Calgary Garden Coach

substitutes for Swedish Columnar Aspen?

I just got a question about the Swedish Columnar Aspen.  It is used very often as a quick-growing privacy screen.  The leaves make a nice rustling sound in the breeze.  It's a really nice tree, but it is so overused.  And not only is it a short-lived tree (generally, short-lived qualifies as  about 20-30 years), but if there is ever some kind of disease that hits aspens, then it is going to spread like wildfire around Calgary.  I think it's time for people to diversify.

Still, lots of people have tiny backyards so a columnar tree is needed.  Fortunately, nurseries are introducing new varieties almost every year.  There is a columnar caragana, is very hardy and drought-tolerant for our prairie conditions. 

But my favourite are the columnar crabapple trees, especially Gladiator.  This tree has beautiful purple foliage (dare to be different!), pink flowers in spring, and no fruit to pick up in the fall.  It is prairie hardy and grow to about 20 ft tall.  I'm thinking of getting one myself...

Does anyone else have some suggestions?

 

a garden for fairies

  My mother-in-law is really into fairies and hence, now my girls are too.  And now I am too!  This is what I got her for Christmas - a little fairy door and window that can be nailed to the bottom of a tree, fence or other outdoor structure.  Would these not look cute with a little miniature pathway and some dwarf plants in front of them??

It was hard to resist not buying a set for myself (you can even get mailboxes, bridges, fences and more from Natural Pod), but I think by spring I will be building myself a little fairy garden...

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...

cold snap in Calgary

It has been -30C in Calgary for several days now (that's -22F to you Americans!!) so I didn't even venture outside to take pictures of the garden covered in a beautiful blanket of fresh snow.  I can't complain - at least I have power, unlike parts of the eastern US right now.  And if it has to be cold, at least there is snow insulating the garden.
Here's my Christmas cactus which started blooming a month ago and is still going strong.

... and the jade in my daughters' bedroom is looking very pretty.  This is the second year it has bloomed.

Unfortunately, the amaryllis we planted Nov 10 has only just started to sprout.  Looks like maybe I'll have a "Valentine's amaryllis" this year.  Mental note to plant them earlier next year!

And here's one last view of the garden from the warmth of the dining room.  These are my willow chairs and table sitting in front of the doomed greenhouse.  Everything looks nicer with fresh snow on it!!

more winter shots

front pathways

Some neighbours on my street had their front walkway replaced this fall.  This is what they replaced it with....

I hate to sound opinionated, but how sad!  The same, boring, straight walkway they had before.  If you're going to shell out a few bucks to replace it, why not shell out just a couple more and get something nice?  A little wider, a little curvier, a little more creative?  I don't like straight paths unless they are for a very formal, symmetrical design.

Some designers state that front pathways should be at least 1.5 m (5 ft) wide in order for 2 people to walk side-by-side.  I actually think that is a little wide for some cases.  It might be a little out-of-scale compared to the 1950's bungalows in my neighbourhood.  But at least 4 ft would be nice.

Here's another house in my neighbourhood that just had its front walk, as well as the whole front lawn, replaced.  Looks nice, doesn't it?  Can't wait to see it in spring when more low-maintenance shrubs and ornamental grasses go in.

 

 

 

I am actually quite happy with the shape of the gently curving front walkway I inherited with my house, although it is much too narrow. Since I don't have the budget to have a professional landscaper come in and replace it for me (and I am a do-it-yourselfer anyway), I have something else in mind.

Here's a great way to widen an existing pathway without breaking the bank.  This neighbour laid bricks on either side of a typical, narrow pathway and had her concrete stained to match.  I am hoping to do this to my front path someday...

Sigh.  So much to do, so little time!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...