If you've sent me an email in the last few days, I promise to reply in the next few days!
If you've sent me an email in the last few days, I promise to reply in the next few days!
Posted on May 29, 2012 in garden coaching | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
Posted on May 22, 2012 in Captivating combinations, my Adventure Garden, Plant calendar | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
Posted on May 22, 2012 in Captivating combinations, my front Entry Garden, Plant calendar | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
Posted on May 22, 2012 in Captivating combinations, my front Shade Garden, Plant calendar | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
It ain't a pretty picture, but I thought I should at least show you what I've been up to these last few weeks as I've been neglecting this blog! Apologies, by the way!
Taking down two gigantic spruce trees leaves one with a BIG, MESSY area to deal with, not to mention I'm still removing red shale mulch (the bane of my existence) from this area. But things are starting to come together in a few spots. I really wanted to get the majority of my planting done in May so that everything would have plenty of time to start filling in this summer (I hope to get to actually putting a patio in later this summer, too!)
I know it doesn't look like much yet, but once my neighbour's dogwoods leaf out, once the plants get a little larger, once I put some down some compost for mulch (I already put some in each planting hole) so that the soil doesn't look light brown from all the wood shavings left from taking down the trees, I promise you, it will be better! Oh, and BTW, the bamboo teepees are to keep the hares away from a few choice plants until the plants are big enough to handle a little munching.
The colour scheme for this garden will be primarily, red, orange, white and blue. Plants have to like sun, be hardy and drought-tolerant, and generally not need to be fussed over. Things planted so far:
Here are some more notes on how I designed the garden.
Posted on May 22, 2012 in my front Entry Garden, My garden projects | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
How do you like my hoops? I hunted around for ideas on how to best design this system, and I think what I ended up doing is rather unique.
This project was on my April to-do list and I just finished it last week-end. It was a pain due to having to dig all the dirt out of the way to install each sleeve, but it was worth it. It is why I haven't got around to seeding most of my veggies yet (which is on my May to-do list which isn't posted yet! I am behind in my gardening this year... you get the idea...)
For more information on raised bed vegetable gardening, check out these posts:
Posted on May 08, 2012 in my Edible Gardens, My garden projects | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
I was in Toronto last week (on a conference trip for my "real job"), so am way behind on my April gardening to-do list (which will soon be added to my May gardening to-do list!)
Above: tulips are blooming and spireas leafed out in TO.
The perennials here at home seem to be way ahead this year, and yet I am way behind. I still haven't finished pulling off all the winter mulch, and rain barrels are not set up yet. If I was on top of things I would have planted plenty of seeds in the veggie beds already, but because I'm still working on putting brackets in for hoops I haven't done that yet either! Plus, of course, this is a very busy consulting time so I've done more in other people's gardens than I have in my own!
On the bright side, back in my own garden, the honeyberries, striped squill and tulipa tarda are already blooming and several bees have been spotted. My Dad came over and dug out 2 spruce tree stumps from the Adventure Garden, and we've cleaned up the mess from that. My 4-year-old B and I planted sweet pea seeds last night. Small progress is being made.
So in case you're worried because you haven't been able to get much done in the garden yet this spring, don't worry, you're not the only one!
Posted on May 01, 2012 in My garden projects | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
The problem with gardening in Calgary is that a lot of information that's available out there is just not appropriate here. We're "special"! ;-) Here's the last month's online gardening "news" which I think contains useful information pertinant to our Calgary conditions.
(If you follow me on facebook you would have seen these in "real time".)
from Not Another Gardening Blog:
Good Lines mean Good Designs - Comprehensive info on garden design themes using lines! I took a class from Sue last year - she is an expert at this stuff.
from the Garden Professors:
Why oh Why returns! - Itching to get to the garden center in a few weeks? Don't let this happen to you! In my own anecdotal experience, these problems are much more prevalent at big box stores than good garden centers.
from A Way to Garden:
Tomato 101 - Everything you need to know about growing tomatoes!
from Houzz:
Cream-of-the-crop vegetable gardens - Time to start planning my veggie garden for this year! Mine won't be as fancy as these, but it's fun to dream.
