Calgary Garden Coach

where's the sun?

It's supposed to clear today... eventually... finally.  All this rain and fog has got me feeling rather blah plus I'm way behind on gardening projects.  Gotta get those bulbs in the ground these next few days!

Here's my garden this morning - the second frost of the year in my yard, but not a killing frost.  I still haven't lost anything although some annuals are starting to look a little worse for wear.

the pergola / playhouse : still in the planning stages

The photos below show my latest ideas for a playhouse... or a teahouse... or actually a playhouse to eventually be turned into a teahouse. But first, this lovely spot in my yard is where it's going:

Yikes!  It almost hurts me to post this picture but this is what my north patio has looked like all summer!  We took down the nasty greenhouse last spring and this empty spot has been just sitting here growing weeds.  But actually, that's OK, because I've been waffling back and forth on what exactly I want to put here.  Now I've got the winter to finish planning and deciding, and my husband has promised that this project will be the top of his priority list next summer.

Originally I thought a "treehouse" would be fun, and I posted a picture of an inspiring playhouse previously.  I wanted something that was fairly high to eliminate the imposing view of the side of my neighbour's house (only partially seen above.)

But now I'm leaning towards something lower down, that adults will actually be able to use when the kids aren't using it.  I'm thinking longterm here - the kids won't need a playhouse forever! 
And to save ourselves the work of trying to lay a patio in this spot to match the already existing patio (a big pain in the &^$%, believe me, we've done it before), we're thinking of building a pergola/house with a slightly raised deck for a base.  I like the base of this one (below) for its openness and style:

Above photo from the LA Times.

I wouldn't go quite so Asian for the style of the rest of the structure though, as it wouldn't fit with my yard.  So I kept looking for more inspiration... 

Design tip: renovation and design options can be overwhelming so one way to figure out what you really want is to collect photos over a period of time of things that catch your eye, then figure out what are the key elements that the photos have in common that you liked.  Here are the pergola photos I've collected this summer:

Above: I love anything in blue, of course!  But I also love the chandelier and the interesting fence as a backdrop.

Another one with a chandelier.  Too bad I don't have such a view...

Above: Lanterns are cute too though, don't you think?

But let's be realistic here.  I'm not going to have such a beautiful "adult space" for a few years still.  I was thinking our structure could be used for the kids for a playhouse for a few years first.  We could put temporary walls on it but an easier way would be to add curtains:

This (above) is pretty, don't you think?  I could see kids using something like this as either a playhouse or a stage, depending on whether the curtains were open or shut.

And finally, I'm leaning toward a covered roof (so more of a teahouse than a pergola) because our structure is going to be situated between two large spruce trees in my backyard (practically everything is between two large spruce trees in my yard, but I digress...)  A solid roof will prevent everything underneath from getting covered with needles, cones and sap.  But I'd like to keep it as open as possible to maximize light.  The roof and curtains on this one (above) are perfect.

I should have been more diligent in keeping track but I believe all unlabelled photos above are from www.houzz.com.

2010 was not a good year for tomatoes... but...

Growing tomatoes in any given year in Calgary can be a challenge.  I only grow short season varieties and I put them in Kozy Coats in spring to give them a headstart, plus keep them in pots in the hottest area of my yard.  Usually I get a fairly decent crop.  But this year the crop has been sparse, to say the least!

Here are all my poor little tomato plants shivering in our unusually cold, wet September weather.  We've had a lack of heat all summer and everything is very behind!  I'll be cutting these tomato plants off in the next few days (tomorrow?) and bringing them inside to hang upside down as per a previous post.  I probably could have done this weeks ago and it wouldn't have made a difference for all the lack of sun we've been having lately.

With all this rain I haven't had time to do much construction in this area of the yard either, as you can see.  But I'm slowly making progress laying down those recycled concrete patio stones. 

But enough complaining.  All this moisture is great for the trees which suffered a lot of stress from a too-hot September last year.  Plus the cool temperatures and extra moisture are sure making the perennial garden lush and the flower blooms extra vivid in colour.  Also, my cool-season vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, chard, beans and peas all did very well this year.  I guess you can't have everything!

And while I'm on the topic of the harvest, I must add that my strawberries and raspberries did very well this summer.  I can't say whether it's because the plants are now more mature or because I was a little more diligent in fertilizing this year (probably has at least something to do with that!) or because of the weather or who knows what else.  My neighbour's Saskatoons did extremely well this year too and they are quite old shrubs so the Saskatoon harvest, at least, didn't seem to have anything to do with plant maturity.

What did well (or not) in your garden this year?

construction in England coming along...

Two new 4x8 ft raised beds made of cedar 2x6's and treated with tung oil.

This hot, sunny corner of the backyard was dubbed "England" by our oldest 5 years ago and the name stuck.  But it has been our junk area since we moved into the house.  Well no longer!  I've been gradually trying to clean it up over the last couple of years and finally this year, I decided it was time.  My husband was ordered to build me some boxes (which he happily did with a few new tools!), and voila! 

I wanted to get this spot ready now for a couple of reasons:

• I need to empty my compost bins but where to put it all? This time of year is not a good time for spreading it on the garden - the perennials are all too big and it's difficult to get around them without making a mess.  Spring is the time for topdressing with compost in my opinion, but in the meantime, I will soon need space to start putting the dead plant material this fall.  Note that I would not recommend using pure compost to fill a raised bed for perennials! But anyway I believe my compost bins have quite a bit of soil in them too, due to all the sod I've removed over the last few years. 
• I want at least to get my own compost in place so it can settle over the winter and then I can top it up (with purchased composted manure and soil) and plant as early as possible next spring (laying the patio stones etc can be finished whenever!)  I'll be putting hoops and plastic sheets on top of these boxes in spring to build little greenhouses. 

