Preparing for Spring

It is that time of year here, north of the equator.... As the growing season ends, and harvesting is winding down, time to give some thought to next years garden.

Some good advice, that I have heard over the years, is to plant a few new bulbs for spring flowers in a location where you will get to enjoy them every day next spring - such a relief if the winter has been long. That may mean that you will choose to plant near your front door.... or maybe you have a room that you work from at home, that has a window opening onto a different part of your Garden. Start with one area one year, and then gradually work your way around your Garden as time, energy and cash permit. Spring bulbs should be planted about 6 weeks before the ground freezes for the winter (not so early that they try to flower, but not so late that they can't establish some roots before winter sets in).

As it happens we had a good show of spring flowers this year, despite the previous difficult winter, so I am not planting many bulbs, as it is unnecessary. Bulbs are such a great investment. If you cut off the flower, after it has finished blooming, and allow the leaves to die back naturally, you will have a perennial planting of bulbs. A little top-dressing of compost is all the extra care that your bulbs will need.

I am planting a large Allium (Allium giganteum), that I have been unable to grow successfully in the past. It is succeptible to root rot, and black spot .... neither of which, as far as I can tell, explains my lack of success with it... however, I am doing my best to ensure good drainage, and I am trying to protect it from animal pests, although they are Not supposed to be interested in the Allium family.... at this point, I remain unconvinced!

A general test of good drainage is to pour a good amount of water into the prepared hole and see how quickly it drains. If it take longer than 6 hours, you will have to amend the soil in your Garden bed. The addition of compost to the soil will both provide nutrients to the bed, and improve its drainage.

I will be providing my Allium with extra mulch for winter protection in a couple of weeks. Then, wait and see.

I think that this bulb may just be a bit of an Achilles heel for me, and as I write this I am wondering about trying a second bulb, in another area, with an extra dose of sand planted in with the bulb. I must admit that I am hesitant about this, because I prefer to use only additions from my yard (i.e. compost) to the soil in my gardens. I am a big believer in the garden it's own unique ecosystem, and I would prefer to spend money on bulb, not soil amendments... so I will think about this. Perhaps I can just try using an extra large dose of light compost in the hole?.... think, think...

If you are planting spring bulbs, you may need to protect them from squirrels and voles, who find many of the bulbs very tasty, Many gardeners have unwittingly provided a Very Nice Snack to their local wildlife. You can try protecting them from the top with chicken wire, staked down overwinter, until the bed is established. Some people suggest planting the bulbs in a sort of underground wire cage encircling bulbs and soil.

The method I have used is simply interplanting bulbs with different species that are not supposed to be as attrative/tasty to 'the locals.' These include the above mentioned Alliums - all of the smaller ones that I have planted have survived.... did someone mention Achilles heel???

Another thought is to purchase some Fritillaria bulbs, especially Fritillaria imperialis - these bulbs are repellent to rodents, and gorgeous. Bulbs with a top depressions should be planted on their sides, so that they don't hold water in the depression and rot.

If, standing in your garden with the hole ready, you find that you are unsure which end of the bulb is up, you can plant it on it's side and nature will take care of the rest. Aren't bulbs great!

Just follow the bulb planting depth that the supplier recommends; however, if you live in a more northerly climate, you may need to plant the bulbs a little shallower to make the most of your early spring thaw and flowering - so that they don't flower too late, and compete with your perennials. Just provide the bed with some extra winter mulch. Talk to your local nursery. You can also find some great advice on bulbs at http://www.bulb.com/.

This year in our Garden, the fall rush follows the summer of not-enough-time-at-home. However fall's limited garden time is mostly because I am making some extra preserves and jams as gifts for Family and Friends at Christmas (more on that later). I have also repotted some plants indoor, and brought in the containers with the unripened tomatoes, beans, chard etc. to get the last of the harvest from these plants. There are a few tomatoes on these plants just starting to set fruit, and the plants are in a sunny spot in my workroom - I am interested to see whether there is enough light to allow more growth...

So, get out in your garden and plant a few bulbs - take 10-20 minutes, and in about 18-25 weeks, you'll be Really Glad that you did!

Pictures of a lawn that recovered!!!

Here are two pictures - First - The lawn in August...the seeding done this Spring, did finally sprout... once we got some rain.... Second - the lawn looking so dead this spring, in case you had forgotten. I will be overseeding the lawn again this week - particulaly the newer seeded areas, and anywhere else that still looks thin. Just call it a $20 insurance policy towards what we hope will be a better spring.
The bottom picture is another area of the lawn where the grass is quite thick, virtually weed-free, and what I am hoping will be the story for the lawn everywhere next Spring.

