Calgary Garden Coach

a garden consultation for Christmas

Garden consulting is something I do part-time over the summers, mostly just because I enjoy talking about gardening with anyone who will listen.  So I haven't really thought much about the business lately, but I recently got an inquiry from someone asking if I did gift certificates for Christmas.

Sure, why not?  And it occurred to me that this would be the perfect Christmas gift!  I certainly would have appreciated such a gift when I first started gardening.  Plus it wasn't made in China, doesn't involve any plastic, and won't eventually end up in the landfill.  Not to mention that if the recipient ends up adding a few drought tolerant and/or edible plants to their garden, we could end up increasing the sustainability and biodiversity of their local little environment.  How great is that?

For all you gardeners out there, why not make up your own little gift certificates to give to family and friends?  Just a thought.

What did you do with your extra hour?... and how to make leaf mold in a bag

Thanks to the time change, this morning I woke up early and what did I do with that extra time?  Snuck over to my neighbour’s and stole their 3 large garbage bags of leaves, of course! 

Let me back up a bit here.  First, the context.  I have ten large spruce trees on my lot and only one medium-ish mountain ash tree, so not very many leaves to speak of.  I always envy those people who bag up lots of extras to put in their compost, rake onto the garden, or to store and make leaf mould with.  I’ve also read about people who patrol their neighbourhoods and steal their neighbour’s bags of leaves, but I’ve never before had the guts.  I don’t really know what I’m scared of – probably just being seen and being thought of as that crazy lady who steals leaves…

Now fast forward to last night, as we were coming home from a potluck at a friend’s house.  Driving past the neighbour’s place, I noticed 3 huge garbage bags of leaves sitting in their back alley.  What?  With a leaf drop-off just a half a block away from our house?  Shameful!  I decided then and there to steal them.  So I did!  And now rather than smouldering with negative energy and thinking that my neighbours are terrible people for putting their leaves in the garbage, I have rescued organic material from the landfill that will eventually become a mulch for the garden.  Everybody wins!

I’ve never actually made leaf mold before (because I’ve never had leaves), but here’s the minimal work method I plan to use to turn these bags of leaves into a beautiful soil amendment:

·         Fill a bag with leaves (done, the neighbours did this part! man, this is easy!)

·         Moisten the leaves, seal the bag and cut some slits in the sides for air flow. 

·         Let the bag sit.  Give it a shake every few weeks if you want to speed things up a bit.

·         Check the bag every month or two for moisture, and add water if things are dry.

·         In 6-12 months, use the leaf mould as a mulch or dig it into the garden to amend the soil.

Now somebody stop me before I start stealing people’s pumpkins too…

waiting for a chinook to finish the yardwork...

Brrr!  I had no idea this cold snap would last so long and be so.... cold!  It's hard to adjust after we had record-breaking highs just a couple weeks ago, and now have record-breaking lows.  Aah, Calgary weather! 

I haven't put away the hoses or drained the rain barrels yet, and I still have carrots and beets in the ground!  If we get the chinook that we're supposed to get this week-end, you know what I'll be doing.  Finishing my October gardening to-do list...

Not to mention that the extra-warm September followed by sudden extreme cold is not good for the plants, especially trees.  Not only have my Mountain Ash and Cotoneasters not had the chance to turn their glorious day-glow orange shades, but this early cold is actually bad for tree health because they haven't had a chance to slow down and prepare for winter.  See Donna Balzer's post to find out more.

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

Finish emptying compost bins and spread on garden (I finished this morning!)

Cut down annuals as they finish, chop up and compost.  Rather than ripping them up, I like to cut annuals off at their base in order to leave their roots to slowly decompose and feed the soil.  I have no idea how well this works but it can’t hurt!

Cut down perennials that turn to mush over the winter – this includes peonies, irises (bearded and Siberian), daylilies, geraniums and more. 

Leave perennials that look nice over winter standing – this includes all ornamental grasses, yarrow, sedums, liatris, globe centaurea, echinacea, hydrangea and more.

Water all the trees and shrubs one more time in early October to help get them through the winter.

Rake leaves onto flower beds.  If I had a lawnmower I’d shred them first, but I don’t, I only have a push mower which doesn’t really do the job.  Plus I'm lazy.

frost warning tonight!

... gotta go pick some lettuce and tomatoes...

what I'm doing in the garden this week (Sept 29 2009)

I guess you could say that we had summer in September this year!  It was beautiful, wasn't it?  And now this week is suddenly fall, and this week-end will be winter, with snow in the forecast!  Typical Calgary.

So, what to get done in a flurried frenzy this week before snow? 

1. Pick the tomatoes.  Put the greenish ones in a box to ripen, and roast a bunch of red ones for freezing.  Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a yummy recipe from my Rebar Cookbook.
2. Cut the sweet peas to bring one more bouquet into the house.
3. Collect a few seeds - I don't bother with too many, but I did take some blue flax seeds and annual red poppy seeds and sprinkle them around certain spots of the garden already.  Other seeds I'll collect and save to start inside in spring are cosmos and verbena bonariensis (these both self-seed but I always start a few inside to make sure I get some where I want some).
4. Spread a little more compost.  This was supposed to be my priority this month and I've been slowly plugging away at it - so far I've emptied one and a half (out of two) compost bins and spread compost around parts of the back lawn and the front garden.  I've got about 4-5 more wheelbarrow loads to go and if I could get that done this week I will be very proud of myself!  It's not the most creatively fulfilling garden job (which is why I haven't got around to it until the last minute), but definitely a necessary one.
5. Start cutting down annuals as necessary.  I already cut back my lavatera because it was starting to look tatty. 
6. I'm done planting bulbs but in case you're wondering, it's not too late to plant some more tulips!

Roasted Tomatoes from Rebar Cookbook

Preheat oven to 250^oF.  Cut about 10 tomatoes in half and arrange cut side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with about 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cracked pepper, and 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or rosemary.  Roast up to 4 hours.  Yum!

what a beautiful day!

OMG, is Calgary beautiful in September, or what?  I must admit, while I usually try to be optimistic about gardening in Calgary, the horrible June we had this year almost had me wanting to close up shop and move.  Then there was that week in August where I had to turn the furnace on every morning and pull out all my fleece clothes...  I did want to move then, let me tell ya!  But this amazing September we've had more than makes up for all that, don't you think? (actually, a little more rain would have been nice)

I took my bike around the Glenmore reservoir at lunch today and took some non-gardening photos.  I added more than half an hour to my ride and I'm going to have to go in early tomorrow to catch up on work, but 34^o in late September?  It was worth it!

The pictures are in order as I started in North Glenmore Park, went counter-clockwise down through Weaselhead, around past the sailing club and Heritage Park and back.

time to start moving /covering the pots.... or not?