This is the most veggie garden space I've had since we moved to our current house 6 years ago, and I've never had raised beds and hoop houses before.  Man, am I excited!  I'll be studying a lot of veggie seed catalogues this winter, let me tell ya!

Other women I know get excited about shopping/TV shows/jewelry.  I get excited about this?  Is something wrong with me?

What are your favourite vegetables to grow in Calgary?

two great plants for texture - rose glow barberry and blue oat grass

It's starting to feel like fall and now is a great time to take stock of your garden, make notes about what worked or didn't work this year, and make plans for next year.  It's also a good time to plant.  While in some ways it is more difficult to plant in fall because the garden is full and it's hard to squeeze in there and mess it up, I actually like planting and moving things in fall since everything is full size and it's easier to see how far apart things need to be.  It's just too easy to plant things too close together in spring when everything is still small!

Anyway, I just added these two plants to my Adventure Garden.  The garden is quite full but there are still just a few tweaks I want to make.  But anything new needs to meet some pretty strict criteria to earn a place here.  It has to have major structural interest and texture, and preferably an interesting foliage colour to provide contrast even when not in bloom.  In fact, I didn't choose these two plants for their bloom at all.

Berberis thunbergii ‘Rose Glow’ is a shrub which is reported to do well in Calgary.  I admittedly haven't had much experience with barberries  - I put a couple in the front garden a few years ago but the hares kept nibbling them to the ground and the poor things never had a chance.  (I've seen barberries on lists of hare-proof plants but let me tell you - they are not!)  The colour of this shrub is fabulous - a mix of mottled creamy-pink new foliage, dark purple older foliage and brilliant red fall colour.  I've planted it in a spot where it will be backlit in the evening and I expect it to truly glow.

Helictotrichon sempervirens (blue oat grass) is an ornamental grass which I already have a couple of, and I'm adding one more because I like it so much.  It's got foliage colour, good textural contrast, winter interest, and is low maintenance... what more could you ask for in a plant, really?  (OK, fragrance perhaps but that's just being greedy!)

Above: 'Rose Glow' Barberry in its new home with purple liatris and 'White Swan' echinacea

what's blooming in the back shade garden, mid August

At this time of year the ligularia, astilbes and hostas are blooming in the back shade garden.  There are also some old-fashioned green heuchera with salmon-pink blooms almost the same colour as the garage door that I LOVE, but they are blooming sparsely this year because I divided and replanted them this past spring.  Looking forward to next year to see those again.

Also note a new variegated dogwood to the right of the birdbath in the bottom two pictures.  Tee hee, I went shopping last week-end!

And I really must do something about that electrical meter on the garage wall - sticks out like a sore thumb.  I'm putting it on the painting to-do list next year.

Previous posts on the back shade garden:

• early August 2010
• late July 2010
• mid July 2010
• mid June 2010
• 2009 overview

what's blooming in the front entry garden, mid August

Hmm.  This area needs help.  You can just barely see some monarda (bee balm), aconitum (monkshood) and Annabelle hydrangea blooming at the back in front of the brick,  and there are a few lilies and some painted sage here and there, but overall this area needs work.  It has been a bit of a test area to see what would grow here since there were formally 5, now 4, large spruce trees surrounding this little patch of ground.  The choices are quite limited, let me tell ya!  It needs work.  It needs structure.  I am going to spend the winter thinking about what I want to do here.

I rarely even post pictures of this area since it isn't much to be proud of, but here's what I've posted in the past:

• mid July 2010
• mid June 2010
• all of 2009

what's blooming in the welcome garden, mid-August

Above: This is my low-maintenance front garden in mid-August.  I haven't done much to it since my June mulch-fest and most things are doing pretty well. 

The catmint and 'Moonshine' yarrow are STILL blooming - I love these plants for their super long bloom periods and drought tolerance.  Other varieties of these plants can be rather invasive but nepeta (catmint) 'Walker's Low' and achillea (yarrow) 'Moonshine' are both well-behaved and even look good together.  All I do is cut them down to the ground in spring.  No other care required.  The bees love the catmint, too BTW.

The lilies are still blooming and the daylilies have buds on them.  That tall purple thistle-ish looking thing is a teasle.  I started it from seed last year and it didn't do much but this year it surprised me by coming back and has been very showy (it's a biennial) and I've had lots of people ask about it.

Above: Here's a close-up of the spot I re-worked recently.  The Purple Emperor sedum shows up much better now in front of its light background, the pedestal.  Around the back I planted 3 calamagrostis (feather reed grass) 'Avalanche' for a bit of a screen, but they're floppy since they're new.  Next year this spot should look very cool.  Those yellowish-pinkish shrubs are Goldflame spireas BTW, which I highly recommend.  Absolutely one of my favourite shrubs for spring, summer and fall colour!

Above: And I also added 3 golden ninebarks 'Dart's Gold' around the base of the spruce tree at the top of this picture.  I needed some more colour but wanted something with year-round structure i.e. shrubs.  They're small now but will get to 4-5 ft eventually.

