Calgary Garden Coach

what I'm doing in the garden this week-end

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:

• Prepare the raised beds for spring veggie planting (if I'd been on top of this I could have been planting by now!)  This means digging out the perennials that overwintered there and putting them in pots for temporary homes, adding brackets so that I can put hoops over the garden to make a temporary greenhouse (this also means a trip to a hardware store - ugh.) and topping up the soil with good compost.
• Start cutting down the perennials that were left standing over the winter.  
• Start pulling the mulch of fall leaves back from the base of growing perennials.
• Set up the rain barrels.

For more details, see my April Garden to-do list.

my April 2012 Garden to-do list

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:

• Finish pruning if you haven't already done so (see my February to-do list for more details)
• Start pulling back winter mulch (dried leaves) from the crowns of growing perennials, but don't remove it entirely until May, as those ladybugs need places to sleep!
• Start cutting back perennials left standing for the winter (this is spring's biggest job for me as I have A LOT of perennials, so I'll still be doing this into May.  But I start in the sunniest, hottest areas of the garden and do the coolest, shadiest spots last.)  Note that there are a few perennials such as bergenia and spring-flowering clematis which shouldn't be cut back!
• Once exisitng plants are growing, you can start moving them around the garden if you like.  I have been known to start moving plants at the end of April, but there's no rush for this.  This year, I have a few perennials overwintering in the veggie garden that I'm going to have to move by the end of the month (see below.)
• I've started plenty of seeds of large, ornamental annuals to fill up the big, new garden area I've got in the front yard.  It's not too late to start your own!  Lavatera and nicotiana sylvestris are two of my favourites to start this month.
• Pansies can be planted out in pots now, for a shot of spring colour.  And yes, you can leave them out to -5^oC!!

Vegetable Garden

• Plan the veggie garden in terms of what is going where, and how much of it.  Practice crop rotation for a large garden, or if you have a small, square-foot-gardening style garden like me, crop rotation practically takes care of itself by making one small change to the design.  Plenty of info can be found here in Vegetable Gardening in Calgary 101.
• I direct-sow all my vegetables (except tomatoes, of course!) so I'll be topping up my raised beds with my own worm castings and store-bought compost to get them ready to plant in early May.  See this post When to Plant Vegetable Seeds in Calgary.

Seedlings

• I have quite a few seeds already started on my shelves in the basement.  Here is a good post if you're wondering how to take care of your seedlings.

Misc.

• Set up rain barrels.
• Clean, level and fill bird baths. 

 

pansies - first flowers of the year!

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!

my March 2012 Calgary garden to-do list

Sorry, I'm a bit late for this post.  I've been busy.  To tell the truth, for me, March and April are all about getting something else done before gardening season starts in earnest.  I should really clean out those kitchen cupboards.  And the storage room.  And probably the laundry room.... And hang those curtains in my daughters' room that I've been working on for a year... you get the idea!

But I do have plenty of seeds already growing in the basement and will be starting tomatoes in mid-March.  And I do not kid myself.  Whenever the weather is nice and the snow is gone, I will drop all my indoor chores for the chance to putter outside.  The kitchen cupboards may never get cleaned, but here are some things I might get done in the garden this month:

 PUTTERING OUTSIDE

• Some tidy-up pruning of trees and shrubs could still be done this month, and I like to get this job out of the way before things get busy.  Don't prune lilacs and other spring-blooming shrubs though, or you will remove this year's flowers!
• Prune and thin raspberries
• Stay on patios and stepping stones as much as possible (don't muck about on wet soil, walking on it will compact the soil)

from the 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.

SEEDS and VEGETABLES

• It's still too early to start most vegetables inside this month, but I have already started some ornamentals in February and others in early March, and will be starting tomatoes in about a week.
• For the seeds I've already started, I'll be pinching them back to just above the first pair of true leaves this month to keep them short and strong.

from the archives:

• 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, and
• When to plant vegetable seeds in Calgary
• How to winter sow - an alternative, zero-energy, low-maintenance way to start seeds.

HOUSE PLANTS

• They still don't need too much watering, but an occasional half-strength fertilizing wouldn't hurt, if you do nothing else.  I put my worm castings in my house plant containers so I rarely use synthetic fertilizers any more.

Are you thinking about gardening yet?

If you would like a beautiful and successful garden that nourishes your body and soul, view My Services for consultation details.

new garden on a budget - early March 2012 seed starting list (ornamentals)

I am starting many more seeds than usual this year in order to help fill out the big empty area left in the front entry garden now that 2 huge spruce trees have come down.  Eventually I hope to have mostly perennials in the area but they are more expensive and take longer to reach their full size, so in the meantime I will be filling the area with lots of easy-to-grow-from-seed annuals.  Every year I also start a few new, less common things just for experimentation.  In February I started iceland poppy, lagurus, and 'marble arch' salvia, and here's what I'm starting in the next couple of weeks:

• linum perenne lewisii (blue flax) - this perennial is easy to start from seed outside in spring but I'm impatient for bigger plants so I'm also starting some indoors this month;
• echium vulgare 'blue bedder' - never grown before but I'm trying it for the blue flowers; apparently doesn't like transplanting so I have started these in peat pots;
• melinis 'Savannah' - never grown before; an annual grass with pretty pink plumes, I'll probably put this in pots;
• agrostis nebulosa (cloud grass) - never grown before; another annual grass I thought I'd try this year;
• cosmos 'Polidor' mixture - a yellow-orange-red mixture to fit the front garden colour scheme;
• cosmos 'Sonata' - a pink-white mixture for the Adventure Garden;
• lavatera 'Mont Blanc' - more white flowers for the front entry garden;
• lavatera 'Silver Cup' - a gorgeous pink variety for cutting;
• verbena bonariensis - I grow some every year for the Butterfly Potager; I am starting some indoors and also winter sowing some, to hedge my bets, because this plant is notoriously difficult to start from seed;
• ground cherry - the only edible I grow that needs to be started this early; similar to tomatoes in culture.

 The next thing to start will be tomatoes in mid-March.  Are you gardening yet?

 from the archives:

• 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, and
• When to plant vegetable seeds in Calgary
• How to winter sow - an alternative, zero-energy, low-maintenance way to start seeds.

If you would like a beautiful and successful garden that nourishes your body and soul, view My Services for consultation details.

February 2012 seed report

February is the start of gardening season for me, despite the weather (although this year, I don't think we have anything to complain about... yet), and despite the possibility of up to 4 more months of snow...!  I can keep myself from going crazy at this time of year, and it's because I start seeds.

Here are iceland poppy, lagurus (bunny tail grass), and 'marble arch' salvia under lights in my basement.  Aren't they cute?

I've written a lot about starting seeds in previous years, so this year I'll just give you the links.  But let me just emphasize, that one of the keys to success is starting seeds at the right time.

• 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, and
• When to plant vegetable seeds in Calgary
• How to winter sow - an alternative, zero-energy, low-maintenance way to start seeds.

I also grow sprouts all winter long, which my kids devour.  They're yummy rolled up with cream cheese in a tortilla!  I can't grow them fast enough, actually.

But to be honest, I'm out in Kananaskis country this week and not thinking of seeds or gardening much at all.  Really, how can you not love winter with a view like this?

Calgary Garden Coach's February 2012 garden to-do list

This weather has been great for getting outside!  What with the warm weather, and the new space opened up in my front yard, I can't help starting to think about gardening!  Believe it or not, there is plenty you can do in February in Calgary.

Garden planning

I've already written about my plans for the patio I need to build in front of the new trellis, and the front yard entry garden I will be planting this year.  For more articles on gardening planning from my archives, try:

• How do I get rid of my lawn?
• How to make a large, new perennial garden on a budget.
• Garden planning: front yard garden design.
• My favourite plants for a sunny, low-maintenance front yard garden.
• What can you do in a Calgary zone 3 garden in mid-March?

Seeds and Vegetables

• I've almost finished my seed shopping but it's not too late to start if you haven't yet!
• Stifle the urge to start seeds too early.  Look at the package for recommendations regarding how long before the last frost date (May 23, for us Calgarians) to start seeds and calculate backwards. Organize seeds packs according to planting date.
• See my previous posts: vegetable gardening in Calgary 101, and  when to plant vegetable seeds in Calgary
• I am trying a few slower-growing plants this year so will be starting iceland poppy 'solar fire', salvia 'marble arch', and bunny tail (lagurus) indoors sometime this month.
• See this post on how to winter sow for an alternative, zero-energy, low-maintenance way to start seeds.

Houseplants

•  with the days getting longer, house plants are starting to wake up now.  I'll gradually increase watering and start light fertilizing of houseplants next month.

Trees and Shrubs

• Right now is prime pruning time for most deciduous trees and shrubs (but not spring-blooming shrubs such as lilacs!)  I plan to get outside this week-end to do a little pruning of overgrown branches here and there. 

• February (and March) are good times to prune.

• I don't get the prune-shrubs-into-a-ball-shape thing.
• Since I keep my shrubs in a natural form, pruning mostly involves cutting back a few older or overgrown branches at ground level and doing some minor re-shaping each year.  See this post on thinning and rejuvenating shrubs.

