The Rural Voice, 2004-03, Page 40•
Gardening
March is the time to plan a better garden
Rhea
Hamilton -
Seeger and
her husband
lire near
Auburn. She
is a skilled
cook and
gardener.
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
It starts in March. The last cold
drift under the lilacs is wasting away.
the seasonal rivulets are merrily
gurgling down the drive and
somewhere there is a patch of mud
sufficiently thawed to stick to your
boot as you slip 'round the yard
checking for rodent damage and
eagerly peeking among the sodden
leaves for a hint of new growth from
the cold earth below.
This is the best time of the year to
take a critical look at the structure of
your garden. The perennials are still
tucked away or, in some gardens, cut
back and cleaned up. The absence of
leaves makes it easy to see shrubs
and trees in their basic form leaving
the unobstructed eye to observe
branches that cross over each other
creating scars where they rub; areas
that are thick with thin straggly
growth that needs thinning; and trees
and shrubs that have outgrown their
location or just need a change of
companions around their base.
With all this organizing and
cleaning up it also leaves the garden
open for a keen eye to determine if
some flowering shrubs or small trees
could be introduced without too
much disturbance.
If your perennial bed looks forlorn
and desperate for some action, then
you must not have any shrubs to
break the monotony. Shrubs and
small trees offer height, shape, and
colour throughout the seasons.
March is one of the best months to
consider planting trees and shrubs.
Their systems are somewhat dormant
and will take the shock of moving
easier.
Research your choice. If they need
a forelt cover then don't pop them
into the centre of an open area to be
36 THE RURAL VOICE
beaten by rhe sun every minute of the
day.
There are some basic guidelines —
aren't there always? Dig a hole that is
as deep as the container or root ball
but at least three to five times as
wide. since the tree feeder roots grow
in the top few feet of soil. Be sure to
mix in some compost but make sure
that it is well distributed throughout
the hole. Loosen the soil on the sides
of the hole.
Position the tree or shrub so that
the root crown is level with the soil.
If you are planting bare root
material, keep in mind the roots must
not dry out. Plant as quickly as
possible.
If in a plastic pot, water
thoroughly and then remove the plant
with as little disturbance of the soil as
possible. If you find the roots twisted
and compacted in the bottom, loosen
them up before planting. Remove
fibre pots and untie burlap from
around the trunk and slit the fabric in
several places.
Backfill with your amended soil
and water well. The water will settle
the soil and you may need to add
more. Once satisfied you can then
add two to four inches of mulch.
And mind the watering: during the
first growing season watering should
be monitored weekly. Resist fertilizer
which will only encourage excessive
leaf growth at the cost of root
development.
There is a long list of garden
favourites. There is the ever -Canadian
crabapple which breeders continue to
work with and surprise gardeners
with new variations in both blossom
and leaf colour. Very hardy, to Zone
3, they bloom in almost every shade
of white to pink to a rosy red blush.
After the bloom is gone the leaves
range from cool green to red bronze
and are long lasting.
One tree I enjoy seeing more of in
local gardens is the Eastern Redbud
(Cercis canadensis). It is so exciting
to see the cluster of pea -blossoms that
erupt along the trunk and branches
before the leaves unfurl. The
raspberry pink is not easily forgotten.
The leaves are a delicate heart shape
and while called a tree I have found
the easily broken branches keep it
small and in some case shrub -like.
Then there is the popular lilac, an
old favourite for so many. They are
among the hardiest of shrubs and will
grow just about anywhere.
Don't forget the dogwoods.
Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)
and Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa)
make lovely additions to your garden.
Unfortunately you almost need a
micro climate to grow the flowering
dogwood. The buds may be winter
killed if not grown and purchased in a
local nursery. The rabbits have eaten
our slender young dogwood each
year. It finally died back to the
ground two years ago and now we
have a struggling shrub.
Among the native species are the
hawthorn, serviceberry, and a wide
variety of viburnums.
Not to be ignored is the staghorn
sumac (Rhus typhina). It took me
three tries before my first sumac took
off. Now we have a lovely 15 -foot
high stand of about 20 at the top of
the stairs to the patio. I keep the
undergrowth trimmed and they
gracefully arch over the stair.
Children are fascinated with their
downy soft stems and the brilliant red
leaves in the fall are quite eye
catching.
We were warned quite early of
their invasive nature and yes they
have travelled a distance underground
but a quick chop with the nippers or
axe when they come up in a path or
lawn deters them from going any
further.
1 have already been out standing
hip deep in the snow eyeballing the
garden, making a list of what has to
be trimmed and what has to be
pulled..1 can hardly wait until the
ground thaws. Next month we will
look at early diagnosis of bug and
disease problems that
can be halted
with a few tricks early
in the season.0