Calgary Garden Coach

a new weeping crabapple for the Adventure Garden

Okay, I know I just finished saying that I was going to focus on weeding and mulching this spring rather than planting new plants, but a girl's gotta have a little fun.  Above, please see my new 'Rosy Glow' weeping crabapple, a tree which I have coveted for several years!  It has already finished its bloom for the year because I bought it in bloom several weeks ago, but next year it will only add to the spring show of yellow tulipa tarda and pink bergenia, which can be seen from the kitchen window.  This tree will also provide ornamental crabapples in summer, fall foliage colour, and winter structural interest.  I am thrilled to finally have it in my garden.

the front Welcome Garden in May - ready for mulching

On the long week-end I spent several hours doing a thorough weeding of the front garden.  I don't know about you, but I'm vowing things will be different this year.  In past years, I've had so much renovating to do each spring that I never actually took the time to get on top of the weeds.  But now is the easiest time to do it - the plants are still small so it is easy to reach between them to pull the weeds out.  And better to do it now before any of them set seed and create a million more problems to deal with later.

So, before I start painting the new fence, before I start working on the new patio in the backyard, before I level and plant that pot in the photo above, I'm going to attack every last weed in the garden (well, okay, maybe I'll level the pot 'cause it looks terrible!)  And then I'm going to order a big load of mulch and spread it everywhere, which is going to minimize future weeding and also do great things for my soil and plants.  It's the sort of investment I should really have done earlier but I was having too much fun moving plants around and creating new garden spaces. 

While weeding and mulching doesn't sound very glamorous, and isn't nearly as much fun as planting new plants, it will soon pay off in terms of the size and health of the plants in my garden (mulching helps conserve moisture and insulate the soil),  not to mention the fact that it keeps the garden looking neat and well maintained.  So stay tuned - the garden is going to look amazing this year!

This week in the vegetable garden...

It has been crazy busy in my world but at this time of year, somehow I always find time for my garden!  Last week-end I got the raised beds set up by topping up with fresh compost and worm castings, and putting the strings in place for square foot gardening.  This week I got many of my seeds in and then last night after supper (isn't it nice to be able to spend time outside after supper!?!?!) I put the plastic over my boxes to make mini-hoop houses. Bring on spring!

If you're interested, here is how I built the hoops and then I attached the plastic with clips from Canadian Tire.  Here's a close-up:

It ain't pretty but I think it will work!

Are you gardening this week-end?  Other things I expect to be doing over the next few days are finishing cutting down last year's perennials and getting ready for a new back fence to be built next week. Oh, and perhaps a little plant shopping.  ;-)

What are you up to?  You may find these resources useful:

• My April 2012 garden to-do list (we are WAAAAAAAAAY behind last year so this list is still appropriate for this week-end!!)
• spring garden clean-up tips

• Vegetable gardening in Calgary 101, which includes notes about raised beds and square foot gardening, and
• When to plant vegetable seeds in Calgary, which is one of my most popular posts.
• preparing and amending vegetable garden soil
• excellent resource on northern vegetable gardening

spring garden clean-up tips

If you are itching to get out and do yardwork this week-end, go for it but don't go crazy!  It is still early days and we want to keep our plants well-insulated for quite a while longer.  This means don't be removing any winter mulch just yet, and definitely don't be walking around on muddy garden soil, which will destroy soil structure.  (Actually, some people recommend not even walking around on the lawn when it's soggy but if you know me, you know I don't care much about lawns!) 

If you haven't pruned your shrubs yet, that is certainly something you could get done this week-end.  Don't prune spring-blooming shrubs like lilacs (you'll cut the flower buds off!) and wait to prune shrub roses until late May or even early June as their tips usually die back and it's easier to see what wood is alive/dead once things are leafing out.  Here is a recent post of mine on pruning, with lots of links to extra resources.