 

If you would like a beautiful and successful garden that nourishes your body and soul, view My Services for consultation details.

winter garden to-do list: snow farming

Winter finally hit Calgary this week - I walk to work and I finally had to dig out my gloves and hat a couple of days ago!  It has been a long, mild fall so I'm not complaining one bit.  I'm extremely busy in other parts of my life right now (job, family, gearing up for Christmas) so it's actually nice to take an enforced break from gardening.  I will start blogging more again in the new year.

In the meantime, there's not a lot to do in the garden these days except shovel snow.  Remember to shovel it onto your garden, not the street where it will be wasted...

...even my three-year-old knows that!  (I don't usually post photos of my kids but you can barely see her in this one anyway so I figured it was OK!)  She's a great little helper!

time to water the trees!

http://adairtreecare.com/posts/watering-trees-in-the-fall-in-calgary

on fall leaves and watering trees

The Mountain Ash tree in my back shade garden is finally starting to change colour.  It is such a gorgeous tree!  I feel very lucky to have it.

And in case you're not following the Calgary garden talk on facebook, here is a recent post I linked to about how to water your trees in fall.  Basically, stop watering in mid-September .  Once deciduous trees have lost their leaves, water once more with a soaker hose under the drip line.  Water evergreens in late fall just before the ground freezes as they use water throughout the winter.

And speaking of leaves, here are a few links regarding using fall leaves in the garden.  Don't let those valuable leaves go to waste!  Rake them onto the garden, add them to the compost bin, or bag them up and make leaf mold!

• How to make leaf mold in a bag from Calgary Garden Coach, Nov 2009
• Leaves valuable as mulch, compost from The Columbus Dispatch
• Making leafmoud - gardener's gold from growveg.com

fall leaves in the garden - up to my old tricks!

Ever since I noticed my neighbours putting their leaves in the garbage a few years ago, I have been "rescuing" other people's bags of leaves.  Why?   Because I only have one decent-sized deciduous tree on my property (but many, many spruce) and I don't have nearly enough leaves as I (or the kids) would like.

So I rescue other people's bags and first dump them on the back lawn for the kids to jump in for a while.  When they've tired themselves out, I mow the pile a few times with my push mower to chop up the leaves, then I start dumping them in the gardens for mulch.  Technically you should wait until the ground has frozen to put winter mulch down, but when you're a busy gardener who works full-time and has kids, you do things whenever you have the chance even if the timing isn't optimal!

I've written about the benefit of leaves before - they are high in nitrogen and they insulate the soil from our wild temperature swings and drying winds in wintertime.  This past spring I didn't even bother to clean them up!  You are supposed to remove winter mulch in order to help the soil warm up faster in the spring.  Again, here I don't follow the rules and maybe my garden is a week or two behind in the spring, but minimizing work is a higher priority for me!  Dried leaves don't look as pretty as fresh, clean soil does but you can put some compost on top of them in the late spring for a cleaner look.

I even save and reuse the garbage bags from the bags of leaves that I rescue!  I'm sure the neighbours think I'm crazy, prowling the back alleys and lurking around the leap drop-off area, but I really think I'm doing the world a favour!

ack! frost warning tonight!

Here's a good, quick summary of what to do with your vegetable garden when frost threatens.

my September garden to-do list

I don't know about you but at this time of year, I almost want the garden to DIE ALREADY! 

No, did I just say that?  This just happens to be a busy time at work for me and I don't have any time to be out in the garden these days, and having to water the vegetable garden daily in this heat wave is getting to be a bit of a chore.  On the bright side, thanks to this heat I am getting a great crop of yummy tomatoes which is the only thing keeping me motivated right now!

But enough of my grumpiness - it only comes from not having time in the garden.  There are a few things that still need to be done this month and a few more that it would be nice to get done if the weather holds out and I can make the time:

TREES & SHRUBS

• Water regularly until a hard frost.  This is best done with a soaker hose laid around the drip line (directly underneath the tips of the outermost branches).
• Only prune dead wood at this point so as not to encourage the plants to expend a lot of energy producing fresh growth.

VEGETABLE GARDEN

• Water, water, water! 
• Eat, eat, eat!
• I have some alpine strawberries I started from seed this year and are currently in a pot.  Once there is a little more empty space in the veggie garden, I'll plant them there to overwinter.  The veggie garden is a great spot for this kind of thing.

PERENNIAL GARDEN

• I leave most perennials standing for the winter except a few that look tatty (I've already cut bleeding hearts and ferns down, which were going dormant) or that don't stay upright and/or turn to mush over the winter (bearded iris, daylilies will be cut down this fall)
• Edit!  Now is a great time to move perennials as they are big and it's easy to space them out well.  I have a few things to move around in the Adventure Garden - within the next week but as soon as this heat wave is over!
• Re-edge the beds.  This makes things look much nicer during the times when we don't have snow cover!
• Top up mulch.  This is something I know I won't get to but I should.  For now, I'll use leaves as they come available for a temporary winter mulch.  Then, next spring once I've finished moving a few more plants around, I plan to get a big order of compost to topdress all the beds. 
• I personally can't make it to the Plant Share this week-end but that is a great place to get free plants that you know will be hardy here!  (Paula, I have some iris for you if you still want some... I'll email you!)

COMPOST BIN

• Empty out the finished compost and spread it around the garden.  I never have enough though, which is why I'll order more in spring.
• Keep feeding the worms in the worm bin!  I gotta say, they are the most productive and low maintenance pets you could possibly imagine!

 If you have more time than me, there are a few other things you could do listed on the Horticultural Society's website.  Have fun!

strawberries, and peas, and tomatoes, oh my! - the edible gardens in late July

We have had a bumper crop of strawberries this year!  I grow a perennial "June bearing" variety.  Who knows whether it was all the rain this spring, or the worm castings I topdressed the bed with, or just the fat that the plants are more mature now... or all three?  But this is the first year we've had enough strawberries for a family of five - in the past the kids picked them all before the adults had a chance! And the alpine strawberries that I started from seed this spring have some nice green berries on them so we still have more strawberries to look forward to.

The snap peas have been yummy as well but the birds have had more than their share.  Note to self: use netting on the peas next year! And I've even picked a few Sun Gold tomatoes already (no picture because I always eat them before I bother to go get my camera) which is the first time I've harvested tomatoes that I've grown myself from seed in July.  I'm sold on Sun Golds!

Above: the entrance to 'England', my veggie box area with honeysuckle blooming on the still-waiting-to-be-replaced arch (it's on the to-do list.)

Above (clockwise from top left): marigolds, lettuce and rainbow swiss chard; cherries ripening in my "orchard"; nasturtiums with foliage of kohlrabi, carrots and parsley; more cherries; marigolds, lettuce and chard; scarlet runner beans, red orache, beets, lettuce and tomatoes.

What are you enjoying in your garden right now?

 To see what's good to eat in my garden at other times of the year, and how the garden has evolved, click here and scroll down.

the front Entry Garden in late July

It appears that I have two different varieties of purple aconitum (monkshood) in the garden to the right of the steps - one is tall and blooming, the other is shorter and doesn't have any buds on it yet.  There are supposed to be three in front of the chimney and two to the right of the railing, below, but you can't tell, can you?  Note to self - re-arrange them next spring and put the three tall ones in front of the chimney. And only one more chance - if the short ones don't bloom next year, they're out.

To see this garden at other times of the year and how it has evolved. click here.

time to deadhead the shasta daisies - the front Welcome Garden in late July

They're so pretty even though they're weedy - mine seed everywhere if I let them!  Which actually means they aren't shasta daisies anymore because shastas are supposed to be sterile.  Shasta daisies can revert back to the parent plant, ox-eye daisy, which is a weed.  So even though they're pretty, I cut these back as soon as the first flush of flowers is starting to finish so that they don't seed all over the place.

How do you tell the difference between a shasta and an ox-eye?  Well, it can be difficult.  Especially since reverted shastas can crossbreed with ox-eye, resulting in a hybrid that is difficult to distinguish from either parent, and can also be invasive.  One presenter I listened to once said that the ox-eye has a spoon-shaped leaf and the shasta a tongue-shaped leaf, but then showed photos the opposite way around, so even she seemed confused!  And pictures of the ox-eye leaves from Alberta Invasive Plants look tongue-shaped if you ask me.  In fact, what I have is probably a hybrid and thus I cut it to the ground before it starts to set seed just to be safe.  But technically I should probably get rid of it.

Other perennials also blooming right now: blue salvia 'May Night'; several varieties of achillea (yarrow); campanula glomerata; nepeta (catmint) 'Walker's Low'; veronica spicata 'Sunny Border Blue'; potentilla 'Miss Wilmott'; and an unknown variety of white phlox which is just starting to flower.

To see this garden at other times of the year and how it has evolved, click here.