At this time of year, all the local gardening advice says to prepare to start covering your pots, or move them to a protected place (like a garage) at night, to save them from frost, and for things you can't move, cover them with a sheet.  Yes, I can see that if you save things from one or two nights of frost, you may get an extra week or two out of them. 

But not me.  I'm done.  It's getting too dark and cold in the mornings (before the kids wake up, when I usually get my gardening done), I'm busy at my "real job", and I'm winding down for this gardening year.  Everything out there can just fend for itself now - except the tomatoes, they would be worth getting an extra week out of!

Caveat: I've said before that I don't do anything fancy with containers.  Maybe someday when I don't have major projects to get done in the garden each spring, I can spend a little time being more creative with container plantings, but for now, I must warn you that I am a perennial expert, not a container expert!  For the most part, I just plunk in a few tried-and-true annuals.  Anyway, for my own records, here's how my pots did this year:

The pansies I planted on my front step back in April lasted well into July, which I thought was impressive!  By that time, the pennisetum rubrum was finally starting to get some heat and look happy.  By this time of year it is so impressive that I am actually considering trying to overwinter it (it's a perennial in warmer climates).  I have a cold room in my basement so it wouldn't be too much work to try and save it...  The chrysanthemums I just recently picked up somewhere because, well they're just so cute!

By the garage door I've got a mix of begonias and impatiens in a strawberry pot, and some fabulous variegated thing I picked up at Superstore without a tag.  There's also nasturtiums and lavender in the bottom corners of this picture.  There's also a petunia in the hanging basket, plus some yellow creeping jenny which I should really pull out now and stick in the ground somewhere as it's a perennial.

In a corner of the north patio, I went for some tropical colours from this orange geranium, pink portulaca, chartreuse sedge ('frosted curls', if I remember correctly) and yet another plant from Superstore that didn't have a tag.

Can't go wrong with wave petunias, can you?  These ones are in a pot by the entrance to 'England', the far, yet ungardened corner of my backyard.

And finally, this isn't the best shot, but these pots form the focal point as you head down the path towards the back gate. And by the way, how do you like that unfinished patio? Sigh - there's always more work to do in my yard!  Anyway, this area is in deep, dry shade what with the garage, fence and spruce tree surrounding it, and the only things I've found that do well here, and brighten up the shade are spider plant, impatiens, and begonias. 

what to do with green tomatoes

This amazing weather we've been having has sure done great things for my tomato crop this year!  But inevitably, there will be lots of green tomatoes left at the end of the season.  Here's a great article from Hole's Greenhouse about what to do with them (and join their Facebook page to get your own updates):

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I rather doubt that gardeners need to be told how to deal with ripe tomatoes any more than they need advice on what to do with a cold beer on a hot day. No, the tricky part about growing tomatoes is knowing what to do with the green ones. More specifically, knowing how to turn them from green to red once they’re off the plant and in the house. Well, wonder no more. Here’s a little 411.

If we are going to start at the top, we may as well start at the top of the tomato plant too—which is exactly where the greenest tomatoes live. Well, my advice for harvesting these little green marbles is this: don’t bother trying. There’s absolutely no cajoling fruit that immature into ripening. The reason is simple. Immature fruit contains immature seed. And immature seed won’t mature once it’s removed from the mother plant. In essence, it’s a genetic dead end. Think about it: a tomato plant wants nothing more than to pass on its genes to future generations. When humans eat tomatoes, we become (theoretically at least) good vehicles for partially digesting and eventually…urm… “distributing” the seed to good growing sites. One of the ways tomato plants encourage us to spread those mature seeds is by tipping the gastronomic scales in favour of ripe fruit. Simply put, we eat what tastes good. And immature fruit loaded with bitter glycoalkaloids is a tomato plant’s way of saying “Don’t eat me!’

Okay, that leaves the green tomatoes on the rest of the plant, the ones I like to think of as “tomatoes in transition.” Now, provided that transitional fruit is not too green, it can be rather easily transformed to red. Here are the three most common techniques.

Some gardeners swear by the old technique of hanging an entire tomato plant (stem, leaves, fruit et al.) upside down in the basement or garage. It works quit well, too. Many of the green fruit make the transformation easily thanks to leaves and stems that continue (at least for a little while) to pump water and nutrients into the fruit. The technique still isn’t sufficient to transform highly immature fruit from green to red, but it works well on the marginal fruit.

A second technique is to pile the tomatoes into a cardboard box, lined and covered with newspaper. Contrary to popular belief, there’s nothing miraculous about the newspaper itself (although it is remarkably good at wicking moisture from the tomato skins, thus reducing the incidence of fruit rot). What is miraculous is the ethylene gas that the tomatoes produce. Not only is the ethylene gas something plants produce naturally, it’s also what’s ultimately responsible for turning the fruit red. Important to note, however, is that the ripening process isn’t necessarily accelerated by “trapping the gases” beneath the newspaper. All the newspaper really does is reduce physical damage to the tomatoes.

The last technique involves placing the tomatoes on a sunny windowsill. The common belief here is that the sun will ripen the fruit, but the ripening process really has more to do with sunny sills being warm, and it’s that increase in temperature that aids the ripening process in this instance.

And that’s all there really is to know about harvesting green tomatoes. In fact, I think the hardest thing to understand and accept is that you’ll always have more green fruit than you can ever use. After you’ve transformed, fried, made into relish, crushed into sauce, eaten fresh out of hand or thrown at a sibling, September will still provide more than its share of inedible fruit. January does the same; it’s just known as “field-grown imported.”

don't forget the trees!

It has been another dry summer, even by Calgary standards.  Most people assume that large, mature trees don't need any extra water, but that is definitely not the case.  Even those big spruce trees that dot the older Calgary landscape appreciate a little extra water now and then.  And if you have planted any new trees in the last few years or have fruit trees, you definitely want to baby them with additional water (I'm all about sustainability but if you're growing food, you're going to have to water in Calgary!)

An arborist that I really trust gave me this advice for watering trees:

• Water them with a soaker hose 3-4 times per year, for a full day.  This means putting a soaker hose around the drip line (directly under the outermost tips of the branches) and leaving it on a slow drip so the water goes directly to the roots and doesn't run off the soil.
• Specifically, give trees a big drink in mid-April when they're just waking up, early October before the ground freezes,  and throughout the summer after we've had 2 weeeks of mid-20 temperatures or above.

That means you should be watering your trees this week!

Update, Sept 24 '09: If you don't believe me, here's another article from Nora Bryan.

September garden to-do list for Calgary zone 3

Here is my September garden to-do list - quite short, don't you think?  By this time of year I'm starting to get tired... it's just maintain, maintain, maintain and no new projects left to achieve (the ones I didn't get done this year can wait until next year!) 

