Hello my dear friends,

Today was the first day of spring. The sun is bright and warm(ish) we are all desperate to get out into the garden and start gardening.

“When we first began to own a garden we could not bring ourselves to wait in patience for developments. We expected our beds to bloom as if by magic. But a garden is at once the most delightful and cunning of teachers. How kindly are the virtues it inculcates? ----Patience, faith, hope, tenderness, gratitude, resignation, things in themselves as fragrant and beautiful as the flowers, or like the herbs, a little repellent of aspect, but sweet in their bruised savour."
~ Agnes and Egerton Castle

Now let’s take a look at a few steps that will make our lives easier this coming summer…

Tools:

We take our wonderful tools for granted - our pruners, clippers, lopers, hoes and rake. If they have dirty blades and dull edges we negate their usefulness and make thing a little more difficult for ourselves.

Starting with a damp cloth wipe off any dirt that you had neglected to do last year, when you just dumped everything into a pile. Sand off any rust spots, with either sand paper or steel wool. Wipe the blades with a soft oil soaked cloth; any oil will do, so there is no excuse that you do not have any – just raid the kitchen. If you have Linseed oil, it makes wooden handles look like new. Tighten any bolts and screws that are loose and check to see which things need sharpening. Lee Valley has a small tool that does the job for you. As most tools have single bevelled edges it is easy to sharpen them yourself.

Using a 10 inch single-cut file, clamp smaller tools in a vise so that they will stay in place whilst you work, and just go for it. Personally I take mine to a knife sharpener to have them done for me.

Checking for Winter Damage:

The next step is to go into the garden and check for any winter damage; ice, snow, and freezing rain can play havoc with your trees, shrubs, and roses. Any branches that may have snapped off will have to be trimmed back. Be sure that any cuts you make are flush with the branch bark collar that is near the base. Be very sure that the branch is dead. I would wait until the rest of the tree, etc. has leafed out before taking any drastic measures. It does make the garden look so much better when all those dead and messy branches are removed. A rule of thumb for pruning is: Any plant that blooms on this year’s growth should be pruned whilst it is still dormant (before the buds show any green), and any plant that blooms on one year old wood may be cut and shaped immediately after this year’s flowering is over. This way you will still enjoy this year’s flowers, but you can shape the plants before next year’s bloom starts forming. Remember that you only have 10 days after the lilac’s flowers fade to prune – after 10 days next year’s flowers will be starting to form.

Taking Mulch Off Your Beds:

You should have lots of mulch on your precious plants at this time of year due to the swings in the weather. Warm one day and bitterly cold the next, so exercise some patience before running out to pull off the mulch, we have a way to go yet. When you do start, remove it very slowly. Use your hands rather than a hoe or rake - it is amazing how much damage we can do to young tender sprouting plants. I use my leaf blower, it works well and does no harm.

Once you have removed the mulch layer, go out with a pair of clippers. Look where you are walking and tread very lightly, especially if the ground is still a little frozen or wet, as we do not want to compact the soil – I suggest that you wear an old pair of golf shoes. I understand that the old steel spikes are almost banned on golf courses, so instead of dumping them in the garbage, recycle and wear them in your garden. This will help to prevent compacting the soil, thus, depriving the plants of much needed oxygen.

Cut all dead stalks to the ground especially the grasses, and I am sure that your heart will be gladdened to see fresh young shoots starting to grow. Another reason to do it now, is to get a jump start before you have a tangled mess of old and new stalks growing together.

Composting:

Compost can be spread at this time because it is still decomposing, and it will continue to generate some heat, helping to combat Spring’s temperature swings. It will also help to prevent the soil from compacting when we get those drenching rains, smothers emerging weeds and supplies texture and nutrition to the soil.

Choosing a nice day with no wind or rain, sprinkle compost over the garden to a depth of 1 to 3 inches. Be careful not to smother any growing perennials or spring-flowering bulbs.

Pruning:

Deciduous plants that have been “sleeping” all winter are now awakening - this is an ideal time to groom the plants. Get busy before the leaves pop out. Using those newly sharpened clippers and lopers, cut out all the dead, diseased, damaged branches and water sprouts, as well as any suckers at the base of the plant. Remove any branches that spoil the appearance of the plant, thin out any branches that are crossing each other or are growing too densely.

Dividing and Moving Plants:

Soon it will be a good time to divide and move perennials; it is easiest to do this before the leaves and flowers start to grow. Always start by deciding where the divided plants are going. Prepare that area or spot before you do anything else. Dig a hole, improve the soil with compost and have either a hose or watering can ready. Then working quickly, dig up the plant taking as large a root ball as possible. Put your shovel straight down through the centre of the plant, thus cutting in two pieces (you can further divide it if it is very large) and place the pieces into the prepared places. Setting it in the ground at the same level it was before, fill it in and water well. If you are passing the other pieces on I would suggest that you pot them up until you are ready to deliver them to either the local plant sale (well named, with planting instructions) or your neighbours.

Fertilising:

Any fertiliser is better than no fertilizer. It will give you bigger and healthier plants and flowers. It is important that you choose the right fertilizer, but do not overdose your plants. A soil test will tell you exactly what nutrients are needed as well as how much.

An ordinary well-balanced fertiliser (5-10-5 or 5-10-10) will do for most of your garden – I repeat too much is not a good thing. Always follow the directions on the label - half strength is better than double strength!!! Plant food can be sprinkled around the base of the plants and lightly scratched in. It is very important to water right after you have fertilised so that the nutrients will soak in and reach down to the roots. If you are planting containers, it is recommended that you add a slow release fertiliser, and throughout the growing season, water with a fertiliser with a low middle number (5-0-5 or a 20-20-20 is acceptable). Peter Green suggests this and if you have seen the hanging baskets in Lakefield and Bobcaygeon, you know he is right.