My July 2011 garden To Do list

OK, so this list is a week late!  Can you blame me with the weather we've been having?!  I really can't believe how much "summer" we've had.  It feels like we've already had more than we did all of last year!  And with all the rain this spring and now all this heat, things are getting big and, well, a little out of control.  There are a few areas where I haven't got around to weeding yet, a few delphiniums that should have been staked ages ago (but so far haven't flopped over), and a clematis or two that I haven't been diligent enough in making sure it climbs its trellis (next year I SWEAR I will put chicken wire behind the trellis so the clematis won't need my help...I have meant to do this for several years...)

There are also a few projects underway in my yard, which is why I haven't got around to posting my July list yet... more on those soon.  Otherwise, July is a fairly low maintenance month and it's mostly about eating from the garden and enjoying the flowers.  Hooray for that!  But here's what I'll be doing at least a little of over the next few weeks:

TREES & SHRUBS

• prune the lilacs as soon as they're finished flowering (or else risk cutting off next year's buds)
• I planted a lot of new shrubs in the front this spring, and even though they are drought-tolerant varieties, shrubs need extra water the first few years to get established.  So I've been watering regularly.  Even established trees and shrubs need water after 2 hot weeks, so if you haven't watered yours yet, it wouldn't be a bad idea!

EDIBLES

• I'll be finishing the spring spinach soon and eating lettuce as fast as I can - I sure am a healthy eater in the summer!
• when the spinach is done, I'll probably sow some more carrots and beets for harvesting a young crop as well as the spring-sown one
• Eat, eat, eat.  Weed, weed, weed.  (**strawberries should be ready to pick soon! mmm!)

ORNAMENTAL GARDENS

• There are a few things like perennial bachelor's buttons and perennial geraniums that I cut back hard after they have finished flowering.  They'll look ugly at first but much tidier later than if I hadn't cut them.
• Deadhead annuals regularly and perennials when they have finished flowering.  In the case of annuals this promotes more flowers, for most perennials it just looks tidier.

LAWN

• Ugh.  My lawn gets worse every year.  I haven't done anything for it.  But I don't see the point at least until the major construction projects around the yard are finished.

COMPOST

• The pile should be watered regular in this weather - which I just remembered when I noticed how dry mine was the other day.  I've had rodent problems before so I am vowing to water and turn regularly from now on.

What are you doing in your garden this month?

rainy day post

I did a little planting this morning in the rain!  This qualifies as obsessive compulsive gardening behaviour, I'm sure, but after a week away in May and a week away in June, I am behind in my planting and I just couldn't help myself!  It's not good for the soil to walk around on it while it's wet, but I did it anyway.  I've only a little more to do now and I will be done for the season but then it started raining harder and I was forced to come inside...

Pictures coming soon!

And here's a funny post from Christine if you want a good laugh on a rainy day!

my June 2011 garden to do list

I'm happy to say I got a lot of planting done this past month, but now I had better start focussing on weeding before it is too late!  Those dandelions are just out of control this time of year, aren't they? 

On the up side, June is the month when Calgary gardens really start to fill out and are at their freshest and greenest.  The Saskatoons are blooming now, double-flowering plums and crabapples are just starting, and the lilacs will be blooming soon.  Gorgessity in the garden, finally!

Here's my to do list for June:

VEGETABLE GARDEN:

• I've seeded everything that I plan to until the spring produce (spinach, lettuce etc.) has been harvested, so there's not much to do here except weed, and water regularly when necessary.  If you're still planting, check out my Vegetable Gardening in Calgary 101 post.

TREES & SHRUBS:

• I prune my roses in early June because they are only just leafing out now and it is easy to see the dead material that needs to be removed.  I posted some tips on rose pruning in this post.
• Lilacs should be pruned immediately after they have finished flowering.

ORNAMENTAL GARDEN:

• Deadhead (cut off finished flowers of) spring bulbs if they look messy but leave the foliage intact to provide energy to the bulb for next year.
• Weed, weed, weed.  Seriously, this is the month to focus on weeds thanks to all the moisture we get this time of year.  At a minimum if you don't have time, pull the flowers off weeds before they set seed so at least you have minimized future problems.  If you do this in June you will really thank yourself later, I promise.
• Re-edge the borders between lawn and garden if not done done already.  I think this looks so much better than plastic edging!  But I haven't done this yet, even though I believe it was on my April and May to-do lists!
• Top up organic mulch.  I've been using spruce needles (I have an endless supply!) and dried leaves around my shrubs, and compost in the perennial garden.  Not sure how much I'll get around to adding this month, but this could be an ongoing or a yearly job.  June is a great time for mulching because the soil has warmed up but the plants are still small enough that it is easy to get in around them to put down the compost or whatever mulch you choose.  Make sure the mulch isn't touching the stems of your plants.

the vegetable garden is planted - May 29 2011

The veggie garden is all planted, except for a zucchini seedling I'm keeping in a pot for a few more days until all risk of frost is over.  And sigh.  There's frost predicted tonight.  I wish I'd been more keen this spring and put hoops on my raised beds so that I could easily put a frost cloth over them.  But I didn't.  I was too distracted with doing other things in other parts of the garden.  And so now I am heading outside with sticks and sheets to cover the tomatoes.  It had better be the last time...

Rain, rain, go away!

But of course it's raining.  It's the Hort Society Plant Share and the Lilac Festival this week-end.

Fingers crossed for the last day of big rain today!

mid-May planting and transplanting

Not a lot of time at the moment but here's a quick update so you know what I'm doing in the garden this week-end:

I started seeds of calendula, nigella, kale, zinnia, kohlrabi, tomatoes and sweet peas indoors a while back, and I'll be transplanting them out into the garden this week-end.

I also picked up some starter plants of snapdragons and marigolds that I'll be transplanting out too.

And finally, I have more seeds of nasturtiums, scarlet runner beans, corn (a dwarf variety I thought I'd try just for fun, I'm not expecting much), lettuce and spinach to sow this week-end too!

What will you be up to?

hail protection advice?

Hello Janice!  First I would like to say thank you for running your website – I find it very helpful and pictures from your garden are so inspiring!

 I wanted to ask you advice on something. I am planning to put all my annuals and perennials out in the beginning of June and then I would be away for a week. Knowing that June our rainiest months with possible thunder-storms and hail I thought that covering my plants would be a great idea. But I can’t find anything what can be used as hail protection. I have checked in the stores like LOWES and Canadian tire (their garden departments) and nobody never heard about any kind of hail protection. They all saying: just cover plants with empty pots, and it would be fine if I would be at home….

 Then I searched internet and I was able to see some websites which offered very fine plastic nets which you stretch above plants, so sun light and rain go through but hail doesn’t. Great idea, but they only sell it for major growers, farms, vineries, etc. So, the amount of your purchase needs to be in hundreds of meters of that net, unfortunately lots in Calgary are not that big J

 Soooo, may be you can advise me from your own experience what can be used for protecting plants from hail damage….I am scared that all my hard work will just go wasted and when I come back I would be in tears.

 Thank you very much in advance and have a great spring!

 Sincerely, Kseniya.

Hi Kseniya,

 Thanks for the feedback and you are smart to think ahead!  Actually, I haven't ever used anything that is specific for hail protection so I can't speak from experience - but the hail we get here can be so strong that in some cases it is hard to imagine a thin screening material being able to protect plants without getting shredded itself or else the supports not being able to hold the load.  You could try window screening material as long as it is well supported.  That said, I haven't tried it, so maybe someone else will chime in...?

I tend to grow my most tender things in pots that can be moved, so if I am going away in the summertime (or if hail threatens) I put them all in a sheltered spot in the yard (eg. east facing).  The sheltered spot is also partly shady so the pots don't dry out as fast either, if you're going to be away for a while, meaning they don't have to be watered as often.  I think you're more likely to get help from a neighbour to water every couple of days rather than asking them to be responsible to run out and shelter your plants at any sign of bad weather.

Does that help?  If anyone else out there has advice, please chime in!

Janice

it's shopping time!

Flower alert - they're here!

I was at the Richmond Rd SW Canadian Tire location to pick up something totally unrelated to gardening and spent about a half hour walking around their garden centre admiring the greenery and smelling the flowers.  Wow, it feels good to see plants again!  It was also completely dead and very peaceful.  Ah, lovely!

I was tempted to buy everything of course, and normally at this time of year I do buy my annuals and spend a few weeks toting them inside at night just to get that extra time with them.  But this year I'm away for a week in mid-May (prime gardening season!  I'm not happy about it!) and it will be enough to ask hubby to take care of the veggies and seedlings I've already planted...  so I was good, I was very restrained.  I only bought a few snapdragons because they're frost tolerant and I'll be putting them in the ground this week-end.

They also had colourful tomato cages that I'm tempted to go back and pick up a few of.  Once I decide what colour I want...

