Grow North Lawn and Garden Maintenance

07/15/2020

07/15/2020

07/15/2020

One of the things I enjoy most about gardening is the way plants are never the same year after year. I find it so interesting that a plant that might struggle one year could be absolutely amazing the next! Of course changes in growing conditions due to weather, the age of the plant, the condition of the soil, so many things contribute to the success or failure of a plant. It is fascinating! Sometimes a plant that is struggling can be moved to a different spot in the garden and it will suddenly flourish! Don't be afraid to move plants around if they are not happy where they are living, but do give them a few years to establish themselves first. Plants need to set quite a bit of root before they can put energy into blooming. To encourage good root set fertilize using a mix with a high middle number. Also if you have it, compost is by far the best thing you can use to amend your soil. Making compost in the north can be tricky as we just don't have the heat required to quickly break down compost material, but I have seen some successful methods used here, particularly the trench method.
Something that we need to keep in mind as gardeners is the average lifespan of perennials and shrubs. As I visit other gardens I often see plants that I used to have in my garden, but for one reason or another they no longer live there! This is partly due to not having the right conditions in my garden for that particular plant, ie. not cold hardy enough to withstand my true zone 2 area, or I may just have bumped it off, possibly by accidentally weeding it out in the spring! (I have learned to put a cut down tomato cage around new plantings so that I don't forget they are there) But we also need to keep in mind that some plants are short lived, some are moderate and some are long lived. We blame our ability as gardeners when the truth is that some perennials are only genetically designed to live for a few years,(such as coreopsis)While others can live for 50+ years(such as peonies). So if you really like a variety of plant that is short lived just treat it more as an annual and enjoy it while you have it. If you are looking to plant a low maintenance garden that comes back year after year, do a little research into the specific plants that you are choosing so that you won't be disappointed when they quit you after 2-3 years. Some moderate(10-15 years) lasting examples are Monkshood, ligularia, geranium, goatsbeard to name a few. Some plants will need lifting and dividing regularly (think iris and some daylilies, Veronica and many others)while others are happy to be left alone. Again, a little research ahead of time will determine the maintenance needs of your plants.
As we all know, this has been a very wet summer so far, which is annoying for us gardeners! But on the bright side there are several plants in my garden that are absolutely thrilled with all of this moisture! Ligularia, goatsbeard, columbines, clematis and lots of others are growing and flowering like mad this year! Meanwhile, my annuals and vegetables are languishing and sulky. Oh well, that's just part of the joys of gardening!

05/10/2020

Gardening season has arrived! It has been a decent spring with lots of wind to dry up most of the melt water, and even some sunshine! We are all itching to plant, but there are a few things to consider first.
For myself the most important question is whether my soil is ready. I generally plant a combination of direct seeded plants and started plants, especially when we are talking about vegetables. The North Peace planting date for transplants is generally the long weekend in May. If your garden is in a low spot or very shaded you may need to wait an extra week. Direct seeding can often take place a little earlier, but do make sure that your soil has warmed up or your seed might not germinate and could rot instead. Unless you are planting into a brand new bed chances are your soil could stand to be improved with either some compost(best by far), some very well rotted manure or some peat moss, depending on your soil condition. Have a care when adding peat moss as if you add too much it can change the ph level in your beds to being more acidic. If you like you can test your soil ph level with an inexpensive test kit available from local retailers, just make sure you use purified water or it won't be accurate. Soil can become depleted over time, so it's always best to take care of it by rotating crops whenever possible. Some plants, particularly root veg like potatoes and carrots tend to draw a lot of nutrients so really try not to plant them in the same spot every year. It's also important from a pest stand point to rotate as well because if you plant the same thing in the same spot year after year pest loads will increase dramatically. Some plants like those of the pea family actually deposit nitrogen back into the soil, so again rotating is great to take advantage of that soil improvement. I have actually stopped planting a traditional vegetable garden and now incorporate my edibles into my flower garden. They receive much better care and attention this way! If you are having trouble with tunnels and holes in your carrots try planting your carrot crop in a container or raised bed at least one foot off of the ground. It turns out that the carrot rust flies which cause this problem are not very good flyers and won't be able to get to your crop.
Harden your plants off before planting them out into the garden or the stress might severely set them back or even kill them. Be prepared to cover tender crops if the weather is calling for frost over night and make sure your seeded areas don't dry out. Hopefully you won't be like me and plant way too much, but if so I'm sure that you won't have trouble finding people to share it with! Happy Gardening!

04/29/2020

Hello Garden Peeps! As many of you are aware I am no longer offering lawn and garden services. There was plenty of demand, but I was just not physically able to keep it up! I have decided to change this page to more of a northern garden blog. I'm hoping that you will follow along and maybe even learn a little bit from my 20 years of gardening in the North Peace.
Today I thought I would share a little bit on planting up containers. Pretty basic info, but I know that there are a lot of beginner gardeners out there, and maybe you experienced folks will gain something out of it , or feel free to comment with your knowledge and experiences.
For starters, most of us in the north won't want to be planting until May long weekend. That is the traditional planting date in our area, although obviously some years a little earlier. If you are wanting to plant now hopefully you have a heated greenhouse or shop that you can keep your plants safe in until then. Plants need to be hardened off, which is the process of slowly acclimatizing them to outdoor conditions, including sunlight. Typically, started plants will spend a couple of mild days outside in the shade, then progress to a 1/2 day of sun and then be ready to plant out, whether in a container or the garden. Do still be prepared to bring in your pots or cover your plants with light weight cloth if frost threatens overnight.
Choosing plants is the fun part for me. I love experimenting with different combinations every year. The standard formula for a container is a thriller, a filler and a spiller. This basically means try to choose a taller striking plant as your thriller(plant it at the centre or back), a neutral or complimentary coloured low height filler, and a trailing variety to add balance. I like to limit my flowers to three varieties so that they remain cohesive and not too busy, but it's of course just personal preference! I do plant my pots quite densely and a 15” diameter might have anywhere from 4 to 8 plants. For example maybe 1 larger thriller, 3 fillers and 2-3 spillers. Container size is important! Generally bigger is better to ensure room for roots and to save on watering. The smaller the container the more frequently you will have to water. Plastic is okay, but not very long lasting. I prefer treated wood or ceramic, but ceramic should overwinter indoors in a garage or shop to prolong life. If you are going to leave ceramic pots outside it's best to empty them so that soil doesn't expand and break the container over the winter.
I don't replace all of my container soil every year, it's far too expensive! I like to remove the top 1/3 and put it into my regular garden. I then top up my containers with a potting soil specifically for containers that includes some fertilizer and moisture additives. If you are growing veggies in containers you will just want to use plain container soil. It is really not recommended to use garden soil in your pots. If you are going to all of the time and trouble to pot up your own containers it is definitely worth it to invest in good soil. I also like to sprinkle a slow release pelleted fertilizer such as ultra bloom in my pots after a couple of weeks, and again half way through the season. Be prepared to water once or even twice a day if your containers are in full sun, depending on size. I plant large containers of tidal wave petunias every year and the one that is in heavy shade only needs to be watered once a week as opposed to daily for the ones in full sun.
Many annuals will bloom steadily from spring until fall, but if they are starting to look straggly don't hesitate to shear them back to encourage fresh growth and bloom. This works well if you are heading on vacation for a couple of weeks in late July. By the time you get home you have invigorated pots. Not only annuals can be planted in containers. Shrubs can serve as amazing focal points all summer and be planted into the garden in the fall, and edible plants and herbs can easily be mixed in as well.
Happy planting!

07/16/2019

A few shots from July. It’s been an amazing summer for Martagon lilies!