Christmas Planters

Here are some ideas on how to bring Christmas cheer to your outdoors:

 

How to Plant, Grow and Harvest Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a delicious cool-weather veggie and a great addition to any edible garden - even mixed in between flowers in a sunny perennial bed. 

The Chinese call rhubarb "the great yellow" and have used rhubarb root for medicinal purposes for thousands of years.  During Islamic times, it was imported along the Silk Road, reaching Europe in the 14th century through the ports of Aleppo and Smyrna.  Rhubarb was grown in Scotland from at least 1786, having been introduced to the Botanical Garden in Edinburgh.

With its delicious edible leaf stalks loaded with a tangy yet sweet, crisp flavor, it often serves as the perfect companion for strawberries or as the main ingredient in pies, jams, and jellies. Here are a few tips about how to plant, grow, and harvest Rhubarb:

Take the root and crown and place it on the ground.  Don’t put them more than 1 or 2 inches into the soil or they won’t come up.  Once flower stalks appear on the growing rhubarb, remove them right away so they don’t rob the plant of nutrients.  Cutting the seeds will trick the plant into continuing to produce delicious ruby red stalks, thereby extending the delectable season for rhubarb-strawberry pie.

Water the plants during dry weather.  Rhubarb doesn’t tolerate drought.  If newly planted, Rhubarb should not be harvested the first year, to help the plant establish itself.  Wait a year or two before you begin to harvest.

Make sure the plant is ready to be harvested.  The best time to harvest is from spring to early summer—usually May to early July.  Although they can be picked into late summer, stop collecting the stalks well before the first frost, to help ensure that the plant makes it through winter.  To harvest, the stalks should be at least 10 to 15 inches long. 

Gently grab near the base of the desired stalk and slowly pull and twist. Make sure to cut the leaves off the stalks and discard them: they are poisonous and should never be consumed.

Splitting rhubarb will give new life to the plant.  Dig around the root clump (6 inches deep) and lift the whole plant from the ground.  Divide the root ball into sections containing at least one bud and up to two to three buds with plenty of roots by cutting down through the crown between the buds. 

Prior to transplanting, soak the refrigerated sections in room temperature water overnight. Select a planting site that is in full sun with a slightly acidic soil pH of 6.5.  Add lots of compost or composted manure and a handful of rock phosphate or bone meal per planting hole.  Mulch around the plant, best with straw. 

Happy Gardening!

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Mandevilla - Annual or Perennial?

 

Four or five years ago I found this beautiful tropical/subtropical plant in a nursery. I was immediately smitten by the lush blooms. In the meantime, they are amazingly popular and can even be found in ordinary garden centers. No wonder: They are vigorously blooming from late spring into fall, and will grow larger, especially the Mandevilla vines. 

Gardeners appreciate Mandevilla vines (Mandevilla splendens) for their ability to climb up trellises and garden walls quickly and easily. The climbing vine can cover a backyard, hiding eyesores quickly and beautifully.  Mandevilla species are native to the Southwestern US, Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and South America, especially Brasil.

This beautiful plant is tougher than it looks, but it will not grow or bloom in temperatures lower than 50 degrees F.  However, the roots are still alive and the plant will grow back in spring. In climates lower than zone 8, the plant may not survive the winter. The solution is to grow the Mandevilla in a pot and bring it indoors when temps reach about  50 degrees F.
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How to Grow for Mandevilla Outdoors
Plant the Mandevilla in partial shade and well-drained soil.  Water the plant regularly, but allow the soil to dry between each irrigation.  Fertilize Mandevilla regularly during the growing season.  To maintain your young plant, train the vine to grow on a trellis.  Pinch or prune young plants to encourage bushy growth and to maintain the desired size and shape.

Mandevilla Indoor Growing 
Mandevilla is suitable for growing indoors year-round, but this tropical plant needs a warm, sunny location such as a south-facing window, especially in winter.  If you have a sunroom with light from all sites your Mandevilla might even bloom in winter.  But don’t force and fertilize it.  The plant needs a rest during wintertime.

Trim the plants back. This will decrease the leaf loss you see inside and help prime some new growth that's better adapted to indoor conditions.  A popular spray that is okay to use on a plant you are bringing indoors is Neem Oil.  Once a month bring your plant into the shower to apply some moisture onto the leaves.

Move the plant outdoors during the summer months. Water when the soil feels dry to the touch, then allow the pot to drain thoroughly. This includes indoor heating vents. Blasts of hot (or cold) air can cause yellow or brown foliage. Fertilize the plant regularly during spring and summer. Repot the Mandevilla plant to a slightly larger pot with a drainage hole every spring. Pinch wilted blooms regularly and prune the plant at least by half in late autumn.

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Never Ending Work on Lawns

A lawn is not only a resting place but can also be a lot of work. 
Too dry, too many weeds, ecologically questionable: the lawn causes many garden owners a big bellyache.  And worst of all: It is the dead part of any garden - no colorful flowers, no blooming shrubs, and no pollinating bees.

