Calgary Garden Coach

some of the winning gardens in the Calgary Hort Society garden competition

I had a lovely day yesterday viewing some of the gardens in the Hort Society's annual competition.  As usual, I am humbled by other people's gardening creativity!!  Will post some pictures soon...

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And here finally, here they are! 

These are only a few pictures from the Huitema garden which won 1st for Perennial Garden, 1st for Water-Wise Garden, and 2nd for Plant Lover's Garden.  All I can say is, wow!  A deck, gazebo, pond, vegetable garden, multiple seating areas, and a front and back yard jam-packed with plants.  I can only hope that in 10 more years my garden will be as nice...

The Keith garden won 2nd for Novice Small Garden.  What I liked most were the greenhouse lean-to's built on the south-side of their garage.  What a great idea!  With hard, clear plastic on top, and plastic sheets that can roll up on the side, this seems like a totally easy way to extend the growing season by a few months.  I must put this on my project list...

The Hogg garden won 3rd for Open Mid-Size garden.  I was very impressed and inspired by all the creative touches added to this garden - an artist definitely lives here!  Left to right, top to bottom: crossing paths cut into the front lawn complete with archways; the arches from a different viewpoint; a very cute little hideaway in the back corner of the yard; a wall made of trellis with roll-down outdoor fabric for when you want more privacy; a firepit with mosaic around the base - love it!; a tunnel of arches to the back gate; a sun painted in gold paint on a semi-circular patio; roses growing in their own little arbour, with glass balls and other decorations too!

And finally, the Scott garden won 1st for Open Large Garden, 1st for Container Garden, 1st for Curb Appeal, 3rd for Shade Garden, and 3rd for Water Garden.  In spite of the great plantings and colour, what stood out for me were Yvonne's fabulous metal sculptures.  How cool would it be to have a garden to display your own artwork?  I especially like the circles that look a little like gears (second row, left) and the triangular-shaped one (second row, middle).  Hmm, time to start saving up because she sells her work too!  Her website is www.yvonnescott.com.

what's blooming in my Calgary zone 3 garden - July 26 2009

In the front welcome garden, the blues of veronica spicata and nepeta (catmint) are still blooming away, while the daisies are finishined and the lilies are starting.  I love lilies!  Spireas, yarrow, gentians and campanula are also in bloom.

Closer to the house in the entry garden, there are cooler colours of pink, purple and white.  Lots more lilies, clary sage, spireas and a shorter daisy variety are in bloom.

Heading around the side of the house, the clematises are doing well this year, the delphiniums are blooming, and the globe thistle has turned into a monster!

 Ah, the butterfly potager.  I think this must be my favourite place to sit!  The delphiniums, clematis, martagon lilies are all still blooming, and the self-seeded poppies are looking gorgeous.  Daylilies and nasturtiums have just started blooming, and we're still picking peas, carrots and beets.

In the shade garden, the goat's beard and columbine are just finishing, but the hostas are starting to bloom and the grasses always look great.

And finally, the back hill.  The snapdragons have finally started to bloom (I started them from seed very late this spring), and the roses, borage, blue salvia, cosmos, lamb's ears and ornamental grasses are still going strong.  Lilies are just starting to bloom here, too.

a fab foliage combination, if I do say so myself!

Since most perennials bloom for such a short period of time, one of the tricks to perennial gardening is to use lots of plants that look good even when they're not blooming.  In this combination above, backlit in the afternoon sun, there is nothing in bloom except a little bit of yellow-flowering sedum in the bottom left corner that found its own way into the garden.  But things still look interesting thanks to the different shapes, colours and textures of the plants.  The other plants, left to right, are:
calamagrostis (feather reed grass) 'Karl Foerster', dwarf bearded iris, hosta 'Sun Power', festuca glauca (blue fescue), with bergenia behind.

Now, I really must get around to replacing that retaining wall behind the bird bath... as soon as it cools down out there!

tango asiatic lily and painted daisy

The daisies are all finished now, after all this heat, but I snapped this pic last week as the lilies were just starting to open.

view winning gardens this week-end

Looking for a little inspiration?  It's the winning garden tour week-end for the Calgary Horticultural Society's garden competition.  I highly recommend going!  Some pictures I took from winning gardens last year are here, here and here.

More information can be found on their website.

timber! the neighbours take down a spruce tree and it's OK with me

The neighbours just took down one of the two big spruce trees in their front yard.  Do I blame them?  No!  Our little houses are dwarfed by the spruce, and this particular one was smack dab in front of their big living room window.  I love trees, I garden environmentally, but I insist we shouldn't feel guilty taking down a tree if someone else planted it in the wrong spot.  In fact, there is a tree in my front yard I want to take down for the very same reason (not the one you can see in the right-hand side of this picture).  That said, I also don't like garden designers who say you have to take everything down and start fresh if you want to landscape your yard.  Work with what you have, if you possibly can!!