Vertical Gardens Raise the Limits for Landscapes - Some beautiful photos and surprisingly practical information here. And wow, love those Terra Trellises!
8 Space-Savvy gardens - Some inspiration for small-space gardeners here, including an Alberta balcony garden!
Great Design Plant: Ornamental Allium - I love ornamental alliums (and so do my kids -they make great magic wands!). Purple sensation does especially well in Calgary. Make note and plant some in fall!
from homedit:
Top 30 planters - DIY and recycled - There are some neat planter ideas here! I have a lot of tree stumps in my yard leftover from some tree removals and I'm thinking about trying to make the tree stump planters this spring. I might paint some pots, too.
Posted on April 30, 2012 in Other resources | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
Posted on April 23, 2012 in my Edible Gardens, Plant calendar | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
Hooray! It is finally the time of year when I can start posting pictures of what's blooming in my garden. I planted these crocuses years ago under some snow-in-summer, which seems to protect them from squirrels. They are in my side garden, another south-facing hotspot where things come up earlier than most other areas of my garden. Plant these bulbs in fall.
Posted on April 23, 2012 in my Side Garden, Plant calendar | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
What a beautiful week-end! With this heat wave, I will soon have many more spring bulbs blooming in the garden. But here's one of the things popping up already - tiny, electric blue siberian squill in a hot spot between the patio and house in my Butterfly Potager garden. I wish I was able to take pictures to do this little baby justice. If you wish you had some early spring bulbs blooming right now, consider adding some of this next fall. It comes back perennially and even multiplies. And the colour is fantastic!
Posted on April 23, 2012 in my Butterfly Potager, Plant calendar | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
Hooray for spring weather! Everybody's talking about what's coming up in their garden and to be honest, I have barely been out in mine yet - it's been too cold at the times when I have had time. But not to worry, it is still early and there is no rush. Here's what I hope to get done this week-end, in order of priority:
For more details, see my April Garden to-do list.
Posted on April 20, 2012 in Monthly tasks and tips | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
http://www.calhort.org/events/gardenshow.aspx
I'll be browsing on Saturday, doing a workshop on Sunday morning, and volunteering at the Community Gardens booth on Sunday afternoon. If you're around on Sunday afternoon, drop by and say hello!
Posted on April 13, 2012 in Other resources | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
Posted on April 12, 2012 in my front Entry Garden, winter interest | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
There seems to be a new trend this year where I don't get around to posting my monthly to-do list until closer to the middle of the month! Ah well, there hasn't been to much to do yet anyway, so I haven't been feeling too motivated. Some people are already excitedly checking their garden for signs of plants popping up, but in my shady and heavily-mulched yard, there is not much happening yet. I have however, just finished cleaning the windows so thoroughly that I feel like I'm going to fall out of my house! (That will be about the extent of my spring cleaning!)
With windows out of the way, it is time to start poking around the garden. Here are some yardwork tips for April:
Perennial Gardens:
Vegetable Garden
Seedlings
Misc.
Posted on April 08, 2012 in Monthly tasks and tips | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
If you're a member of the Calgary Horticultural Society (and if not, why not?), you will be receiving the latest magazine this week, with a "Gardening with Kids" article by me! Let me know what you think!
PS. I don't usually post photos of my kids on the blog but these photos are all several years old and the girls don't even really look like this any more, so I figured it was OK. It is fun to showcase my girls, for a change, in the garden playground I have created for them. Feel free to gush about how gorgeous they are!
Posted on April 05, 2012 in Garden design, Gardens for kids, Media, Other resources | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
The problem with gardening in Calgary is that a lot of information that's available out there is just not appropriate here. We're "special"! ;-) Here's the last month's online gardening "news" which I think contains useful information pertinant to our Calgary conditions.