However, September is a good time for planting - either moving or adding perennials while the changes you want to make are fresh in your mind.  Despite this latest heat wave, the shorter days and cooler nights mean the plants don't get quite as stressed when their roots are disturbed, but there's still plenty of time for them to get established before winter.  Anyway, here's what I hope to get done this month:

Keep up with weeding, deadheading and watering (except stop deadheading the roses to discourage fresh growth).

Continue to fertilize pots (in my case, annuals and tomatoes) until killing frost.

Plant bulbs – this year I’m going to put in lots of ornamental onions and things that multiply such as siberian squill, grape hyacinth and species tulips.

Empty at least one of the compost bins and spread on the garden and lawn (I was meaning to do this in May and June, and by July I didn't even put it on my to-do list because I knew I wasn't going to get to it,  but I can see some of my plants are not appreciating the lack of compost this year and I have vowed to make this more of a priority in the future.  Now I am forced to empty at least one bin for sure this month to make room for all the new material I will be putting in the bins in October after the perennials start to die back.)

This is a great time to plant perennials and shrubs – see what you can find on sale!  I’m going to be filling up my new retaining wall area soon.

breaking the rules - on moving perennials

This is the front welcome garden viewed from the house.  Although I call it the "established side" of the front garden, it was only finished 2 years ago and still has to fill in a little in spots.  This view was calling for a little something extra so this morning I grabbed some short, orange asiatic lilies from a spot in the back garden (where I had always intended to move them from anyway), and plunked them in here.  They sure brighten things up, don't they?

The general rule is to move spring-flowering perennials in the fall, and fall-flowering perennials in the spring.  The reason for that is that if you move plants close to their bloom time, they will be putting energy into blooming rather than into establishing their roots in their new home, and thus the plants may suffer. 

Bah!  Suffer, shmuffer!  Once you have some experience in the garden and know which plants are super tough, go ahead and experiment.  I've moved plenty of plants against the rules (I also just moved a dianthus in bloom and this spring I moved bleeding hearts, for example).  That said, some fussier plants might not do so well or they just might not flower as well this year.  I'm sure there are a few plants I've moved against the rules and which didn't do so well, but sorry, I can't think of them right now!  I generally don't grow fussy plants anyway.

I sure like moving perennials while they're blooming or at least while they're at full size for the instant gratification you get!  This wouldn't have been nearly as fun if I'd waited until fall to move those lilies.

July garden to-do list for Calgary zone 3

I haven't quite completed everything on my May and June to-do lists (the practical, useful things like empty the compost bins and weed, for example) but I did accomplish a few things I didn't originally plan (like finish the front yard garden ahead of schedule and plant some new plants I bought at the spur-of-the-moment).  So it goes...

Most of the major planting and re-arranging is done for me now, for the summer. Now it's time to just tend the garden - weed, deadhead and thin, mostly.  But of course I do have a few big projects in the back of my mind too, if the opportunity arises!!  Here's my July to-do list:

Weed and deadhead (cut the finished flowers off plants to either tidy them up (most perennials) or encourage more flowers (most annuals)).  A little bit every day doesn't seem like a chore.

Water the veggies regularly and the perennial gardens anytime we've had a week of hot weather and minimal rain.

Thin out the veggies as they grow - yum, baby greens!

Cut back cranesbill geraniums and centaura (blue cornflower) after they finish flowering, or else they get leggy and ugly.  They'll look not so great immediately after shearing, but will grow back quickly.

Prune lilacs right after they finish flowering because they will soon set flower buds for next year.

Sit back and evaluate the garden.  Are there spots that need a little something?  Plants that could use a sunnier spot?  Take some pictures and notes now so that you can move things or add new plants in the fall.

My project plans:

More on these soon.  Still have to replace that retaining wall (the big project) and I want to paint the front door and steps (the more reasonable project)!  Cross your fingers that these will get done this summer - the retaining wall especially so that the area around it can be planted with new shrubs in fall. 

for the record: frost in Calgary zone 3, June 7 2009

Did you lose anything this week-end?  I have yet to go out and do the rounds this morning, but I think everything should be safe.  I lost one raspberry cane which doubled over and broke under all the heavy, wet snow we got on Friday night, but I think that's it. 

I wasn't too worried about the snow on Friday night - as long as plants don't actually freeze, they are OK.  The ground is pretty warm now and moisture is always a good thing in Calgary!  The worst that can happen is that branches can get broken (like my raspberry), but I moved some of my tenderest pots (impatiens) and my unplanted seedlings into the garage on Friday just in case.

Then came the hail yesterday (Saturday).  Well, at least it was small and didn't do any real damage. 

Now frost this morning!  That is the real danger for plants.  I'm glad I threw some blankets over the tomatoes and cucumber last night.  Let's hope they're all OK.  I'll go outside and check when it gets a little warmer...  if it gets a little warmer?

for the record: hail and snow in Calgary, June 5 2009

Here are some pictures I snapped this morning (from the shelter of my front and back doors) as the hail  and wet snow came down.  It is 3^oC today and there is a forecast for more wet snow tonight and tomorrow morning.
Sigh.  I'm not really worried about most of my plants; I know the perennials will do fine, and most of the annuals too.  They may not be happy and will go into shock and stop growing for a few days, but they'll survive.  I'll probably throw a towel over the tomatoes in Kozy Coats, and move a couple of pots planted with very tender annuals (eg. impatiens) into the garage, not to mention all those little seedlings sitting on my picnic table that I still haven't got around to planting... 
Let's hope the snowfall isn't too heavy or it may be the trees that that will suffer the most!

June 2009 garden to-do list for Calgary zone 3

Ack!  Is it June already?  May was a flurry of gardening activity for me, plus consulting, so I almost got through my May to do list.  I didn’t really stay on top of the weeding, as I had recommended, but that will definitely be a priority for June!  I also didn’t start moving soil to get ready for the retaining wall project, but I’ve decided to postpone that until July when I’ll have more time.  I did, however, almost finish planting the new area of the front welcome garden, which wasn’t even part of the plan!  I always like to get all my planting done before the monsoons of June arrive… and I’m almost there.