Above: close-ups of asiatic lilies in front of Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue', shasta daisies that are re-blooming after I cut them to the ground in early July, and more lilies.

Here's what this area looks like at other times of the year:

• early August 2010
• late July 2010
• mid July 2010
• late June 2010
• mid June 2010
• early June 2010
• winter 2009/10
• south (new) side, all of 2009
• north (older) side, all of 2009
• August 2008

what I've been up to - new raised beds!

Take a peek into the back corner of my yard that I call "England":

That's right, last week-end we got a bunch of cedar 2x6's and made 2 raised beds for veggies.  I really wanted to get them in this fall (did I just say fall?  sigh!) so the soil will settle over the winter and they'll be ready to plant first thing next spring.  There are 2 boxes, each 4 ft by 8 ft - tonnes of veggies space compared to what I currently have!!  Hooray!

Here's the work in progress.  I still have to even out the slope around the boxes and re-lay the patio stones and put down gravel around them.  And of course fill the boxes.  But it's a good start for a week-end's work, wouldn't you say?  And it certainly looks better than last year, don't you think?

the front welcome garden in early August

the back shade garden in early August

the adventure garden in early August

something bright and shiny for the butterfly potager!

What can I say... I can't resist the colour blue.

the Back Shade Garden in late July

The evening light in this area of the garden is just so great! 

In this area the goat's beard is finishing its bloom, and the astilbe, hostas, and heuchera are about to bloom.  A martagon lily and columbine are the only ones providing more than foliage colour right now.

Here's the same area in mid-July and all of last year.

the Adventure Garden in late July

Maybe I should call this garden the "Bee Garden" instead, as it is always just buzzing with them!  The kids like to catch them in their little jars and give them some flowers, watch them for a while and then let them go. 

In this area I've got blue salvia, dianthus and nepeta (catmint) which have been blooming for a while, plus roses and yarrow starting and lots of lilies with big fat buds on them.  On the annual side there is borage which self seeds itself around and is always in a slightly different spot each year (I gradually cut them all down and leave only about 3-5 plants because they get so big - but they're pretty and the bees love them), cosmos and snapdragons. 

I have started snapdragons from seed the last few years but I have decided that is just a dumb idea.  I never start them early enough and they're so slow growing that they haven't started blooming until just the last couple of days.  One of the reason I love snapdragons so much is that they're frost tolerant so you can put them out early and they stay late in fall - but there is no advantage to that if they don't bloom until August!  Snapdragons from the garden centre from now on.

Here's what this garden looked like last year.

the Welcome Garden in late July

I've had to cut down the shasta daisies because they set seed and spread like crazy, but now the lilies (mostly asiatic) are starting in this front area of my Calgary garden.  One of my favourite flowers and so easy to grow!  Also, catmint, veronica and yarrow, various grasses and spirea are in bloom now.  I planted a lot of new little grass plugs this spring but they are way behind the established ones I already had - next year should be quite a show when these grasses have matured a little!

Do you like the new urn?  I moved a few perennials this spring and they're smaller than usual, so I plunked this urn in to fill up the empty spot.  I think I'll keep it!  It needs a little something as a screen behind it...  I think I'll plant a few more grasses here.  And by the way, I've decided to call the entire garden "Spruce Meadows" since I have so many spruce and mine is a fairly natural style. 

That's teasel on the left side of the bottom picture - I planted it from seed on a whim last year, it didn't do much and I didn't think it was going to survive the winter.  But there it is with big buds on it.  The kids are thrilled!  Surprises like this are what really make gardening fun, don't you think?

I'm not sure I'm loving the cedar mulch.  I think next time I put down mulch I'll put down something dark in colour.  The light colour is hurting my eyes!  But it should get better as the cedar ages.

the butterfly potager - late July photos and judges' comments

Welcome to my butterfly potager garden!  I entered it in this year's Hort Society garden competition in the "Outdoor Living" category.  I didn't win anything and I didn't expect to - it needs a few years to mature and I need more time to take care of it.  But here's what it looks like in late July and here's what the judges said about it:

Overall Effect and Appearance

• one judge commented that a pot on the table would make it more welcoming.  Yes, I would have done that (and a tablecloth, table setting, etc) had I been home.  Mental note to make sure I don't go on holidays during the judging period next time I decide to enter the competition.  Here's the table with at least a nice table cloth on it which it didn't have during judging:

• another comment was that some vines on the fence would create more lushness.  I disagree - I think that would take away from the framing effect of the columnar crabapple trees, which are only one year old and will get fuller in a few years anyway.  Plus there's already 4 large vines (2 clematis on the house wall, 1 golden hops on the garage wall, and 1 honeysuckle on the arch) and 2 climbing roses (John Cabot and John Davis, each planted with a clematis) surrounding this small patio.  Granted, the roses are still small so we will have to wait a couple of years to see their full glory.

• judges suggested some sensory elements (a small fountain perhaps?  don't worry, it's already on my wish list!) and a focal point or special feature such as a specimen tree or shrub.  Agreed, design-wise this is needed, but this area is also one of the only flat, sunny spots in my backyard and that's why I'm growing some veggies here.  I don't want to fill it up or shade it with more trees and shrubs.  Perhaps I should have entered this area in the "edible garden" category instead of "outdoor living"?  Or maybe I should think about sticking a gazing ball in here...

