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"

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Carrot Evolution

cartoon courtesy of Nearing Zero.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2008


Saturday, July 19, 2008

Euonymus Bush


Euonymous
(Euonymous fortunei)
July 15, 2008

Euonymous bushes (Euonymous fortunei) are a common feature in many gardens here in Ontario. The two varieties I'm aware of are yellow and white edged both with bright green centres. These really are easy to grow shrubs with few problems. I had a small one at our previous house with the only problem being plagued by aphids but it was planted beside a rose bush so that could have contributed to the aphid problem.

Euonymous are really lovely garden bushes if you keep them trimmed. If you don't trim them they end up being scraggly or if the branches are tied together they tend to be simply over grown. We removed one what looked to be a large shrub about 4 - feet tall. It was overgrown and showed no signs of stopping. What the previous owners had done was tie the branches together to give the appearance of one shrub instead of trimming to maintain the shape. What essentially was left behind was one long rambling branch tied to look like a shrub. We decided to take that bush out but trim up the remaining euonymus as they were smaller and we could trim them with the electric hedge clippers.

Even though aphids were a problem on the euonymus bush at our previous house they do not seem to be a problem here and I have been watching for them. The standard methods of dealing with aphids are spraying with a soap solution and/or releasing lady bugs. Other than that the only real thing euonymus needs is annual trimming. They are beautiful shrubs for your garden, mainly maintenance free and well worth considering for your garden.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2008


Thursday, July 17, 2008

White Nancy Lamiums


White Nancy Lamiums
(Lamium maculatum)
June 26, 2008

Moving into a home with mature landscaping has meant discovering a lot of new to me plants. We moved in late June so that meant we had no idea what spring plants there were. Part of the fun has been identifying the various plants as they emerged to decide if they were friend or foe. This means that I have had a wonderful opportunity to expand my gardening knowledge! I will be sharing some of my findings with you but first a valuable tip. If you have a plant you don't know whether it is a friend or foe, leave it be until you have identified. Take pictures and clipping to take to the nursery where they will more than likely be able to help. Quite often neighbours will say "oh that's such and such" more often using the common name.

I discovered a patch of lamiums in one bed although I didn't know that was what it was until I identified the plant. This bed has to be almost completely revamped so the question became whether this was a plant I wanted there and if not where if at all. The plant is quite pretty so I was hoping it was a friend.

Lamiums are a member of the nettle family (herbaceous) commonly called creeping lamiums. They are low growing, spreading ground cover about 6 - inches tall that blooms in late spring and early summer continuing through the fall. There are several cultivars with flowers ranging in colour from pink, dark pink, rose-red, purple, lavender along with variations in leaf colour from yellow and green to silver and green. Beacon Silver with bright lavender flowers and White Nancy (White Nancy dead nettle, spotted deadnettle) with white flowers. These two varieties with their silvery green leaves edged with a deeper green are the same except for flower colour. Lamiums do not like soggy soil conditions. They are are ideal ground cover for dry shady locations. It can be somewhat invasive but my experience so far is that it is not near as invasive as other ground covers. If planting for the first time, plant 16 - inches apart. Propagation is by division and they are self seeding.

I love the looks of this ground cover. As you know, I detest grass so am always looking for environmentally friendly ground covers. It is a little higher so could provide a habitat for rodents but I haven't seen any indication of this happening yet.

As you can see something has been after my lamiums. I suspect slugs but have not spotted them yet in the actual patch but I do know they are in that particular garden. I am treating with diatomaceous earth mainly because we do have an earwig and centipede problem. Diatomaceous earth is 100% organic made from finely ground diatom fossils. It kills off many crawling insects including earwigs and centipedes (thank-you!) and it can be used indoors or outdoors.

Warning: Use a dust mask whenever applying diatomaceous earth as it can cause respiratory problems during application. Wear gloves to prevent problems with skin absorption.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2008


Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Sweet Million Tomatoes (Container Gardening)


Sweet Million Tomatoes
(Lycopersicon esculentum)
July 16, 2008

If you have been following this blog you will know we moved last year and still do not have the vegetable and herb beds in. They are in progress but we were delayed by the spring weather conditions. We plan on having them ready for fall gardening and to allow the perennial herbs to root well before the cold weather. I'll talk more on that in a later entry.

This year's vegetable crop is being grown in containers. Pictured is one of my Sweet Million (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants with fruit ready for picking. This is a indeterminate cherry tomato plant that matures in 65 days to produce very sweet tomatoes. The fruit grows in clusters and is about 1½ - inch in diameter. It does require staking so the plant can be trellised making this tomato plant ideal for container gardening, small space gardening and square foot gardening. The best location for any tomato plant is in full sun but I've had success with partial shade as seen in my former garden. The best time to harvest tomatoes is when they are in full colour. Tomatoes benefit from epsom salt both around the plant and as a foliar spray (more here).

So many folks have said to me that they don't have room for gardening. My comment is always "get creative". The smallest of spaces can produce a lot of vegetables. Use that balcony space to grow some of your own foods. Container gardening needs to incorporate a few other practices for good production. Make sure your containers are large enough. A five gallon container is ideal and inexpensive. You will need one per plant although some vegetables like lettuces, radishes and carrots can be planted at a higher density. I rely on my square foot gardening knowledge and plant the containers to the same density. Weight can be a problem in some locations. If so, use non-dissoluble packing peanuts instead of gravel for the container drainage layer. First and foremost the containers will likely need to be watered daily and on hot, sunny days maybe more. This does present a problem if you want to go away for a few days. The solution to this is to have someone else water your container garden or to use self watering containers (more on this later). Second each time you water you are leeching some of the nutrients from the soil. Unlike other gardening practices, container gardens have a limited amount of nutrients. For that reason container gardens need to be fertilized. Use a good fertilizer like Osmocote® controlled release fertilizer or a good organic fertilizer. As with all gardens, keep your container garden clean by removing any dead vegetation. Insect control is the same as conventional gardening. If your garden is on a balcony above ground level you will likely eliminate problems like raccoons, squirrels, cats and other such pests depending on your location.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2008