Following this blog over the years, you might have noticed that I am not a fan of lawns.  For me, lawns are expensive and involve lots of work - time you better spend relaxing in your garden.  Beautiful flower beds with lots of perennials and blooming shrubs are way more eco-friendly!  Lawns are dead! pieces of land in many aspects.  But most people don’t think about the environment and act very traditional, wanting to have an immaculate lawn.  So, here are some (video) tips on how to care for your turf:

The First Rule for Lawns:
Water, water, and water even more! The second rule is to de-thatch and weed, then mow your lawn. More after a rainy period - less in dry conditions. To ease the mowing task and also to avoid costly lawnmowing services, you might consider a lawnmower robot.  People use these robotic devices to vacuum their houses, clean the pool, so why not in the garden?

Robotic lawn mowers - Buyer's Guide
Expert advice on choosing the best robotic lawn mower for your garden, from the reviews team at BBC Gardeners' World Magazine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq7-8hSCS90
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Are ROBOT LAWN Mowers any Good?
See how my robotic lawn mower performed & what you need to know BEFORE considering buying one of these. Featuring the Worx Landroid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IQhM0dkiiE

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Best Robot Lawn Mowers in 2020
Comparisons are based on different sources of information, such as technical data, customer opinions, and our personal experience with the model. Due to the nature of our business, we get our hands on many different gardening tools and equipment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnadVE4Alpw

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De-Thatching
Spring de-thatching is a great way to help renovate your tired, ugly lawn.  Using a rake is hard work, and it needs one of these old-fashioned straight, metal rakes.  If you have a large lawn you can use a machine that can make the job so much easier than raking by hand. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea1wG2iLJFA

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How to Have Clean Edges Around Your Lawn
There is nothing that looks better than well taken care of natural edges in the lawn! However, the half-moon edger he uses in the video is very cheap and you should purchase a better one, with an ergonomic handle and a wider part to step on. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qwf-rVDtVo

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Grow a Micro Clover Lawn
This is my favored way of having a beautiful lawn - and I am talking of many years of experience in my own garden: Micro Clover has many benefits over traditional grass, but can also work well with grass. It requires less water and is more sustainable than regular grass lawns and requires far less fertilizer.  As soon as the snow is melted, your lawn will show a nice green color, while your neighbor’s lawn is still brown and unsightly.  And you save lots of mowing time.  This video explains the benefits of micro clover, gives directions on how to seed a micro clover lawn AND overseed a grass lawn with micro clover.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq7-8hSCS90

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My Best Advice: Shrink Your Lawn
Those expanses of green turf take an enormous amount of resources.  Eliminate some of your lawns and create a more natural landscape.  You will ultimately use less water and reduce chemical use and save some money too.  As well, you will do less mowing and raking.

Moving away from water-guzzling and chemical-hungry lawns and cultivating yards that are diverse and self-regulating is a matter of mounting urgency.  As global temperatures rise and droughts drag on, the demands of turfgrass are likely to become untenable. 

Recommended reading:

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/more-sustainable-and-beautiful-alternatives-grass-lawn

https://www.cbc.ca/life/home/the-case-for-leaving-the-perfectly-manicured-lawn-behind-1.6449477

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Create a No-Maintenance Garden

Ten years ago I created a 36x24 flower garden bed for a friend. He had no clue of gardening or plants and even less time to do any planting or watering. He insisted to have a ‘no-maintenance’ flower bed - that I built on top of a former ugly patch of lawn.
The way I created it, this flower bed really became a ‘no-maintenance’ part of the front yard - and a fabulous one! Copy how I did it:

First, I edged the garden bed border eight inches deep and wide to avoid any grass to creep in. I collected cardboards on garbage day from all over the street.

Cardboard, Cardboard, and More Cardboard
In case you don’t have enough, just use very thick layers of newspaper (even rarer these days : )   Don’t leave any gaps between the boards, remove the plastic that holds the boxes together - and water the boards very thoroughly.  They should be more than soaking wet.  You don’t want to be that person chasing runaway cardboard caught by the wind.  The cardboard will suppress the weeds and eventually break down into the soil, adding useful organic matter.

Compost, Compost, and More Compost

A thick layer of compost went on the cardboard sheets, then the black garden soil, mixed with lots of composted manure. Chicken, cow, or sheep manure are all good for that matter. 

I must admit, I am a compost geek.  Even on road trips I collect organic stuff (Banana peels, fruit waste, tissues, eggshells, napkins, or teabags) and place them in paper bags to bring it home to my compost.  Composting organic kitchen and garden waste produces rich humus and improves the soil.  By composting you reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill sites, thus reducing greenhouse gases.  You will also save money and your health on chemical fertilizers.  Altogether were the compost, the soil and the manure ca. 15 inches thick when I started to plant flowers and small shrubs.

