Calgary Garden Coach

2009/2010 casualties in my garden

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

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

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

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

bloomin' May in Calgary!

Humbug.  I am grumpy.  No gardening got done at all this week-end.  I have mulch waiting to go down and seedlings waiting to get in the ground and pots being shunted in and out of the garage and tomato plants that are not impressed... and I'm cold!  Not to mention everyone in my family has been sick for the last week and a half - except me, which is almost worse!  If I got sick at least I'd get to rest.

But back to gardening.  For anyone new to gardening in Calgary, a late May cold spell and snow storm is not an unusual thing.  But the length of this one is fairly unusual.  For the record, the snow started falling on Thursday, kept falling most of the week-end, and we had a high of 1^o C on Saturday.  Today (Monday) is 8^o with a risk of frost tonight.  Everything is soggy and cold.  Only tomorrow is it supposed to start "improving" with a forecast high of 13^o.

To cheer myself up, here are a few updated pictures of things that are blooming in the garden right now.  Clockwise from top left:

• crabapple tree in the butterfly potager
• euphorbia (cushion spurge) in the front welcome garden
• frillaria (checkered lily) in the back shade garden
• Saskatoon "Thiessen" in the orchard
• epimedium rubrum, tulips and leopard's bane in the front shade garden
• clematis "Blue Bird" - a super hardy variety that requires no cutting back and grows with no special care under a spruce tree! at the entrance to England
• bergenia patch
• dwarf bearded iris in the adventure garden
• daffodils finishing and pulmonaria starting
• brunnera 'Jack Frost' still blooming away in the front entry garden

for the record: snow in Calgary May 27

Disappointed?  yes. 

Surprised? no.

Above: the bergenia patch in the morning of May 28

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

my brother's front yard makeover - take 2

I helped my brother and his family re-do their very small front lawn a few years ago.  I lost sleep planning a beautiful  little garden filled with low maintenance, high impact plants.  It looked awesome.  Then they moved.

So they asked me to do it again.  Well, at least this means they liked what I did last time!  But this time their front yard is huge.  Quite a different challenge.  They had planned to start a year or so ago but decided to redo the concrete first.  Now that's done and this is what things look like to start with:

View from the street:

View from the house:

They want to remove all the grass right away, but they're OK with planting in stages to distribute the cost over a period of time.  So, here's what to do first:

• Remove the rest of the grass.  For that much grass I'd say it's best to rent a sod cutter.
• Have compost delivered.  Figure out how much it will take to spread about 2 inches of compost over the entire yard (need help with the math, dear brother?).  Have it delivered, spread it, and turn it in with a fork.
• Fill in the hole in the hedge with a few more cotoneaster bushes.  *Sunnyside has some for a discount if you buy more than one.

We'll also have bark mulch delivered but we must have a plan first because we might re-contour the yard a little.  Stay tuned...

Related posts:

Why should I get rid of my lawn?

How do I get rid of my lawn?

Design for winter interest

How to re-design a perennial bed.

iris and iceland poppies in the adventure garden

The iceland poppies are still going strong and the dwarf bearded irises are just starting in the adventure garden.

the adventure garden May 25 2010

My adventure garden, two years old now, is filling in nicely.  There's a saying about planting perennials that "the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap".  This is leap year and I'm looking forward to big things!

The kids have been using the dry stream bed as a "slide" recently so I'm going to have to get some more gravel to fill in the top - the rocks seem to keep collecting at the bottom!  But I love that they use it to truly be IN the garden.

Pathways for kids are one of the best ways of helping them enjoy the garden without worrying about things getting trampled.  Best thing I ever did!

tulips in the adventure garden

Like I said, a good year for tulips.  These are at the back of my adventure garden.

tulips and epimedium 'rubrum' (bishop's hat, red barrenwort) in the front shade garden

It seems to be a good year for tulips (it's not just me)!  I didn't plant these recently and I don't remember them flowering last year at all.  Getting rid of that tree is also probably helping the plants in my front shade garden grow a little better this year.

