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   Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions This Spring!
   by Beryl Harris, Master Gardener
  1. Do plants really move?
    Oh yes they move toward the light - Place a plant in the shadows and by the next day all the branches and leaves will be stretching toward the light - there is one plant called the Telegraph Plant - it moves all day long . Its leaves grow in sets of three. Two of the leaves move up and down during the day, seemingly sending out signals - at night the leaves droop - Now who says that plants are neither intelligent nor do they move?

  2. Do plants "glow in the dark?"
    Some do - they give off light somewhat like little Christmas tree lights. Many with a green light and others with an orange or yellow light - A number of mushrooms glow, as do very tiny plants that live on dead wood - many plants that live at the bottom of the sea glow. If you are walking in the woods at night look for these gems. Little patches of pale light glowing in the dark (they actually glow in the daytime too, but cannot be seen in the sunlight) - This strange and beautiful light is known as "Fox-Fire."

  3. How often should I water and fertilise my hanging baskets?
    If you can take down your hanging basket with ease -( it will feel very light) - this is the time to water -making sure that it is thoroughly soaked. If there is a very hot spell - I suggest that you put the basket into a large container - a clean garbage can works well - fill the container with water until it just covers the basket - it will bubble, once the bubbles cease - you know that all the air pockets are now filled with water - as to fertiliser - this is a good time to do so - make sure that you read the instructions very well - and use half the recommended amount - more and you will burn the roots - more is not better - if you are using a watering can one quarter the amount of fertiliser - once a week is more than sufficient.

  4. How can I create a water-wise garden?
    The two most important design elements for a successful water-wise garden are grouping plants of like needs together and either eliminating turf or at least keeping the amount of grass that you have to a practical size- That is, as much as you need and no more. Both of these practices will result in considerable water savings. Other important principles that landscape architects use in designing are Unity, Proportion, Balance, Variety and Colour - all this can be achieved by growing plants in containers, and saving even more water

  5. How do I begin to redesign and rejuvenate my garden?
    The most difficult part in this task is making a start - Look through books and magazines to get ideas, and see which you like; It may be formal or informal; the emphasis on plants or on hard landscaping ; perhaps mainly foliage, texture and ground cover or lots of colourful flowers; straight edges or curved and flowing lines. Start sketching lots of ideas, not perfection just exploration - make a list of those outlines that you like best and then put it away for a couple of days - you will surprise yourself , you will see ways to improve your earlier effort and it will be much easier this time around. It is always easier to plan on paper than trying to move plants around in the garden - Keep the plants that you enjoy the most and be ruthless in discarding others - Your friends and neighbours will love you for your generosity in your donations to them

  6. What should I look for in designing a garden?
    As well as walkways, steps, flowers and bushes etc - ask yourself what am I going to be using this space for? Is it to sit quietly by myself,? Are there children who need swings and a place to rough house? When is it going to be used? If the most use is in the evenings think about screened in areas. Walk around the space and look to see if the walkways are wide enough - are there trees hanging over areas where you will be walking and or -sitting ? Nothing is worse than being dripped upon ! Planning should also involve practical essentials, somewhere to dry the laundry and a hiding place for the garbage cans, perhaps a built- in barbecue ?. The most attractive garden can become an irritation if there is no room for a clothes line, or if it is a long walk to put out the garbage - especially in the wintertime - if it does not fit your needs - you will neither enjoy nor use the garden to its potential.

  7. I am thinking about making a pond in my garden - does it have to be large or can a small one be as beautiful?
    Monet built a small pond. It is still there and no matter what the time of day it is very beautiful, a quiet place to sit and meditate . Light changes very quickly . At dawn there is a golden light. If it is misty, it is a sparkling shroud of silver and diamonds . A pond is so lovely in the evening, my favourite time of day, for if there is moonlight it is lit with another kind of silver. A pond has a different feeling to the rest of the garden , for with fewer flowers , its simplicity makes it a more tranquil and reflective place.