Hard Lanscaping

• Judges commented on the poor condition of the "temporary stairs" nearby.  This is one of many things I said last year needed to be fixed and it hasn't been done yet.  Sigh.
• Judges did like the little raised beds for veggies I put in here.  Hooray!  Validation!  I like them too!
• There was one comment on weeds in the brick patio.  I thought I got rid of them all before I left on holidays.  Mental note to not go away during the judging period next time... did I say that already?

Plant Material

• I got good marks for diversity of plant material and plant health, but comments were made about needing more bloom and more height variation to add interest, eg. a dwarf lilac or weeping caragana.  Hmm.  Again, for me this area is partially about growing vegetables.  I had more height variation last year when I put in teepees for growing beans and peas.  But due to crop rotation practices the beans and peas are in another part of the garden this year.  I'll have to think about whether I want to sacrifice my veggie space for design principles...  

Horticultural practices

• check marks for mulch, drought tolerant plants, integrated pest management, soaker hoses, reduced lawn area, rain barrels, trees/shrubs well pruned, composting
• lost marks for not being weed free and debris/clutter free.  Like I warned you, I don't really have the time to get my garden up to competition standards.  There are always a few weeds.  But I was going for feedback on other topics and now I have a few things to think about which is exactly what I wanted.  Thanks judges!!

To see pictures of this garden area at other times of the year, check out

• last year (2009 overview)
• early June 2010
• mid-June 2010
• late June 2010
• mid-July 2010

upcoming garden tours

The winning gardens of the Calgary Horticultural Society's annual garden competition are on display this week-end.  Find more info here.  This is a great event and if you're looking for inspiration for your own garden it will be very worthwhile.  I've posted pictures from a few of my favourites in 2008 (a, b and c) and 2009.

And since I'm not on the winning tour, I'll be hosting my own little open garden event soon.  If you're interested, please leave a comment or e-mail me with some times that would work for you over the next couple of weeks.  I'll try to pick a good time and will e-mail you privately with more details.  Warning - mine is a garden in progress and presentation will not be to winning-garden-tour-standards!  But I might serve you a glass of something cold.  What do you like?

If the garden competition had a "family-friendly garden" category I might have had a chance...

the welcome garden in mid-July

the front entry garden in mid-July

the back shade garden in mid-July

the front shade garden in mid-July

the side garden in mid-July

the butterfly potager in mid-July

 

the adventure garden in mid-July

 

I'm ba-aaaack!

Thanks for your comments over the last little while, dear readers!  As some of you may have guessed, I've been away.  I went to Nakusp, BC for a beautiful 10 days.  No offense, but I didn't think it was a good idea to announce in advance that I was going to be away on a blog where I've posted pictures of my house and indicated what city I live in...

So I'm back.  It was a frantic few days before we left trying to get ready for the garden competition judging PLUS pack for a family with 3 little kids for a vacation.  My six-year-old was (temporarily) extremely upset when she found out I'd washed and therefore forgotten to pack her favourite pair of jeans, but that was the only "major catastrophe"!  We left 3 days before the judging period even started so I asked the neighbour's teenager to water the pots while we were away, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.  On a first inspection this morning everything survived and even looks good, and there are no major signs of hail damage.

I haven't heard anything from the garden competition so I guess that means I didn't win anything.  Phew!  I really didn't expect to but last night when we got home I had a sudden panic period where I wondered "what would I do if I did win something?"  I really didn't want to spend the next week catching up on garden maintenance before the tours next week-end, plus spend 2 days at home so that people can tour my garden.  I'd rather go on the tour myself.  Anyone else going?

I guess this means I'll be setting up my own independent garden tour for some of you keen readers!  I'll get on that soon.... and will post some pictures soon..  but I have to take some first, plus do some deadheading and unpacking and laundry and pick some strawberries and ...

it's already worth it!

I entered the Calgary Horticultural Society's garden competition this year.  I keep saying I didn't do it with the expectation to win anything - and that's not just false modesty!  Some areas of my garden still need work, some are actually under construction (can you say mud pit?), some of the "finished" areas still need to mature, and I just don't have time to make everything perfect down to the finest detail.

But, I entered for the experience and to get the feedback from the judges.  I'm interested in seeing my garden through the eyes of other gardeners... and I would like to enter more seriously in a few years and this way I'll know what to expect. 

But I already won something!  I won the 'early bird prize' for entering - an adirondack chair from the Calgary Chair Company.  It's solid cedar and super comfy!  So now I can say I entered the garden competition and won!  Ha ha!

on using paint for colour in the garden

Although I originally wanted to paint my house trim some fun and wacky colours, practicality and new vinyl windows prevented me from doing so.  So while the door colour is fun, I am gradually working on painting the faded yellow trim of my house with more conservative white and brown (below).  I still like the blue though and I really don't get why most people prefer to have a beige house.  Isn't Calgary beige enough most of the year already?

But speaking of using paint in the garden, check out Nancy J Ondra's recent post about her 'Happy Garden'.  There are some great ideas here to add colour in a fun way, and all the things she did would work extremely well in a children's garden.  Make sure you scroll down to see the pictures near the bottom.

backlight in the adventure garden

what's blooming in my Calgary garden, June 30 2010

So I decided to enter the garden competition.  Not the whole yard, obviously, because many areas are still "under construction", but a few choice areas that feel fairly "finished".  I almost regret it, because with holidays and family stuff and everything else, I suddenly feel compelled to spend every possible extra moment deadheading and weeding and trying to make everything perfect.  But thankfully, I'm busy enough to prevent myself from that kind of craziness.  I'm in it for the experience, not for the win, and that's enough... for this year...

