Calgary Garden Coach

garden addiction

It's not just me!!  I read 12 Sure Signs you're a Garden Hoe on Sandra Nelson's blog, and I felt someone really understood me.  Here is my revised version (the ones that apply to me with a few additions of my own):

1. Decreased sleep

• You stay up late into the night reading garden porn, and fantasizing about what you will do next season.
• You find yourself waking early to garden before the kids get up.

2. Impulsive or risky decisions

• You go to the garden centre for one plant, and come home with one of each variety.
• You buy a new plant knowing you have no room in any of your beds.
• You buy a plant that loves sun when what you need is one for shade.
• You have hidden plants to plant later when you’re alone.
• You have removed or changed price tags on purchases so spouse doesn’t know what you’ve spent.

3. Missing family or social events

• You have made excuses to miss events so you can garden.

4. Angry or defensive without cause

• You have been moody or distracted when your spouse wants to spend time with you; it’s sunny and you would rather garden.
• You are pre-occupied on a hot day because you are desperate to go home and water.
• You would just rather be gardening.

5. Trouble paying bills

• You have spent grocery, or essential money on plants.
• Your gardening project has gone way over budget.

6. Neglect self or family

• You treat your plants better than you treat yourself.
• You care more about the appearance of your yard than yourself, your children or your spouse.
• You have as many pictures of the garden as you do of your kids.

7. Neglect possessions or home

• You only do housework when it rains.
• Spring-cleaning happens in January.

8. Obsessive or irrational behavior

• You ask for manure for your birthday.
• You have gardened in mittens.
• You check the weather before your morning pee, or coffee.
• Your lawn keeps shrinking, and you can no longer see the house.
• You are eyeing the remaining grass in your yard.
• You are considering gardening in your neighbour’s yard.
• You don’t realize you’re hungry, in pain, bug bitten, or bleeding while gardening.
• When you move, you spend more time moving compost and plants than packing the contents of your house.
• You go outside in the morning/evening to do one thing, and end up gardening in your pyjamas.

keep mature plant size in mind!

How many times have I seen trees and shrubs planted too close together?  Or a large spruce planted too close to a sidewalk, driveway or house? 

It's hard to imagine the little pot from the garden centre is going to grow into a large tree or shrub, but please pay attention to the full size of something (height and width) when you're planting.  That goes for perennials too, although at least they can be moved or split when they get too big.

These people have done a nice job of keeping their evergreens trimmed, but unfortunately, the beautiful trimming job just seems to draw attention to the poor tree that had its top cut off, don't you think?  What do you think is worse - keeping a tree that looks silly because it's in the wrong spot, or putting it out of its misery?

design for winter interest

Right about now, every Canadian is dying for spring.  While you're making your wish list to take to the garden centre this spring, make sure you don't just fall for those plants blooming their little hearts out in their pots in the store.  Grab some plants that will look good all winter as well - we might as well make our gardens look as nice as possible all year considering at least half the time they will be in "winter mode". 

This neighbour's yard makes me stop and stare year-round.  I took this picture today (March 28) and as you can see, everything is still standing from last year, and still looking great. 

The evergreens add colour to an otherwise brown landscape, and the ornamental grasses, artemesias, sedums, hydrangeas (not shown) and more look good all winter.  Basically anything that makes a good dried flower will likely look good over the winter.  If it gets knocked over by a big dump of snow, you can always cut it down later.

what kind of mulch should I use?

I'm talking summer mulch here, not the kind used for insulating tender plants over the winter.

Mulching your garden will help to conserve water and suppress weeds - definately a sustainable choice for both the environment and your enjoyment of your yard!  Basically, there are 2 types - the permanent kind and the kind that must be replaced every few years.  But wait, don't make a decision yet...