    You can create this oasis - very simply in your own garden. Keep the lines "clean and uncluttered" and use flat stones around the edges and fill in the spaces with very small flowering plants. Use fish to prevent mosquitoes breeding in the still water - for a small pond a baby bath may be recycled, by sinking it into the ground. Place a few large stones in the bath and you will attract frogs and toads . You may have a small water garden even if you have no space at all , for a large container with a single water lily works just as well . These days with the threat of West Nile Virus hanging over us, just adding a few very small fish will prevent mosquitoes breeding , buy the tiny red feeder fish , they cost around ten cents each they will live for at least the summer months - maybe even increase in numbers. Everyone has room for a small water garden even on an apartment balcony.

  8. Why aren't my Peonies blooming?
    Usually it is because they are planted too deeply and neither fed nor looked after , for Peonies are a long term investment , living longer than a lot of us, you will often find plants blooming amongst farm ruins - if cared for they will last at least 40 years and more - I have some in my own garden well over 60 years old. My father-in-law planted them in 1940 he has been dead since 1956 . It is best to plant them in the fall ( they can be ordered through any garden catalogue ) thus allowing the plant to make the most of the favourable autumn days to adapt to their new surroundings and add root structure. A dollar hole for a 10 cent plant is the rule here , the planting hole for a peony in fertile soil should be at least fifteen inches deep and thirty inches wide , remember "the first year the peony sleeps, the second it creeps and the third year it leaps" filling up the space that you had provided when you dug the hole - three years ago , Fill the hole with aged compost mixed with the removed topsoil - do not use fresh manure, it burns the roots, nor sawdust, it robs the soil of nitrogen . If the new peony looks dry, soak it overnight before planting. Plant eyes up and roots down but the eyes should NOT be more than two inches below ground level . Pour in eight to twelve quarts of water , this will compact the soil and prevent the tuber from settling lower than the requisite 2 inches Make sure that you mark the spot well so that you do not damage the eyes next spring, before they have broken ground. Newly planted peonies should not be allowed to dry out so water them occasionally to keep the soil moist . After the ground freezes hard cover new plants with several inches of a loose mulch (evergreen boughs, straw, etc) Mulching prevents soil-heaving, the cycle of freezing and thawing that can actually lift a plant right out of the ground They are heavy feeders and one should use 5-5-5- or 10-10-10 even 12-12-12 but not until the second fall - then only lightly until the third Autumn - read the directions on the container and use half the recommended strength .

  9. I pruned my Lilac in the fall and it did not bloom this year, why not?
    Lilacs are funny - once the bloom fades you have a small window in which to prune it back - in fact 10 days after this years blooms die, next years flowers are already starting to form - If you prune any later than the 10 days and especially if you prune in the fall - you have just cut off next spring's flowers. Water the bushes well going into the winter - fertilise with a 20-20-20 combination in the spring - a cup full of Epsom Salts sprinkled around the bush works wonders - as it does for any flowering plant that is not doing well - Epsom Salts provide missing magnesium . Half a packet for your plants and the rest in your bath tub - you will need it after all that gardening .

  10. Why are my plants just sitting there and not growing?
    This past winter was very hard on every living thing - The long days and nights of 40 degrees F below and the long cold spring , has left the ground very cold - nothing will grow until the ground really warms up - we have not had a sufficient number of warm nights yet - be patient - it will happen!

  11. I have read that it is possible to have moss and lichens grow on stone -- how does one do this?
    In order to encourage the growth of moss and lichens on a stone wall - in the shade - use a clean paintbrush to apply dabs of a wet mixture of hyper-tufa. After letting this mixture cure for about 6 weeks, spray it with a mixture of liquid manure and crumbled moss and lichens that grew on stones somewhere else. Gently sprinkle the wall with water from time to time whilst the plants are establishing themselves. Send a spray of water against the wall from your hose during exceptionally dry periods. Hyper-Tufa Is made by mixing one part cement, one part sand to one part peat moss. In the middle ages, gardeners would create a living bench to sit on - using very much the same technique. Look at some old paintings - Ladies seated on actual growing plants !!!
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