Neighbours talking over the garden gate has long been a tradition. They share gardening tips, complain about the weather and pests yet are ever eager to discuss their gardens. That is what I had in mind when creating this blog. So stop by my garden gate to find out the latest happenings in my garden.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
"All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child." ~ Madame Marie Curie"

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Something to Ponder


Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Saturday, May 17, 2008

Pondering


Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Thursday, May 15, 2008

Lilacs


Common Lilac
(Syringa vulgaris)

May 11, 2006

Lilacs especially the deep pinky, purplish ones are one of my favourite flowering bushes. As a child I used to climb one of our lilac trees and sit in a cradle formed through pruning. Hidden from view and cooled by the dark leaves I spent many a summer afternoon reading. With the exception of our first house there has been at least one lilac bush in every house we've owned. We have a small thicket of common lilac here.

The common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) and the smaller hybrid Persian lilac (Syringa x persica) are large deciduous shrubs that range in size from 2 to 10 m. Originated in Europe and Asia, they became popular in New England botanical gardens in the 1750's. A lilac bush can live for hundreds of years! Lilacs bloom in the spring filling the air with their heavenly, sweet scent. Lilacs are relatively maintenance free and very easy to care for. Many believe that lilacs should be pruned however, blooms form on old wood so the bush will produce more flowers if left unpruned. A pruned bush will produce few flowers but fast growing stem growth and may not bloom well for as many as five years after pruning. An unpruned lilac bush will flower profusely every alternate year. Blooming can be encouraged by deadheading after the colour fades but before seeds are formed. Blooms range in colour from white to a pale, bluish purple to a deeper pinky purple as shown in the photo. One lilac cultivar (Aurea) has yellowish flowers. Some cultivars have double flowers rather than the single flowers in the photo.

Lilacs produce secondary suckers from the base and roots of the shrub. If left these will produce a thicket that if not disturbed will remain long after buildings on the property are removed. This tendency makes lilacs the perfect choice for camouflaging unsightly fences or forming a living privacy screen. If you don't want a thicket forming, simply remove the secondary suckers as they appear.

Lilacs are subject to the powdery mildew Erysiphe syringae in late summer although some cultivars are more resistant than others. Humid air, over fertilizing, overcast days and irrigation are conditions that favour powdery mildew. This disease will be more severe in dense plantings and for lilacs planted in damp, shaded areas. Once infected the leaves may drop prematurely but aside of aesthetics this does not harm the bush. A variety of fungicides are available in some areas to control this powdery mildew but should only be used if the disease occurs in the spring or early summer. If powdery mildew occurs late summer there is no need to treat. Some biological control can through a variety of insects and snails that feed on the spores. The best way to prevent powdery mildew on lilacs is to plant where the bush will get good air circulation.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Nomenclature (aka naming)

If you have been following this blog you will already have noticed that I try to include the Latin (scientific) names of plants, pests and other critters in my garden. The main reason for this is to avoid confusion from using common names. Common names tend to be region specific and sometimes as with Irish moss the name refers to two unrelated plants where Sangia subulata is an herbal ground cover and Chondrus crispus is an edible seaweed, so two very different plants with the same common name. So when referring to garden plants especially it is best to use include the scientific name. This also becomes very important when ordering seeds so that you end up with the exact plant you want. It is not as critical to use scientific names for pests like squirrels or rodents as the control measures will be the same, however it is beneficial to use scientific names if possible as prevention and/or control may differ.

Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification of living organisms. It starts very broad with Kingdom that is divided into monera, protista, fungi, plantae and animalia based on common characteristics. For example Kingdom Monera consists of prokaryotic cells or simply bacteria. All bacteria have a common characteristic that sets them apart from other Kingdoms. Each of these are subdivided into Phylum which is further divided into Class. The subdividing of each Class is the Order. Following this is further subdivisions to form Family, Genus and Species. When referring to plants scientific name usually includes the Genus followed by the species and sometimes subspecies denoted as "spp. subspecies name. As the divisions from Kingdom to Species continue they become more and more specific. Naming is based on Latin that describes some aspect of the characteristic of that division. For example all the common lilac is Syringa vulgaris. Syringa is derived from syrinx that means hollow tube referring to the broad pith in some species that can be hollowed out to make reed pipes and flutes. So all plants in the Genus Springa will have this common characteristic.