 

My June to-do list is as follows:

 

• Finish moving perennials and planting annuals – I’m almost done…
• Because of the new trees I planted and the bench I want to eventually put in the butterfly potager garden, I need to put some stepping stones in.  The kids and dog walk through it all the time anyway so at least this way they won’t be stepping on plants!
• Weeding.  I know I said I would do it in May, but this month I really mean it.  This needs to be done before developing seeds plus the rains of June combine to turn the garden into a weedy jungle!  Make a pass through each garden area at least weekly and at least pull the weeds that have begun to flower or gone to seed.
• Continue spreading compost on the garden – this needs to be finished this month before the plants get too big.  Compost will help retain moisture, keep down weeds, and will eventually break down and provide nutrients to the soil.  It’s all about the soil, baby.
• For the remaining compost pile, turn it over occasionally to help hasten decomposition.  What am I saying… I never do this!  The compost breaks down eventually even if not turned and I never seem to get around to it.  But if you want faster compost, keep it moist and turn it over regularly.
• Water newly planted annuals and perennials regularly when it doesn’t rain.  Most of my established perennials are drought tolerant and after one year they’re on their own unless there is a sustained heat wave in July or August.  I water my gardens with soaker hoses to water deeply and minimize water loss to evaporation, and the pots of annuals are the only thing that are “high maintenance”.  They need regular water and fertilizer.
• Water the vegetable garden regularly.  Veggies don’t like to dry out!
• Keep an eye on the taller and vining plants and give them support before they flop over…
• Prune roses – usually I find there is some tip kill from the inevitable cold spell in… May!  Prune by cutting the canes just above an outward facing shoot. 
• Spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs should be pruned right after they finish flowering – prune them by cutting out the oldest wood right at the base, rather than shearing them.  But don’t prune off finished flowers from shrubs that produce fruit, such as viburnums and saskatoons.
• Deadhead (remove finished flowers from) annuals continuously to promote new flowers, and most perennials once they have finished blooming, to tidy them up and/or to prevent self-seeding.  Some perennials that have showy seedheads, such as ornamental allium, can be left standing.
• Edge the borders between garden and grass – I have so little grass that there is only one area where I need to do this!  A well-cut edge really does make a big difference.
• Continue cleaning out the greenhouse, organize tools, and make myself a potting station on the north side of the house.  I can barely wait for this – it’s going to be so cute!

week-end gardening plans in Calgary, May 23-24 2009

Dare I say it?  Spring is actually, finally here?

It is supposed to be a (relatively) beautiful week-end. so here are my gardening plans:

• finish planting perennials in the new area of the front yard garden 
• line the strawberry bed with a waterproof edging because it dries out too fast (more on that later...)
• keep watering newly planted veggie seeds - beets, carrots, peas, lettuce & spinach
• prep the area where I will be planting beans next week
• finish repotting the rest of my tomato plants into their final pots with kozy coats
• move a few more perennials around
• if I get around to it, it is probably safe now to start putting annuals in the ground  (I hope I didn't just jinx it...)

Quite ambitious, I know!  But it's good to have goals... 

Happy gardening this week-end!

brrrr....

What a cold week!  I got out the gloves this morning - but not gardening gloves!!  And while it is supposed to be relatively nice on Saturday and Sunday, I just heard the forecast is for a high of 4^oC on holiday Monday!  Sigh.  So what should we be doing in the garden right now?

Well, I am going to try to restrain myself from buying any more annuals, for one thing!  While I do like to buy them early, there is a fine balance between the joy they give me by providing early colour during a late spring, vs. the pain in the *&%^ it is to move them in and outside the house every time it gets cold.

Perennials, on the other hand, are fine to plant out in the cold, preferably if they've been hardened off a little first.  Hmm.  Maybe a little perennial shopping is in order for this week-end...? 

But really I should try to focus on getting a little more weeding done, and wait out this cold weather before I go crazy potting up tomatoes and annuals again.

To be honest, I was in Banff on Tuesday night.... the night it snowed and went down to -2^oC in Calgary.  I was worried about all my annuals I had potted up or left in the "greenhouse" and those tomatoes I planted in Kozy Coats.  I was kicking myself a little and was trying to figure out what I would say if I lost any plants to the cold.  Should I make fun of myself for planting too early like so many Calgary gardeners are tempted to do?  Or should I chalk it up to a Kozy Coat experiment?

Well I'm happy to report all the tomatoes and everything else survived.  They're probably not very happy about this weather, but they are surviving (just like me!)  Hooray for Kozy Coats! 

tomatoes in "kozy coats"

My tomatoes are getting too big to move around so I am starting to plant them outside in their pots.  A little early, but what else can we greenhouse-challenged gardeners do?  

They are in nice big black pots, which will provide lots of room for roots and warm up nicely in the sun (tomatoes like it hot).  The kozy coats will stay on until the plants get too big for them.  They are filled with water to help insulate against low temperatures.

Please don't mind the garbage in the background!  This area is on my to-do list for this year - we are going to clear it out this summer so I can build some nice raised beds for next year.

some things you need to know about weeding!

I said in my May gardening to-do list that now is the time to get on top of weeds... and I meant it!  Even better right now after a few days of rain because it's easier to pull weeds from moist soil.

I did a little myself this morning.  It's always hard to get started, I admit.  There are so many other things I want to do in the garden right now.  But once I get going, I actually find it hard to stop!  There's always just one more weed over there that I want to get rid of...

Get a dandelion digger tool for those dandelions - you need to get as much of that long taproot out as possible, or it will just regrow.

Don't disturb your soil!  Every time you turn over your soil you bring new weed seeds to the surface, ready to germinate.  This is another good reason to topdress with compost and/or mulch every year, without digging it in.

A little regular weeding goes a long way rather than waiting until everything is out of control!  If you're really busy and don't have time to do a thorough weeding, at least pull the tops off weeds before they set seed.  And this is especially important now before any weeds set seed and then the rains of June suddenly turns all those seeds into new weeds.  

Weeds that grow in patios or other places where you can't get at the root, can be treated with boiling water.  Just make sure you don't gt any other nearby plants!

Once the garden is well established and you have larger plants that shade a lot of your soil, the weeds are pretty easy to control.  I promise!

(Alternatively, if you're looking for some reasons (excuses?) why some weeds may be good for the garden, read this!)

how NOT to rejuvenate a shrub

In February I posted some information about one way to rejuvenate an overgrown shrub - cut it down to the ground and let it regrow.  This is great for shrubs that just get out of control, or shrubs that have more colourful bark on young wood (eg. dogwoods).

One potential problem is that for very old, vigorous shrubs such as these lilacs, the large root system will have lots of energy to send up a gazillion new shoots in spring.  If you don't prune some of them back, they will all be skinny and weak.  So don't just chop your shrub to the ground and then forget about it, as these people seem to have done!

You want to prune at least half to two-thirds of those new shoots out (probably more) to give space and energy for the other half to become thick and strong.  And, if you do it too late, then the shoots that are left will be too long and too weak and will flop over once they lose the support of the shoots you just removed.

So, this is a great and easy technique but stay on top of the new growth by pruning out at least half of it for the first year, until some good strong branches develop.