No-Maintenance Plants 

The planting bed was half in full sun and the other portion laid in dabbled half shade most of the day.  In the full sun part, I planted Rosa Rugosa, very hardy roses.  Also lots of Yarrow, Lavender, Salvia, and Purple Coneflowers - seven to nine plants of each, and each plant type in a group.  For lots of colors and blooms during the early fall time, I found a great offer for a six-feet Pee-Gee Hydrangea tree.  I also added lots of Daffodil and Hyacinth bulbs for next year's spring garden color.

Plants for Shade
The shaded part got a Rosa Glauca bush, a group of Salomon Seals, five different types of Hostas, and for early summer color several Astilbes in pink, white and red as well as three Japanese Anemones that would bloom in a lovely light pink the following year.  And certainly the same spring bulbs as on the sunny side.

Mulch Generously
Planting was done, so I watered again to have the area soaking wet and added a thick - ten-inch - layer of natural brown cedar mulch. If you add mulch, make sure that it is the ‘real’ thing.  Not these stained pieces of wood that are often sold in garden centers - avoid these in black, dark brown, or red! They contain chemicals (think Scott) that are poisonous for plants and you and will stain your clothes and garden gloves.

Mulched beds improve the appearance of any landscape.  But more importantly, generously topping the mulch protects the plants' root systems and adds nutrients to the soil.  Mulch slows soil erosion, retains moisture, evens out extreme temperatures in winter and summer, and successfully helps to prevent weeds.  You will spend less time weeding and watering your garden and more time enjoying it.

My friend never ever did anything on this flower bed. Once or twice a year I visited, mostly in summer or fall. I cut spent flower heads and maybe watered once or twice in summer. That was all that needed to be done. Now ten years later, the garden still looks fabulous!

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Video Tips on How to Create Flower Containers

Container Planting is one of my favored Garden joys. Each season new attractive flowers wait 

to be highlighted in a planter. You can even mix in some veggies! 

Use a taller plant in the middle, then three or five ‘fillers’ around it, plus several hanging plants. I don’t just tell - I'll show. So, get creative ideas with these videos:

How to Design a Beautiful Patio Container

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOvBsL2Lwss

Planting Fall Containers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC8hTnAy068

Fall Container Inspiration in Green & White

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yijpLFZo8YE

Just planted - silver-grey & yellow - needs to grow taller

More Fall Container Inspiration!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGEmuK8a2go

How to Create a Gorgeous Fall Planter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftgIsfidfRk

Just planted this in early spring - needs to grow taller
in summer the sweet potato vine grows down three feet

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… and here are some fabulous ideas for Winter containers:

Planting Up Containers that Will Take You Through Winter! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_uQhrPjsEc

Wintering Plants in Containers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woeqve1yS64

Happy Container Planting -
Enjoy them year-round!

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How to Care for Long-Blooming Roses

Roses, besides being magnificent flowers, have a long history. The oldest rose planted today was in existence some 3,000 years ago according to The Old Farmers Almanac.

Roses crave sunlight and generous helpings of food and water. In most climates, provide at least six hours of sunlight per day. If you live in a very hot climate, plant them where they are shaded from the hot afternoon sun. When watering, water at the base of the plant - water the soil, never pour it over the plant!  Provide at least an inch or two of water per week.  Natural cedar mulch helps to retain moisture in the soil and evens out temperatures in winter as well as on hot summer days.

Coffee Grounds
The reason coffee grounds are so good for rose bushes is because of their high nitrogen content. Roses need neutral to acidic soil, and if you add coffee grounds, it will help take the pH from neutral to acidic. ... Plus, astonishingly as it may seem, many bugs and pests are repelled by coffee grounds.

When to Plant Roses
Bare-root roses: Plant in late autumn at leaf fall, and from late winter to early spring, before growth resumes. Avoid planting in the middle of winter when the ground is frozen. Container-grown roses: Plant all year round, provided the ground is neither frozen, nor dry. Plant roses in rich, well-draining soil. When planting, mix organic matter, such as compost or ground bark, into excavated soil you'll use to backfill the planting hole.


Rose Pruning
Use very sharp rose scissors. If the machine does not cut properly, there is a risk of bruising, the cutting point is not clean and is a target for disease.

An old, slightly neglected bed rose can be shortened more radically, which means "rejuvenating", a young climbing rose just wants to be cleaned out.

Cut all old, dead, and very weak shoots - regardless of the type of rose. Men tend to cut a lot, women usually cut far too little : )

Look for an outward-facing eye, about 20 to 60 centimeters above the ground, place scissors in a fourth-degree angle just above it, and cut off smoothly.

Take a step back and examine your work.  Be stern with yourself and rework.  Ten centimeters more might still work. If you feel that you have cut too much off, it is probably just right.  You can't cut off too much.

Every five years even the climbing rose can tolerate an incision to rejuvenate.  Unlike haircutting, shortening the shoots stimulates growth.  Because roses only bloom on new wood, this is also good for the flowering.  Only if you cut, can the rose bloom again, the cut gives it vitality.