But if you're out there let us know what beautiful and interesting things you see!

my May 2011 garden to do list

Yikes.  I have so much to do I have to sit down when I try to think of it all!  Thanks to the weather, I didn't get a start on my spring garden to do list until one week ago, so I am a little behind!  And May is the busiest gardening month of the year anyway!  OK Janice, take a deep breath, sit down and do some prioritizing.  Here's what you need to get done:

April to-do list:

•  Lightly rake the lawn with a fan rake.  The lawn has been pretty wet until now so I haven't done it yet.  Fortunatley, it's a small job as I have a small lawn.  Hopefully this week...
• Cut down last year's perennials.  Not a small job.  I only just starting doing this and I need to get it done in the next week because for certain plants such as ornamental grasses, it gets harder to cut the old stuff out when the new stuff is already growing.  And things are actually starting to grow out there!

Ornamental garden in May:

• This is prime perennial-moving and planting time.  I try to get all my major planting done this month as moving things in the heat of summer can be very stressful on plants.  Plus, June is our rainiest month so the things planted now are well-established and well-watered before they have to experience the hot summer.  I will be adding some junipers to the front garden this year and moving a few things around - stay posted!
• Gradually pull the winter mulch of chopped leaves off the perennial gardens.  Put them in the compost.
• Edge beds to make a clean line and define them well.  This makes such a visual difference!
• Weed, weed, weed.  Dandelions are already greening up out there and so is the grass, long before many perennials start to get big, so this is the easiest time to get in there and do a thorough weeding.  It may not be fun, but you'll thank yourself later if you get it done now!
• On warm days, put seedlings outside to begin hardening them off.

Vegetable garden in May:

• Sow veggie seeds all month according to this schedule - when to plant vegetable seeds in Calgary.
• Water daily until seeds have germinated.

Lawn in May:

• This is my lowest priority but since I'll have some extra compost lying around this year, I'll rake it over the lawn sometime after Mother's Day for a good, organic slow-release fertilizer.

the time to plant veggie seeds outdoors is almost here!

Ack!  Considering I just had the first 4 days of decent gardening weather so far this year, it is hard to believe it's amost time to start direct-seeding certain vegetables outside. (Actually I probably could have done it this past week-end if I'd been ready but I wasn't.)

Feeling slightly panicked, I just turned in 180L of vermiculite into my raised veggie beds on Monday, and then ordered some good quality "garden mix" from Western Canada Compost to top them up with this week-end so they are ready to plant.  I really should have done this last fall.

I hope to be planting beets, carrots, kale, lettuce, peas, spinach and chard outdoors next week.  How 'bout you?

For tips on growing vegetables in Calgary, see my previous posts:

• When to start planting vegetable seeds in Calgary
• Vegetable gardening in Calgary 101
• Vegetable gardening tips - notes from Square Foot Gardening
• What you need to know about building raised bed vegetable gardens
• resources specific to growing vegetables in Calgary
• preparing and amending vegetable garden soil

If you would like a beautiful and successful vegetable garden that nourishes your body and soul, view My Services for consultation details.

for the record: April 14 2011 in the am and still snowing... seriously.

 

my April 2011 gardening to-do list

It feels like winter will never end at this point, doesn't it?  But despite the disgusting weather, I am feeling energized and ready to get going in the garden as soon as opportunity arises (maybe that's because I was in Edmonton this week-end, where it was sunny and the snow was actually melting all weekend!)  I will be making some big changes this year and I am getting my plan ready for the whole season to try to make sure I can get it all done: totally rearrange the garden beds in the front yard in preparation for putting in a little patio next year (in May, the best time to move plants), fill and plant up my new raised vegetable garden beds that were built last fall (also May! yikes! things are going to get busy soon!) and build a lattice screen and small patio in the backyard (as soon as I can get hubby moving on this... July perhaps?)

So what needs to be done in April to prepare for all of this? 

Seeds

• Start more seeds: I will be starting seeds of some flowers such as rose campion, calendula and globe amaranth as well as kale and kohlrabi in early April, and some faster-growing annuals and veggies such as nasturtiums, sweet peas, lettuce in late April (seeds I've ordered for 2011)
• Take care of seedlings I started in February and March : the alpine strawberries are coming along particularly well! (my seed starting setup - it ain't pretty but it works!)

Garden

• Clean and fill the bird baths and bird feeders.  There is nothing like the sound of birds in the garden to make you believe spring is coming even when the weather doesn't feel like it!
• Sweep the patios - mine get covered with spruce needles, which I then use as a mulch in shrubby areas of the garden.
• Lightly rake the lawn with a fan rake once it is dry enough to walk on.  If you have snow mold this will help break it up.
• Pansies and violas can be put out this month, did you know?  I always like to take the kids to the garden centre to pick out a few pansies for each of them to pot up and put on the front steps.
• Cut down last year's perennials - I leave most of them standing for the winter.  
• Pull back mulch from the crowns of perennials that are starting to grow - but leave mulch in place, it's still too early to clean up!
• Set up rain barrels (late April...?)
• Rest up.  May is going to be busy!

From the archives:

• an Easter idea  - how about seeds and peat pellets in re-usable eggs for kids for Easter?
• what to do with Easter flowers - potted daffodils and Easter lilies can be transplanted into the garden
• Vegetable gardening in Calgary 101 - practical information such as when to plant vegetable seeds in Calgary as well as design issues such as raised beds and square foot gardening techniques
• the final cut - perennials that were left standing for the winter and still looked great in April 2010

Other posts you might find useful:

• the Calgary Horticultural Society's April to do list
• natural Easter egg dyes from Vegetable Gardener.com

If you would like a beautiful and successful garden that nourishes your body and soul, view My Services for consultation details.

my seed-starting setup: it ain't pretty but it works!

Everybody's talking about starting seeds these days, it seems!  Paula asked me in a comment on a previous post about my setup, and then last night on the phone a friend told me she'd gone to a seed-starting workshop but felt overhwelmed because she could never be "that organized".  It's not very hard, really!  (Do I look organized?  See picture below!)  But there are a few things you need to know for best chance of success.

Above: My home-made seed-starting shelf just happens to fit into a corner of the furnace room in the basement.  Sometimes it's hard to get to because so much junk gets shoved in here...  but I've currently cleared a trail.  Notice the bag of milk cartons "saved for a craft".  Anyway, I only have one light on at the moment since there are only a few seeds that I start this early (see below.) The seedling trays are sitting on boxes and egg cartons to raise them up as close to the lights as possible.  Very high tech.

When to start

This is one of the most important things to get right.  If you start seeds inside too early, they will get leggy (stretched) as they try to grow too high reaching for more light.  So first, check your seed package and it will say the number of weeks before planting outside to start the seeds.  If they are annuals, you don't want to plant them outside until around the last frost date, which is about May 23.  Frost-hardy perennials could be planted out several weeks earlier.  Make yourself a seed-starting timetable to keep yourself on target.  Keep in mind that lots of things can be direct-seeded into the ground in May - so don't make more work for yourself if you don't have to!  I start all my lettuce, spinach, chard, peas, beans, carrots, beets and more by planting seeds directly outside.

See my post, When to start Vegetable Seeds in Calgary

How to start

There are plenty of resources on the web and I've posted links to several before (also see the bottom of this post.)  You don't need fancy stuff - you can use almost anything as a container as long as it drains.  Basically, a heat mat (or warm place to germinate such as over the fridge) is necessary for some seeds like tomatoes (if the seed packet says germination at 20^oC or higher, you will want a heat mat.  For other seeds, it's just a nice-to-have and will start your seeds a little faster.)  If you are starting anything other than fast-growing annuals just a few weeks before planting out, then you will want lights as well.  Keep the lights on a timer set for 16 hours on per day, and keep the lights as close as possible to the tops of the seedlings.

Above: I discussed leggy seedlings in more detail in April 2009 when I noticed that a certain someone's lavatera seedlings (name withheld for protection!) just weren't doing quite as well as mine because they were growing in a windowsill instead of under lights.

Taking care of seedlings

So your seedlings have light and you're watering and fertilizing them regularly.  Duh.  What else do you need to do?  Thin them by transplanting and/or cutting out some seedlings that are growing too close together (I use nail scissors.)  Blow on them or turn a fan on them for a little while each day.  Seriously!  This strengthens the stems.  Things like tomatoes benefit from being replanted a little deeper in larger pots several times during the seedling stage.  Transplant anything that is getting too large for whatever container it's in.

Above: In March 2008 I already had to transplant my tomatoes into larger pots.

Above: By mid-April 2008, they were too tall for my seed-starting shelf so I had to move them to a south-facing window.  Obviously, they were not ready for planting outside at that time of year!  Now I don't start tomatoes until late March.  Gardening is all about learning from your experiences!

Hardening them off

This is the last step before planting seeds outside.  Basically, you want to get your soft, indoor-grown seedlings ready for the conditions outside - wind, stronger light, etc.  You have to do this slowly and it is essential!  Put them outside in a shady, sheltered spot for a few minutes each day, gradually working up over several days from about 30 minutes to a full day.  And of course, if you are planting them out in May sometime, there is always the risk of frost or snow after you have planted your tender babies outside.  Be ready to whisk pots into the garage or cover plants with sheets to protect them.  More on this in May!