Epimedium rubrum, on the left, is another great groundcover for dry shade.

tulips and bergenia in the back shade garden

This patch of bergenia was one of the few things growing in a much-neglected yard when I moved into my house.  (I'm pretty sure I didn't plant those tulips, either.)  This part of my back shade garden is super low-maintenance and I love it!  I can't recommend bergenia enough for a low-maintenance garden. 

brunnera 'Jack Frost'

I have three of these plants that were new last spring.  I love them for the forget-me-not blue flowers in spring but their foliage the rest of the season ain't bad to look at either.  These are supposed to be tolerant of dry shade once established and I'm happy to report they're doing just fine in my very, very dry front entry garden.

Prunus triloba ‘Multiplex’ (double flowering plum)

Just in case you're wondering what all those gorgeous shrubs that look like exploding pink candy floss right now are, they're double-flowering plum.  Every year at this time I covet them but they are rather boring the rest of the year, so I shall resist.  They don't produce fruit, by the way.

I snapped this picture of somebody else's plum on my walk to work.

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

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

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

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

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

distracted!

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

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

what to do with used rock mulch?

I have cursed the red shale mulch a previous owner put down in my yard many times.  Someone just e-mailed me with the question of what to do with theirs.  Unfortunately, I don't have a good answer.  It's such a pain to get rid of which is one reason why I hate it - not to mention it's ugly!  Here are some quick thoughts:

• if it's fairly clean, you could try to sell it or give it away (advertising free to anyone who picks it up is probably your best bet),
• if it's mixed with dirt and debris, as mine is, it might be possible to try to hose it down to clean it, but how well that works will depend on how much and how big the debris is,
• if it's still not clean you could advertise it as "free fill" but I'm not sure if anyone would have a need for that,
• it would be expensive to take to the dump since you pay by weight,
• the best option might be to use it as mulch it in an out-of-the way place - mine is in the narrow spot between my garage and fence where no one can see it.

Does anyone else out there have some better suggestions? 

papaver nudicaule (iceland poppies)

Do you have this plant in your garden?  Don't bother with buying an expensive pot in the perennial section of your garden centre.  One package of seeds and you'll have this cheery, early-blooming perennial in your garden forever.  A little deadheading and this plant will bloom all summer.

narcissus (daffodils) and muscari (grape hyacinth)

garden report - what I got done this week-end

Tomatoes planted outside...

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

Other things to get done this week:

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

cold frame inspiration

Some friends of mine are building cold frames this year with the glass from our greenhouse take-down.  Am I jealous?  Totally!  I dreamed about cold frames and raised beds over a year ago and I'll be lucky if I get them built by next year at the rate things are going.  Sigh!

But they're looking for ideas on how to actually build them.  Fortunately, I've been collecting pictures for inspiration for a while now.  I've even kept almost all the source information.  Here are some of my favourites:

The above pictures were taken from http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/2504/cold-frame-gardening, accessed March 2009.

Sorry, I don't have a source for this one.  Oops!

This one's from http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/4083/extend-the-seasons-with-a-cold-frame, accessed March 2009.

And finally, I'm sure I got this one from Garden Rant but I don't have the actual link.

Some useful plans for coldframes can also be found here and here.

where to buy seeds?

Seed-shopping season is long done for me - I like to order seeds in January.  Why?  Because it makes me feel like I'm gardening in January.  And the selection from catalogues is much greater than what you can find in a store.  And it is easier to cross-reference the catalogues with your notes, articles you've saved, and the internet if you're in the comfort of your own home rather than a store.

Some of my favourite places to order seeds from are:

• Stokes Seeds
• Dominion Seed House
• T&T Seeds
• Lindenburg Seeds Limited

I also randomly ordered seeds from Floribunda Seeds last year because they were the only place I could find who had teasel seeds, and received good quality seeds.  I've also heard of people who've found Park Seeds from North Carolina to be very reliable, but they're American.  

If you're in Calgary, I would recommend attending Seedy Saturday in March. 