What does this mean to me?  Well, my little side garden can now be seen from the street, and you get a peek into the backyard beyond (you can just see the newly painted window box back there waiting to be planted).  Also, the plants in my new front yard garden will get a little more sun and a little less competition for water and nutrients.  I'm sure they will be happy about that!

paint and stain - check!

I finished painting the house and garage doors, and staining the front steps and picnic table.  Check another thing off the garden project to-do list!  It may seem like I am getting things done fast (I just finished the dry stream bed last week), but actually I am procrastinating by getting the little projects done first - the next one is going to be a biggie.  The retaining wall must get done in August because I want to plant that area in the fall!  Wish me luck...

BTW, what do you think of the door (and window box) colour?  I went to the paint store intending to get a nice, conservative plum kind of a colour, and on the spur of the moment went for an orangey-brick colour.  It turned out a little lighter than I expected (more of a pinky-brick, I'm afraid) but I think I kind of like it...  I definitely wanted colour and that's what I got!  And the colour drew my attention to the shadow of the mountain ash tree outlined on the garage door in the evenings (bottom, middle picture above) - I never noticed that before!

what's blooming in my zone 3 Calgary garden - July 17 2009

In the front welcome garden near the sidewalk, the shasta daisies are still blooming away, plus the yarrow 'Moonshine', catmint, cranesbills, campanula glomerata and the veronica 'Sunny Border Blue' just starting.  The new side (top right in this collage) needs a little something more, don't you think?  Perhaps some daisies or yarrow...

Closer to the house, the chives are finishing, and the peachleaf bellflower and clary sage look great with the yellow of the spireas.  On the left-hand side of the front steps, there is a mock orange in all its glory.  I planted this for its fragrance, which knocks your socks off when you stand at my front door.  This shrub will bloom in partial shade, which is exactly what I have.

As we go around the side of the house, the clematis and globe thistle are starting to bloom, and the mullein, delphiniums, daisies and pinks are still going strong.  The sweet rocket and snow-in-summer are just finishing.

Inside the butterfly potager, the roses are still blooming, the delphiniums and honeysuckle are just starting, and the blue cornflower is just finishing.  We've been thinning the carrots and beets and eating them, and the peas are just ready for picking.  We also have lettuce and spinach in a different area of the yard.

Not a lot blooming in the shade garden right now - thank goodness for foliage texture!  But the columbine and coral bells are still going strong.

And finally, the kids' adventure garden on the back hill.  Pinks, catmint, lady's mantle, peachleaf bellflower, roses, borage, meadow rue, iceland poppies, painted daisy, sea thrift, masterwort, honeysuckle, lamb's ears, cosmos and more are blooming.  The grasses are in "bloom" too. 

finish the dry stream bed - check!

The best idea I've ever had for a kid-friendly garden was to make some pathways through the deep garden on the hill at the back of our yard.  The kids love to wander through the garden, as well as to play chase.  And this way they're allowed to run through the garden and I know the plants are safe.  But since it's a hill, I decided that a dry stream bed would look really nice.  Way back a year and a half ago I dreamed up the idea, planned it, then planted it that spring.  Here's what it looked like then.

I finally got around to finishing it this week!  Yay!  It's been on my big project to-do list for a while!!  Actually, I don't know what took me so long because it didn't take much work at all.  First, I weeded the pathway, dug out a couple inches of soil and levelled it.
Looks better already, don't you think?

Then, I put down landscape cloth (the only place where I have used the stuff in my yard, by the way) and a couple hundred kg's of 'rainbow rock' from Burnco. 
I'd like to spend a little time arranging some larger rocks on the edges, but there's no point in doing that just yet.  My 18-month old has already starting moving the rocks around the yard for me...!  I'm hoping that once the dry stream bed isn't so new anymore, she'll find something more interesting to do.  In the meantime, the kids have discovered that the rocks warm up nicely in the sun and they like to go lie on them to warm up after being in the freshly filled, freezing cold wading pool.  I'd say the dry stream bed is a hit!

a banner year for strawberries in my Calgary zone 3 garden

I'm not sure what I did to get such a good crop of strawberries this year, but I'm glad I did it!  This spring, I thinned out the plants and lined the raised strawberry bed plus dug in some compost and peat moss when I replanted them.  Was it the thinning?  The extra fertilizer?  The additional moisture?  Any or all? 
Anyway, I've got the most strawberries this year, ever.  If only I can keep my 18-month-old from picking the white ones, I should have strawberries at least another week!  Yum!!