If you're starting to cut back your perennials left standing for the winter, just remember not to tramp around on your garden soil.  This year, I am trying composting in place.  Which means I will be chopping up my leftover perennials into little bits and leaving them in place on the ground.  This makes free mulch!  It will look a little messy in early spring but the plants will soon grow to cover the old stuff.  As my garden gets bigger and bigger I have realized I need to use as many low-maintenance gardening techniques as possible.  Why tote all the dead material over to the compost bin, turn it over all summer (which I never get around to doing anyway) and then when it has sufficiently decomposed, dig it out and spread it back over the garden?  Life is too short.  (Besides, to be honest, I never got around to emptying my compost bins last fall so there is nowhere to put all the dead plant material this spring.)

Above: as I cut these clematis vines back, I am chopping them into small pieces so that they will provide a mulch and eventually compost in place.

seeds! plant seeds!

I have been just a wee bit distracted lately.  I started a few slow-growing perennial seeds back in February and the poor things are so neglected that I'm not sure they're even worth keeping (but of course, I will anyway!)  So my daughter K made me this sign and hung it on my chair so that I will see it each day and remember not only to check on my poor little seedlings but also to plant more.  Thanks K!!

The reason I'm so distracted is that I work at Mount Royal University and my program is going to get cut.  I could be out of a job in a year.  This may not seem like a big deal to most people but if you work in academia, the jobs are typically few and far between, and finding a new one almost always means moving.  I won't rant about it here except to say that the provincial government is seriously hurting post-secondary education - both quality and access.  Do you have teenagers finishing high school in the next few years?  You should be worried.  Have you written your letters to your MLAs?

Anyhoo, let's talk gardening 'cause it's a lot more fun!  Here's a list of popular articles I've written about seed starting:

• My seed-starting setup - This post describes what I do to start seeds, and the how and why of it all.  There are also lots more links on the bottom of the post.
• Vegetable gardening in Calgary 101, which includes notes about raised beds and square foot gardening, and
• When to plant vegetable seeds in Calgary, which is one of my most popular posts.
• How to winter sow - an alternative, zero-energy, low-maintenance way to start seeds.

You can also browse through old posts under the category "seeds".

one day I'm pruning shrubs in a T-shirt, the next day looks like this!

Welcome to March in Calgary!

It's too early to garden so here's some online reading and inspiration for you!

It's another nice day today!  And this is about the time of year that everybody starts saying "it feels like spring".  Of course, seasoned Calgary gardeners know better than to get their hopes up too high!  I might get a little more pruning done this afternoon, and I have started some seeds and placed some online plant orders (more on that soon!)  But now is about the time of year I try to start finishing up inside projects and spring cleaning because I know once late April comes I will want to spend all my time gardening! 

So, what can you do for the garden if you can't stop thinking about it this early in the year?  Here's a little online reading for you.  If you've been following me on facebook you will have seen these links already.  Here's what I've been fb-ing about over the last month or so:

Gardening tips for this time of year

Real Arborists are True Professionals - So true and so sad. I've seen many crimes against trees! Get a real arborist, people!

The Perfect Pruning Project

Bring Home your New Baby (tree, that is) - buy local, and if necessary, have it delivered!

Planting Time - Get your garden started with seeds

Garden Design

5 Essential Considerations for a Landscape Design Project - Can't decide which I like more - the awesome brick fireplace (pic#2) or the simple, rustic firepit (pic#5).

Great Design Plants - a Bevy of Beauties from the Meadow - I have this plant in my garden and recommend it for a sunny, not-too-dry place. I like the idea in this post about using the stems for bee houses!!

Garden Color - How to Landscape with Purple - The catmint, alliums and salvia described in this post are some of my favourite plants for sunny Calgary gardens. Lupins... not so much. They can be aphid magnets!

Monochromatic Garden Magic done 7 ways - What do you think about colour schemes in the garden? I'm torn. I recognize that a colour scheme can really pull things together. But I also like my garden to look not quite so... intentional.

Give curb appeal a self-serving twist - Here's an excellent garden design post. Personally, I am much more concerned with how my garden looks from the house than from the street!!

The Best Time to Design - Does your garden look pretty today? "Design your garden for deep winter. It will be pretty all year."

Where do we Go from Here? - excellent planting plan tips from a local garden designer, including the primary importance of considering function!

Where do we Go from Here Part 2 - more good stuff, particularly about choosing trees and underplantings, with lovely local photos

The Form of Things to Come - columnar forms in the garden, again using many local garden examples

The Form of Things to Come Part 2 - local trees which add pyramid and vase shapes to your landscape

Sustainable gardening

Get on a Composting Kick - Everybody should compost, not just gardeners!!