What a difference a little heat makes!  Here's what was blooming 2 weeks ago and here's what things are looking like right now:

I've finished mulching the welcome garden and there's only one plant left that I want to move.  The ornamental alliums and dwarf bearded iris have finished, but the larger bearded iris (this is iris germanica 'bounty'), the shasta daisies, the nepeta (catmint, 'Walker's Low'), the achillea (yarrow) and the sedum have taken over.  All the plants here are drought tolerant and I've entered this area into the 'Water-wise garden' category in the garden competition.

Heading around the side garden, things are almost out of control with snow-in-summer, shasta daisies, hesperalis matronalis blooming and the delphiniums just starting.  You can't see the blue delphiniums against the house which seems like a bad design idea, but I purposely added some in here specifically for cutting.

In the butterfly potager, the lilacs are finishing up and the peony and martagon lilies have started blooming.  Perennial cornflower is also still blooming plus the spinach and chard are ready for cutting and I've added some calendula for colour.  These gardens all surround a patio with a dining table and I've entered this area in the 'Outdoor Living' category in the garden competition.

In the back shade garden, the hostas are finally up and the bleeding heart, anemone sylvestris and dwarf irises are blooming.  Leopard's bane is just finishing up flowering.

In the adventure garden the alliums are finishing, and the meadow rue, hesperalis matronalis, siberian iris, painted daisies, blue salvia perennial geraniums, sea thrift and honeysuckle are all blooming.  Iceland poppies are of course still blooming too - they never stop!

So there you have it.  My garden a week or two before the competition judging.  Wish me luck (in keeping sane, not winning, that is!)  Now I really should be out there weeding or something right now...

hopscotch!

I've always said I'm not a lawn person but I must admit that one of the problems of having such a small lawn is that the traffic gets concentrated in such a small area and then the condition of the lawn gets worse faster.  The only reason I care at all about the lawn is because it provides a nice border to the garden (ha ha, I know that's backwards)!!  So I thought it would be useful to put some stepping stones in.

But why not make them fun?  My girls love the new hopscotch stepping stones and even if they didn't, I think they'd be fun for adults too.  Every time I cross the backyard I plan to hop!

to enter or not to enter, that is the question

I mentioned in my last post that I was thinking about entering the garden competition this year, and got some positive responses.  Thanks for your support, by the way!  I really, really, really do want to enter.  I don't expect to win anything at all, but I'm interested in supporting the Calgary Horticultural Society and I'm also selfishly interested in the feedback I would get from the judges.  I think it would be helpful to look at my garden through the eyes of some other expert Calgary gardeners.  But let me tell you what's holding me back.

When I look back at the list I made last year of the things to be done before entering the garden competition,  I see that I have not accomplished much:

• I did paint the doors, window box and patio table last year and love the colours, but now with the new windows I need to start painting the house trim and get rid of the ugly faded yellow colour once and for all.  Plus we replaced the table with a slightly larger one this year that also needs painting so I'll have to do that job again.
• The mother-of-a-retaining wall did get built but we never finished replacing the patio around the edges where the patio meets the wall.  We probably won't get to it this year, either.
• The dry stream bed in the adventure garden is done.  I'm thinking maybe I could just enter this area in the perennial garden category.
• the back corner parking pad area that I call 'England' is slightly cleaned up compared to last year but still not anything competition-worthy.  I'm hoping for raised beds to be built in the fall - we're behind schedule on this one!
• The tree beside the front steps was removed.  Check!   ... but I would like to put a little patio in there someday...
• The greenhouse was removed and now there's a big muddy square hole in the middle of our north patio.  Playhouse construction has not begun yet.
• Those "temporary stairs" off our back porch are still there.  No hopes to even try to get them replaced this year.

So there's the update on the things I would ideally like to have done to get my yard close being competition-worthy i.e. I wouldn't expect to win anything for at least the next few years.  But still I'm tempted to enter...

Wait, more cons: I'm going to be out of town for at least 15 days between now and judging time, meaning not a lot is going to get done. When I've viewed winning gardens before, they have been immaculate with every blade of grass trimmed and not a spec of dust on any hard surface.  Do these people not have kids?  Not take holidays?  I'm not sure I have time for this.  And even if I did have time I'm not sure I want to spend the time and effort on that kind of detail. 

Anyway, my husband has given me permission to enter the competition as long as I promise not to buy anything else.  I think I can do that.  So I'm still tempted...

Someone please talk me out of this?

June 5 2010 garden update

I haven't had time to post my June to-do list because I'm still trying to finish my May to-do list... pictures coming soon!  Would anyone else like to share what's happening in their garden right now?

--

Update: here are the pictures I didn't get around to posting earlier:

Above:  Here's the front garden which I am still in the process of mulching with shredded cedar.  I'm trying to do a thorough weeding before I put down the mulch so it is fairly slow going, but I think it will be worth the effort.    Gawd, I can't wait to paint that front door...

Above:  Here's a close-up of the south side of the front welcome garden, which was new last spring.  I'm almost finished mulching here.  There are some blue grape hyacinths (bottom) and pink bergenia (top) blooming right now.  There's also some yellow 'Moonshine' yarrow in bloom but only because I bought it new this spring - it normally wouldn't be so far along.