May 2009 garden to do list for Calgary zone 3

OK, I think we can safely say that spring has arrived in Calgary.  Hooray!

Here are some pics of what was blooming in my Calgary garden last May.  For more details, click here.

I am almost finished my April to do list, but not quite thanks to the recent cold weather!  I got the pruning done, a little tidying in the greenhouse (this is going to be ongoing all summer, I think), just finished cutting down all last year's perennials, and got 1 out of 3 rain barrels set up.  I still need to finish sweeping the patios and setting up the other 2 rain barrels.  Below is the rest of my May to do list, in order of priority.

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

May 2009 gardening to do list

Finish cleaning up the winter mulch (leaves, in my case).  Put in compost.

On warm days (i.e. starting tomorrow), 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.

Spring lawn care: Have the lawn aerated (if it is high-traffic and/or compacted, this is essential for a nice lawn.) Top dress with a thin layer of compost, or add 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.)

Move perennials.  I've got a few things I'd like to move this year and if possible I like to do all my re-arranging and planting of new perennials in May.  The days are still relatively cool so the plants don't get too stressed, and then in June, our rainiest month, they get plenty of water to get established again before the heat of summer.  Closer to the end of the month, I'll be removing the carpet from the front lawn (I'm trying to smother the grass) and starting to plant the rest of my front "welcome garden".  If I get this done by the end of May I will be surprised, but a good start will make me happy.

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!

Plant out annuals.  I know the conventional wisdom is to wait until our average last frost date, May 24.  But that 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 by planting before May 24 - they're mostly 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 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.

Properly hang trellises on the side of the house.  This will be hubby's job!  More on how to do that when we get around to it...

When they have thawed, turn over the compost in the bins.  I have two very full ones in the back corner of my yard, so I'm going to take the top, unfinished stuff out, dig out the compost in the bottom to spread around the garden, and put the unfinished stuff back in one bin.  I didn't touch the bins at all last year (except to add more compostable material) so I should have a lot of compost to go around.  Yay for free, homemade compost!

My other major project for this month is going to be getting ready to replace our rotten wood retaining wall.  We decided to do this ourselves.  I need to move all the soil behind it to a temporary spot this month, then one week-end in early June we're packing the kids off to the grandparents' and building a new concrete block retaining wall.  I don't love concrete blocks but stone is not within range of our budget and skill level.  But I think concrete will look nice enough with some creeping junipers eventually spilling over the sides. 

Well, between this list plus some consulting, I am going to be busy this month!!  What are you doing in your garden?

April 27 2009 - more snow and cold in Calgary

So much for the bergenia waking up!  Here is what they looked like this morning.

More snow coming in Calgary and a high of 1^oC for tomorrow and 3^oC the next day!  I know I said I can deal with our crazy spring weather because I don't expect to garden until at least the end of April.  Well, now it's the end of April...!  Enough already!

time to put out the paper bag wasp nests

If you have lots of nooks and crannies in your yard like we do (rotted wood retaining walls, greenhouse with raised floor, firewood piles, I could go on), then you have lots of places that wasps might like to make a nest.
For the past few years we've put up these paper bags and they deter wasps from making a nest in the area (they don't like to make their own too close to another one - and the paper bags look real enough).  My husband makes them with shredded paper in a plastic bag, bunched inside a paper bag - that way they can withstand the elements for a few months.
These still won't keep the wasps from finding your picnic table in the summer, unfortunately...

these are my repotted tomatoes, and what they are too!

Just finished repotting my tomato seedlings this morning.  The dishes never got put away last night, but really, what's more important...?

I won't spend too much time on tips since I posted a lot on repotting and taking care of tomato seedlings last year.  Lots of information on growing tomatoes from seed can also be found here.

I am planning to trade some tomato plants with a few friends, plus I may have a few extra to give away.  So, for the record, these are the tomato varieties I'm trying this year:

2 cold-tolerant, early varieties:
Sub-Arctic Plenty, determinate (bush), 45 days (large cherry-size, red)
Siberia, determinate, 48 days (small-med sized, red)

and several relatively early indeterminate (vine) varieties:
Sugary, 60 days (cherry, only 2 germinated so sorry, none to trade)
Charlie's Red Staker, 65 days (large, red)
Sweet Gold, 65 days (yellow cherry)

What causes “leggy” seedlings – tips for strong, healthy seedlings

If your seedlings are getting leggy, they’re not getting enough light.  They are stretching up in search of more light, and the result is thin and weak stems.  Generally, even a sunny south-facing window doesn’t provide enough light for most fast-growing annuals (although you can always try).  What you really need to do is set up a fluorescent light with two bulbs in it- one warm and one cool to provide the broadest spectrum of light possible- and keep the lights only an inch or two above your seedlings.  Other tips:

·         If you covered your seedlings to keep them moist after planting, uncover them as soon as they have germinated.  An environment that is too moist may cause damping off, where the seedlings basically rot at their base, fall over and die. 

·         Thin the seedlings so that there is space between each individual one.  Seedlings that grow too close together will depend on each other for support, and end up with weak stems.

·         Turn an electric fan on your seedlings for at least a couple hours per day.  Some air movement will also help to strengthen the stems and prevent mold and mildew from forming.

Why reinvent the wheel?  More seed-starting tips can be found here:

Seed-starting basics from A Way to Garden

The "hardest" job when starting your own seeds - thinning and repotting seedlings

After being away for the long week-end, I was happy to come home and see that all my seedlings survived my absence.  Four days was pushing it though- a few had started to wilt but I think they can be rescued. 

This morning I spent some time thinning and repotting some of my snapdragons and verbena bonariensis seedlings.  It is a difficult thing to do, after raising seedlings from “birth”.  The temptation for me is to keep them all out of a misguided motherly attachment, and also my greed in wanting as many plants as possible.  But I have learned from experience to be ruthless in my thinning!  It is better to have strong plants, but a few less of them, than to have more plants but have them all be weak from having grown too close together.  If it is a seedling I really want to have more of, then I will separate and repot two that are growing in the same cell, but if I already have enough of a particular plant (remember, I still must spend the time hardening them off and then transplanting them all outside - more plants is not necessarily better!) then I just snip the extras off at the base with a pair of small scissors and be done with it. Much less work!

Happy Easter - early blooming spring bulbs

OK, I’m a little behind on this one.  I went to Edmonton for the week-end and didn’t get a chance to blog about Easter before I went.  Here, to make up for it, are some spring colours to brighten your day.  They are crocus and siberian squill, blooming in my mother-in-law’s hot and sunny south-facing garden in Edmonton.  The same flowers in my own shady yard will be another week or two before they bloom.  For fun, I took the pictures through some kaleidoscope-thingies my kids got for Easter.