Bare Roots:

Unlike greened up and growing plants, bare rooted ones can be planted early in the season because they are dormant. Transplant trauma is not an issue, so plant them in cool soil and let them come out of dormancy at a natural gradual rate as the growing season progresses. When they arrive do not be alarmed – you may think that you have been sent dead plants, not so. Last year’s growth has been clipped off and very soon you will see this year’s peeking through. However, do check them over carefully removing any dead, or blackened, wiry roots. Soak the roots for a few hours – overnight is even better in lukewarm water and the roots will “plump up”. Plant them out as soon as the soil is workable, neither still semi-frozen nor soggy. Although these bare roots are small, they will grow so make sure that you leave them sufficient room to expand.

Containers:

This is a good time to get those wonderful containers ready for their new ‘children”. Start out by scraping away any old soil and residue, roots, etc. Soak very dirty ones (this is where the lake comes in handy), scrub them out with a piece of steel wool. Using a mild bleach solution to get rid of any pests and diseases that you cannot see, rinse them inside and out with a mixture of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, and leave them to air dry.

I hope that this will help you to get through the next few weeks and cut down on our frustrations at not being able to work in the garden YET. Once the summer is here we will not have a moment’s peace until the fall, so enjoy your gardening books, planning what you are going to buy (yes you will buy more plants!), even sitting outside on balmy days with your coffee and a book, gardening of course. Maybe clean off that snow shovel and put it away until next winter – where you can put your hands on it when next needed. I still cannot find my ice chopper! PI hope that this will help you to get through the next few weeks and cut down on our frustrations at not being able to work in the garden YET. Once the summer is here we will not have a moment’s peace until the fall, so enjoy your gardening books, planning what you are going to buy (yes you will buy more plants!), even sitting outside on balmy days with your coffee and a book, gardening of course. Maybe clean off that snow shovel and put it away until next winter – where you can put your hands on it when next needed. I still cannot find my ice chopper!

I know that many of you are not as lazy as I. You like to start your own plants from seed. It can give you up to 10 weeks head start on the growing season. Before you rush out and purchase all those peat pots and get your hands into the starter mix, let’s look at some of the ways of giving you the optimum blooming success.

First of all choosing the right seed is important. Think about…

1) How long does it take for seeds to sprout, to germinate, and how many days until harvest, disease resistant, soil and sun requirements, plant size, and for vegetables, expected yields.

2) Choose the seeds that match not only your needs but also the conditions of your planting beds. When we first started growing our own vegetables, Jack ordered a pound of peas! Needless to say we had peas from here to eternity.

3) Look for seeds that are award winning varieties; this information will be on the packets. These are seeds that have done well in horticultural trials. Look for new disease and drought resistant varieties of old favourites.

4) Seed packages are a wonderful source of vital information. They will tell you where and how to plant, how long it takes to mature, etc. Many of you do not bother to read the seed packets, and that is a mistake for things change all the time.

5) It is a good idea to soak all your seeds overnight as this helps to speed up the germination time. Morning glories, sweetpeas, peas, beans and any hard shelled seeds truly benefit from soaking.

6) Seeds can remain viable as long as they are kept in a cool dry place, but they do degrade after a while, so make sure that you only purchase the amount of seeds that you can use. Any left over can go to seed exchanges, plant sales, etc. Do plant an extra row, for the food banks.

7) Seedlings need lots of light to grow. Although a south facing window works fairly well, a grow light provides intense illumination and helps to speed up the germination process.

8) Remember most seeds (the exception is the pea) need warm temperatures to sprout, 69-75oF – higher temperatures than that will damage the seeds and cooler ones will prevent germination. Once the seedlings emerge, lower the temperatures to 55-60oF overnight and during the day should be 65-70oF to prevent leggy growth, and that is all there is to it.

Claude Monet, Notes to his gardener, Giveny, 1900.
Should the Japanese paeonies arrive plant them immediately if weather permits; taking care initially to protect buds from the cold, as much as from the heat of the sun. Get down to pruning; rose trees not too long, except for the thorny varieties. In March sow grass seeds, plant out the little nasturtiums, keep close eyes on the gloxinia, orchids, etc. in the greenhouse, as well as the plants under frames. Trim the borders as arranged; put wires in for the clematis and climbing roses as soon as Picard as done the necessary.

Oh for a gardener to carry out our instructions, to create the paradise that Monet did.

I read this tip in a magazine. To make an inexpensive, temporary “greenhouse/coldframe”:

Built over a raised bed, you will need a heavy duty plastic drop cloth or purchase by the length at any hardware store, scrap wood, and a pair of ladder hooks - it will take about 15 minutes to construct and cost around $5. Sandwich one end of the plastic between two long two-by-fours, this end goes on the ground. Attach the other end to a fence with some shorter two-by-fours or just drop it over the fence; the weight will hold it in place thus creating a cover for your plants. The open ends allow lots of ventilation, so that your plants will not "cook". On really warm, nice days, just roll up the plastic and hang on the ladder hooks. Very simple, and will save your plants from light frosts.

The sun is bright still and the days are getting longer. It was light last night at almost 7 p.m. and it was light at 6:30 a.m. this morning. Too bad it isn't warm enough to be out in the garden. I did pick up as much of the debris, however, that has accumulated over the winter. So, good gardening, hats with a brim, sunscreen, lip salve, gloves and warm jackets

Lovingly, Beryl