Well, I'm Back!.....

Long story short - I wasn't even near my garden for most of the summer.... and the result?:

Well surprisingly good... My daughter arranged to water for me, and my quick visits home allowed me to do some weeding. We have managed to have quite a good crop of Tomatoes, some Peas and Beans, Lettuce, Onions, Herbs.... Got rid of most of the thistles this year...But lost some small beds of flowers, beans, radish and lettuce to this little buddy and his friends:

We are pretty sure that he, and they, are Pocket Gophers - and this is the first year that we have had such trouble with them - primarily, we are guessing, because the field behind us was plowed this year to grow a crop of Oats, and not just a hay crop; so 'everyone' living in the field was uprooted, and came to visit us. Unfortunately, they liked what they found.

Then about half way through the summer I managed a visit with some friends. They have gardened successfully, big gardens too, in the country. One of the things that they suggested might work was to hang some hair combings from a brush/comb in the garden. WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA. It didn't rescue my eaten Beans, Radish, Lettuce, Flowers etc. BUT it did prevent any further damage. I will be using this idea in inconspicuous places in every area of my garden next year.

A Spring without Rain...

It has been a long time since we've had such a dry spring.  And, such a cold one too.  Everything is extremely late, but, now just into summer, we have our spring.  With all this talk of global warming, we were beginning to think that we should be getting ready for a deep freeze. 

The container gardens were released from indoor captivity to play again in the Garden, the seeds that had been planted have started to grow, and the first and second seedings of grass (I ran out of seed - too much winterkill) are starting to sprout.  

With the rain, the lawn that survived the winter is growing like a weed, and fortunately not like a dandelion weed (although, there are still some around that I haven't managed to get out yet).  

We have a new visitor to the garden this year - probably because the field behind us was newly plowed, after a few year of just growing a hay crop.  The new visitor, as yet unseen, really enjoyed my peas shoots, and the single blooming hollyhocks - so I have a new pot stuffed with pea seeds - it will be interesting to see how well this works;  at least it can't be any less successful than the recent garden episode!

The "S" Word

Depends how you look at it I guess ....

First of all I wanted to share these pics from yesterday. Little Grass Sprouts in bare ground - new lawn appearing!!  It has been quite dry, and as we have water restrictions that hasn't meant for quick sprouting - so I am pretty excited to see these little plants!   

And we usually get a few weeks of glorious, nearly iridescent Spring Green - it is starting to look like it may finally arrive.

     Now about the "S" Word - We need the moisture , it is only JUST cold enough for these pictures (below) to happen - and hopefully it will be warmer in a few hours... even by tomorrow..? - I did bring the plant pots inside - This is what we woke up to this, this morning - We even had to turn the heat on inside!
The good thing about "S" in the spring is that is quickly turns to liquid, and the ground, now not frozen, soaks it up - you can almost hear the lawn drinking! That pic on the right is the barest lawn patch we have - quite a Large Bare Patch - well-seeded about a week ago, so NOW lets see What Will Happen!

Two days ago it was over 75 degrees - this morning I put on my winter coat when I went outside with the dogs! Not to be toooooo superstitious, but maybe I shouldn't have washed it before putting it away for the summer. lol!

     These guys are just some of the 'crowd' waiting inside!! We are all living in hope.

Fortunately it is not cold enough to need a frost blanket, and as I finish posting this, the pics attached are starting to look like very old news - and that now the greening up will commence....

we...are...pretty...sure...about...that.

10 RULES FOR A GREAT LAWN

Every summer we have a nice lawn at home - soft and cool underfoot until early fall.   All accomplished without the ability to water; we are dependant on rainfall for the necessary moisture. 

Unlike paving, or patios, a sunny lawn provides a cooling barrier around the house. Maintaining the lawn, without a lot of water, fertilizers, $$$, and time is possible; you just need to pay attention to what the lawn requires and then deliver it at the right time for maximum benefit with minimum effort.

Here is the link to the 10 essential steps

Check them out, and let me know what you think.

GREEN, GREEN, GRASS SHOULD BE GREEN

Brown Lawn spots are evident everywhere in our neighborhood. The ones on our lawn are there for two reasons (maybe three if you count two dogs as two reasons!) ... the other reason is a particularly hard winter. A winter that started early, with rain that turned to ice, then got really cold, really fast and then stayed that way for A Long Long Time. Just one of the reasons that we have been so anxious for a change in the weather.

