Just In! Vegetable Roots, Sets and Bulbs

We now have in stock garlic bulbs (regular, red and elephant) which can be planted soon. If you have raised beds, they can go in now because the soil will be better drained than ground level beds which will still be quite saturated from our recent heavy rains. Garlic is harvested late July.

Also arrived is our 2013 asparagus crowns. Choose from purple, Jersey Knight and Mary Washington. Asparagus is a crop that takes a few years to establish but once it gets going, it can produce for many years. They can be planted now.

For the onion lover, we offer Spanish, yellow, red, shallots and multipliers. Again, if your growing area is raised then you can plant much sooner than you could with ground level areas. Not only will the soil be less saturated, it will also be warmer and warm soil is crucial for starting vegetables.

For the horseradish fan, we also have packaged horseradish root. This root crop is fun to grow if you want to make your own horseradish. Allow a lot of room for this perennial in the garden. Zone 3

The Orchard Mason Bee

This little guy is known as “The Super Pollinator”. He’s 75% more efficient, per bud, than a honeybee. At 2/3 the size of a honeybee, he could be mistaken for a black fly. He is found within the lower mainland and Vancouver Island. The mason bee will visit and pollinate 1600 flowers in one day! Their life cycle is about 4-6 weeks and they are ideal pollinators for fruit trees. We currently stock all you need to get started utilizing these little workhorses from the bees themselves ($29.99 for 10) to the bee houses (starting at $24.99 for a house with 15 tubes) to refill packages of the cardboard tubes (16 for $19.99 and up). Be aware: Mason bees are only available for a brief window each year. If you’re thinking of increasing your flora’s natural pollination, then don’t delay.

Great New Bulb Combo Packs

New for Spring 2013, are professionally chosen flowering bulb combinations pre-packed ready for
consumers to use to enhance their garden beds. Sun or shade, there is a combination right for you!
Complementing colours are chosen as well as plants are matched with similar light requirements. There is even a collection designed for planting in a container! All the planning is done for you, all you have to do is “dig and drop”. I think these also make great hostess or birthday gifts, all that is needed is a bow! Here are just a few of these stunning collections:

Sunny Delight
This is a full sun perennial garden combination. Note the bright, bold colours that will pop in the
landscape! Included are 1 yellow daylily ‘Stello d’Oro’, 5 ‘Blue Barlow’ columbine, 1 pink coneflower and 5 purple gayfeather (liatris). Growing heights range from 12 inches to 36 inches. $16.99

Shady Patio & Decks
A shade perennial collection, this grouping in designed for planting in a pot on a shady patio. Three
perennials of different heights, bloom colour and leaf shape make up this pack. Planted in a good
looking ceramic pot, this arrangement will look fabulous! Included are 1 astilbe dwarf pink, 1 bleeding heart ‘Luxuriant’ and 1 dwarf hosta ‘Yellow Edge’. Growing heights range from 8 inches to 24 inches. $16.99

Pumpkin Pie
How can you resist with a name like that? Varying shades of orange are the theme here (really?). This
is an all dahlia combination being taller varieties so they would be best placed further back in sunny
beds. Dahlias bloom mid to late summer and well in to the fall. As a cut flower, they are outstanding!
Included are 1 dahlia ‘Holland’s Festival’, 1 dahlia ‘City of Alkmaar’, 1 dahlia ‘Bishop of Oxford”, and 1 dahlia ‘Glory of Noordwyk’. Growing heights range from 36 inches to 48 inches. $12.99

Hot in the Shade
Another shade perennial collection, this spring to summer flowering group will provide years of
enjoyment! Included are old favorites such as 5 lily of the valley, 1 bleeding heart, 5 toad lily and 1
hosta ‘Gold Edge’. Growing heights range from 8 inches to 24 inches. $16.99

Let there be Light!