At this time of year it is probably just fine to go to any old store and pick up some seeds.  Of course, the garden centres will generally be better staffed to answer your questions, but the "big box" stores are probably OK too if you know what you want.

garden report - what I got done this week-end

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

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

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

Plans for this week:

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

herbs for Calgary gardens

 
A friend of mine just told me she was surprised to recently find out that some herbs are perennial in Calgary.  Yes, it's true!  Not every herb is a heat-loving Mediterranean plant (although many are!)  Here are some herbs, both perennial and annual, which grow well in Calgary:

Perennials (come back every year):

• chives - this plant is so tough I've had it survive the winter in a small pot I left on the patio! they also self-seed but grow very slowly
• oregano - I grow the gold-leafed variety (above) just for colour, but it doesn't have as strong a taste as the regular kind.
• lovage
• mint - this is an easy plant to grow and my kids love rubbing their hands over the plant to release its yummy scent, just watch where you plant it as it will spread;  mine is confined in a spot between the house and a patio so it won't take over the rest of the garden.
• sage
• sorrel
• tarragon
• thyme - there are several varieties, some culinary and some ornamental, all great groundcovers

Annuals (plant every spring):

• basil - heat is an absolute must for this plant so I grow it in a pot so I can ensure it gets the most sun and heat, and can bring it inside if evenings are going to be cool.
• borage - this plant self-seeds in my garden but not invasively.  and it's so pretty that I let it.  bees love it too! I haven't found the edible flowers to add much to salads though.
• bronze fennel - a perennial in warmer climes so if you have a hot microclimate in your garden you could try to overwinter it with some mulch protection.
• cilantro - yummy but goes to seed quickly so buy seeds to start and re-sow every few weeks
• dill - also easy to grow from seed
• parsley - easy to grow and fairly cold-tolerant
• nasturtiums - I'll save a list of edible flowers for another day but I want to include nasturtiums here because they are just so yummy; both the leaves and flowers are edible and have a peppery taste; I especially like the taste of the flowers.

May 2010 Gardening to do list for Calgary zone 3

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

Move existing plants:

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

Weed:

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

Mulch:

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

Harden off seedlings and new plants:

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

Spring lawn care:

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

Plant vegetable seeds outside:

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

Plant out annuals. 

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

Happy sprinter!

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

this, too, shall pass

For those of you living outside Alberta, you probably wouldn't believe me if I showed you pictures of my garden right now - if I could find it under the snow.... 

And for those of you in Alberta, well, you really don't want to see any more snow, do you?  I don't even feel like taking pictures right now anyway.

So how about a few pictures from my garden last May, instead?  Hopefully this will cheer you up.  The snow can't last forever, right?  We'll have colour before we know it. 

My May Gardening To-Do list coming soon...

species tulips and kinnikinnick in the front welcome garden

These were both planted last year in the new front welcome garden.  You can just see the flower buds starting to open on the kinnikinnick behind the tulips.  This combination is gonna be spectacular in a couple of years! 

I am definitely all about species tulips in the garden!  They multiply, rather than decline like the big dutch hybrids, every year (and the squirrels don't seem to eat them).  Here's a patch in the back adventure garden that's at least 7 years old and getting bigger every year.

This is what happens to the hybrid tulips in my yard:

pushkinia libanotica (striped squill)

I planted these for the first time last fall and boy, am I ever glad I did.  I love them almost as much as the blue ones!

scilla siberica in the butterfly potager

Scilla siberica in the butterfly potager.  My favourite colour - I plant more of these bulbs every fall!  And they multiply, too.  Love them, love them, love them.

tulipa tarda in the adventure garden

Aren't these wonderful?  These tulips were already in my back garden when I moved in almost 7 years ago and they are getting bigger and better each year.  I am planting more and more species tulips these days.  No more big, Dutch hybrid tulips for me - they bloom too late, get eaten by squirrels, and only last for a few years anyway.  These smaller species tulips are much easier - they multiply, don't get eaten, don't require any maintenance at all, and bloom early in the spring when you're dying for colour.  What more could you ask for in a spring bulb?

back from Montreal

I'm back and I'm not sorry to say that I missed the horrible Calgary snowstorm!  (What I want to know is - why does it make the news every year and everyone acts so surprised?  There's always a snowstorm in late April in Calgary!  I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so!  but I digress...)

I was at a conference in Montreal so didn't have a lot of free time but I managed to walk around in the evenings and find a few good restaurants, shops, ... and interesting gardens!

   

The historical gardens at the lovely Chateau Ramezay in Old Montreal (above and below)...
 


... with a formal french potager, laid out in a grid and lined with chives, wooden pathways, and espaliered fruit trees.  Sorry for the lack of light.