Spring is always such a busy time in the garden, BUT I haven't got limitless hours in my day to just spend gardening, so over the years I have developed a few quick solutions that have worked for me.

The goal over the next week is sprinkle some grass seed mixed with some topsoil, or compost - whichever I have on hand that's ready to use! - on the thin or dead areas in the lawn, tamp it down, and make use of the wonderful spring rain to help to sprout the new grass. Next to fall, spring is the best time to do lawn repair, as long as it doesn't get too hot too quickly.... at the moment we are still cool enough and wet enough that I won't likely have to water the seed as well, but I can keep an eye on things for the next 2 weeks or so to make sure that new grass takes hold.

More about lawn care soon.

GARDENING; THE GOOD ENOUGH METHOD

We are having a late spring frost, so I am unable to do much planting for another week or two.  I made up for this by getting out in the garden to do a bit of tidy-up. 

My little vegetable growing area was looking pretty sad after the winter, and two summers of neglect!, and I spent about an hour raking out the leaves and fixing up the climbing supports.  I am pleased with the results. 

I will be planting vegetables and annuals among the perennials, as they come to life.  So, at this moment I need to be patient and allow things to pop up in the garden.  Here are the basic structures that I am planning on using.

The 'circle' supports are being used in a different setup from their original plan, but they are quite secure and I will see how well they work.  If they are not strong enough, or tall enough, I will have to have a rethink!

I am unable to attach the trellis style climbers to the wall, so I used the spiral stakes that I already owned to secure them in place. While they are not perfect, they are definitely ‘Good Enough’,  and they will look great once things get growing.

When will it be spring??

Two weeks ago, when it snowed, I felt as if spring was NEVER going to get here.  But it melted... the grass got greener... I could just about taste the tomatoes fresh from the garden.

THEN IT SNOWED AGAIN!!  Hah... not great.  

But, that (on the left) is gone too, and I have some flowers (below) to share that certainly cheer ME up!  

You will notice that there is some raking to do. 

That, my friends, is O.K..  

I promise not to jinx things by thinking about vegetables again - at least not just yet.

Spring is Here! Almost...

GARDENING

Just because I don’t live near the sea, doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be reminded of it; of wonderful times spent at the coast. I haven’t traveled often, but the wonderful memories of the sea waves and beach sand live inside me from my visits. Because the seaside is likely my favourite place to relax, I want to create a seaside-feeling deck. I have been working towards it for the past few summers, and have met with some success, but it is not nearly where it should be. So this year I want to Make It Happen.

As I write this there is still a bit of snow in the yard, but the deck is bare – hallelujah! Spring is on its way.

I don’t plan to exactly replicate the sea, but to bring the same freshness, blues, soft colours and peaceful riotous nature to my deckside and deck.

I have a metal-frame deck set that includes two chairs, a two-seater sofa and a small coffee table. The chair cushions are covered in a striped all-weather fabric that looked like summer to me. There are also several clusters of pots in deep blue and black, with a rippled surface finish that reminds me of water ripples. And there is an ancient half-moon table, a couple of trellises and some plant supports. The roof of the deck is a pergola. The deck leads out from my workroom, which used to be a rec room.

I am hoping to use the deck for summertime entertaining, and so the flow-through to my workroom (and the workroom tidy factor!) will also be important.

Several years ago I started planting flowers with blue tone. The last couple of summers we have been working out of town, and this past winter was especially cold, so I am not sure what plants will have survived the ordeal they have been through. I am hoping that I haven’t lost too many, but the next 8 weeks will show me what is still there.

Another goal I have is to grow more food this year; zero mile diet. This will be part of the same deck area, which may be quite a decorating challenges.

The parameters I want to try to work with include a gardening time limit of 10 minutes a day, and 1 hour on the weekend – for a total of 2 hours per week; and $200 towards plants, seeds and soil additives. The minutes may be used up as needed, but no more than 2 hours per 7 days. The $200 will likely be spent mostly on plants, I have a compost heap for additives, and I will scrounge around for other materials as needed.

The minutes do NOT include, reading about gardening, enjoying the garden, doing nothing in the garden, etc. The $$ spent do not include books, magazines, food and drink to enjoy in the garden. Both measures are solely a budget to ensure that I get maximum return on investment, maximum pleasure from my ‘seaside’ deck.

I’ll keep you posted.