Monday, January 25, 2010

“ Plants and Birth Control: did you know that plants are planning your Parenthood?"

Can plants affect animal reproduction –YES! We shouldn’t be surprised as ancient cultures recognized, and used, a variety of plants to control their fertility – what we would now call “birth control”. What inside knowledge did these cultures have about plants that affect human fertility? How effective was it? How was that knowledge lost? To find out…join us Feb. 3rd Garden Club Meeting !
Warning: mature themes and plant sexual content. Viewer discretion advised.

 Dr.Kate Frego did a great job very interesting and informative.Their maybe some members who will look at plants or birth control  in a different light. Especially plants such as wild carrot, juniper berries and what goes into your salad bowl

Transplanting French Lace Lilac (Question Submitted )

The Fundy Gardeners blog has received a question about Transplanting French Lace Lilac

How does one transplant a mature French Lace Lilac Tree with out killing it ,in light of ,one is not able to dig it out with a back hoe. Need to cut it back to be able to handle it . Can the roots be divided.


Transplanting a large shrub is really no different or more stressful to the shrub than when it was younger and smaller, provided the same relative-size undisturbed root-ball is successfully lifted. That's where it becomes more challenging for the digger who has to handle the larger, heavier plant. Heavily pruning back the top (30-50%) to match the much-reduced root mass will increase the chances of success greatly, as well as make the top a more manageable size. Then dig a trench at a radius of 18-24" from the trunk(s), cutting all roots encountered, 12" deep or more, until most roots are cut, then cut under the root ball as much as possible and pull and pry it out. 3 or 4 helpers would make it much easier. Doing the job before mid-May when little bud burst had yet happened will greatly increase the chances of survival, which should then be in the order of 80-90%. Quickly locate the shrub in its new hole, with manure and bonemeal worked in under and around the root ball, pack in soil and water well. Should be fine!
 
 Duncan Kelbaugh Brunswick Nurseries Ltd.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

SEEDY SUNDAY in St. Andrews

7th Annual Seed Exchange

The days are getting longer, the sun is getting stronger....

It's time for SEEDY SUNDAY!

Come to the 7th annual Community Seed Exchange

Sunday, February 14th          2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Anglican Church Hall, King Street,

St. Andrews

All are welcome. If you have seeds to share, or would like a few seeds (vegetables, flowers or herbs) from fellow gardeners, please join us.

You can also bring favourite seed catalogs, information about local seed and plant sources, photos of your garden, and seed-saving tips that you can share (in writing or just by telling us about them.)

Questions? Call 529-4982.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Seed starting 101 by Yvonne Cunnington

 Get a jump-start on the growing season with these easy tips

You might think growing from seed is a practice only for advanced gardeners, but it isn’t difficult to get the basics down.

Rule number one: Don’t sow too early or your plants will be leggy and overgrown long before you can transplant them into the garden.

In my experience, if the seed packet recommends sowing four to six weeks before the last frost date, it’s better to pick the four- rather than the six-week date. (To calculate the sowing date, count back from your region’s last frost date; for me in southern Ontario, that’s the third week of May.)

Choosing seeds

Annuals and vegetables are the easiest to grow. Perennials, however, are trickier because most need a period of cold to break dormancy and take a couple of seasons to reach flowering size.

Containers

Propagating kits (available at garden centres or hardware stores) include four or six cell packs, a tray to hold the packs and a plastic lid. If reusing containers,wash with soap, water and a little bleach, and make sure they have drainage holes. Newly sprouted seedlings may look alike, so label containers as you sow.

Sowing medium

Use fresh, sterile seed-starting mixture (available from garden centres). Moisten mixture about an hour before sowing; it shouldn’t besoggy, just as damp as a wrung-out sponge.

Follow directions

Seed packets contain information on timing, lighting requirements, sowing depth, and optimal germination and growing temperatures.

Keep moisture in

Lightly water freshly sown flats, then cover with plastic dome lid, or if reusing containers, place them inside a plastic zip-lock bag. At the first signs of germination, uncover or remove from plastic bag.

