too quickly in summer heat. Use a 12 inch minimum diameter pot. Herbs are not heavy feeders so feed with mild, organic fertilizers only. Too much fertilizer can affect the oils in the foliage altering the flavour. Many herbs benefit from being gently harvested regularly so snip away often as the growth allows. Every year, growers are coming out with new variations of old favorites (eg. oregano scented lavender new for 2012) so take time to browse through our huge selection.

Climb on board the Hydrangea train!

Climb on board the hydrangea train!

Hydrangeas come in many beautiful forms, but one of my favourites is the climbing hydrangea. These hardy vines produce fragrant white lace cap flowers in early summer which can be five inches or more in width. The leaves turn golden in autumn, exposing exfoliating bark for winter interest.

Climbing hydrangeas prefer a location with at least partial shade, but unlike most flowering vines, can also handle full shade as well. The only caveat being; the more sun they have, the more blooms they will produce. Once established, these vigorous growers can be grown up arbors, pergolas, fences, or walls.

The word hydrangea literally means “Water Vessel” in Greek, a clue to their thirsty habits. Keep the soil consistently moist and don’t let them dry out or you’ll be sorry.

Climbing hydrangeas solve a problem for gardeners with shady areas to fill. Under plant them with ferns, hostas and other shade lovers to create a cool oasis for those hot summer days. So come in and just say “hy” to your new leafy friend, “Hy-drangea” that is.

Vine Mania

Our vine selection is fantastic right now! Here is a quick sampling of what’s in stock this month:

Passion Flower
Clematis Deciduous
Evergreen Hops
China Blue Vine
Akebia
Honeysuckle
Trumpet Vine
Virginia Creeper
Jasmine (4 types)
Silver Lace Vine
Climbing Hydrangea (2 types)
Grape vines
Wisteria
Engelman Ivy
Mandeville vine
Persian Ivy
Kiwi vine

Flutterby Buddleias

New for 2012 is the exciting series of dwarf buddleias called Flutterbys. Developed by Ball Ornamentals in Illinois, this dramatically different line of butterfly bushes will surprise and delight you! There is a fun range of colors including ones like Blueberry Cobbler and Sweet Marmalade. They also appear to be more environmentally responsible. It’s great to have a series of Buddleia that you don’t have to worry about becoming invasive. It’s an added bonus! We love the idea of a series of sterile, drought-tolerant, dwarf Buddleias. Grow them along walkways, tuck them into perennial gardens, hang them in a basket or display them in containers! Here is a listing of the varieties we now have in stock:

Sweet Marmalade –light orange
Tangerine Dream – deep orange
Snow White – pure white
Blue Heaven – lilac
Vanilla – creamy with orange centers
Petite Tutti Fruitti- deep pink
Peace – soft pink with orange centers
Lavender – deep purple

The mature height ranges from 18 inches to 6 feet! Yes, some are indeed small enough to be considered for areas previously off limits to the old standard grow-like-a-weed butterfly bushes! Stock is limited so don’t delay.