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Gardeners Rejoice! It’s Spring!

March 15th, 2010

The pussywillows are starting! Another sure sign of Spring!

The pussywillows are starting! Another sure sign of Spring!

What gardener’s heart does not leap for joy when the calendar is turned to March? The mere act of turning the page of a calendar to March is exciting as it signals the beginning of the end of winter. Though we in northern climates know there will be more snow coming before we can finally shrug off our winter coats, exchange our winters boots for our Wellies and our mitts for garden gloves we now have reason to hope.

The past few days have been warm (for March in S-W Ontario) and even better, sunny!!! Making the temptation to rush outside and begin cleaning up the gardens very hard to resist. But resist we must to prevent damage to our gardens. It is a bit too early to begin removing mulch, pruning or deadheading the flower stalks we left last winter (for the birds, not because we were too lazy to cut them back).

To alleviate the cravings of getting our hands dirty, working in the soil, tending plants, we must find alternatives. In our house, the last few days have been spent cleaning and trimming houseplants, cleaning the lighted plant stand and, starting seeds. I have begun fertilizing at half strength, the houseplants that are showing new growth. As we get closer to May, I will make the fertilizer solutions stronger every two weeks until the plants are ready for full strength solutions.

As for the outside, if this beautiful weather persists, I may wash the few containers I did not get cleaned up last fall so they will be ready for planting in May. There is some debris to be picked up. As long as I know I won’t damage the lawn or the gardens by walking on them when they are so wet, the debris blown into the yard by cold winter winds will be gone.

On a professional note, the selection of our Summer Crew has begun and we are gearing up for another gardening season. And, as I do every year, I say I can’t wait to get back to work, all the while thinking how nice it would be only having to tend my own gardens. But, that’s a luxury I’m saving for a few years yet.

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A Gardener’s Best Friends

August 3rd, 2009

What should every gardener have? Some best friends! Here are my top five:

 

1). Gardening friends that you can share plants, experiences and knowledge with. You can learn so much from speaking with other gardeners. And, you can change up your gardens by giving and receiving plant divisions, cuttings and seeds.

 

2). Three good gardening books:

  • One should be an encyclopaedia of plants (Reader’s Digest A – Z Encyclopedia.of Garden Plants
  • One should be a reference book on landscape design (Taylor’s Master Guide to Landscaping).
  • One should be a really good “how-to” book that covers planting, pruning, deadheading fertilizing, watering, insects and diseases etc. (Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Gardening and Landscaping Techniques)

 

3). Good tools: Purchase the best tools you can afford and keep them maintained. Sharp hand pruners, sharp shovel and spade, sharp loppers, sharp hoe and, files (rasps) to sharpen them with make gardening so much easier.

 

4). Compost Pile: Why purchase soil amendments when you can make your own? Composting is a must for every serious gardener whether you purchase a small bin, build your own or do it the real old fashioned way and simply make a pile somewhere in the back yard. There is no better way to dispose of garden clippings and kitchen waste than composting them. Once the compost is ready you can use it to top dress your gardens, or add it to planting holes. You will be adding slow release nutrients to the soil and improving your garden soil at the same time.

 

5). Patience: Gardening is not a hobby for those who seek instant gratification. Plants take time to develop and mature just like the gardeners who tend them. Every year your garden changes, providing new surprises and new challenges. As your garden grows, so will your knowledge and enjoyment of this most wonderful hobby.

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Images Of Spring – Bulbs

April 3rd, 2009

Blushing Beauty

Blushing Beauty

Narcissus
Narcissus
Tete-a-tete
Tete-a-tete
Scilla
Scilla

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