Extend your Growing Season with a Cold Frame in the Garden - Lots of online talk already re starting seeds and extending the growing season. Oooh, I can't wait!

Gardening for the birds (and bees and everything else) - Not an urban farmer? There are lots of other good reasons to garden.

Growing Edibles

Sprouting Seeds - My kids like sprouted seeds with cream cheese rolled up in tortillas - easy snack!

Campanula portenschlagiana

I picked up a couple of these little cuties, also known as Dalmatian bellflower, in the grocery store the other day.  Did you know they are hardy perennials in Calgary?  And also very long blooming.  They'd make a great hostess gift or Easter decoration, and then later can go out in a sunny garden spot where they'd make a perfect groundcover or edging plant.  In fact I think I want more than 2!! 

it's a great week-end to start pruning!

I did a bunch of shrub-tidying yesterday and might do a bit more today - although my right hand and forearm are very sore so I should probably take a rest!  But pruning is a great excuse to get outside on such a beautiful week-end, to get something accomplished in the garden... and avoid facing housework (indoor housework that is, garden work never feels like work to me!)

February is the beginning of pruning season in Calgary.  Here is some further reading and inspiration for you:

From my archives:

• February (and March) are good times to prune.
• I don't get the prune-shrubs-into-a-ball-shape thing.
• On thinning and rejuvenating shrubs.

Recently on the web (follow me on facebook to get these regularly):

• The perfect pruning project (shrub pruning tips from Garden Buzz)
• Real arborists are true professionals (tip: you may want to leave the tree pruning to someone who knows what they are doing!)
• Rocky Mountain Gardener's February checklist (pruning and seed planning tips from Houzz)

excellent resource on northern vegetable gardening

There was a great series on northern vegetable gardening posted this January posted at the Minnesota State Horticultural Society webpage.  If you are thinking of starting a vegetable garden this year, or maybe growing more or different vegetables than you have done in the past, this is a great resource. 

Here is a quick reference guide to what I think will be the most useful posts for anyone planning a new vegetable garden:

Day 1: So you want a vegetable garden?  This intro post talks about some of the good reasons for starting a vegetable garden.

Day 2: Where to put your vegetable garden. If you are starting from scratch, this post talks about the most important considerations of soil, sun (at least 6 hours per day!), water, and convenience.

Day 3: Pots vs. Raised Beds vs. Traditional Beds  I agree with this post - if you have the space, raised beds are the way to go!! Also see my post about What you need to know for building raised bed vegetable gardens for more information.

Day 4: What to grow in your vegetable garden My best recommendation: grow what you like to eat!

Day 5: Seeds vs. starter plants  Some advantages and disadvantages of each are described.  I say, try seeds, you've got nothing but a couple of bucks to lose!

Day 7: Designing your vegetable garden  Practical as well as aesthetic considerations.

Day 8: Vegetables in the ornamental garden  Don't forget this possibility!  I grow herbs, rhubarb, edible flowers, fruiting shrubs, and more in my ornamental gardens.

There are lots of great tips for starting your own seeds, when to plant, winter sowing, succession planting, extending the season etc. as well, so anyone who already has a vegetable garden will find some useful posts for these more "advanced" strategies later in the month.

Welcome to my front entry garden! Have a seat!

Do you leave your garden furniture out in the winter?  I must confess, I do even though I know it's not good for it.  I like how these chairs look covered in their white pillows of snow - whenever I walk by or see them out the living room window, they remind my of summer days when I enjoy sitting out here with my morning coffee.

Those days seem so far away at the moment, don't they?  What do you do to stay sane in January?

a peek into the front shade garden in winter

There are some low-growing junipers under there somewhere...!

the Adventure Garden in January

I have been such a terrible blogger this winter, I know!  But now that January has come my thoughts are turning to garden plannning again - every year at this time I start compulsively flipping through my gardening books, old magazines, and seed catalogues, and surfing the web, looking for inspiring ideas to use in my garden the coming season.  I have big plans, as usual! I will tell you about them soon.