Permanent: rocks, gravel, shale etc.  These mulches do the job.  Pea gravel and other gravels are trendy right now and look especially nice in a xeriscape garden (lots of drought-tolerant plants that like the heat absorbed by the rocks).  However, there are some major cons:

• Look at all the dust, soil and dead plant material that must be cleaned off every year to keep it looking good.  If you don't, then eventually there will be enough matter there for weed seeds to take hold and you've defeated the purpose of the mulch.  Somebody mulched my whole yard with red shale about 20 years ago, and I am still cursing them.  It's not in style anymore and I spent my first summer in this house digging it all up because it was dirty, dusty, and I wanted more room for plants.  Don't put down a permanent mulch unless you're sure you won't want to change it... ever.

Non-permanent: bark, shredded bark, compost, etc.  While these types of mulches do need to be replaced (the smaller the pieces, the faster it will break down), they also do the job of fertilizing the soil while they decompose.  So voila, you've also fertilized your garden the way nature intended!  However, barks break down slowly and also draws some nitrogen out of the soil for the decomposition process, so it is still recommended to add compost (or other organic amendment) as fertilizer.  That means you have to rake off the bark mulch, topdress with compost, and add the bark back on top again.  Ugh.  Why not just use compost?  It is easy to apply, you can make it yourself (although I always need more) and it looks great - like a professionally tended garden without a weed in sight!  Well, at least for a while...

So depending on the style of your garden, your taste and your willingness to spend the time, the final decision is up to you.  This year I am using shredded bark mulch for the pathways in my garden (because I don't have to worry about fertilizing them) and compost everywhere else, including my small patch of lawn. It's a bit of work in spring to spread the mulch (but of course this is when I am most keen to be doing major garden work), and then your work is minimized for the rest of the season.  And if you don't like it, you can change it next year - just don't add 3" of red shale... please!! 

What to do with Easter flowers?

If you're like me, you can't bear to throw a plant away if it could possibly survive in the garden. 

I love having hyacinths in the house because their perfume is so amazing.  But these will be better off in the compost bin than the garden. 

The bare bulbs you can purchase for planting are borderline hardy in Calgary, but the plants often don't survive and if they do, they are so top-heavy that they need delicate staking - not exactly low maintenance. 

The bulbs you buy already planted and flowering have been fertilized and forced to the max, and they have expended so much energy they'll never flower again even if they do survive.

  Dafffodils also lift my spirits in spring, and most varieties can be planted in the garden once the ground is workable.  Again, store-bought daffodils have probably been fertilized to the max and they may not flower next year.  But daffodils naturalize (multiply) easily and they will come back year after year - and probably flower again in another year after they have recovered from being forced.  They're worth the effort to try, I think.

One problem with daffodils is that you have to wait for the leaves to die down after they finish flowering.  I hide their dying leaves by planting them around perennials that will grow quickly and cover them up as they wither away.

Easter lilies can also be planted in Calgary gardens once the soil has warmed.  They will come back reliably and flower most years.  Plant in a warm, sunny spot for best blooms.

repot your tomatoes

Any tomato seedlings that have developed their first real set of leaves should be repotted into bigger containers to keep them happy.  Mine already had roots sticking out the bottom of the cell packs.  Choose the strongest seedlings, and plant them deeper in their new pots.  Repot them at least one more time before they are ready to go outside, planting them deeper again.  This will minimize them getting too leggy from growing indoors, and the buried stem will send out new roots, helping the plant become stronger.

Don't you love the smell of tomato leaves?  Having tomato seedlings in the basement makes me feel like I am gardening already! 

How do I get rid of my lawn?

There are a number of possible ways and I've tried most of them.  Here are my suggestions based on experience:

• Remove the grass (manually or with sod cutter), add loads of compost and till.  This is truly the best method.  If you're in an older neighbourhood, your soil is probably hard-packed under there.  If you're in a new neighbourhood, you probably have only 6" of topsoil.  Take the time now to prepare your soil and you will thank yourself for it later.

Kill the grass (a. smother with carpet or plastic for a season, b. smother with newspaper and top with a mixture of topsoil and compost, or c. use herbicide and top with soil)

For method a, wait for a year before planting - but it doesn't look pretty in the meantime!   Also, using plastic will kill all the beneficial organisms in the soil.  

