It pains me to see customers spending hundreds of dollars on new plants and simultaneously refusing to spend a few more on a bag or two of compost and a box of starter fertilizer. These two items are not unnecessary “add-ons” that the retailer is just trying to add to the sale, they are critical components of a successful transplanting process - or as I like to refer to them as “plant insurance”. Unless you have phenomenal soil, you should always add compost and starter fertilizers when you are planting new plants. Here is why…
As gardeners, the concept of “going natural” is nothing new. Whatever our reasons, whenever practical we tend to shy away from synthetics and instead choose products that are natural. In the case of Christmas trees, we have the same choices - one is buying an artificial tree, and the other is buying a real tree. Here are some things to consider before making up your mind…
Back in late September of this year, I introduced you to several new shrubs for 2020 and promised to continue later this fall with several more new introductions. After reading through the November/December edition of Horticulture (one of many gardening magazines that my wife and I subscribe to) I have cherry picked a few to expound upon. As our gardens go into dormancy for the winter, what could possibly be better than to dream about new plants for the coming season. Happy salivating!
It’s been a while since I have given you a concise, all-in-one-place list of chores for the month, so I thought it would be timely to do just that. There is always something to do in the garden, even if it is just walking around and observing what Mother Nature is up to. As stewards of the green spaces we call our gardens, here are some things to consider as we move into winter…
As the temperatures continue to drop, along with all those leaves on our deciduous trees, we are pretty much left with just shades of green in our gardens to look at throughout the winter. There are, of course, quite a few winter-blooming perennials and shrubs that can add some winter interest to our gardens, but as far as bouquets or vases of blooms, the pickins are slim. For those of us that experience color starvation, here are some ideas…
First off, I suspect you would like an explanation of what the heck is a “bud-blooming” heather. It’s a fair question so here is my answer: A bud-blooming heather is a type of Calluna (a commonly planted summer-blooming heather that is in many of our gardens) whose buds never fully open but still manage to show color - often for many months during the fall and into the early winter. These types of heathers will look fresh for months and…
With the mercury dipping down into the low thirties, and maybe even some frost for some of you, I am reminded of the often asked question: “How do I save some of my seasonal color for the next season”. It’s only a matter of time before a really good hard frost is going to make that question moot. So, if you are serious about trying to preserve some of your investments that you made this year, time is of the essence…
The Golfing Gardener
Trevor Cameron
With old man winter approaching shortly, December presents a perfect opportunity for a topic that I have personally been waiting to pontificate on… conifers. This wonderful class of botanical treasures encompasses all things with…