Above: Here's a close-up of the north side of the front welcome garden, with more grape hyacinths in bloom, and and also yellow euphorbia (cushion spurge).  I haven't done anything to this area of the garden yet this year and while it doesn't look that great yet, at least I can say it is low maintenance!  There are ornamental onions and dwarf bearded iris which will be blooming soon.

Above:  Here's the front entry garden which obviously I am still in the process of mulching.  Doesn't look like much yet... so why am I showing you this?  Just going for full disclosure, I guess.  My garden is a work in progress that's for sure.  There are some white anemone sylvestris, blue brunnera and grape hycinths, and pink lamium in bloom up closer to the house, but they don't show up well in this picture.

Above: Here's the epimedium rubrum, yellow leopard's bane and some tulips in bloom in the front shade garden.

Above: There's nothing in bloom yet in the side garden but I'm pretty happy with the mix of foliage colours and textures here.

Above: In the butterfly potager I start a lot of things from seed (this year: spinach, chard, dill, sunflowers, zinnias and poppies) so I'm glad I added some permanent structures such as the crabapple trees and bench so that things don't look quite so bare this early in the year.  Pulmonaria and lilacs are also starting to bloom here.

Above: In the back shade garden, red tulips, yellow leopard's bane, pink bergenia, and checkered fritillaria are in bloom.

Above: It's all about iceland poppies and dwarf bearded iris in the sunny adventure garden right now!  The poppies are practically a weed and I will pull a lot of them out once they finish their first flush of bloom, but they do continue to bloom all summer and are one of my husband's favourite flowers, so some are allowed to stay.

Above: In 'England', the tomatoes are in pots and I've seeded snap peas, scarlet runner beans and a few different kinds of lettuce.  I was going to try kohlrabi this year but I never got around to it.  I'm trying to get this back area tidied up this year (it was formerly a parking pad and a junkyard) and I want hubby to start building me raised beds back here this fall.  That's bluebird clematis in bloom on the right, oh and a dandelion or two in the grass...

And finally, I'm done planting all my pots planted with annuals.  I'm not much of a creative pot person yet, but once I stop having major projects in the garden I might put a little more effort into pots.  For now, I impulse-buy a few things like a fuschia that matches my door colour.  Love it!

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...

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!

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.

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.

for the record - snow in Calgary on April 24 2010

I've really been neglecting the blog these last few weeks.  It snowed and I didn't take a picture for the record.  There are crocuses, squills and species tulips blooming out there in my garden and I haven't taken any photos yet.  Sigh!  I'm just not ready for spring.  I have however, almost finished my April to-do list (which wasn't very ambitious - perennials have been cut down and rain barrels set up, plus I've got plenty of seedlings I'm taking care of. I have yet to rake the lawn and sweep the patios but that can wait until early May.)

I've been busy at work plus I'm painting the living room - which I suddenly decided must be done NOW after we had the windows replaced.  I'm almost done, then I have to do my taxes and take a trip to Montreal for a conference, and then I'll be back and more focused on the garden, I promise!!

april 6 2010 seed report

I'm a couple days behind on this one but for the record, here's what's happening with my seeds:

Started March 5:

• dianthus and snapdragons are up, I just trimmed the snapdragons back to promote branching and bushier plants
• got one potentilla plant, and it's growing slowly

Started March 20:

• nictotiana sylvestris, salvia marble arch, castor bean, lychnis and amaranthus all up and growing
• no sign of verbena bonariensis, cleome and sidalcea (but these are all slower-growing and older seeds so I've not quite given up on them...)

Started March 27:

• I finally got around to sowing my tomato seeds but never reported it.  This year I planted some fairly old, leftover seeds and am very happy to report that I've had almost 100% germination.  This year I'm growing 'subarctic plenty', 'sugary', 'siberia', 'centennial rocket', 'sweet baby girl', and 'sweet gold'.  These are all fairly short-season varieties and have done well for me in Calgary.

Started April 6:

• annual ornamental grasses from William Moore Farms: flax, starburst millet, blackbearded wheat, safflower, oat grass and canary seed.  Note: these would be great for kids to plant because they have large, interesting seeds and grow quickly (3 days later and the wheat, millet, safflower are already up!).  These could also be direct-sown outside and I just may do that as well in May.

You know you're a gardener when...

...you very intentionally arrange to have windows replaced before the growing season to ensure minimal damage to your plants!  OK spring, I'm ready for ya now!!

If you've been following my blog for a while you'll know that I originally wanted to paint the windows a fun, funky colour combination.  But reality and practicality set in and we're going to be gradually replacing our old wooden windows with vinyl ones, so I had to go with a more traditional colour.  Still, I'm happy with the look.  Can't wait to get rid of the yellow!

Now the next decision becomes...

Do I bother to paint the trim on the rest of the windows to match when they're just going to get replaced in a year or two anyway? 

Yes, you might say, because it wouldn't take very long to do.  But remember, I've got 3 little kids and I work full-time - so I need to prioritize!!

The practical thing would be not to.  I'll paint the door for sure, because it's so close to the new windows, but the bay window?

What do you think?  Could you live with a house that looked like this for a year or two?  I'm not sure I can.  I expect I'll be making a trip to the paint store soon...

greenhouse removal has begun!