Above: By late April 2008, I was putting seedlings outside on the shady porch on the warm days.  Yes, I know, I need to get rid of that awful astroturf-outdoor-carpet.  It's on the (very long) to-do list...

If you have other questions about starting seeds, post a comment here and I'll try to answer them.

From the archives:

• When to start Vegetable Seeds in Calgary

• for the record - first seeds planted for 2011
• seeds I've ordered for 2011
• How to winter sow seeds in a milk jug. (a super easy way of starting seeds I haven't discussed above.)

Other resources:

• Blogs and Blooms Video: How to start seeds  the message - it's easy!
• Blogs and Blooms Video: Transplanting your seedlings, including hardening them off - a critical step.

• How to winter sow seeds from Urban Sustainable Living
• sowing seeds indoors from Urban Sustainable Living
• 10 Seed-starting tips from Fine Gardening magazine
• Seed-starting strategies from Vegetable Gardener magazine
• Estimating viability - how long do seeds last? from A Way to Garden

If you would like help developing a beautiful and successful garden that nourishes your body and soul, view My Services for consultation details.

my March 2011 garden to-do list

I was just looking back at my March 2010 post and noticing how I said I love this time of year - still lots of time to dream of the new possibilities for the garden in the coming year, and just a little bit of excited anticipation starting to creep in.  Well, this year it's different.  I have big ideas and I can barely wait to get started!  I thought you were supposed to get more patient as you get older...

We took the decrepid, rotten greenhouse down last March and the spot waited, empty, for the rest of the year....  My husband has promised to build the pergola/playhouse replacement this year but I can tell I am going to have to take the initiative in the planning department if this is going to get done.  So this month I will be getting down to the nitty gritty details of the playhouse design.  Actually, it's only fair since he doesn't really care what it looks like but I do.  For me, designing a structure is not nearly as fun as planning a new front yard garden, but I will try to stay focused! 

For the regular, yearly garden-related stuff, here's my March to-do list:

• Don't expect to do anything outside until at least April to avoid disappointment!  We get the most snow in March.  And then if we do get the odd chance to get out and tidy or prune, it will feel like a gift.
• Start fertilizing house plants with a half-strength water-soluble fertilizer.
• Start seeds when appropriate i.e. do not, I repeat, DO NOT start seeds too early!  The average last frost date in Calgary is considered to be May 24 so count backwards from then to figure out when to start various seeds.  Information about number of weeks before the last frost date will be on the package. I've also posted a useful table about when to start vegetable seeds in Calgary.
• This year I'll be starting verbena bonariensis, agastache, castor bean and cosmos seeds in early March and tomatoes in late March. 
• Finish pruning dormant, late-blooming shrubs and trees.
• Raspberries can use a little tidying up now too if you haven't done so already.  Old canes that have produced fruit should be removed and anything thinner than a pencil can also be cut down to the ground. Newer primacane varieties that produce fruit on first-year growth should all be cut down.

From the archives:

• for the record - first seeds planted for 2011
• seeds I've ordered for 2011
• winter ain't over till it's over!

• What can you do in a Calgary zone 3 garden in mid-March?

• How to winter sow seeds in a milk jug.

• Happy St Patrick's Day and the benefits of clover

• Why hire a garden coach?

• What to do before a garden coach comes.

Other resources:

• How to winter sow seeds from Urban Sustainable Living
• sowing seeds indoors from Urban Sustainable Living
• 10 Seed-starting tips from Fine Gardening magazine
• Seed-starting strategies from Vegetable Gardener magazine
• Estimating viability - how long do seeds last? from A Way to Garden

If you would like a beautiful and successful garden that nourishes your body and soul, view My Services for consultation details.

my February 2011 garden to-do list

 Do you think there's nothing to do in the garden these days but sit around and wait for the snow to melt?  Not so!  (and in Calgary, let's face it, you would be waiting until at least June!)  Here's what I hope to get done this month:

 Seeds and Vegetables

• I've finished my seed shopping but it's not too late for you!
• Stifle the urge to start seeds too early.  Look at the package for recommendations regarding how long before the last frost date to start seeds and calculate backwards.
• See my previous post: when to plant vegetable seeds in Calgary
• I am trying a few slower-growing plants this year so will be starting alpine strawberries, cleome and painted sage (salvia horminum) sometime this month.

Houseplants

•  with the days getting longer, house plants are starting to wake up now.  I'll gradually increase watering and start light fertilizing of houseplants next month.
• I'm hoping to see the first blooms forming soon on the new clivia I got last spring! 

Trees and Shrubs

• Right now is prime pruning time for most trees and shrubs (including fruit trees, Carolyn! but not lilacs!)  In fact, I already got out a week ago when it was chinooking and cut back a few overgrown branches here and there.  I've a little more to do yet as the opportunity arises.
• Since I keep my shrubs in a natural form, pruning mostly involves cutting back a few older or overgrown branches at ground level and doing some minor re-shaping each year.  See last year's post on thinning and rejuvenating shrubs.
• see the Calgary Arborist site for professional information regarding pruning techniques and timing.

From the archives:

• It is time. (my February 2010 garden planning tips)
• February is a good time to prune.
• What can you do in a Calgary zone 3 garden in mid-March? (or February, for that matter!)

If you would like a beautiful and successful garden that nourishes your body and soul, view My Services for consultation details.

more on collecting leaves for the garden

In my October garden to-do list I mentioned saving/stealing leaves for mulching the garden.  Really, this is such a cheap, easy, and beneficial thing to do for the garden, I have no idea why everybody doesn't do it! And don't just take my word for it: Donna Balzer recently wrote about how leaves have more nutrients than manure and Nora Bryan recently wrote about how NOT cleaning up the garden is best practice in Calgary's climate because the plants left standing and the leaf mulch will catch the snow and also insulate our gardens against Calgary's drastic winter temperature changes and dryness (Chinooks).

If you haven't started, it's not too late to save leaves for the garden!  Here are some tips to consider:

• If you have lots of your own leaves, save them!  Rake them onto the garden.  It's better to wait until the perennials have died back so the plants don't smother under too many leaves, but a few leaves in between the still-growing perennials shouldn't hurt anything.
• If you've got extra, start a dedicated compost bin of just leaves, or do the almost zero-work method of turning them into leaf mold that I described in this post last year.  If you've got a lawn mower or mulcher, chop of the leaves first for faster decomposition, but it's not necessary if the leaves are small (see below.)
• If you don't have enough of your own leaves (that's me!), steal them!  I've taken bagged leaves from people's back alleys and also from leaf drop locations (before the leaf drop signs were up so technically that's not stealing, right?)  I am even picky about the leaves I take - pre-chopped leaves are best (you can tell because the bag will be at least five times heavier than a bag of unchopped leaves), and also clear bags are preferable because you can see what's inside (you want nothing but leaves, and smaller, curly leaves such as birch and elm are better than big, flat leaves such as poplar because the big leaves get matted down and don't make as light and fluffy of a mulch as the smaller ones do.)

I'm currently saving bags of stolen leaves to gradually mulch the whole garden as the perennials die back, and I've filled one cubic-yard-sized compost bin as well.  I think I've "rescued" at least 30 bags!  My friends and family think I'm crazy...  Do you?

More reading:

There is also some good information posted at Fine Gardening on this topic:

Fall Leaves Make a Great Garden Mulch

Get an Early Start for your Spring Garden

Improve your soil by Raking Less

fall garden chores in progress

With this wonderful weather I've been plowing through my October garden to-do list and enjoying the time outside in the fresh air with the wonderful smell of fallen leaves.

Lawn cut to lowest height setting on the mower, and raked.  Leaves and grass cuttings put in compost.

 

Raised beds in "England" getting ready for planting next spring.  I've finished laying the recycled patio stones but will put in some edging and gravel mulch between the stones next spring, as well as topping up the raised beds with triple mix.  If only these beds had been ready a little sooner, I could have planted a great late-season crop of lettuce and spinach and been eating it right now, thanks to all this good weather!  Ah well, next year...

What have you been up to?

my garden to do list, October 2010

There's not much left to do out there, but to just enjoy these last few days of beautiful weather!  I got some spring bulbs in last month, harvested the last of my veggies, and I've already started cutting down a few perennials - I leave most of them to stand for the winter except for iris, daylilies, hostas and a few others that just turn into a soggy mess. See last spring's post for photos of the some of the perennials that stay looking good all winter long.