For methods b & c, you can plant right away by digging extra-large holes to amend the soil on a plant-by-plant basis.  This works too but is more work in the long run.  Also, in our dry climate, it takes a while for the newspaper to break down (supposedly you can cut through it with a shovel when you plant, but it's been a headache whenever I've tried it).  I don't recommend herbicides for environmental reasons.  Besides, in both cases, you'll be raising the soil level and will constantly having soil falling down onto your sidewalk or patio.  If these disadvantages don't bother you, look for more details by googling "lasagna gardening".

Build raised beds  If the raised bed is at least 8" high, it will take care of the problems of compacted soil or lack of soil as well as soil falling where you don't want it to.  There are many beautiful options to match your house and garden style to contain the raised bed - stone, wood, brick or concrete blocks and more.  Put the newspaper down to prevent grass growing through, and fill with a quality garden soil mix.

What is a zone??

Canada and the US are divided into USDA hardiness zones based on average annual minimal temperatures.  Calgary is officially Zone 3, so any perennial you see rated zone 3 or lower should be fully hardy here.  That said, Calgary is dry and windy, and chinooks are especially hard on our woodies and perennials.  Then again, some areas of Calgary are harsher than others due to elevation, lack of mature trees, etc.  It is also possible to have warmer microclimates in a sheltered spot in your yard, for example a south-facing foundation bed and furthermore, sometimes plant ratings aren't very accurate.  Karl Foerster feather reed grass is a trendy, vertical ornamental grass that you see everywhere but is officially rated zone 5.  Basically, check out what plants are doing well in your neighbourhood, go to a nursery with knowledgable staff, and feel to take a few risks.

summer combo

early July in my backyard

this is a classic combination that I see everywhere - books, magazines and neighbours' gardens.  but I love it so much I have it in mine as well.  it looks a bit sparse because some plants were new last year, but this year it will look great.

catmint, variegated iris, dianthus ("pinks"), lady's mantle (plus a self-seeded borage as a bonus)

spring combo 2

June in my front yard

chives (short purple balls), allium "Purple Sensation" (tall purple balls), bearded iris (white and purple)

all very hardy and drought tolerant and multiply with little care

spring combo

June in my backyard

bergenia (pink), bearded iris (purple), snowdrop anemones (white), geums (orange) and Darwin tulips (yellow)

all hardy and drought tolerant in Calgary

Easter idea

Don't like to give your kids too much candy for easter?  I have those plastic eggs that split in half - but what's small enough to fit in them that's not just junk??  How about some seeds?  And you can also get some peat pellets that expand when you put them in water - interesting for the kids and easy for little hands (or even new gardeners) to use.  You can find seeds and pellets anywhere that carries garden supplies at this time of year. 

Scroll down for seed suggestions on a previous post.

plants for the senses

Getting kids into the garden is important for their health and ultimately, I believe, for the health of the planet.  If you do nothing else in your yard, plant a few fun and interesting plants for kids (adults will like them, too)!

touch: lamb's ears, ornamental grasses, woolly thyme, echinacea, celosia, snapdragons

smell: mint and any other herb for that matter, scented pelargoniums, chocolate cosmos, heliotrope

sight: giant sunflowers, ornamental artichokes and kale, chinese lantern, bleeding hearts, cosmos and zinnia

taste: the choices are endless but bite-sized, easy-to-pick varieties are especially great for kids: strawberries, saskatoons, raspberries, cherry tomatoes, peas and beans

weird colour: purple carrots and beans, rainbow chard, heirloom tomatoes

seeds for kids

Let the kids learn a little about nature and nurture by letting them plant a few seeds.  Set aside a spot in the garden exclusively for them, or, if space is at a premium, give them a pot or two.  Here are some seed suggestions for plants with easy-to-handle, fast-growing seeds:

• sunflowers
• nasturtiums
• sweet peas
• cosmos
• peas and beans (any kind of edible, watch out-castor beans are poisonous)

Seedy Saturday is this week-end

10:00-3:00 at the Montgomery community centre in Calgary.