Otherwise, each rose is pruned differently: The shrub roses should grow bushy, the noble rose has only one flower per stem, the bed rose looks nicer if it also bears flowers on the lower levels.  Bed roses don't not have too much-lignified stems, so it must be pruned at the bottom.

You should also avoid spraying, for example, if one plant has developed rust, you must take care that it does not infect the others.  To prevent this, cut off all infested leaves, even a radical cut can be advisable.

Black Spots and Rust: 
I have had the best experience with a simple household remedy:
I bought a big bag of cornflour, lightly sprayed the rose with water, and then sprinkled the cornflour all over the plant.  Two days later the procedure again and the rose was free of the ugly spots.

The annual rose pruning should be done in spring, to avoid severe frost.  Once the forsythia has withered, is the best time.  In autumn you can do a slight pruning, then everything looks a bit tidier - but you also would miss the pretty rose hips.

The tart reddish-orange hips of rugosa rose hips are used for jams, jellies, syrups, pies, teas, and wine. Check out our Rose Hip Jam recipe.  Rose petals are edible and can be tossed into salads for color, candied to decorate cakes, or distilled to make rose water.


See videos about pruning roses:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6la_YikkQc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN3G-wpWtFY

Like to have more rose plants?
Propagation - How to grow roses from cuttings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw4d-s9N8zE

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Gardens of Horror

Recently I saw a documentary about the "Gardens of Horror" where house owners cover their front yard complete with small stones. Shocking pictures for a nature lover and garden designer! 

A Complete Garden of Stones?
They are often touted as the easiest way to maintain a garden from sellers of these stones and rocks.  Young families buying a property with a garden for the first time are quickly drawn to this "design" - even it is not cheap to install.

Why the strictly-cut Taxus, why the gravel garden that welcomes the returning person in his suburban settlement in the evening?  There is probably longing for control: If I am pushed and controlled at work during the day - in my garden I decide what grows and what doesn't.  An illusion - and by the way: The gravel garden will take care of itself.  After a year or two, people will see dandelions boring their way through the gravel.  And then in fall, leaves from neighboring trees that will stick between the stones, pioneer plants like birches, for example, that the wind blows in: Wait and see.

What are the Reasons for This?
In inner-city locations, professional activity usually stands in the way of the hobby of gardening.  Even though gardening is a soothing and rewarding hobby.  Here it is less a question of visual or aesthetic reasons than of the time factor.  But what are folks doing with the time they gain?  Watching Netflix I assume.

More Weeds - More Work!
Erroneously, rockeries seem to require the least maintenance, but this is not true.  They only look good for the first month after installation... But after a short time, the first weeds appear - which can hardly be removed because the tiny roots clinch to the plastic foil underneath the stones.  This plastic foil is touted by the garden centers as "keeping the weeds underneath from sprouting - which is not true.  The majority of weeds are blowing in by the wind or are carried by birds.  They then settle on the stones, creep between them, and happily grow and seeds, bringing even more weeds to life. In autumn, leaves from the surrounding area fly between the stones and can only be removed individually with great effort. So, no little bit of labor-saving!

What Effect do Rock Gardens Have on the Microclimate?
Besides the visual "greying" of the cities, rockeries have very negative effects on the microclimate:  Due to the lack of greenery and trees, the stones heat up in summer and give off heat to the surroundings.  Since the stones also store the heat, the garden or the soil cannot cool down even at night.  Water-impermeable gravel beds prevent rainwater from seeping into the ground and thus promote the drying out of the soil.

Negative Effects on Flora and Fauna
Due to the lack of vegetation, insects, birds, and other animals have a harder time finding food and habitat.  Of course, there are also rockeries that take these aspects into account, but they are rather the exception.  Individual stones in the garden between the trees, bushes, and flowers look attractive.  But a whole front garden crammed with stones...

A property with a normally laid out front garden sells better, as the buyer does not have to expect large additional costs for the redesign.  In contrast, rock gardens can only be re-naturalized with great effort and corresponding costs - these costs must be taken into account by the buyer when purchasing.

Rock gardens are not good for the air quality or the vegetation and they are at the expense of nature. In the end, they have a negative influence on our quality of life.

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Is Your Garden in Survival Mode?

Visiting gardens of friends last month I was shocked how dry their garden beds were. Spring flowers were already starting to wilt before they would bloom...  When I mentioned it to them they answered totally surprised: "Why water during cool spring weather?" I grabbed a garden tool to dig into the compact soil - and showed them that it was totally dry - down to at least 10 inches. 

Why Start Watering in Early Spring
Much of the snow in Spring does not melt, but rather evaporate.  That means the garden soil is not thoroughly moistened.  Often the air is rather dry during the Spring months.  For example, in the Ottawa, Canada, area the humidity level was for almost two months (April and May of this year) well under 50%, often under 40%.  Spring is the time when plants start to build new roots, buds, leaves, and flowers - in one word the most important time of the year.  And watering then as important as it is in the hottest summer months.

