HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2003-05-14, Page 17THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2003. PAGE 17.
Seasoned gardener offers tips for beginners
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
Before turning that first shovelful
of dirt in the spring, there are several
things for the novice gardener to
consider in the effort to create a
beautiful landscape.
“The first consideration is the
amount of time you realistically have
to spend on gardening,” said Betty
Battye, experienced gardener and
president of the Blyth Horticultural
Society.
A garden filled with annuals is the
easiest, she said, with minimal care
and the blooms are there all summer.
However, there is no change with the
seasons. “With a perennial garden,
there is something different every
couple of weeks. It is an ever
changing landscape from April to
October,” said Battye.
Once the type of garden is decided,
Battye said one should look at the
locations to determine the amount of
sun at various times of the day, the
degree of shade and the type of soil.
It is also very helpful to tour the
area, looking at other gardens to see
what is preferred and what works.
“Don’t just read gardening books,”
she said. “What works in Toronto
won’t (necessarily) work here.”
Gardeners often love to discuss
their plantings so Battye suggests
stopping and talking to those who
have something of interest.
When selecting . plants, Battye
suggests purchasing locally-grown
varieties to help ensure hardiness to
the weather, moisture needs and soil
types. There are several local
nurseries which offer good choices.
During the selection process,
reading plant labels will help
determine spread, height of plants,
spacing and sun needs, all critical
components when placing them in
beds.
Battye recommends choosing
perennials which clump rather than
spread. These can be divided in the
following years to further fill beds or
create new ones.
Spreaders need to be contained or
grown in areas where other plants
will not be overtaken. Some good
choices for beginners include
astilbes, autumn joy sedum, hostas
for the shady spots, black or brown
eyed susans, rudbeckia and a nice
ground cover, said Battye. With some
bulbs planted in the fall, the garden
IIow to keep gardens healthy
Here are a few tips from gardening
experts to keep your garden healthy.
• Invest in top-notch soil. Good soil
will ensure healthier plants that are
better able to ward off pests and
disease. Work in plenty of sphagnum
peat moss or compost.
• Water your garden in the morning
instead of the evening. This allows
the plants to dry off quickly,
preventing many fungal diseases.
• Mulch with grass clippings, wood
chips or other mulches as much as
possible. This will reduce watering
and weeding and prevent soil-borne
pathogens from splashing onto plants
during watering and rain.
• Don’t allow your plants to get too
dry. This stresses them, and stressed
plants attract pests and disease.
• Look at your plants daily. Get in
the habit of taking a morning or
evening stroll around the garden.
Most problems can be stopped easily
if detected early.
• Pinch off diseased plant parts.
This will often slow or even stop the
problem.
• Give plants the right light. Too
much sun or too much shade stresses
plants, making them more susceptible
to problems.
• Choose the right plants. Pick
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plants that are well-suited to your
region. Don’t try to acclimatize fussy
exotic plants that don’t do well
without extensive spraying, feeding,
watering or other care.
• Keep your garden well weeded.
Not only will it look better, but plants
that have to compete for sun, water
and nutrients are more likely to get
diseases and pests.
- News Canada
can grow from there.
When just getting started, annuals
can be used to fill in the spaces into
which the perennials will eventually
spread. Battye suggests visiting
plants exchanges which take place in
many communities in the spring. “It
is a great opportunity to try new and
different varieties which have
worked in others’ gardens.”
Day lilies are another nice choice
as they clump and the leaves fill in
around other perennials when the lily
blooms are gone. They are also long-
lasting. However, before the first
plants are placed in the soil, good
preparation of the bed is required.
In early spring, weeds should be
dug from the garden, as tilling or
pulling leave the roots in the ground.
If additives are needed to improve the
quality of the soil, these too should be
mixed into the bed.
Once the planting is completed,
mulch placed around the plants not
only helps prevent weed growth, but
adds a finished look to the garden. It
is also helpful to learn what the
weeds look like as there are only
about six varieties, she said. “If you
know these then it is easier to weed
the garden.”
Battye recommends making a chart
of the garden at the end of the year, so
in the spring, it is easier to remember
which plants are in what location.
An advantage to perennial
gardening is the lack of water
required through the season. Battye
said it is best not to water the gardens
as it promotes shallow root growth
which is detrimental to the long-term
life of the plants.
Battye has more than 100 varieties
of perennials in her gardens and is
still experimenting, changing and
moving plants. Though some
gardeners prefer specific colours,
Battye said she likes a less formal
look with a mixture. “It is like a
patchwork quilt.”
Battye has discovered through her
years of gardening that it is a learning
process with which one becomes
more comfortable and confident the
more it is done. “A garden should be
pleasing to the eye, whatever you
enjoy. If it becomes a burden, then
you don’t enjoy it.”
So with a little forethought, some
help from fellow gardening
enthusiasts, a good selection of
plants and a layer of mulch, a small
perennial bed could be blooming
beautifully in every yard this
summer.
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