Plus, the wonderful architecture and lovely front gardens in the area of the Plateau.  I was particularly drawn to the very unique ones - the ones with colour, of course!  Granted, it would be much easier to maintain a front garden if it was this small, but I loved that barely anyone had a front lawn!  How wonderful and un-Calgary-like!

And lastly, some tulips, mayday tree and crabs blooming for you in downtown Montreal.  

Latest news from the Calgary Horticultural Society

Calgary Horticultural Society - Latest News

2010 Fundraiser!   Society grows with spud!

Enjoy local produce while raising funds for the Calgary Horticultural Society & enjoy a member only discount too!

Login into www.spud.ca  use your special member Promo Code:  CHSM10,  and start filling your grocery cart with some great food and have it all delivered to your door!  Each order raises funds for the Society up to a maximum of $50 per person.   All proceeds will support the learning & demonstration gardens located at the Society office.  New garden designs and program to begin this spring.   

Thank you for your support!    Eat. Live. Be Happy.

click here for all the fundraising details

 Alberta Children's Hospital - Healing Gardens 

 Dear Members,

As a representative of the Calgary Horticultural Society on the Alberta Children’s Hospital Healing Gardens Advisory Committee I would like to bring to your attention their ‘On-Line’ Spring Plant Sale.

 

This is a way for you to purchase your annuals and herbs whilst at the same time contribute to their fund raising program which goes towards the required plants, shrubs and trees to enhance the Healing Gardens which surround the Hospital.

  

If you are ever at the Children’s Hospital take a wander around the Healing Gardens: they are a delight to behold and are ever growing. Indeed they are part of our Calgary Gardening Community!

 

 

With thanks,

 

Judy Rose

Society Volunteer

 

The Healing Gardens is an outdoor space where children and their families, staff, and visitors can wander, explore and experience the therapeutic benefits of a healing, horticultural environment. The gardens provide a private area for reflection and discovery away from the hospital setting to regain a connection with nature.

Each garden has a unique design that allows children and families to explore nature in its various forms using interconnecting pathways.

Healing Gardens Fundraiser:  SPRING PLANT SALE
visit:  www.ach.plants4nonprofit.com

Plants available for purchase

• 12" premium hanging baskets:  $30.00
• 12" round patio planters:  $30.00
• 12" round tomato planter:  $20.00
• 10 pack (4.5" pots) herbs (6) and strawberries (4):  $25.00
• 10 pack (4.5" pots) zonal geraniums (red, pink OR white):  $30.00
• 10 pack (4.5" pots) marigolds:  $25.00
• 10 pack (4.5" pots) petunias (purple OR white):  $25.00
  
  Please visit the website www.ach.plants4nonprofit.com  and order as many
  plants as you like. 

Order deadline is MAY 13.
Plants will be available for pick up on MAY 26 and 27.

Questions?  Please email Jen Lemon or contact Becky
(http://mail01.zabco.net/webmail/src/compose.php?send_to=jennifer.surette-lemon%40albertahealthservices.ca).

Thank You for supporting the Healing Gardens Program at the ACH!

Becky Feasby, MA, HTR
Horticultural Therapist
Healing Gardens Program
Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary AB
 (403) 955-2457  (403) 955-2457 

Join Us for the Society's Spring Plant Share.  

(CHS members only)  An opportunity to take plants from your garden and share those that need a new home.

Date:        Saturday, May 29,  2010 - RAIN OR SHINE!           

 

Time:        9:00am to 12 Noon (Hours may be reduced if weather is poor)

 

Location:  On the grassy field west of the Society office at 208 - 50 Ave. S.W.

  

For further details click here

NeighbourWoods Volunteers Needed

The City of Calgary is looking for volunteers to assist the NeighbourWoods program in one of the communities of: Rosscarrock, Kilarney/Glendale, Glenbrook, Winston Heights, Tuxedo Park, Capital Hill, Banff Trail and Bridgeland/Riverside.  

NeighbourWoods is a City of Calgary residential, street tree planting initiative. The City works with communities to replace and repair trees that have been damaged or are declining from construction, infrastructure repair, or are at the end of the life cycle.

Read more....

>> Click Here