Additionally, many flower beds are in the vicinity or even under huge trees. Feeder roots of these trees are near the surface and they "steal" moisture that flowers and shrubs then are missing.  Even if it rains, large trees prevent the water to reach thirsty soil underneath.

Your Garden Soil
Easily test if the soil needs to be watered: Grab a handful of the soil, press it into a ball, and then open your hand. If the ball stays, your soil is fine. But if the ball falls apart or cannot even be built, waste no time to thoroughly water.

Before we go into the watering tips, let me talk about your soil: Healthy, well-composted soil retains moisture.  Add composted chicken, cow, or sheep manure - in case you don't make your own garden compost.  And mulch heavily with natural cedar mulch.  This doesn't only keep the weeds at bay, evens out temperatures, but also holds the soil underneath moist. 


Don't Drink for Two Weeks?
Would you be still alive?  Most likely you wouldn't live anymore after a couple of days... But then, why would anyone not water their plants for two months? 

I saw this first-hand at a garden in which three lilac bushes have been planted last year. They bloomed beautifully by then - but were totally dead last week (in early June).  This year's leaf and flower buds were totally dried out.  Asking the garden owner how often he had watered the lilacs this spring, he answered: "Not yet, it wasn't really hot so far".  I was stunned by his answer... Well, it's his garden!

How Often to Water Your Plants?

In the flower bed, two watering sessions per week are usually sufficient: better to water less often but with plenty of water rather than a little water often.  Should the temperatures climb over 80 degrees F, water at least three times per week.  Newly planted flowers need to be watered every day during the first two weeks after planting. The same for flowers in window boxes or small containers.

Best to water early in the morning before the sun rises. When you water cooled soil, less water evaporates than it would on hot soil during the day.

Don't water in the evening and keep leaves and blooms dry to avoid diseases.  Wet leaves become diseased leaves. Kept wet overnight, leaf-mold diseases may result.
Suitable watering means that the water must sufficiently reach the roots.  Water the soil around the plants, not overhead the flowers! Water evenly around the plant for a balanced well-developed root system.  Always watering at only one root point leads to one-sided root growth and thereby to poorer nutrient absorption in the soil. Therefore, always water around the plant.


Watering Made Easy

Are you weary of dragging a heavy garden hose through your property?  No question, it's no fun and I totally agree with you!  However, for a number of years, there are light-weight garden hoses available that are expanding (and shrinking after you turn off the water).  For me, it’s the perfect garden hose: extremely light-weight and 100 ft long. Featherlight: I could carry the complete hose with one small finger.

This hose expands 3 times its length when water pressure is on.  It contracts to its original length when pressure is off.  And best of all, it never tangles, twists or kinks, and is easy to store in small places.

Should you not have enough time in your busy life, a sprinkler to water the garden is better than nothing. A sprinkler with a built-in mechanical timer lets you leave for work in the morning but stops the watering at the time you have chosen. There are also digital timers available - you don't even need to go out in the garden. They start at the set time without your help.

Gardeners can also use water-saving irrigation methods e.g. with a drip automatic irrigation system using moisture sensors – in the flower bed, on the balcony, and on the lawn.  However, not easy to install in an old, established garden or with lots of trees.
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Conclusion:
There is really no point in letting your garden plants suffer! These days it is easy and fast to irrigate your garden beds, shrubs, and trees.  With the right equipment, you don't have to lift a finger to keep your plants safe and healthy!  No excuses!

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How to Expel Squirrels, Gophers, and Raccoons from Gardens

A friend of mine was complaining about her dog who was constantly digging in one of her flower beds. I discovered a big mess. A closer look showed that there was a kind of cave underneath the roots of a nearby cedar tree. No wonder - the dog was smelling a gopher or groundhog! But that was not all, squirrels played havoc, and a neighbor told me about raccoons that have been seen in the area.

What these critters do: they chomp on flower bulbs, dig up your favorite plants, eat the roots, might try to open garbage cans, and otherwise love to wreck your garden. I studied tips on the Internet and found the following tips


How You Can Shoo These Animals Away:

Irish Spring Soap
Protect plants by grating some Irish Spring soap around your plants. Squirrels can't stand the smell of it and will stay away.
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Coffee Grounds
While you might find the scent of coffee delicious, squirrels don't... Just sprinkle some fresh grounds on the soil surrounding the plants to keep squirrels away. Every week, add a new layer of coffee grounds. More tips:
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Garlic
Another smell that gophers, squirrels and other critters dislike is that of garlic. Cut it in pieces and sprinkle them into the flower bed
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Dogs
Dogs that spend a lot of time in the garden may be able to scare at least squirrels off. While your pet may not actually catch the squirrels, their presence alone will encourage the critters eventually to dine elsewhere.
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Cayenne Pepper
Sprinkle cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, or other combinations of spicy seasonings around the base of the plants. Almost all animals despise it.
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Plant Lots of Mint
Squirrels tend to avoid the strong smell of peppermint plants. Try planting mint pots at the edges of your vegetable garden to keep most thieves away. However, you need to plant mint into pots to avoid they are taking over your garden. Place some newspaper sheets and/or wire screen at the bottom of the planting pot to avoid that roots are sneaking through the watering hole and multiply in your garden beds.
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Don’t Plant Tulips
Instead plant daffodils, snowdrops, allium, and hyacinth. Daffodils contain a toxin that makes their bulbs inedible, and squirrels appear not to like the taste of them. After planting place a flat stone on top of the bulbs, but don’t forget to remove them in early spring.
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Netting and Fencing
Protecting your vegetables and edible plants with netting will help curb squirrels' (and birds') snacking. Protect ripening fruit by swaddling it with plastic bird netting. It will keep nibbling rodents (squirrels, chipmunks, mice) at bay,
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Spices, coffee grounds, and garlic need to be re-applied after rain or snow. Happy Gardening.

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What to Plant Between Pavers & Stepping Stones

Many pathway gaps are neglected and will become a home for weeds. But where some may see awkward spaces between stepping stones, others see potential. Plants between pavers can soften hard lines, adding a lush, living element to the design.

It’s relatively easy to fill the cracks between pavers with creeping plants that will stay low, won’t mind being squashed a bit, and may even be fragrant.  But how to prepare and which plants to choose?

Requirements:

The plants should be low growing, ranging in height from basically flat to 2 inches tall. Anything taller could be trip pedestrians and make the pavers look as if they are sinking, even drowning.

A plant that grows between pavers should be tough and durable to withstand occasional trampling by foot or paw and must require as little maintenance as possible.  Not all creeping perennials will handle lots of foot traffic.  A rule of thumb is this: The more delicate the leaf structure, the less traffic they’ll be able to withstand. 

How much sunlight? Does the area receive full or mostly direct sun, morning sun with afternoon shade, morning shade with afternoon sun, or shade, or mostly shade?
There are creeping plants for any amount of sunlight or lack thereof.

Don't forget the hardiness zones!  Not every plant thrives in tough winters.

Before You Plant
The key to ground cover success is to add enough loose, nutrient-rich soil between the stones, preferably at least 5 inches deep for roots to grow and with gaps at least two inches wide.

Use scissors to cut apart 2-to-3-inch-wide chunks that contain several plants and their roots.  Space the chunks 6 to 8 inches apart in the ground.  Cover the bare spots with some light soil or compost that will help retain surface moisture until the plants fill in.

Which Plants to Choose:

- Plants for Sunny Areas:

Creeping Thyme

Blue star creeper 

Corsican mint

Irish moss

Hen and Chicken

- Plants for Shade Areas:

Sweet woodruff

Baby’s tears

Mondo grass

Creeping Jenny

Water the soil between pavers well before you start planting.  During the hottest and dryest months, sprinkle the area during early morning hours, before the sun rises.  

Brilliant sunshine is great for established plants, but young ones don't like it much. So,
try to plant on dull or rainy days or in the late hours of the day. For a couple of days, a

kind of make-shift "tent" also helps to save the young plants from too much sunlight.

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Garden Design History in Quebec

Southern Quebec is blessed with more historic gardens than anywhere else in Canada. The ornamental gardening tradition in the province can be traced back to the beginning of colonization. After French explorer Samuel de Champlain established a settlement at Québec in 1608, the inhabitants planted a rose garden even as they struggled to stay alive in the sometimes-hostile environment of New France.

 
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During the ensuing years of the French Regime, numerous gardens appeared in the city of Montréal and Québec.  Period maps and other documents indicate that religious orders frequently developed extensive plots.  The Ursulines, for instance, planted a flower garden in Québec City in 1642, while the Sulpicians constructed a walled garden at their seminary in Montréal around 1650.  High-ranking officials, such as the governor and the intendant of Quebec, also supervised the creation 
of impressive gardens.
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Plants and botanical information were exchanged regularly between Quebec and France.  Indeed, a royal ordinance of 1726 obliged the captains of ships traveling to the colonies to bring back seeds and plants for the royal garden that had been inaugurated in Paris a century before.

 
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After the British conquest in 1760, decorative gardening continued to flourish in Quebec, reaching unparalleled popularity in the second half of the nineteenth century.  Some garden owners called on the services of landscape architects or designers; most did the planning themselves.

  In Montréal, Sherbrooke, the Eastern Townships, and Québec City, leading citizens kept plants indoors as well as outdoors.  Fascinated by horticulture, Montreal’s industrial barons founded the Montreal Horticultural Society.