More ideas for Easter-related fun:

What to do with indoor Easter/spring flowers after they finish blooming
Easter ideas for kids
Easter eggs with natural dyes, by Rosalind Creasy

April 2009 garden to do list for Calgary zone 3

At last!  It is time to start gardening in Calgary!  Well, at least time to start getting ready to garden…!  Depending on how much snow we get this month, some of April’s tasks may not be do-able until the end of the month, but here’s my garden to-do list, in order of priority, and modified from the Calgary Horticultural Society’s monthly to do list for April.  For some descriptions of what was happening in my garden last April (a verrrry late spring), click here.

From the archives:

Be patient
Why gardening in Calgary is fun
Taking care of tomatoes
Veggies to sow in mid-April
What is hardening off?

Early April:

·         Start seeds of fast-growing annuals.  This year I am growing cosmos, lavatera, cleome, purple millet, and euphorbia ‘snow on the mountain’.  Most of these could be direct-seeded outside in May but I like to start them inside for earlier blooms.

·         Care for seeds already started in March.  This means keeping them under fluorescent lights which are only an inch above the leaves, cutting them back to the first set of leaves to encourage branching, thinning, repotting and fertilizing. I also have an electric fan blowing on my seedlings to help them develop strong, sturdy stems.

Clean and fill bird baths (as soon as weather permits.)

Mid-April

·         Take the kids to the garden center, let them pick out their favourite pansies, come home and help them pot them up.  Put the pots on the front and back steps… because the pansies can take our spring temperatures and because it’s time for some colour out there, dammit! 

Whenever I get the chance:

·         Pick up thawed dog poop.  Ewww.

·         Finishing pruning trees and shrubs except birches, maples, roses and spring-flowering shrubs like lilacs.

·         Clean out the “greenhouse” (actually, it’s more like a shed in my case).

·         Sweep patios (mine get covered with spruce needles and cones over the winter – what I collect gets put in other areas of the garden as mulch).

·         Rake debris from the lawn when it is dry enough to walk on (wet soil gets compacted and that’s a bad thing).

·         Cut down any of last year’s perennials that are still standing as soon as ground is dry.

·         Start pulling back winter mulch (leaves, in my case) from the crowns of growing perennials – but don’t actually remove it until May.  This way the sleeping ladybugs don’t get disturbed too early, and the garden is still somewhat protected from the crazy temperature swings that we will inevitably get!!

Late April:

·      Start seeds of the fastest growing annuals: sweet peas, nasturtiums, sunflowers and morning glory.  

Set up rain barrels and check eavestroughs.

how to winter sow seeds in a milk jug

None of the plume poppy seeds I started indoors at the beginning of March have germinated, so I decided to try again, taking the easy route this time.

Winter sowing is a method you can use for seeds of perennials and frost-tolerant annuals.  It is especially handy for seeds that require some frost cycles to break their hard seed shells.  Any seeds whose planting instructions say they can be direct sown in late fall or early spring are good candidates for winter sowing.  Anything that requires warm soil temperatures to germinate is not a good candidate.

This is the first time I've actually tried it, but it seems like a piece of cake, and very low maintenance, which is important now that it seems I am starting more and more seeds each year.  So you just cut a milk jug (or other plastic container) in half, poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage, put 3-4 inches of soil in and water, drop in your seeds, and duct tape the top back on.  Leave the lid off for ventilation.  Voila!  You've just made a little mini-greenhouse for your seeds to grow in!  Put it outside in a sheltered spot and let nature do its work.

People who've used this method before say that plants they have wintersown will bloom only slightly later than plants that were started indoors, but much earlier than ones that were sown directly into the garden.

late March seed-starting report - tomato seeds are planted!

I started my tomatoes this morning.  This is a good time to start them if you don't have a greenhouse.  Last year, as an experiment, I started them waaay too early at the end of February.  They did fine, but there was a month or so when they were too big to fit under lights, so I had them in the south-facing sunroom on cool days, and hauled them outside each day it was warm enough to get more light (sunlight even through a south-facing window is not generally enough light to keep sun-loving plants from getting "leggy" - getting too tall and thin because they're stretching up trying to find more sunshine).  Anyway, it was a pain in the &^$%*, let me tell ya!  Plus, this year I have a 15-month-old so there is no way I can put plants in the sunroom and keep them safe.

Tomatoes in late March.  From now on.

winter ain't over 'til it's over!

I got up this morning and looked outside at a beautiful, fluffy white wonderland!  Some people might think that since I'm a gardener I don't want snow, but here's some reasons why I do:

1. I have trained myself not to expect to garden until the end of April - then I'm not disappointed when these late snow storms and cold snaps come.  I also have little seedlings growing in the basement so I feel like I'm gardening a wee bit.
2. I'm still planning and prioritizing what I want to get done in the garden this year. 
3. My gardening time is primarily in the early morning, for up to an hour or so some days before the kids wake up.  It's still too dark and cold that early in the morning, so I couldn't really get any gardening done at this time of year anyway!
4. And finally, moisture is good!  This has been a great year for snow cover in Calgary - my garden has been covered with snow since mid-November.  I don't know if the snow was thick enough to insulate much from cold temperatures, but at least it prevents our dry winds from sucking the moisture out of the soil all winter long!  Last year at this time I actually watered the garden because it had been dry and exposed for so long.

Here are some interesting (shocking?) April Canadian weather stats from that I found in Harrowsmith magazine (April 2009 No. 205, page 14):

April 27, 2008 - Fierce snowstorm closes the Trans-Canada Highway in northwestern Ontario and eastern Manitoba.

April 21, 2008 - 24 cm (10 in) of snow falls in Nanaimo, B.C., before noon.

April 19, 2008 - Saskatoon awakens to a fresh blanket of snow.

April 14, 2008 - Deep freeze hits the Okanagan, decimating the tender fruit crop.

April 11, 2008 - 24 cm (10 in) dumps on Calgary in a mere five hours (ah yes, I remember it well!)

April 2, 2008 - PEI greeted by new snow on Easter Sunday.

April 8, 2007 - It was Montreal's last storm of the year, but it was a doozie!

April 14, 2006 - Whitehorse sees more snow in three short days than would normally fall all month.

April 5, 1999 - No less than 68 cm (27 inches) falls in St. John's, still a single-day record in Newfoundland's capital.

mid-March seed report

I meant to post for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day on March 15, but missed it.  I was going to show pictures of perennials left standing over the winter that still look good in my snow-covered garden, plus a few pics of my cute little baby seedlings.  Too busy, never got around to it, and by this time of year I'm tired of talking about winter interest in the garden anyway!  But I am happy to report that many of the seeds I started in early March have already germinated.  So far I have little seedlings of:
thyme, verbena bonariensis, salvia, and cardoon.