But if I have time and the weather's good, here's what I'll be doing:

• watering trees and shrubs with a soaker hose (I've already started - with all our September rain they shouldn't need as much as usual but since I have so many spruce trees that suck up the moisture out of my yard, it wouldn't hurt to add just a little more.  Not sure if you need to water?  Dig a few inches below the soil surface to check.)
• cleaning and putting away containers as the annuals succumb to frost. 
• putting out a few decorative winter containers - some evergreen branches and berries on the front step, back porch and window box on the garage
• stealing leaves - I only have one medium-sized deciduous tree on my whole property (again, too many spruce!) so last year I took to stealing leaves from the neighbours to make leaf mold.  I'm hooked and determined to do it again!  I'll be using them for mulch and maybe (if I get greedy and steal enough) starting a designated leaf compost bin.
• mowing the lawn one last time - to the lowest height setting on the mower, and leaving the clippings on the lawn as usual.  Now would also be a good time to topdress with a thin layer of compost if you have time and energy, but I'm going to wait until spring.
• cleaning the eavestroughs once all the leaves have fallen.
• enjoying the downtime and planning for next year, of course!

for the record

Snow on the rooftops this morning.  Ew. 

my September 2010 garden to do list for Calgary zone 3

September is usually one of our best garden months in Calgary - if you can get past the occasional night of frost (and for the record, we had frost the night of Aug 29 - not in my relatively sheltered yard but I noticed the next day a neighbour's pot of impatiens in an exposed spot had been frozen!)

For me, I'm done holidays and back at my full-time job so the garden pretty much has to take care of itself these days.  Fortunately I grow mostly low-maintenance perennials which don't need anything from me at this time of year.  All I do these days is water/fertilize the veggies and annuals in containers, pull up the odd weed before it goes to seed, and maybe a little tidying of the flower beds now and then if I get a chance.  My real efforts at this time of year are usually focused around some big project getting ready for next year - last year it was cleaning out the greenhouse and this year's it's preparing the new raised beds.

But in any case, here's what we should be doing this month in the Calgary garden:

Trees and shrubs

• Hopefully you stopped fertilizing woody plants a month ago.  We want them to start hardening off at this time of year, not expending their energy on fresh, green growth.
• Give your trees a good soak at the end of the month.  This means putting a soaker hose around the drip line (directly under the outermost branch tips) and turning it on for a day.  Sometimes I'm lazy over the summer when it comes to watering trees, but I always make sure they go into winter in a well-hydrated state.
• No pruning at this time of year except for cleaning up any dead or diseased wood.

Edibles

• Pull out fading plants as they finish, to get a head start on clean-up (I've already pulled up my peas and beans will go soon too).  Chop them up and compost them, of course!
• Plant garlic bulbs (actually I did this a few weeks ago but forgot to mention it - sorry).
• Get blankets ready to cover the tomatoes and other tender edibles if there's risk of frost.
• From the archives: what to do with green tomatoes and ripening tomatoes.

Flower Garden

• I selectively deadhead perennials if they don't have showy seed heads or if they turn to mush in winter.  Sometime soon I'll do a post about which are the best perennials to leave standing, but in the meantime if you're curious leave a comment or browse through my Archives in the winter months to see what looks good at that time of year (I think I posted lots last January)
• I've already started cutting down woodland perennials such as bleeding hearts and ferns that go dormant by this time of year. 
• Keep deadheading annuals for maximum bloom.  While this cool, wet weather isn't great for my tomatoes, it sure keeps the annual flowers looking fresh!  The cosmos are going great guns right now!
• Plant bulbs - here's what I planted last year.
• Divide and replant older perennials and take some to the Calgary Hort Society's plant share (you need to be a member but it's well worth it!)
• Keep weeding!  It never ends, although when the perennials are so big at this time of year there's not much space for weeds.

And a constant reminder to myself to turn the compost bin.  I never seem to get around to it - it's in the back corner of my yard and it's out of sight, out of mind.  But I just finished digging mine out and found a mouse nest.  Ew.  More regular turning and watering would have prevented this.

two great plants for texture - rose glow barberry and blue oat grass

It's starting to feel like fall and now is a great time to take stock of your garden, make notes about what worked or didn't work this year, and make plans for next year.  It's also a good time to plant.  While in some ways it is more difficult to plant in fall because the garden is full and it's hard to squeeze in there and mess it up, I actually like planting and moving things in fall since everything is full size and it's easier to see how far apart things need to be.  It's just too easy to plant things too close together in spring when everything is still small!

Anyway, I just added these two plants to my Adventure Garden.  The garden is quite full but there are still just a few tweaks I want to make.  But anything new needs to meet some pretty strict criteria to earn a place here.  It has to have major structural interest and texture, and preferably an interesting foliage colour to provide contrast even when not in bloom.  In fact, I didn't choose these two plants for their bloom at all.

Berberis thunbergii ‘Rose Glow’ is a shrub which is reported to do well in Calgary.  I admittedly haven't had much experience with barberries  - I put a couple in the front garden a few years ago but the hares kept nibbling them to the ground and the poor things never had a chance.  (I've seen barberries on lists of hare-proof plants but let me tell you - they are not!)  The colour of this shrub is fabulous - a mix of mottled creamy-pink new foliage, dark purple older foliage and brilliant red fall colour.  I've planted it in a spot where it will be backlit in the evening and I expect it to truly glow.

Helictotrichon sempervirens (blue oat grass) is an ornamental grass which I already have a couple of, and I'm adding one more because I like it so much.  It's got foliage colour, good textural contrast, winter interest, and is low maintenance... what more could you ask for in a plant, really?  (OK, fragrance perhaps but that's just being greedy!)

Above: 'Rose Glow' Barberry in its new home with purple liatris and 'White Swan' echinacea

ripening tomatoes

Sigh.  The time has come to start thinking about these things.

I don't have time these days to write about it but an excellent and timely article about how to hasten ripening in the garden and when to give up and go indoors, can be found here.

I also posted about what to do with green tomatoes here last year.

Let's hope we don't need this information quite yet!

My August 2010 garden to do list for Calgary zone 3

I hate to say it... it feels like summer is almost over for me.  The delphiniums have been cut down (my favourite flower!  sniff!) and I go back to "real" work in just over a week.  Humbug.

But there is still lots of beauty left in the Calgary gardening season.  In fact, in many ways August and September are our best months.  Here are some of the things I plan to get done in the garden this month:

• Deadheading - I grow annuals mostly in pots and these must continue to be deadheaded to get the most bloom.  Some perennials I deadhead also for tidiness but others that have nice seedheads I leave on.  I stop deadheading my roses in late August to discourage fresh growth and to let them form hips for winter interest.
• I don't fertilize my trees and shrubs, but if you do, stop now.  Again, promoting soft, fresh growth this late in the season is not good.  Better to start letting them move towards the hardening-off phase of their cycle.
• Weeding - I must admit I don't have much energy for this task any more.  I do a vigorous, thorough weeding in spring and then I'm tired of it.  But I do walk through each area of the garden at least once a week and if I'm too lazy to really weed, I'll at least pull the tops off any weed that is flowering so it doesn't set seed.
• Dividing and moving perennials - spring and fall are both good times to move perennials.  While they might be small and easier to handle in spring, in some ways I like moving things more in fall because the plants are their full size and it's easier to position them just right.  A general rule of thumb is not to move a plant while it's flowering, but sometimes the urge hits me and I don't bother to follow that rule.  Just be diligent with the watering after moving a plant and sometimes cut it back so it can spend less energy on flowering and more energy on establishing its roots.  A shot of 10-15-10 fertilizer will also help.
• Shopping! All summer I make mental notes of things I want to change or new plants that would be just right in such-and-such a spot.  Sales start now and good deals are to be had into September.  I'll buy perennials that look tatty if they're a really good deal in the hopes that I can nurse them back to health, but trees and shrubs must be in good condition or they're really not worth it.  It's also a good time to start shopping for bulbs - the sooner you plant them the better.
• Keep harvesting produce - yum! and if you have space, now's a great time to sow some more spinach and lettuce greens to get a nice fall harvest.
• Building - I'm building some new raised beds this fall so they'll be ready for early spring planting next year.  I've wanted these for years and gosh-darn-it they're getting built this year or else!

What are you doing in your garden these days?

July garden to-do list for my zone 3 Calgary garden

I'm too busy in the garden these days to spend much time writing about what I need to get done this month!  But here's the short version of my July garden to-do list:

PERENNIALS

• there are a few such as perennial geraniums and perennial bachelor's buttons that can be cut back hard after they finish their first flush of flowers.  I know it hurts to do it and sometimes I don't... but then I regret it.  If cut back they'll come back quickly and maybe even flower again later in the season.  If you don't cut them back they flop and look messy the rest of the year.
• make a quick pass through the beds each week to pull any weeds.  I did a very thorough weeding and mulching job this spring so this job should be pretty easy for the rest of the summer - still there are always a few stragglers and it's best to pull any weeds before they set seed.
• water.  I do try to minimize the watering but I will do it when there hasn't been rain for a week.  There are also pots and a few moisture-lovers in my garden (eg. astilbe) that I will hand-water with water from the rain barrel.  Pots also get some water-soluble fertilizer mixed in with their water once a week.
• deadhead anything that doesn't produce nice-looking seed heads (eg. irises)
• support clematis by tying to trellis where necessary; some perennials will need staking soon eg. globe thistle and my tall rudbeckia.

TREES & SHRUBS

• deep water these probably once this month with a soaker hose around the drip zone.
• prune the lilacs after they're done flowering (soon!  Don't leave it too late or you won't get flowers next year.)