To recap the classifications are:

Convention dictates that when using scientific nomenclature, the Genus is capitalized, the Species is not. The names should be in italics or underlined. For example Sangia subulata or Sangia subulata. The full Genus name can be shorted to the capitalized first initial in italics followed by a period, space then the full name of the Species. For example Sangia subulata can be written as S. subulata. For the purposes of this blog the main nomenclature will involve Genus species or Genus species spp. subspecies.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Daffodils


Daffodils
genus Narcissus
April 28, 2008

Who can resist the cheery bright yellow of daffodils blooming in early spring? These beautiful flowers have graced gardens for centuries. Botanically, daffodils (common name) are are in the family Amaryllidaceae, genus Narcissus. All members of genus Nacissus have a central trumpet (corona) surrounded by a ring of 6 floral leaves (perianth) that forms a tube at the forward edge of the ovary. The outer three segments are the sepals while the inner three are the petals forming the trumpet.

Daffodils are quite cold tolerant and one of the easiest flowers to grow. They grow nicely under deciduous trees as well because they are finished blooming by the time the diciduous leaves are out. They do not grow well under evergreens although some here planted quite close to evergreens are growing fine as seen in the clump pictured above. Daffodils are propagated from seed (sexual - different copies) or bulbs (asexual - exact copies). Naturalize daffodils by planting bulbs under sod or ground cover in locations where the daffodil foliage can be left until died back and the area will remain undisturbed for years. Plant the bulb so the top (pointed end) is twice as deep as the bulb is high. For example a 2" high bulb should be planted 4" deep. Squirrels and rodents will not eat the bulbs because the contain the toxic crystal lycorine but they may dig up the bulbs. Fertilize with 5-10-10 when the leaf tips emerge then with a 0-10-10 or 0-0-50 as they flower. Water well while in bloom and for about 3 weeks after blooming then stop watering. Allow the leaves to die back, removing when they have turned brown. In flower beds, daffodils should be left for 3 to 5 years then moved. Dig them after the foliage has turned yellow. Wash them well and allow to dry about 1 week. Store in a cool, dark location for fall planting.

An excellent resource for further information on daffodils is the American Daffodil Society. There are at least 25 species but many cultivars of daffodils consisting of thirteen divisions based on description. For example all daffodils in Division 1 have a cup that is as long as or longer than the petals with one bloom per stem. According to the division classification, the clump pictured above is in Division 2 with a cup measuring more than a third but less than half of the length of the petals.

I have several clumps of daffodils here. Some have double trumpets (Division 4) and most are Division 2. Some are all yellow and shades of yellow with yellow cups (corona) and perianth while others have yellow cups with white perianth. Most of my clumps are being naturalized in the back yard rather accidentally as we removed flower beds but the bulbs survived. The look is really quite pretty in the sloping and gently rolling backyard so I plan to expand the naturalization of both daffodils and crocuses.

Warning: All parts of the daffodil but more so the bulb contain lycorine and galanthamine that are toxic. They can be dangerous to animals especially dogs. Pets and children should always be supervised when in the garden. For more information on poisonous plants in your garden please click here.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Monday, May 12, 2008

On Vacation

Dear Readers, when we go on vacation you are used to seeing the "'puter on vacation" image. This time I decided to do two things differently. Thanks to Blogger's new scheduling option, I've worked quite hard to give you a few scheduled posts for reading during my absence. That means I created these posts before leaving but have each scheduled to go online on different dates. By the time you read this post, we will be on our way. I hope you enjoy them. The second difference is as a new owner of an iPod Touch I will be able to stay in touch with blog comments, emails and may even make a blog post while away. Although I won't be online much, this will be a nice change for when I want a little personal down time. The iPod Touch will be a lot easier to travel with than the laptop as well.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day


Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Friday, May 09, 2008

Ontario Lawn Pesticide Ban


Female Mallard
(Anas platyrhynchos)

This adult female Mallard has been frequenting our backyard likely in search of a suitable nesting site. While she seems be enjoying her stroll through the lawn and I love her visits, I cannot say the same thing about grass. Sorry folks but I am a grass hater in the form of a pristine, green, outdoor growing, carpet. I can say that even though we laid sod last year as a quick fix before hosting a large outdoor event. Don't get me wrong, grass does have some uses like preventing ground errosion and ground cover but for the most part, the way grass is used is not environmentally friendly.