New this spring is our section in the store devoted entirely to solar powered garden lighting. With it all gathered in one area, it’s amazing how much selection we are carrying for spring 2013. Included in the stock are items such as set of 2 hanging lanterns for $25, set of 3 LED garden lights for $40, Hummingbird mobiles with colour changing LED lights for $27 and coloured mosaic balls for $15. If you are an owl fan, there are owl solar lights for $12.50 and clear daisy blooms for $10. This is just a sampling of what we have for sale. Check it out for yourself, you might just find something fun to add to your patio or to pots at your front door.

Hellebore Extravaganza

Never in the history of this Art Knapps have we ever had the selection of hellebores that we do now. We went all out and ordered practically every available variety. I tried to count them all and lost count at 15 different varieties! This tough evergreen perennial that blooms late winter is a must-have for all gardens. Loving shade, it will grow in flowerbeds or in containers. They are low maintenance, generally pest free and not heavy feeders (a layer of organic material spread underneath them each spring is sufficient). Bloom colours range from pure white to rosy pinks to pale greens. This is the time of year to purchase your first hellebore or add to your collection.

ONCIDIUM: Intergeneric Hybrids

Pronounced: on-SID-ee-um
Crosses between various species and genera in the Oncidiinae tribe, have resulted in plants that have come a long way from the original species in beauty and ease of culture. These plants start blooming small with spikes of fancifully patterned flowers in shades of white, yellow, purple, red and brown, and as they mature become large, robust plants with long stems of flowers

How to care for:
Light: High light levels are appropriate. Leaves should be a light green, not yellowish (too much light) or dark green (too little light). They should be firm, not long and floppy (more light needed). Four hours of sunshine on a windowsill is ideal.

Potting: Pot in a fine medium. Fir bark mixtures are best, with 0.5 to 1.0cm chunks of bark, perlite, and charcoal. We recommend Willgro’s Fine Media mix sold at Art Knapps for $8.99. Remove old medium if it is loose, any rotting roots or brown bulbs; choose a plastic pot that will allow for 2 to 3 new growths and position in the pot so that the new growths will grow from the middle to the edge.

Watering: Roots should dry out somewhat between watering. When the plant is actively growing, water when medium has just begun to dry out but is still slightly damp. When the plant is completing its growth start to let it dry more, to encourage flowers rather than vegetative growth. When it is dormant, typically in winter, do not water until medium is almost completely dry. When watering, water thoroughly, with a volume of water at least equal to that of the pot.

Fertilize: Fertilize with a balanced orchid fertilizer once a week during the spring and summer. Once every two weeks in the fall and winter.

Humidity: Oncidiums do best with humidity, use humidifier, humidity trays or misting.

Grow Oncidium hybrids in intermediate temperatures with 14°C minimum winter nights and 29°C summer day maximum. Ensure 6-12°C day/night difference to aid flower formation.

Orchid tips provided by Canadian Orchid Congress. For more info check out: www.canadianorchidcongress.ca/

Paphiopedilum: Lady Slipper Orchid

Pronounced: paff-ee-oh-PED-ih-lum
These Asian relatives of our native lady slippers come in almost infinite variety of shapes, sizes and colours. Fans of green or mottled leaves give rise to flower stems carrying one or
more flowers in white, green, yellow, earth tomes, pink, red and black. Each blossom has detailed blooms with spots, coloured veins and velvet hairs.

How to care for:
Light: Medium light levels are appropriate. Grow best in intermediate temperatures with 14 degrees Celsius minimum wither nights and 29 degree summer day maximum.

Potting: Pot in a fine medium. Fir bark mixtures are best, with 0.5 to 1.0cm chunks of bark, perlite, and charcoal. We recommend Willgro’s Fine Media mix sold at Art Knapps for $8.99.

Watering: Roots should be slightly moist at all times. Water when medium has begun to dry
out, but while it is still damp.

Fertilize: Fertilize with a balanced orchid fertilizer once a week during the spring and summer.
Once every two weeks in the fall and winter.

Humidity: Paphiopedilums do best with humidity, use humidifier, humidity trays or misting.

Orchid tips provided by Canadian Orchid Congress. For more info check out:
www.canadianorchidcongress.ca/