I certainly wasn't counting on getting started so early in the year, but who knew March was going to be so nice?  With the help of some friends, we got a good start on removing the ugly "greenhouse" this week-end.  Something I've wanted to do for several years now.  Hooray!

march 20 2010 seed report

It's Seedy Saturday today but I never get a chance to go to this event because I'm always frantically getting ready at the last minute for my daughter's birthday party.  I did however, take some time this morning to start some more seeds (priorities!):

• nicotiana sylvestris, annual - the last of the seeds from 2008, I don't really have space for this large plant this year, but I'll squeeze a few in because I got so many compliments on them last year, plus they smell awesome.
• verbena bonariensis, annual - this self-seeds around my garden but I always start a few extra to be sure.  I grow it in the butterfly potager and the adventure garden.  The last of the seeds bought in 2008.  I should really get around to collecting my own from now on.
• cleome, annual - this package of seeds was purchased in 2008 and if they germinate well this year, I'll keep them for one more year because I still have tonnes.
• salvia marble arch, annual - another self-seeder but I always start some as well.  I like to plant this in my front entry garden and always get lots of compliments on it.  Used the last of the purchased seeds from 2008.
• castor bean 'impala', annual - the last 2 seeds from 2008.  I usually grow this in a pot because I don't have a hot enough spot in the garden for its liking.
• lychnis (rose campion) - I have a few of these in my front welcome garden but I'd like to have a nice big patch so I'm starting some seeds that I purchased this year.
• amaranthus (love lies bleeding), annual - I got some seeds from a seed exchange so... why not?
• sidalcea (prairie or checker mallow), perennial - Also seeds from a seed exchange, but this is a perennial I don't have and would look great in my front entry garden.  I have no idea what colour the flowers will be!

The seeds I started 2 weeks ago are all up and doing well - except the potentilla, of which only one germinated.  Those seeds were also from an exchange and were labelled 2006, so I didn't have huge expectations for them anyway.  As soon as there's room on my heat mat (probably about a week or so) I'll be starting some tomatoes - yee ha!  It feels like spring!

To see some of the annuals I started from seed last year, check here.  I notice I was complaining last August that I planted too many big annuals and should plant less in the future... yeah, that was the wisdom of mid-summer talking.  Currently I'm in the middle of spring deprivation and my spring self is not listening to my summer-self... the more seeds the better!  I can always give some plants away if necessary.

Now excuse me, I've got a birthday party to get ready for...

the rotten greenhouse - what's under there?

Did you get outside this past week-end?  My hubby took the two older kids out Sunday afternoon and while the youngest had a nap, I suddenly found myself all alone in my own house in the middle of the day for the first time in I-don't-know-how-long!  Excitement!

Of course, I had to get outside and do something.  Since the pruning is already done. I decided to take a peek under the "greenhouse" to see what's under there.  I've been talking for years about taking this ugly, rotten, behemoth down.  It only gets about 2 hours of direct sunlight. 

It doesn't look pretty.  Besides the ant, wasp and mouse nests that I have already seen evidence of, it looks like there are cement piles that the corners of the structure are resting on.  This will be no small job.   But with our retaining wall project melting into the forgotten recesses of our memories, hubby is committed to getting rid of this thing; this will be the first project of spring. 

seeds started March 5

 

Everyone's talking about spring.  It was gorgeous in Calgary this past week-end!  Well, gorgeous weather-wise, not gorgeous garden-wise.  Personally I'd rather have snow than the brown dirty mess we have right now.

But to get me through these last few weeks until spring without spending too much more money, I've finally got around to starting some seeds.  No veggies yet, too early.  Just a couple of easy-to-grow perennials and some slow-growing snapdragons (which, actually, I should have started a couple of weeks ago).  But for the record, here's what's going so far:

• dianthus 'Arctic Fire' : why? because someone gave me some seeds and I can't resist the promise of a few new plants
• potentilla 'Miss Wilmott': why?  see above.
• snapdragon 'Ribbon Series' (pink, yellow and white): why? because I love snapdragons for their frost-tolerance (they can be planted out early and bloom after the first frosts of fall), they're fun for kids, and because the bees love them too...

For a straightforward article about starting seeds, click here.

a little bit of spring fever?

This weather must be getting to me.  I keep saying that you shouldn't even dream about gardening in Calgary until at least mid-April (when it's time to put pansies outside) - that way you don't set yourself up for inevitable disappointment and frustration when the snow storms of March and April (and probably May) blow through...

But ever since I wrote that article I've been thinking of Piet-Oudolf-ifying my garden a little.  So I just ordered from Bluestem nursery:

• 25 deschampsia cespitosa (tufted hair grass)
• 25 festuca glauca (blue fescue)
• 1 helictotrichon sempervirens (blue oat grass)
• 1 sporobulus heterolepis (prairie dropseed)

I have nothing more than a vague idea of where I'm going to put all of these ornamental grasses!  So much for garden planning and design...

What are you doing to stay sane until spring arrives?

creative hobbies are good for you

Dreaming about the changes you're going to make to the garden this year?  I am - the ideas have been on the backburner of my brain for a few months, but I planned what I wanted to get done in the garden this year way back last fall!

And I don't have to apologize for being a crazy, obsessed gardener because having a creative hobby is good for my brain and my health!  (Maybe I just feel a little defensive...)  I could have told you this all along, but it is validating when Psychology Today says:

"evidence increases that the arts, crafts and other recreational activities we pursue for pure fun may have significant, if hidden, impact on our professional skills and accomplishments as well as other areas of our lives."