We are so used to seeing perfectly manicured, chemically dependent, expanses of green lawn. A considerable amount of money is spent to keep them looking that way using fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, copious amounts of water without even considering the environmental impact of maintaining lawns. People pay a huge amount of money to kill dandelions in their yards yet will pay to buy dandelions for their salads. Does anyone see the irony in this? People are complaining about the rising cost of food yet instead of vegetable gardens they have a well manicured yard. Does anyone recall victory gardens? During WWII the government encouraged urban citizens to plant backyard gardens to provide their own fruits, herbs and vegetables, something rural folk had been doing all along. Preserving the bounty from the garden was a high priority as well. A small patch of yard can provide a surprisingly large amount of food instead of grass, something many have already realized.

Quebec introduced it's Pesticide Management Code in 2003 with the final phase effective in 2006. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced his pesticide ban for the sale and cosmetic use of pesticides on Earth Day to go into effect 2009. More than 300 pesticides, herbicides and fungicides will be banned under this legislation including products like Round Up, Killex and Weed 'n' Feed affecting lawns and gardens. Farming and forestry operations will be exempt from the ban as will pesticide used for healthy and safety concerns. This announcement has sent some residents into a stock-piling mode for these pesticides as stores have already started pulling pesticides from their shelves. However, since the ban includes the use of for cosmetic reasons some of these folk will likely get themselves into a bit of hot water. The City of Toronto has begun fining up to $5,000 to people using pesticides and guess what, neighbours or anyone can easily file a complaint that someone has used a pesticide. I doubt the manufacturers are very happy about this new ban. What this ban will do is if force property owners to use organic methods for weed control. However, folks against the ban say that this will force property owners to do more mowing as a means of control, something that will increase CO2 emissions. Compounding the problem is many municipalities have noxious weed control bylaws in place so it is up to the property owner to remove the noxious weeds on their property or the municipality will enter the property and remove them at a cost to the property owner along with in some cases a fine. What really needed is a paradyme shift of public attitude to see that instead of grass there are other low maintenance, environmentally friendly ground covers and at least part of any property with a lawn should be used to grow fruits and vegetables.

Personally, I agree with the pesticide ban but I don't think McGuinty went far enough. I think he should have banned grass used for cosmetic reasons aka lawns. There are so many other maintainence free ground covers that could be used in place of perfectly manicured lawns. The problem is when some people have replaced their lawns with wildflowers or other suitable ground cover, municipalities have waved their little fingers under the property owner's nose, slapped them with a fine and told them to rip out the ground cover and replace it with grass. Heaven help the environmentally friend homeowner who has to deal with a home owner's association! McGuinty should encourage the citizens of Ontario to use low maintenance ground cover that does not need mowing. Just think of how much we could reduce our carbon emissions just by not mowing grass. He should encourage and even provide an incentive for every citizen in the province to grow a modern day version of victory gardens!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Irish Moss


Irish Moss
(Sangia subulata)


I planted Irish moss in a small border bed bordering the garage. The bed is about five feet long, about two feet wide and is tucked between the garage and sidewalk. Like the other border beds here there is a deep layer of gravel for drainage in this bed. Here the Irish moss will be able to spread freely to fill the bed yet be contained from spreading elsewhere. What I like about Irish moss is not only is it low maintenance, it is environmentally friendly. Unlike grass it does not need trimming and because it is so thick, the Irish moss bed should remain relatively weed free. Unlike English ivy, Irish moss does not provide a habitat for rodents nor will I have to worry about it climbing on the brickwork. Irish moss is the perfect solution!

Irish moss (Sangia subulata) is a terrestrial plant also known as Scotch moss (Sangia subulata Aurea) is not a true moss but rather an herb. It forms tight mounds like moss. Chondrus crispus, an edible sea weed that is used as a medicinal herb and thickener is also commonly called Irish moss. Sangia subulata is ideal as a ground cover with low growing bright green foliage and small, star shaped white flowers. Scotch moss has small, star shaped yellow flowers. Irish moss can be grown in any soil while Scotch moss prefers clay soil making both plants ideal for problem areas. Both spread rapidly forming a low growing carpet of green that is deer resistant and tolerant to foot traffic. They are hardy in zones 4 to 9. When planting, space 12 inches apart in full sun to partial shade. Don't over water or allow to dry out. Propagation is done by cutting out sections of an Irish moss clump then pressing the section into moderately moist soil.

If you have a problem area or want to fill the cracks between stepping stones, then do consider this pretty herb. It is sure to be a lovely addition to your gardens.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007