VEGETABLES, FRUIT and HERBS

• cover the strawberries with mesh so the birds don't get 'em.
• thin crowded vegetables
• continue to water all food producers regularly (more often than once a week that the perennial garden gets)
• pinch off secondary branches from indeterminate tomatoes.

June garden to do list

I'm back from beautiful Kingston!  Sorry for the negativeness of the last post.  It's impossible to go to Ontario at this time of year and not be jealous.  I'll try to focus on the bright side more often!  Here's a post I wrote once about the benefits of gardening in Calgary, and Nora Bryan recently posted 5 more good reasons.  Since I'm trying to be more positive, I can also say I didn't have to worry about my plants drying out while I was away...

So it's supposed to be nice this week-end.  Finally! Let's talk about how much of my May to-do list I have got done and what's in store for the rest of June:

Finishing the May to-do list:

• I finished moving and planting perennials early in May.  I always like to do that in May because I know I won't have to worry about watering them in June!  All my seedlings and pots are planted too.
• I'm still weeding and mulching the front gardens, as I posted here.  I will continue to do a little bit each day and hope to be done by the end of the month.

And the June to-do list:

• Like I said, finish weeding and mulching.  Well, you're never finished weeding but I find if you can stay on top of them in May and June it makes the rest of the season easy.
• Water the veggies regularly.
• Prune roses - actually I already did this in early June but I forgot to tell you! 
• Cut a fresh edge between garden and grass - already did this too.  One of my favourite jobs, believe it or not.  It always makes the garden look so much tidier!
• Start deadheading the annuals regularly.  This keeps them flowering.
• Put stepping stones in lawn - I had a great idea that I will show you when done!
• Be on the lookout for the red lily beetle.
• Snap candles on mugo pines - I don't have any mugo pines left in my yard but they're very common in my neighbourhood so if you have any, read this.
• Keep tucking the clematis and honeysuckle vines into the trellises that support them.  The hops seems to have no trouble finding its own way.
• Mow the lawn as needed with a pushmower.  Leave the clippings on the lawn.  
• Turn the compost pile every week.  I never do this, but I should, and I'm going to try harder this year.
• Keep birdbaths and birdfeeders clean and full.
• And last but not least, decide whether or not I'm going to enter the garden competition this year.  I'm torn.

June 5 2010 garden update

I haven't had time to post my June to-do list because I'm still trying to finish my May to-do list... pictures coming soon!  Would anyone else like to share what's happening in their garden right now?

--

Update: here are the pictures I didn't get around to posting earlier:

Above:  Here's the front garden which I am still in the process of mulching with shredded cedar.  I'm trying to do a thorough weeding before I put down the mulch so it is fairly slow going, but I think it will be worth the effort.    Gawd, I can't wait to paint that front door...

Above:  Here's a close-up of the south side of the front welcome garden, which was new last spring.  I'm almost finished mulching here.  There are some blue grape hyacinths (bottom) and pink bergenia (top) blooming right now.  There's also some yellow 'Moonshine' yarrow in bloom but only because I bought it new this spring - it normally wouldn't be so far along.

Above: Here's a close-up of the north side of the front welcome garden, with more grape hyacinths in bloom, and and also yellow euphorbia (cushion spurge).  I haven't done anything to this area of the garden yet this year and while it doesn't look that great yet, at least I can say it is low maintenance!  There are ornamental onions and dwarf bearded iris which will be blooming soon.

Above:  Here's the front entry garden which obviously I am still in the process of mulching.  Doesn't look like much yet... so why am I showing you this?  Just going for full disclosure, I guess.  My garden is a work in progress that's for sure.  There are some white anemone sylvestris, blue brunnera and grape hycinths, and pink lamium in bloom up closer to the house, but they don't show up well in this picture.

Above: Here's the epimedium rubrum, yellow leopard's bane and some tulips in bloom in the front shade garden.

Above: There's nothing in bloom yet in the side garden but I'm pretty happy with the mix of foliage colours and textures here.

Above: In the butterfly potager I start a lot of things from seed (this year: spinach, chard, dill, sunflowers, zinnias and poppies) so I'm glad I added some permanent structures such as the crabapple trees and bench so that things don't look quite so bare this early in the year.  Pulmonaria and lilacs are also starting to bloom here.

Above: In the back shade garden, red tulips, yellow leopard's bane, pink bergenia, and checkered fritillaria are in bloom.

Above: It's all about iceland poppies and dwarf bearded iris in the sunny adventure garden right now!  The poppies are practically a weed and I will pull a lot of them out once they finish their first flush of bloom, but they do continue to bloom all summer and are one of my husband's favourite flowers, so some are allowed to stay.

Above: In 'England', the tomatoes are in pots and I've seeded snap peas, scarlet runner beans and a few different kinds of lettuce.  I was going to try kohlrabi this year but I never got around to it.  I'm trying to get this back area tidied up this year (it was formerly a parking pad and a junkyard) and I want hubby to start building me raised beds back here this fall.  That's bluebird clematis in bloom on the right, oh and a dandelion or two in the grass...

And finally, I'm done planting all my pots planted with annuals.  I'm not much of a creative pot person yet, but once I stop having major projects in the garden I might put a little more effort into pots.  For now, I impulse-buy a few things like a fuschia that matches my door colour.  Love it!

2009/2010 casualties in my garden

Above: shrubs that died back to the ground in my Calgary garden.

While I'm in a grumpy mood, let's discuss in more detail why this Calgary climate is hard on plants.  Yes, it's dry and it's windy here, and we have a short growing season and the nights are cool even in the summer due to our altitude.  But at least if things were consistent the plants would know what was going on.

It's the crazy mood swings of our Calgary weather that are the worst - the dry Chinooks, especially.  This past winter all my hardy roses (except one - Therese Bugnet and even she lost half her canes), a new lilac "Sensation" and my Crimson Passion cherry bush (supposedly hardy to zone 2) all died down to the ground.  I blame it on the long, hot September we had and then the sudden freeze in early October.  The plants never even had a chance to start going dormant and storing their energy for the winter when bam!  Their green leaves froze solid right on the plants.

Not to worry, I guess.  These shrubs will all regrow quite quickly from their base since they still have a large root mass to drive growth.  At least, I know the roses and lilac will and I hope the cherry will too.  I'm going to wait at least another week since they're only just starting to leaf out now so I can see exactly what branches are alive and which are dead, and then get out the pruning shears.  Speaking of which, it's almost time for the June gardening to-do list...

for the record: snow in Calgary May 27

Disappointed?  yes. 

Surprised? no.

Above: the bergenia patch in the morning of May 28

Above: tomatoes and annuals covered in Kozy Koat and blankets!  Poor things.

take care of your annuals over the May long week-end!

As usual, the forecast for the May long week-end in Calgary is not pretty.  Highs of 8^o and 9^o C on Saturday and Sunday, with overnight lows of plus 2.  Sixty percent chance of rain or snow on Saturday and Sunday.  Ew.

I've started potting up my annuals but most of them are either in small pots that can be brought inside if necessary, and/or sheltered locations in the yard.  I hadn't bothered yet but I think I'll get the CozyKoats on my tomatoes tonight because some of them are too big to move. 

If you're going away for the week-end I think you'd be testing your luck leaving everything outside.  Unless they're very hardy annuals (eg. pansies, snapdragons) I'd bring everything inside to a sunny window before you go.  It's a pain, I know.  But it would be more of a pain to have to go buy and then repot all your flowers next week!

And don't forget to harden them off before you leave them out.

distracted!

I was being so good!  I was diligently weeding and mulching the garden - a little bit every day (see fresh cedar mulch in top left of photo, above.)  I was so proud of myself!  Every spring until now I've had a big project going where I'm making a new garden, and this is the first year I didn't (no more space!)  It was supposed to be the year I get on top of the weeds early and get totally in control.  It was all going as planned...

... until I bought the annuals.  Planting flowers is so much more fun than weeding or seeding lettuce...

garden report - what I got done this week-end

Tomatoes planted outside...

... and weeding and compost top-dressing started in the Adventure Garden, as per the May to-do list. I can't say enough about top-dressing with compost - not only does it feed your soil, it looks beautiful!  It's pretty obvious here which areas have been top dressed and which haven't.

Other things to get done this week:

• keep weeding and adding compost to beds,
• water freshly planted seeds daily until they germinate,
• get lettuce, mesclun mix and nasturtium seeds planted.

garden report - what I got done this week-end

Not as much as I would have liked!  It was a wee bit cold (to put it nicely) this week-end so I didn't spend as much time gardening as I had hoped.  I can barely believe myself but I didn't really feel like it!  That's what this weather is doing to me.  I usually go hard in May and here it is May 10 and I've barely done anything outside.  Sad!

But I digress.  I did start to get some of the planting done on my May to-do list.  For the record, here's what I did:

• Put my seedlings outside for a few hours each day to start hardening them off,
• Planted a few new canes of a raspberry called "Sweet Treat", which is an "everbearing" variety.  I already have some of the 'Boyne' variety which is super hardy and is highly recommended for Calgary.  I top-dressed all the raspberries with compost.
• Direct-seeded outside spinach, bright lights swiss chard, snap peas and scarlet runner beans. 
• Moved a couple of small shrubs that were planted last fall but not in quite the right place, and an ornamental grass to the strawberry patch to replace the annual millet I had last year.  My four-year-old, Claire, was keen to help with this.  Very fun!
• Had hubby put up a few trellises in 'England' - I am seriously going to try to make it look half decent in there this year!