In short, this article reports that creative hobbies reduce stress, exercise imaginative skills that come in handy in the workplace, provide a learning benefit and help cultivate our personal creativity.  And most importantly perhaps, they take us out of the "passive role of receivers" of art and put us in the active role of contributing to the "creative capital of society at large."

Hear, hear!

February garden wordle

It's funny - every year at this time people start getting excited about spring.  Yes, the days are getting longer so everybody's spirits are lifting... but don't get your hopes up if you live in Calgary!  I save myself from disappointment by not getting excited about spring until at least May, preferably June!  (I will refer back to this post when my fellow Calgarians start whining about the latest snow storm in late May...)

I haven't been thinking much about gardening at all, actually.  February and March are always my crazy-last-ditched-effort-to-get-projects-done-around-the-house-before-gardening-season-begins time!  I haven't felt much like posting lately either, frankly - too busy!

But I was wondering if I am always this grinchy at this time of year or if it is particularly bad this year...  I checked my posts from last February and it seems I felt about the same last year.  I did find something fun to do with those February posts from last year though - make the "wordle" above!  I used the software "Many Eyes" which can be found here: 

http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/

Check it out - it's free, easy and fun!

I'm a tree killer and I'm OK with that.

If you've been following my blog, you know I've been campaigning to lose this tree for a long time.  I first wrote about it last February in an impassioned plea to my husband entitled 'Confessions of a Sustainable Gardener'. 

Hooray! It has finally happened.  The tree was removed during the chinook a week or so ago, and the stump will come out in spring.  (There's no taking-down-0f-trees that's going to happen around my house in spring/summer/fall for fear of smashing the garden!)

I found a company who would do it for much less than the original $1000 estimate I got and they did a great job.  I still feel a little guilty for spending so much on taking down a tree when that money could have been easily spent on a more environmental project such as replacing a drafty window or a fun thing like taking the family on a little trip, but... not that guilty!  The tree was in a stupid spot, too close to the house and too close to other trees.  I'd already cut off all the lower branches to get some light into the house and improve the view from that bay window, but it was still UGLY.  And I still have 4 50-year-old spruce trees in the front yard and 5 in the back so I can still comfortably call myself a tree-hugger. 

Here's the view from the street now - you can actually see the front door and part of the window from the street!

The only problem now is that I've been blaming that tree for the fact that plants in my Front Entry Garden and Front Shade Garden do not grow very well, due to the huge uptake of water and nutrients from the spruce tree roots.  This year there will be no excuses...  Those gardens had better look good this year or I will eat spruce tree needles!

December is for sewing, not sowing

You may not think December is a time to think about gardening, but it is for me!  I've finishing recounting how the garden did this past year and making lists of things I want to add/change next year.  Soon it will be time to order seeds...

But before that, must get ready for Christmas!  In the absence of actual gardening that needs to be done, I manage to find a little time for sewing in December.  Making gift bags is my thing.

What do you do to get through the winter months?

the Adventure Garden, 2009 reflections

Here is the last of my posts which look back at the garden this year, what did or didn't do well, and what I'd like to change for next year.  They start from the Welcome Garden at the front sidewalk, and work their way around to the back of the house.  This Adventure Garden is in the center of the backyard and can be viewed from the sunroom, an addition on the back of the house which is one of the things that made me fall for this fixer-upper of an old house... 

The majority of this garden was new last year.  One of the best things I've done here is to put in a couple of pathways so that the kids can run around in the garden.  They love their little hideaway in the back, and they play chase and run circles around the garden too.  I really wanted them to feel free to explore the garden, and I highly recommend pathways through a garden for anyone who has little kids!!

 

The Adventure Garden (year 2)

Mid-June.  The top photo is the garden viewed from the back Shade Garden beside the garage, and the bottom photo is the garden viewed from "England".  Bergenia, iceland poppies, geraniums, anemone sylvestris, iris germanica and hesperalis matronalis are in bloom here.

 

Early July.  My favourite time of year for this garden!  Iceland poppies are continuing to bloom, plus nepeta (catmint), painted daisy, peonies, blue salvia, shasta daisies, sea thrift and more.  It looks a litlte bare at the back of this garden because I took down some spruce trees last year and planted some very small shrub roses and a lilac bush - which should start to make more of an impact next year.

 

Mid-July.  Dry stream bed in progress.  Daisies, nepeta and salvia still blooming; dianthus and peachleaf bellflower also blooming now.  Lamb's ears about to bloom.

 

Early August.  Annuals such as snapdragons, lavatera, borage, verbena bonariensis and nicotiana sylvestris, which I planted to fill space at the back while the perennials are still small, are really taking off now.  I'm not sure I'll have room for them all next year but I'm not sure which ones to get rid of since I like them all so much!!

Late August.  Wow.  That nicotiana sylvestris is huge!  It also smells heavenly.

Early September.  In addition to the annuals, rose 'Morden Sunrise', russian sage, liatris, echinacea and sedum matrona also in bloom now. 

Late September.  The lavatera was cut back since it was starting to look straggly - all other annuals still doing well.  Asters and rudbeckia 'Golden Glow' are now blooming in addition to the perennials still blooming from early September.

Early October.  It was a great fall this year, wasn't it?  Here's the garden just before the deep-freeze hit!

 

December.

Other parts of the garden:

• the front Welcome Garden, north side
• the front Welcome Garden, south side
  
• the front Entry Garden
  
• the front Shade Garden
• the Side Garden
  
• the Butterfly Potager
  
• the back Shade Garden
  
• the Veggie Garden aka 'England'