But right now, I am just enjoying the beautiful snow in the garden.  To be honest, I'm disappointed it's all melting so soon as it looks so pretty and also helps insulate the soil!  Here are a few shots of my Adventure Garden which I took last week-end before the kids toboganned over it...

Above: The view from the house.  Perennials such as sedum, echinacea, liatris and perovskia keep things looking interesting despite the snow.  You will notice the footprints throughout the garden - my kids enjoy exploring it even in winter!

Above: A side view from the garage.  Feather reed grass stands tall all winter - the perfect "winter interest" plant!

gingerbread houses need landscaping too!

My girls and I made gingerbread houses this year.  They each decorated their own, complete with shrubs and trees and gardens.  The left house by K even has a downspout and two rainbarrels tucked in the back!  That's my girl!

Of course, I made the "community garden" in the middle.  I'm quite proud of the raised beds in a formal parterre style!  Wish I had room for a real garden like that!!

I've had an extremely busy fall but I'm expecting the next few months will be slightly less crazy and I'll be starting to plan and blog about the garden again.  Have a wonderful holiday and see you in the new year!!

more blue in my life - spare bedroom furniture painted with chalk paint in 'Provence'

OK, I know this is a gardening blog but when winter comes along, I must have a few crafty projects on the go to bring more colour (preferably blue) into my life.  This spare bedroom is full of second-hand and hand-me-down furniture.  There were 4 different colours of wood in here, and I couldn't stand it any longer.  So I painted the dresser and night stand with 'chalk paint' - the coolest stuff in the world which you can buy in Calgary at Lauren Lane Decor (they are not paying me to say this!)  It's super easy to use and also easy to distress if you like that look.

Actually, I painted these pieces back in the summer but I finally got around to hanging the curtains a few weeks ago so wasn't ready to show you until now.  I managed to find some fabric to tie the navy, the provence blue, and the browns of the unpainted oak headboard and cork floor to tie everything together (top photo, above).  Do you love it?  I do!

Above: a before picture, FYI.  This was my youngest brother's dresser when we were growing up!

ornamental onion in the winter garden

feather reed grass 'Avalanche' in the front Welcome Garden

This grass is a relation of the popular 'Karl Foerster', but has variegated leaves which look great, and the plant is slightly shorter than brother Karl.  Makes a great vertical accent in the garden!  See Bluestem's description for more info and inspiration.

To see this plant in my front Welcome Garden at other times of the year, click here and scroll down.

feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster' in the back shade garden

If you don't have this plant, plan to get it!  It's one of my all-time favourites and super tough in Calgary gardens.  Also on Sue's recently posted top 20 list, or check out Blue Stem's excellent description of this plant, with more photos.

Click here and scroll down to see this garden at other times of the year.

for the record: Calgary Garden Coach snowed under in October/November!

Above: frozen leaves still on the Mountain Ash tree in the back shade garden.

I've been meaning to post to tell you that I'm so busy that I don't have much time to post these days... so here I am!  When I said "snowed under" I was really thinking about how busy my job is at this time of year, but of course, it applies to the garden as well. 

I don't mind the snow, really (the literal stuff!)  Although getting it so early was not optimal for the garden as trees and shrubs didn't have time to fully go into dormancy.  We got hit with sudden snow and extended cold temperatures in mid-October, so that the leaves still have not fallen from the trees and woody plants.  Fortunately, this is a great excuse for not having done any fall clean-up in the yard!! 

Above: frozen honeysuckle vine leaves on the new blue arch to England (the veggie garden).

 

Above: deschampsia cespitosa (tufted hair grass) and physocarpus (ninebark) 'Coppertina' in the front Welcome Garden.

PS.  Even when I am busy and the blog is quiet, I still manage to stay fairly active on my Calgary Garden Coach facebook page - check me out there!

Happy Hallowe'en from me and my... um... Christmas cactus!

I post a photo of this Christmas cactus every year, but it's so flippin' gorgeous I can't help myself!  And this year it is even dressed up - when I saw this Mexican painted pot in a store last spring I knew I had to have it for my cactus.  And then I had to paint the table to match.  And then I painted the arch outside, too.

What would you do for your favourite house plant?