Plans for this week:

• hook a soaker hose up to the already-full rain barrels and water the dry-side of the house,
• get the sweet pea and california poppy seeds in the ground,
• move some extra lamium from the potager into the back shade and front entry gardens.  Lamium is one of my favourite spring plants! It starts growing and flowering early even in the deepest shade where everything else is slow to get started in spring,
• plant out my dianthus and rose campion plants that I started from seed in March.

May 2010 Gardening to do list for Calgary zone 3

I know, I know, it seems like winter will never end, but I've come up with a new season: sprinter!  May is the month of sprinter.  And although I don't even want to think about working outside today, I am already compiling and prioritizing my May to-do list.  I always say that whatever you get done in May will pay off for the rest of the year - it's a great time to move plants, to get new plants planted, to top up mulch, to get on top of the weeds etc etc etc.  Here's what I'm planning to do this month, more or less in order of priority:

Move existing plants:

There are a few minor changes I want to make to the existing plants in my garden.  I generally try to minimize this because generally the plants will be happier if left alone (unless of course, I'm moving them because they are not happy where they are, which is sometimes the case but not this year.)  Plants that are already growing in the garden can be moved at any time this month (once the snow is gone.)

Weed:

This will be ongoing in May, and will result in fewer weeds for the rest of the season.  I know this doesn't sound fun, but May is the time to get rid of perennial weeds in the garden.  Grass, dandelions, etc. are already growing and are easy to to see and get rid of while the other plants are still small.  At the very least, get in the habit of pulling the tops off weeds (both annual and perennial) before they go to seed so at least they don't make more.  I can't emphasize this enough if you want a low-maintenance garden - don't let the weeds set seed!

Mulch:

I recommend mulching to everyone else and I haven't actually done much of it myself, except top-dressing with compost as often as I have time.  One of the reasons I have resisted putting bark mulch down is that it is messier to add compost each year (rake the mulch off, apply compost, put mulch back on?  I don't need that!)  But it's time to take my own advice.  This spring I have to finish topdressing the garden with compost first (I did the front gardens last fall but I never have enough homemade compost myself so I'll be buying some and finishing the back gardens this spring).  Then I'm adding shredded bark mulch to several garden areas .... but not to all.  There, I sait it.  I admit it, I am a little worried about slugs in certain areas of my garden.  Bark mulch will encourage slugs.  So I'm going to add bark mulch to the sunnier, more exposed areas of the garden, that will definitely benefit from the mulch's ability to preserve moisture and keep down weeds.  But I'm not adding bark mulch in the shady, moist areas because I already have a slug problem there.  (stupid formatting, I can't get this section to unbold)

Harden off seedlings and new plants:

On warm days (whenever that will be!), begin hardening off new plants by putting them outside in a sheltered, shady area.  Gradually put them in more sunshine and eventually leave them out all night if frost is not predicted.  This will prevent them from experiencing shock due to more sun, cold or wind (or snow...?) than they are used to.

Spring lawn care:

Have the lawn aerated.  I am still debating whether or not I'm going to bother.  This will be my first season without a dog so perhaps it is time to try to start improving the lawn, but I also have 3 little kids and I also just don't really care that much about my lawn!  It would be nice to have one slightly nicer that the hard-packed, thin lawn I currently have, though.  Other things to do include top dressing with a thin layer of compost, and/or adding corn gluten meal for a slow-release fertilizer and to prevent the germination of weed seeds (note- don't add corn gluten meal if you are over-seeding your lawn - it prevents the germination of all seeds!)

Plant vegetable seeds outside:

according to schedule (see when to plant vegetable seeds in Calgary.)

Plant out annuals. 

I know the conventional wisdom is to wait until our average last frost date, May 24.  But that date is an average!  That means about half the time the last frost date will be earlier!  I like to get the most of my annuals in before May 24 - I put most of them in pots anyway so they are easy to move or cover if frost threatens.  Whatever happens, I have at least obtained all the plants I want before May long week-end so I can avoid the shopping rush.  I also like frost-tolerant annuals such as pansies and snapdragons because they can be put in the garden several weeks before the last frost date.

Happy sprinter!

From the archives:
How to plant annuals: pack 'em in!
How to plant perennials
How to redesign a perennial bed

the final cut - perennials left standing for the winter

Did you get out in the garden this week-end?  Between other family activities I managed to get a little time on Saturday to start cleaning up.  I had a four-year-old and a two-year-old helping me so I didn't get much done, but it was fun.  They cut down a few things themselves and mostly enjoyed hunting for ladybugs. 

So I thought this was a good time to post about all those perennials that are left still standing at the end of a long, dry, windy Calgary winter.  If you're thinking of adding a few new perennials to your garden this year, why not add something that looks interesting all year long instead of just in the summer?  Here are a few of my favourite perennials for "winter interest" and I've included links to what they looked like last summer:

Above: Calamagrostis (geather reed grass) 'Karl Foerster" in the sunny front welcome garden.  Actually, I have this in several places front and back and love it.

Above:  Here's Karl in the back shade garden.  A younger plant so it is smaller, and the kids like to pick the seed heads so this one isn't looking quite as good after the winter, but this photo is an excellent example of how great ornamental grasses look when they're backlit!  Consider this when placing grasses in your garden.

Above: achillea (yarrow).  This one happens to be "Moonshine" but all varieties of yarrow look good all winter (and make great dried flowers if you're into that kind of thing).

Above: Centaura macrocephala, also in the front welcome garden.

Above: Kinnikinnick "Vancouver Jade" in the new side of the front welcome garden.  Its leaves turn reddish for winter and are just starting to change back to green now.  A great groundcover.

Above: Deschampsia cespitosa (tufted hair grass) also in the front welcome garden.  This one got a little smushed by snow.

Above: Nepeta (catmint) 'Walker's Low' also in the front welcome garden.  Not the greatest picture but you get the idea.  It looked good and kept its shape all winter long.

Above: Hydrangea 'Annabelle' in the shady front entry garden.  The seedheads are so light that most of them have blown off, but this is the last one left.  Also would be great for dried arrangements but very delicate.

Above: Liatris spicata (gayfeather) in the side garden.  That's cerastium tomentosum (snow-in-summer) in the background, a great, evergreen groundcover for a sunny dry spot, as long as you have space (it spreads!)

Above: Sedum "Angelina'.  Gotta love all groundcover sedums for their low-maintenance, drought-tolerant properties.  They also green up early in spring.  Angelina happens to stay this colour all winter.

Above: Clematis viticella 'Polish Spirit' in the butterfly potager.  This vine should be cut down in spring because it blooms on new wood (if you don't cut it down all the blooms will be way up high where you can't enjoy them.)

Above: Sedum 'Autumn Joy' in the butterfly potager.  The taller sedums keeps their seedheads all winter, although I've noticed that something eats them in the front yard.  Only the sedums in the back still have their seedheads by this time of year.

Above: Agastache foeniculum (hyssop) in the butterfly potager.  A favourite of bees and kids (the leaves smell like licorice).  I like this variety 'Aurea' for its yellow leaves.

Above: Astilbe in the back shade garden.  One of the few shade plants that I grow that likes moisture.  I try to give it a little extra water once in a while to keep it happy.

Above: Sedum 'Matrona' in the back adventure garden.  Another taller sedum that kept its seedheads all winter.  Love this plant!

Above: Here's Sedum 'Matrona' again in front of Helictotrichon sempervirens (blue oat grass).  This ornamental grass got smushed by now but I've seen it in other gardens looking great all winter.  I think mine needs a couple more years to get bigger and then I expect great things from it!

Above: Blue oat grass again.

Above: Linum lewisii (blue flax) in the sunny adventure garden, although this one happens to be in a spot that gets quite a bit of shade and seems to do OK.  A great, low-maintenance plant with long-lasting blue flowers.  Easy to grow from seed - buy a package and spread it around the garden now, and you'll have it forever!

Above: Perovskia (russian sage) in the adventure garden.  Sorry, the light was terrible for this picture but I had to include it to make the list complete.  The white, wiry stems of russian sage look great all winter.  It is a shrub in warmer places but usually dies back to the ground here.  No worries - it comes back every year and blooms in late summer.  

Above: Feathery seedheads of Clematis alpina 'Blue bird'.  This kind of clematis blooms in spring and doesn't ever need to be cut down because it blooms on old wood.  Blue Bird is a very tough, drought-tolerant variety which grows under one of my spruce trees with no special care.  Amazing!

Above: Here are 3 Festuca glauca (blue fescue) at the bottom of this picture in the back shade garden.  It is evergreen in Calgary and doesn't even need to be cut back in spring.  A great edging plant and I'm going to add more this year.