In 1937 landscape architect Louis Perron laid out the stunning Joan of Arc Garden in Quebec City, which surrounds a statue of the French heroine and harmonizes French and English garden styles.  Visitors have an opportunity to admire over 150 species of bulbs, annuals, bulbs and especially, perennials.  During summertime, hundreds of varieties ornate the flowerbeds, beneath the branches of the majestic elms.  During Fall season, visitors can appreciate the warm colors of seasonal perennials and annuals.  All October-long, Halloween decors await visitors, in the daytime or in the evening.
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Reford Gardens is the Most Famous in the “Belle Province”
Ten-thousands of visitors will stroll through the enchanting 17-hectare grounds in Grand-Métis on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.  

It was in the summer of 1926 that Mrs. Reford took up gardening at the age of 54.  A wealthy Montrealer, she was convalescing after surgery at “Estevan,” a fishing lodge on a peninsula at the confluence of the Métis and St. Lawrence Rivers that she had inherited from an uncle and adopted as a country home.

As a pastime, she decided to create a garden alongside the lodge.  She ordered a plot to be cleared, soil to be produced from peat, sand, and gravel from nearby farms and beaches, and compost to be rendered from the leaves of local deciduous trees.

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Self-Taught Horticulturalist
Mrs. Reford had no formal education in horticulture.  She could have afforded to hire a landscape architect, but she simply preferred to lay out the garden on her own.  

Over the next 30 years, she became more and more passionate about gardening.  She continued to experiment and learn from her mistakes.  She read voraciously, toured gardens in England, and exchanged tips with more experienced gardeners.  She kept a detailed written record of her garden’s evolution, while her husband, Robert Wilson Reford, kept a comprehensive photographic record.

  Mrs. Reford’s original garden gradually expanded into six garden areas interspersed with sheltering woodlands. 

Assisted by local employees, she built steps and terraces with stones from neighboring fields.  She planted a dazzling diversity of indigenous and exotic plants, including gentians, lilies, meconopsis, peonies, primula, and roses.  

She designed a formal herbaceous border along the sides of a flagstone pathway known as the “Long Walk.” Otherwise, she incorporated wild-looking plantings, many of them on the banks of a stream meandering through the property.

In 1954 Mrs. Reford gave the estate to her son, Bruce.  Seven years later, unable to meet the rising costs of upkeep, he sold it to the Quebec government.  The province opened the gardens to the public but eventually put the site up for sale.  Since 1995 it has been owned and run by Les Amis des Jardins de Métis, a non-profit corporation, and managed — with remarkable success — by Alexander Reford, Elsie Reford’s great-grandson.

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Les Quatre Vents
During the 1930s, an American family by the name of Cabot took up gardening in Cap à l’Aigle, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River.  Their gardens, “Les Quatre Vents,” ultimately covered more than eight hectares.  

On occasion, owners themselves have ensured the conservation of their gardens.  Prime Minister Mackenzie King bequeathed his Gatineau estate, which features picturesque gardens and reconstructed ruins, to the government of Canada.  The park is named Kingsmere.


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Recognizing Heritage Gardens

The federal Department of Canadian Heritage and the provincial Ministère de la culture now consider historic gardens eligible for funding.  Parks Canada has plans to restore the gardens at the Manoir Papineau National Historic Site in Montebello.



“For centuries,” Alexander Reford concludes “gardens constituted a vital element of Quebec’s heritage. They deserve to remain that way.”

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Read more:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/his-quebec-garden-called-canadas-best-kept-secret/article4179930/

https://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/in/canada/quebec

https://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/montreal_botanic_garden

https://www.refordgardens.com/

https://garden.org/learn/articles/view/1124/

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/historic-gardens

https://hudson.quebec/en/location/the-history-garden/

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Why Are My Daffodils or Tulips Not Blooming?

A Checklist of Causes:

Are you feeding with high-nitrogen fertilizer? The first number in the N-P-K ratio should be low; high N=no flowers, so bulb fertilizers aren’t high N?  Use instead one, low in nitrogen with these numbers:  3-6-6 or: 5-10-10.

Did you neglect to feed for more than a year or two? Feed bulbs when they begin active growth - when the green shoots are emerging.  Use an all-natural organic fertilizer intended for bulbs.  Apply according to label directions.

Did you cut foliage back too soon last year?  At least 6 weeks of “ripening” time is needed, with their foliage growing and intact.  In order to hide these yellow leaves, plant the bulbs behind large perennials or shrubs.  They will grow up or bloom at a time after the Daffodils are finished blooming.

Is the area very dry?  Bulbs need ample moisture when they are growing actively. On the other hand, a soggy area is harmful to them.

Is the area filled with tree roots, or with other competing plants who grab all the nutrients and moisture? Areas under evergreens can be inhospitable, for instance (ad well as too shady).

Dividing may be called for - or transplanting to another, better-suited area.

Were the bulbs recently planted or recently transplanted? Both can set back the bulbs for a time.

