Spring Gardening

Before and after photos of a walkway at the side of a house.   BEFORE:   AFTER:  

Your plant tags and plant info from the internet may not be accurate. Let’s start with plant tags. The plants that are at our local nurseries are not all necessarily grown here in Ontario nor are the plant tags necessarily printed here or contain our Zone 5 growing information. Please keep that in mind and …Read more About “Facts Everyone Should Know About Plant Tags And Plant Info”

Canada Blooms 2013 was the best show I had seen in years. A lot of nice display gardens and the hardscaping booths were all creatively done. Here are some highlights:    

Lilacs can have lovely long seasons depending on the weather. Here is picture of how to trim off the old blooms without damaging next years flower.                       I do recommend pruning off 1/3 of the shrub, like mentioned in previous posts, once the lilac has …Read more About “Techniques To Improve Lilac Pruning”

Spring is the time to trim your ornamental grasses.                 It is still a little wet to divide the perennial grasses.  As soon as the soil dries up a bit, it will be a good time to divide your clump(s) if you feel they are getting too large. …Read more About “Trimming and Dividing Ornamental Grasses Is Easy If You Follow These Steps”

Do you plant impatiens every year in your garden or containers? Well this year (2013) you might want to consider something else. Downy Mildew is currently wiping out plantings of this popular annual and even causing growers to stop growing them. I have filled many benches with flats and flats of these annuals and spent …Read more About “Warning: Why You Should Avoid Impatiens Right Now”

This (pictured above) is how to literally *kill* a tree with kindness. Please don’t bury the flare at the base of the trunk in soil or mulch — it will cause moisture damage to the bark and cambium, eventually harming the thing you’re trying to help. If you’re going to mulch, spread it out in …Read more About “Mulch Volcano Season Begins!”

Please welcome my guest author and friend, Mohammed Jacquesson.  Mohammed is a Paralegal specializing in Small Claims Court matters and is providing you with some great tips today when hiring a contractor. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – As a paralegal specializing in Small Claims Court matters, …Read more About “Hiring A Landscape Contractor”

Cedars, Boxwood and Yews, can be lightly pruned in early spring to remove any winter dieback and prune for shape prior to spring growth. Note to trim hedges a little more narrow at the top to let light get to the bottom of the plant, this is a common mistake that leads to the dying …Read more About “Pruning Of Evergreens”

Summer flowering shrubs like Spirea, Potentilla, Weigela, Hydrangea and even Roses should be pruned in early spring before growth begins and then again later in season to remove spent flowers and encourage more blooms.   If this all appears a little daunting, give me a call and I can arrange to have a trained professional …Read more About “Pruning Of Summer Flowering Shrubs”