I chatted with my friend Maggie this week-end and found out she has been reading my blog religiously for the last year, but has never once commented or let me know she was out there!  She's a lurker!  She said she read that I started some seeds so she immediately started her own - faster growing annuals like petunias and marigolds.  Oops.  Sorry Maggie.  Maybe I should have been more specific.  I have started some perennials and slower-growing annuals so far, but fast-growing annuals shouldn't be started until early April unless you have a greenhouse.  They will get too big and leggy kept under lights or beside even the sunniest window in the house.

So anyone out there, don't start any more seeds until you check with me!  Or the Calgary Gardener book has an excellent chart with recommended seed-starting times. Or most seed packets will say the number of weeks before the last frost date to start that particular type.  In Calgary, our last frost date is May 24 so count backwards from then.

PS  I also started a couple types of snapdragons from seed this week-end (February would have been better but oh well).

Seedy Saturday is coming!

Saturday March 21, 10:00-3:00
Mark your calendars!

http://seedysaturdaycalgary.shawwebspace.ca/

February is a good time to prune

The last 3 week-ends I've enjoyed at least a couple of sunny hours outside in the yard.  My older kids played, and I played with them... and squeezed in the odd pruning cut here and there!

Now is a great time to prune because you can see branch structure and you don't have to worry about trampling the garden.  But these neighbours of mine do this to their front yard tree every year - does anyone think this looks good?  Or is good for the tree?

What NOT to do:
- don't top the tree (besides looking terrible, it leads to weak growth and probably decay)
- don't leave too much or too little of the pruned branch (there shouldn't be a stub left but don't cut into the collar where the branch joins the tree)
- don't cut off more than about 15% of live branches from a tree in one year
- don't go crazy: take a step back once in a while to look at what you're doing!!

If you're really unsure about pruning your trees, get someone with experience to help you, or if it's too big to handle yourself, call a certified arborist to do it properly.

As for shrubs, they are generally a little more forgiving.  Generally I alternate every year between heading back (reducing the length of some branches by cutting them back to an outward facing bud or to a good lateral branch), and thinning (removing branches by cutting them off at the ground).

If your trees or shrubs are totally out of control, take a few years to get them back into shape.  Or some shrubs can withstand being cut back to the ground occasionally: lilacs, caragana, honeysuckle, and ninebarks fall in this category.

ordering bare root perennials

I just put in my perennial order to Botanus.  I have had good results with their plants before.

I was really trying to restrict myself this year to things I really need.  For mail order I also try to restrict myself to very tough, fast-growing low-maintenance plants that are easy, and a deal, to start from bare roots.  Since I am planning to finish getting rid of the front lawn this year, there are a few reliable plants that I have in mind to help fill the space.  So, here is what I ended up ordering:

* liatris spicata (10 bulbs) - great for butterflies, fall colour and they can be left standing all winter
*sedum 'Autumn Joy' (4 roots) - I want more to add repetition to the plantings I already have; it's great for fall colour and also looks good all summer and winter
* campanula glomerata (2 roots) - a bit of a spreader, but can be kept in control by digging up pieces every few years (and is otherwise low maintenance)
* aquilegia (columbine) 'Nora Barlow' (2 roots)- I am a sucker for a beautiful photo (photo from Botanus, above).  This is the one plant I don't really need (and that's "need" defined in my terms, which my husband would probably disagree with).  But this is an heirloom variety, it will reseed (though not true to type) and it will look gorgeous on the back hill.  It also didn't help that I just read an article in the latest "Fine Gardening" magazine extolling its virtues.  As I said, I am a sucker. 

But overall, I'm happy with how well I almost stuck to my own rules...

I'm still lovin' winter!

  Calgary's had snow cover for over a month now - very unusual for us!  How could you not love it when it insulates the garden (against temperature variation as well as our dry winds) and looks so beautiful?  Plus I'm getting some other projects done around the house that would never get any attention during the gardening season.

Still, it will be time to order seeds soon...

a "special" Christmas tree

  We had to laugh at ourselves this past week-end as we brought the tree into our house.  It was a tall pine tree out of the backyard that had to come down anyway, so we saved it until now.  It was about 25ft tall, so of course some of the branches snapped off as it came crashing to the ground.  Here it is looking a little lopsided and flattened as my husband chopped off the top 8ft to bring inside.  While maybe not the prettiest, it's certainly the tallest tree we've ever had!

 

With all the cold temperatures we've been having, it was close to impossible to get any of the snow and ice off the tree before we brought it into the house.  And thanks to the fact that it was frozen solid, it was almost impossible to get it in the door despite the fact that it had lost several branches and looked very flat!

But half laughing, half cursing, we brought it in anyway, dropping pine cones, needles and snow everywhere, and let it drip on our floor for an hour.

 

We put it in the corner of the sunroom, with the flat spot and missing branches hidden at the back.  Then Sunday we had some family over and decorated.  It doesn't look so bad with a few shiny trinkets on it, does it?  (Notice the lack of decorations on the lower branches because we have an 11-month old!!)

Merry Christmas everyone!

a cold, white Christmas across Canada this year!

It is cold and snowy everywhere in Canada, I think!  I think it's great as long as you don't have somewhere to go.  I hope it warms up enough we can take the kids toboganning soon!

Here's a cute post from Jen - one of those mystified (and lucky!) west coast gardeners who doesn't normally get winter.

the gardening off-season

  I have said it before - I love winter!  People always seem to be surprised to hear me say that, considering how much I love to garden.  But really, gardening is such a passion for me that during the 6-7 gardening months, I never get anything else done!  Nothing.  I even admit that I neglect my husband during that time!

So I am thankful for winter for the chance to do other things.  One thing I like to do is make a few presents for my kids, niece and nephews.  Here are the bags I made for my two older daughters and niece this year.  Could they be any more sparkly?

 

And here are the toyboxes I made for my young nephews (the girls have already received toyboxes in previous years).  I got some plain, $20 toyboxes from Ikea, painted them up, and put on a pillow top.  Easy peasy!  Now how am I going to wrap them....?

making a nature wreath

This year, for our "annual girls' craft night", we made pine cone wreaths. 

This would have been a fun craft to do with the kids if I'd been organized to go collecting with them before it snowed...  The kids already like to bring sticks, dried leaves, pine cones etc. into the house, why not have a little scavenger hunt and then let them use their treasures to decorate a wreath?  It would be a great way to recycle some old ribbons and ornaments as well.

Mine ended up being quite simple, but I like it as a backdrop for other Christmas decorations on the mantle in our living room.