(If you follow me on facebook you would have seen these in "real time".)
from Garden Rant:
As Pollinators for a Native Plant Garden, honeybees suck! - With the recent interest in honey bee-keeping, I've often wondered about this. Apparently they're great for making honey, but if you think keeping them is an environmental act which is beneficial to our native flora and insect population, think again. I'd rather buy my honey at the local farmer's market.
from A Way to Garden:
Refresher Course: Thinking About Starting Seeds
Coping with Spring Frost in a Garden - Much of the eastern side of our continent is dealing with something that we Calgary gardeners deal with almost every spring - what to do about cold weather that arrives after the first warm spell? Of course, we typically have this problem in May... so file this away for future reference!!
from Garden Buzz:
Can We Say Spring Out Loud Yet? - It's a little too early to say 'spring' perhaps, but I did see of plenty of ladybugs out crawling around this past week-end! Have to keep reminding myself we're likely to get plenty more snow in the next month or so...
from Blogs and Blooms:
Starting Seeds with Stamina - more about, you guessed it, seed starting
from the Calgary Herald:
Sewing the Seeds of Urban Agriculture - "Food and the City is an ambitious, impressive, and thoughtful look at the way communities from Paris to Milwaukee have paired city and country life by creating gardens in urban centers."
from Houzz:
Raised Beds Lift Any Garden - Some great photos here to get you exciting about spring! Does anyone know a place to get metal troughs and pieces of culvert pipe? I love the industrial look they add to the garden.
5 Hot Cool-Season Grasses - Consider adding some low-maintenance ornamental grasses to your garden this year. All of these varieties grow in Calgary!
Cream of the Crop Vegetable Gardens - Time to start planning my veggie garden for this year! Mine won't be as fancy as these, but it's fun to dream.
Posted on April 04, 2012 in Other resources | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
Things don't happen very fast around my garden. Last week-end I finally got around to putting some wire up, and starting to espalier these young, dwarf apple trees along the side of the edible garden area that my family calls 'England' (I know, you can barely see them! They'll look better when they're leafed out.) But my point is, this was a long time coming:
3 years ago in March 2009, I posted this sketch showing my idea for espaliered trees and raised beds along the fence:
Then in August 2010 we built some raised beds in the middle of the area, which is a former RV parking pad:
...and last summer we had our first real veggie garden since we moved to this house, and finally I planted the little baby dwarf apple trees last fall.
You can go to the Edible Gardens section of this blog and scroll down if you'd like to see how this garden has progressed over the years. I still have several things to get done, including building more raised beds between the trees against the fence, planting more groundcovers around and between the stepping stones, and maybe even adding a decoration or two to the fence.
So my second point is, if the idea of transforming your yard into a place of beauty and bounty is feeling a little overwhelming, remember that you don't have to do it all in one year. But it is good to have a plan!
Posted on March 27, 2012 in garden coaching, garden makeovers, my Edible Gardens, My garden projects, Sustainable gardening | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
I was at the garden centre over the week-end and couldn't resist picking up a few pansies to put on my front and back steps. These annuals are super hardy and once hardened off, can be left outside at this time of year. Hardening off means gradually acclimatizing these soft, greenhouse-accustomed plants to the outdoors by starting to put them outside on a relatively warm day in a sheltered spot for short periods of time, and gradually increasing the exposure and amount of time. The afternoons should be fairly warm starting tomorrow so I'll ask my kids to put them out for a half hour or so starting tomorrow afternoon.
I love seeing flowers on the step when I come home from work! It's been too long!
Posted on March 27, 2012 in Gardens for kids, Monthly tasks and tips, Plant calendar | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|
Play with your kids' garden Playmobil!!
So, I haven't actually got around to any of the spring cleaning I suggested I might do in a my March to-do list. Let's face it, it may never happen. But I did get the curtains finished. And the raspberries pruned. And I have lots of healthy seedlings growing in the basement under lights!
What are you doing while waiting for spring?
Posted on March 23, 2012 in Gardens for kids, the off-season | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Reblog
(0)
| |
Tweet This!
|