With daffodils - and bulbs in general - there are some additional triggers of diminished bloom, says the American Daffodil Society.  Read their full list of possible causes:
https://daffodilusa.org/growing-daffodils/non-blooming-daffodils/


What About Tulips?
They need similar care: In the spring, when leaves emerge, feed your tulips the same bulb food or bone meal which is low in nitrogen, the same you use for Daffodils: 5-10-10. Water well. Deadhead tulips as soon as they go by, but do not remove the leaves! Allow the leaves to remain on the plants for about 6 weeks after flowering.

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Historic Public & Residential Gardens in Canada

Canada's historic gardens reflect aspects of the history, the climate and most important the geography of the country.

Public parks, such as The Public Gardens of Halifax, Nova Scotia or the Dow's Lake park in Ottawa, are usually ornamented spaces with lawns, flower beds, and huge trees. Built to offer resting-places, paths and sometimes play areas. Today the Public Gardens of Halifax consist of winding paths, flower beds in geometric form surrounded by grass, borders of both perennials and annuals, statues, fountains, and a bandstand, the latter attesting to the Victorian taste for open-air musical performances.

The Royal Botanical Gardens of Hamilton consists of vast landscaped gardens including a notable collection of irises, a rock garden, a rose garden, an arboretum (including a lilac garden), a children's garden, a garden with medicinal plants, natural areas for explaining ecosystems, as well as a program of courses and research.

In the first decades of the twentieth century, gardens were laid out next to schools so that the children could learn the rudiments of gardening. These gardens had a pedagogical function. In the same period, almost everywhere in the country, gardens were laid out next to small railway stations. They served to beautify the sites and, particularly in the West, to promote the development of new regions.

Residential gardens
They have a much more private, intimate character, whether they are pleasure gardens, vegetable or kitchen gardens or even small plots of aromatic herbs, laid out next to private or official residences. Maplelawn in Ottawa, built from 1831 to 1834 by William Thomson, a farmer, had an adjoining walled garden. In its early stages, it was probably a kitchen garden for the domestic use of the household.

Garden Styles
Style is the expression of an aesthetic ideal, a trend, a particular taste or a form peculiar to an era or a cultural group. In Canada, styles popular in France, England and the US have been relied on as models. However, the unique social, ecological, climatic or geographic conditions prevailing in Canada, as well as the limitations and possibilities inherent in the plant stock, have influenced Canadian versions of European and American styles.
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In some regions, particularly BC and the western provinces, the influence of Japanese and Chinese styles has been important. The influence of ethno-cultural traditions is traceable in some gardens. And, of course, gardens can encompass more than one style or present a modern interpretation of a style from the past.

French-style gardens are those laid out during the age of New France in connection with political institutions or religious communities. With its geometric plan, flower beds, walkways, floral clumps and fruit trees, the garden of the Vieux-Séminaire des Sulpiciens on Notre-Dame Ouest in Montréal, dating from the late 17th century, is the best-preserved of the convent gardens in that city.

After the British conquest in 1759, British and Loyalist settlers introduced a new approach: vis-à-vis nature and landscape. In contrast to French formalism, the aesthetic theory featured natural and picturesque landscapes and was expressed in the choice of spectacular sites, and irregular contours. With their borders, lawns, winding paths and exotic trees, the grounds surrounding the Governor's House in St John's, Newfoundland illustrate this English fashion with its emphasis on picturesque effects.

Laid out in the 1870s, most likely following designs prepared by Frederick Law Olmsted, the Beechcroft estate at Roches Point in Ontario illustrates this natural approach with its vast green spaces, careful groupings of trees and judiciously chosen viewpoints.

Gardens described as gardenesque contain a great variety of flower borders and groves, fountains, urns and statues that give them an ornate character. With its statues, urns and flower borders, Lakehurst at Roches Point in Ontario illustrates this popular garden style as implemented during the second half of the 19th century in Canada.

Gardens designed and built at the beginning of the 20th century under the influence of the writings of Gertrude Jekyll emphasize perennial borders, rockeries and alpine plants. The rock-garden which Mary Stewart laid out at the Cataraqui estate in Sillery in the 1930s was inspired by this approach. On a different principle, many gardens created at this time mark a nostalgic return to the past by imitating concepts developed in Italy and France in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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West Coast influences on the style of gardens emanate from California and the Orient, at the same time making use of the climatic and geographic conditions prevailing in this region of the country. It combines, for example, modern ideas about handling landscape with Japanese influence, at the same time creating a close relationship between the house and its garden.

The many Chinese and Japanese gardens on the West Coast are one indication of the contribution these cultures have made to BC. The Nitobe Memorial Garden at the University of British Columbia is an example of such a Japanese garden and the Japanese garden in the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. Even the Botanical Garden of Montréal includes a Chinese garden, the Jardin du Lac de Rêve. 

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Historic gardens are much more than a pleasant ornamental and recreational décor. They bear witness to the aesthetic, social, cultural and environmental tastes and pre-occupations of a past - sometimes distant, sometimes relatively recent. They form an important part of our heritage, a rich heritage that should be preserved for future generations.

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