Watering

When the top of the soil looks dry, water carefully using a small watering can with a fine spray. Avoid overwatering: soggy soil and poor air circulation

can lead to damping off, a fungal disease that can kill baby plants. Prevention is best, but the fungicide No Damp can also help.

Light

A bright window works, but grow lights or cool fluorescent tubes are better. Keep seedlings about eight to 10 centimetres from light source to prevent plants from becoming too spindly. Plug lights into an automatic timer set for 16 hours on, eight hours off.

Fertilizer

When seedlings have two sets of true leaves (the first leaves are called cotyledons—or seed leaves—so wait for the true ones), start feeding once a week with a balanced (20-20-20), water-soluble fertilizer at half-strength, working up to full strength after a few weeks.

Resources

The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers from Seed to Bloom by Eileen Powell, Storey Books, 528 pages, softcover, $31.50.

Posted in http://www.canadiangardening.com/
http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Seeds.html
http://countrygardenerblog.com/

Friday, January 1, 2010

Top 10 gardening trends by Mark Cullen

Last week I promised that I would provide you with my list of the top ten trends in gardening for 2010 in Canada.
1. Canadians will be paying down their debt - to the soil.
 As more and more Canadians realize that they cannot draw on the goodness of soil forever, they will be 'giving back' by adding generous layers of organic material including (you guessed it) COMPOST

2. From Garden to Fork. Inspired by the recent trend to eat food produced within 100 miles, Canadians will be growing more of their own food in their own yards and on balconies- Why? To control what is put on their food (i.e. no chemicals), convenience, money saving and honest to goodness wholesomeness.

3. Naturally. Canadian gardeners are discovering -in increasing numbers - the benefits of gardening organically or (at least) in the absence of chemicals. Or at the VERY least, the minimal use of chemicals. Even hardened garden-chemical-users are considering 'cutting down' on the use of them in the garden and yard.

4. Heritage Gardening. As more and more Canadians are prepared to pay a premium for 'heritage' or 'heirloom' tomatoes and other produce, they are also more interested in growing what their great grandparents grew... look for heritage tomato varieties at garden retailers this spring.

5. Water Conservation. Gardeners are acutely aware of water use and are naturally concerned about the limited availability of water in most regions of the country. Look for an increase in the use of rain barrels and other 'water saving' devices including low pressure water sprinklers and water conserving products like the new Water Wicks tea bags, which retain up to 400 times their weight in water, releasing H2O to the root zone of the plant as it is required. The result is a reduction of watering by up to 70%.

6. Bringing Nature Home. Gardeners are closely connected to the natural world and are designing their gardens in an effort to embrace the natural world around them rather than insulate themselves from it, as we did a generation ago with high hedges and large, fast growing trees and evergreens... as a result lawns will get smaller, native plants will gain in popularity and birding in all forms (including bird feeding) will continue to rise in popularity.

7. Gardeners as Community minded activists... Gardeners are seeing themselves more as a vital part of the community as a whole, with sensitivity to historic attributes of our towns and cities, public green spaces and the overall beauty of our communities. We will see horticultural societies and individual gardeners give time and resources to partnerships with Historic societies, conservation groups and a growing interest in Communities in Bloom.


8. Smaller is better. As house builders continue to build larger homes on smaller lots, the nature of gardening spaces will continue to 'intensify'. The popularity of dwarf conifers, small flowering trees and growing in containers will continue to grow.

9. Gardening as Therapy. As our population ages there is a growing appreciation for the therapeutic benefits of gardening... Improved cognitive skills, sharper minds, better memory, lower blood pressure, increased flexibility and overall better health result from the ACTIVITY of gardening, regardless of age.

10. Gardening for the NEXT generation and Gardening for Pets. The emerging generation of gardeners is integrating their kids and grand kids (and even their pets!) into the gardening experience. In an effort to reduce the growth of 'nature deficit disorder' the garden is providing the perfect opportunity to engage young people in Mother Nature's world, right in our own backyards.


Keep your knees dirty in 2010!!


Mark

http://www.markcullen.com/