Elli's tip: stand up while you're making it so you can get a better view!  Oh, and a little wine doesn't hurt either...

locally sourced Christmas tree

I've read a lot about the debate on real vs. artificial trees in terms of the environment.  For me it's a no brainer - it's got to be a real tree for emotional and nostalgic reasons.  But there are still many factors to consider when you choose a real tree (how far was it shipped?  was it sustainably grown and harvested?  has it been sprayed with fungicide or who knows what else?)  It's enough to make a person want to give up!!

This year I am happy to report that I didn't have to worry about any of these issues!  I had a pine tree in my backyard that I've been wanting to take down for a while now - and I saved it until now.  How's that for a locally grown, organic, small carbon footprint tree?!?
We're going to chop off the top to bring inside for our Christmas tree this year, and the rest of the branches will be put on the garden for winter insulation.

This is the last tree I wanted to get rid of in my backyard.  It had to go because it was too close to a retaining wall we want to replace next spring.  Besides, someone landscaped this yard nicely about 30 years ago but planted way too many trees and shrubs way too close together (a pet peeve of mine), so I don't feel guilty at all about taking down a tree or two (or ten).  Now only one more tree to get rid of in the front yard, if I can only convince my husband...

still planting bulbs in mid-October

It's too late to plant daffodils, but tulips and a variety of smaller bulbs for spring will be fine if you plant them now.  I just received a package in the mail of bulbs I ordered way back in summer, when I had much more gardening energy left than I do now.

Every year I do this - I order way too many, and then I regret it when they arrive and I resent having to take the time to plant all these bulbs.  But I grudgingly do it anyway so they don't go to waste, and then in spring I am thankful I did.

I tend to avoid tulips, although I did plant some with my kids a few weeks ago.  I prefer the smaller, naturalizing bulbs.  They bloom earlier in the spring when I'm absolutely dying for some colour in the garden, they don't look god-awful once they've finished flowering and they come back and even multiply year after year.

This week-end I will be planting:

• 25 mixed Darwin hybrid tulips (really?  what was I thinking?)
• 10 allium "Purple Sensation"
• 10 species tulips "Little Beauty"
• 25 species "tulipa tarda"
• 50 iris reticulata
• 1 lilium "Canadense"

hard frost

For the record, the first hard frost (at least in my yard) was Oct 8.  Most of the annuals and even some of the tender perennials froze.  This coming week-end will see me starting to tidy up the garden for winter.  That's all right with me - I have some painting projects that I am itching to get starting on...!! 

Am I the only gardener who is satisfied with what I accomplished this year, and ready for winter so I can take a break?  I think if I lived in a place where I could garden all year round, I would probably burn out or at least not enjoy it as much.  Hooray for frost!

October to-do list

Sigh.  It's almost clean-up time.  Oh well, at this time of year I am usually satisfied with what I've accomplished in the garden (I've got a big old yard that needs a lot of work done, it's very much a work in progress).  So I'm happy to start putting things away for the year and to move on to some other hobbies that don't get any attention during the summer... or clean the house...

Here's my to-do list for October:

1. Cut down some perennials and compost them.There is much debate about whether it is better to leave everything standing, or chop it all down, or do something in the middle.  I will post more soon about what plants definately should be chopped down for the winter (because they just turn to a mushy mess or to prevent spread of disease, for example) and which plants definately should be left standing for the winter because they look so great!  Everything in between is a matter of taste, I think.
2. Rake leaves and mow lawn to the lowest height setting on your mower.  Rake up the cuttings and compost as well.
3. Soak all trees and shrubs with a soaker hose for a full day in mid- to late-October.
4. Empty ceramic pots and store where they will stay dry - the freeze/thaw cycle will crack them if they get wet.
5. Clean out eavestroughs and downspouts once leaves have fallen.
6. I don't grow any plants that need special winter protection, but I will put a few spruce branches on top of some of my evergreen perennials such as moss phlox and sea thrift, to prevent them from drying out.
7. Harvest carrots and pumpkins!!

indian summer

  I think this is my favourite time of year.  Yes, spring is exciting, but you don't get to be outside enjoying the exuberance of growth that exists at the end of the season.

Summer is great but when it's too hot I resent having to water my pots (and there are not many) and veggie patch every day.

This time of year we are enjoying the harvest of the veggie garden, still enjoying plenty of flowers, there's still lots of good weather to come, my big projects for the year are done, and the cooler weather means almost no watering.  Ahhhhh (sigh of contentment).

September to-do list

Well, gardening season is pretty much over for me.  The perennials have a couple of months left of looking good (or at least decent, for the most part), but my gardening usually happens in the mornings for a half-hour here and there on the days I manage to get up before the kids.  This time of year, it's too dark and cold that early in the morning!!

Anyway, here's my list for this month, for what it's worth, modified from the Calgary Horticultural Society's to-do list:

• Keep harvesting raspberries, peas, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots.  Yum!
• Water pumpkin plant every day - those suckers need lots of water!
• Move and divide perennials – now is a great time as they are full size so you are less likely to plant things too close together.
• Keep up with weeding - ya right...
• Deadhead annuals and some perennials to encourage more bloom; leave some seedheads for decoration or to collect seeds.
• Stop fertilizing trees, shrubs, and roses – any surge of fresh new growth now will just weaken the plant before winter.
• Stop deadheading hardy roses for the same reason.
• Plant spring bulbs as soon as possible - I went overboard buying bulbs this year as usual.
• There’s a whole slew of advice on how to keep your containers and plantings going as long as possible, but by this point in the year, I’m getting tired and frost is welcome!!  There will be no trucking pots in/out of the garage every night/morning at our house!
• Cut flowers that preserve well and save them for indoor arrangements or winter containers (e.g. globe thistle).
• Think about what worked or didn’t work this year, while it’s still fresh in memory, and start planning for next year!!

first frost

Sigh.  The rooftops in my neighbourhood were white this morning.  Everything's OK, even the impatiens, which are the first things to go when there's a killing frost.  But still... the end is near...

bleeding heart going dormant

Don't worry if your bleeding heart looks like this!  A 5-day heat wave and this is what mine looks like.  Actually, I have more in the backyard that get more shade and are still green, but this one gets a fair amount of morning sun.  Bleeding hearts will go dormant in the summer if they get too much sun/heat.

It looks alright but will soon get ratty, so I am cutting mine to the ground.

hail report

Standing on the back porch, helplessly watching the hail pound down on the garden every summer - this has got to be the hardest part about gardening in Calgary!!

I can handle zone 3, I can handle the chinooks, I can handle the cold nights and the short growing season and even the freak snowstorms in June and September, all things which make gardening in Calgary notorious.  But the hail in July and August, when the garden is at its peak, is just, well, painful.

Fortunately, I don't seem to be in much of a hail belt and sustained very little damage.  I don't think the tomatoes were impressed, though.