Not that I need more seeds, but I can't wait!  Heirloom varieties and open-pollinated seed and seedlings, seed swaps, fun for kids and more.

March: starting seeds

If you are relatively new to gardening, starting plants from seed may seem a little daunting.  But if you choose the right plants, and know when to start them, it’s pretty easy!  Plus you can save big bucks and get a better selection of plants.  I only grow flowers that are easy to start from seed, and veggies that are worth the effort i.e. easy to grow (lettuce, carrots) or taste infinitely better fresh than what you can get at the grocery store (tomatoes, peas).

Here are my tomato seedlings under lights in the basement.  Aren’t they cute?  They are short-season varieties so that I can have fresh tomatoes in July.  I have also started agastache foeniculum “aurea” and verbena bonariensis (for the butterfly garden), salvia “marble arch”, hesperis matronalis (dame’s rocket), nicotiana sylvestris and castor bean “impala”.

Other faster-growing annuals and veggies can be started from seed in April or sown directly into the garden in May.

planning for a pond

When the kids are a little older, I'd like to have a little pond in the backyard.  I know exactly where I want it to go.

Recently, I decided that this year I would put a pathway through the large, sloped perennial bed so that the kids could meander (or more likely, play chase) through the garden.  Then I suddenly realized that I could make the pathway now with wood chips or gravel mulch, and then easily turn it into a waterfall for my pond later!  More enjoyment now, less work later.

If you're worried about safety with kids and a pond, pondless waterfalls are a trendy and easy alternative.

mosaic path

I like to collect small, interesting rocks and seashells from the places I've been (the only reason they're small is so that I can still carry my suitcase).  I had them in artfully arranged little collections around the garden.  Of couse, my kids are unavoidably attracted to them and spend time moving them around the garden.  I want them to enjoy the rocks too, but I don't want the rocks to get lost.  And I kind of like keeping them all together.

My solution?  This year I'm making a little concrete cobble-stone path with a mold I got from Lee Valley.  I'm going to arrange my stones and seashells in the pathway in a mosaic fashion.  Voila!  A permanent, kid-friendly display.  I'm going to have the kids make hand- and footprints in some of the stones too.

Water...?

Most experienced gardeners in Calgary will say you don't need to start watering until April, when you can give your trees and shrubs a big drink, however there is some debate.  Even if your soil seems dry on top, if you try digging down a bit, you will probably find it still frozen and/or moist in most areas.  If you watered everything in the fall, and have been piling up snow on the garden when you can (I still have just a little more snow left in shady spots), then you're probably fine.

That said, I have 12 large spruce trees on my regular city lot, plus a garden bed under the eaves on the south side of the house where rain or snow never falls.  Some of my beds are DRY.  I gave them a little drink with the soaker hose this week.

big plans

This is "the hill" in the backyard as seen from my sunroom in March.

Well, there's nowhere to go but up, as they say!  There is a lot of work to do here.  On the right I have taken out two large spruce trees, and I am going to replace them with shrubs this year.  We have 5 giant spruce in the (small) front yard and there were 10 in the back when we moved in.  Apparently when someone landscaped the backyard about 30 (?) years ago, the only trees and shrubs available were spruce, pine, cotoneasters and junipers.  Ugh.  Boring. 

The hose shows were I am going to extend the garden to this year.  I also want to build in some fun stuff for the kids.  They like to climb up to the back of the hill so I was planning to put in a mulch pathway for them (easy to remove later).  But today we had friends over and had 3 4-year-olds and 2 2-year-olds chasing each other up and down the hill, and I realized I needed a circular path!!  In a sudden flash of brilliance, I realized that one of the pathways could eventually be turned into a waterfall for the pond I'd like to put in in a few more years.  Once I finish getting rid of those spruce trees...

(by the way, those are spruce cones, not doggie do's!)