thalictrum (meadow rue) in front of pyrethrym (painted daisy)

purple campanula persicifolia (peachleaf bellflower) and spirea 'Goldmound'

white campanula persicifolia (peachleaf bellflower) and blue salvia 'May Night'

bergenia and festuca glauca

 

sedum 'Matrona', nepeta (catmint) and dianthus (pinks)

things to do before next year's garden competition

 This coming week-end is the judging week-end for the Calgary garden competition.  I'm thinking that I might be ready to enter parts of the garden next year - just for fun!  Now is the time to step back and analyze which parts of the garden need "a little something" at this time of year.  Some more blooms over there, some contrasting foliage over here... 

But not me.  I have bigger plans!  A lot of major things need to be fixed up before next year.  Here is my project list, in order of priority:

 Finish staining the front steps, then paint the front door, garage door, window box and patio table.  I am still deciding on colour combinations, but am leaning towards more conservative now and am thinking terra cotta for the doors and window box, and brown for the table.  Whaddya think?

Replace this rotten wooden retaining wall with stacking concrete bricks.  This is the major project of the summer then I have some new shrubs in mind to plant in fall, to hide the view of the garbage and recycle bin area.  You can see the stump still leftover from our Christmas tree last year.  I also want to lift the interlocking bricks in the corner because they are directly under a spruce tree which has made the bricks all wonky, and which drops needles and cones which need sweeping up all the time.  I'm just going to put down bark mulch and let the area be natural.  No more sweeping!

This pathway in the kids' adventure garden is going to become a dry stream bed.  I need to dig out some of the dirt, put down landscape fabric and then cover with rocks.  Won't that look nicer than the weeds you see currently?

Once the retaining wall (above) is done, the palettes of bricks in this area will be gone and I can tidy up.  The garbage can has got to go, wouldn't you say?  Hubby has promised to build raised beds for me in this area this fall so that they'll be ready to plant next year.  Also, I'd like a new arbour for the entrance to this area - my husband took the top off the current one because it was too short so it looks pretty bad even though you can't quite tell in this picture.  I want a taller, wider arbour and a focal point (an urn, perhaps?) that you can see through the arbour.

 The tree beside the front steps is coming down this fall (I don't want to do it now because it will smash the front yard garden).  I am sure the plants on both sides of the front steps will grow much better next year once they have one less spruce tree to compete with for water and nutrients (there are still 4 more).

This greenhouse is coming down - I can't wait to get rid of the ugly behemoth!  Look at last year's post to find out why.  I want to use some of the glass to make cold frame tops for the raised beds my husband's going to build (above), and we hope to recycle/give away many of the other materials as well.  I'd really like this to be done by next spring but I'm not holding my breath.

And finally, these "temporary" stairs were put in 4 years ago when we ripped out a deck.  I'd really like to get them replaced by next summer but as this requires hubby's help, again I'm not holding my breath!!  The garden competition is my dream, not his.

painted daisy and iceland poppies

what's blooming in my Calgary zone 3 garden, July 5 2005

In the front welcome garden, stonecrop, iris germanica and shasta daisies are taking centre stage.

On the new side of the front garden, there is lots of empty space but the catmint and campanula glomerata are in bloom, as well as more iris germanica.

In the front entry garden, more iris germanica is blooming, along with chives.  I sure love the colourful foliage of goldmound spirea!

And heading around the side of the house, you will see the sweet rocket is finishing up, but the snow-in-summer is still going strong, more iris germanica and shasta daisies are blooming, and the delphiniums and mullein are just starting.

Coming into the backyard through the butterlfy potager, you will see the peony and blue cornflower just finishing up, and roses (john cabot and john davis), honeysuckle and martagon lilies just starting. 

In the back shade garden, the bleeding hearts are still blooming (it is very shady), the hostas finally look like something, and the heuchera and columbines are in bloom.

And finally, there is almost too much to mention going on in the kids' adventure garden on the back hill!  The ornamental alliums are finishing up but the roses, painted daisies, blue salvia, catmint, peonies, meadow rue, geraniums and more are all in bloom.  I think this is my favourite time of year!

home brews for the garden, and dealing with slugs

I've had a few questions about these things recently and it just so happens that other people got around to writing about them first. So, here are a few links to check out:

comfrey tea and more, from The Guardian UK
alfalfa and compost tea from the Calgary Herald
more on slugs from the Calgary Herald

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. 

