That is just one example of what can happen when a simple tweaking can take on a life of its own and grow into something much larger than originally intended.  So it is in the garden as well.

 Last fall, during the season end clearance sales, we purchased the cutleaf Japanese maple (Acer palatum dissectum Inabe Shidare) we had both been wanting for many years. Purchasing it was the easy part. Once we got it home, the discussions began on where to plant it. Let’s just say the only thing we did agree on was the maple would be planted in the back garden where we spend most of our time and could therefore fully enjoy it.

 We began the process of trying to agree on its final home by moving the small tree (still in its pot) around the yard. Agreement didn’t happen. So imagine my surprise when I came home from work a few weeks later to find that the maple had been planted! As a result, this spring we will be moving a Dwarf Korean lilac (Syringa patula) standard, several Stella D’Oro plants, three hibiscus, some rocks and, some boulders. Plus we will need to widen and re-shape the bed! The yew can stay where it is.

 All that work because of one little tree!  I shudder to think of will come about when I add to the perennial bed.

Though it is only published four times a year (hopefully that will soon change) the pages of Garden Making are full of practical advice, in depth plant profiles, inspiration and good, common garden sense. What the pages are not full of are advertisements. The ads that do appear are non-invasive so readers are not distracted from the real purpose of Garden Making, which is to entertain, inform and inspire.

The expert contributors are a diverse mix of well known, slightly known and unknown (depending of what part of the country you are in) garden writers that all seem to have the knack for getting to the roots of their particular subjects without boring the reader. To date, they have all offered clear, concise information that leave the readers feeling empowered to create more beautiful gardens themselves.

The photography is superb! Even if you aren’t the type to read every word of every article, the photos alone are enough to send you running to the nearest garden centre to purchase the featured plants. They have taken the phrase “Eye Candy” to the max.

Have a gardening question? Garden Making has a “You asked us” feature in every issue. Want to know which tools to use where, where and how? Garden Making helps with that as well. What about landscape design? They have that well covered. The magazine offers suggestions that will not break your bank but will help your landscapes look like they cost a fortune.

Over the years I have become somewhat jaded about gardening magazines. They all seem to look the same, spout the nonsense, provide little information and even less inspiration to the point where I have not renewed any subscriptions for the last two years. But Garden Making has changed all by breathing fresh life into gardening publication.

Check out the Garden Making website by clicking on the link on the left under “Worth Looking Into”.  Then, subscribe to the magazine or run to your nearest newsstand to pick up a copy. It will become one of your most used garden tools.

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.

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.

Blushing Beauty

Narcissus

Tete-a-tete

Scilla