Help! I have a problem! I can't stop buying more plants!

I saw these 5 Skyrocket junipers at Superstore for $5.50 each and I couldn't resist.  What a deal!  They are planted at the back of my hill garden where I have taken out some tall spruce trees.  They will eventually get up to 12 ft tall and 3 ft wide, and form a nice background at the back of the garden, without making too much shade (which is one of the reasons why I took out the spruce). 
Now if I can only stop buying plants maybe I'll actually find time to weed for the rest of the summer...

How much foliage variation is too much?

(text coming soon...)

shasta daisy and achillea (yarrow) 'Moonshine'

pink geranium (cranesbill) and yellow sedum (stonecrop)

blue geranium (cranesbill) and pink erigeron (daisy fleabane)

salvia 'May Night', iceland poppies and white peony

This peony is supposed to bloom with some purple siberian irises planted nearby, but this year the irises finished before the peony bloomed.  That's OK, there's blue salvia planted on the other side of it!  And those are some cosmos behind the poppies in the first picture that also just started blooming.

red peony and blue centaurea montana (cornflower)

Even though they're not blooming, I think the foliage of baby's breath and Karl Foerster feather reed grass also look great with these plants.  The white petunia is an annual so I can change this vignette every year.  What else do you think would look good in the pot?

partners for iris germanica (bearded iris) 'Bounty'

I have lots of this plant in my front yard because it smells so nice and is pretty low maintenance (I would classify it as very low maintenance if it didn't need to be divided every few years).  Clockwise from top left:
ornamental alliums, shasta daisies and sedum (stonecrop); red sedum and snow-in-summer; shasta daisies; chives.

partners for nepeta (catmint) 'Six Hills Giant'

I love this plant!  And the bees do too.  Here are some of the things I have growing with it (clockwise from left):
helictotrichon (blue oat grass), painted daisy, elder 'Black Lace'; pink sea thrift and iris pallida (variegated iris); lady's mantle and astrantia.

partners for pyrethrum tanacetum (painted daisy)

This 'Robinson's Red' painted daisy looks good with several other things in my garden.  Clockwise from top left:
ornamental alliums and elder 'Black Lace'; siberian iris; helicotrichon (blue oatgrass); blue oat grass and ornamental alliums again; hesperalis matronalis (both purple and white); catmint, ornamental alliums, hesperalis matronalis and iceland poppies.

iris pallida 'Argentea Variegata' (variegated sweet iris) and nepeta (catmint)

anemone sylvestris (windflower) and chives

I took this picture a week and a half ago and the windflowers are no longer in bloom, but here you go anyway.  Better late than never!

Calgary Horticultural Society's Garden Competition

I am tempted to enter this year but due to holidays (not to mention kids, etc) I don't really have the time to get the garden up to show quality in the next month.  Plus I still have unfinished things going on and a few new spots in the garden I would like to let mature a little first.  I'm definitely thinking next year!

But in case you're interested, here's the e-mail I just got from the Hort Society:

Do you have a beautiful garden, or know someone who does?

 

If so be sure to enter the Calgary Horticultural Society's 2009 Garden Competition!

 

Join in a fun, friendly event that celebrates Calgary’s best amateur gardens. You’ll receive great ideas, suggestions and praise from a community of like-minded gardening enthusiasts.

 

Winning entries will also have the opportunity to win great prizes donated by our generous sponsors!

 

Enter your garden or a section of your garden into any of the following categories:

 

• Small Garden
• Mid-Size Garden
• Large Garden
• Senior’s Garden
• Container Garden
• Curb Appeal
• Newly Landscaped
• Outdoor Living
• Perennial Garden
• Plant Lover’s Garden
• Rose garden
• Food Garden
• Water Garden
• Water-wise Garden

Hurry! Entry deadline is July 3, 2009.

 

Judging: July 10-12

Passports on sale: July 17

Viewing: July 25-26

 

Details, competition guidelines and entry forms are available at  http://calhort.org/events/gardencompetition.aspx

front yard gardens revisited

I wrote this post on my almost-finished-front-yard-garden-instead-of-grass for Gardening Gone Wild's monthly design workshop this month.  The wrap-up is posted so check it out if you're looking for more front yard inspiration!

pruning the flowers on bergenia (elephant ears)?

Q: I have a question about elephant ears once they have finished flowering. I have heard that you should never cut these flowers, but the flowers are starting to go to seed. Can I cut the flower stems now that they are going to seed? When is the best time to cut the stems back?

A: No, you can cut the flowers, just don't ever cut the leaves!  Anytime after they finish flowering is fine.  And by the way, bergenia make nice cut flowers, too!