July 2026 

GARDEN MAINTENANCE


  •  Harvest raspberries, blueberries, currants and gooseberries. 
  •  Fertilize vegetable plants with a 5-10-10 side dressing. 
  •  Stake tomatoes. Do not remove leaves to expose fruit to sunlight. Removing leaves does not hasten ripening and may result in sunscald. 
  •  Keep pinching faded flowers off annuals and perennials. If allowed to go to seed, the plant will direct energy toward seed production instead of forming new blooms. 
  •  Container-grown plants may need watering once or twice a day during the hottest months of summer. Maintain vigor by feeding every 2 weeks with a diluted fertilizer solution. 
  •  Mulch around plants to keep weeds down and reduce water evaporation. 
  •  Prune spring-flowering shrubs if necessary. 
  •  Trees can be pruned lightly to remove dead, diseased, crossing, rubbing and broken branches, but heavy pruning in midsummer can expose previously shaded leaves and bark, resulting in sunscald. 
  •  If you want to dig up spring-flowering bulbs, wait until the tops have died down. 
  •  Monitor for pests like aphids and mites and control them with organic pesticides. 
  •  Plant beets and carrots by mid-July; plant transplants of cauliflower (fall and overwintering), broccoli, kale and cabbage (fall & overwintering); plant quick-maturing bush beans; continue to plant a row of lettuce at the beginning of each month. 
  •  July usually starts a dry weather cycle, making garden chores mainly consist of watering—and more watering. You will also be weeding more often so your growing vegetables can get all the water, sun and nutrients they need. 
  •  Remove raspberry canes that have fruited after the June harvest (the browning and withering canes), leaving the new, green canes. 



Thanks to Mary Hanson for these timely tips!

Photo: Bee Balm from Leeanne Barr 

 April 2026 

GARDEN MAINTENANCE


  • Fertilize lawns using a complete fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio
  • Rake to remove moss in lawns, then overseed bare areas
  • Cut flower stalks back to the ground on daffodils, hyacinths, and other spring flowering bulbs as the flowers fade. Do not cut foliage until it dries naturally - the leaves are necessary to produce strong bulbs capable of repeat flowering
  • Keep a calendar near the door closest to the garden to track when and what you plant, fertilize, apply pesticides or harvest. You'll refer to these notes year after year
  • Many popular perennials such as phlox, asters and shasta daisies can be divided now
  • Do not fertilize or prune azaleas and camellias until they have finished blooming. Then cut to an outside bud in the direction you want the plant to grow
  • Plant potatoes - using only certified disease-free seed potatoes. Plant whole or cut into pieces, with each piece having at least 2 eyes. Plant 4 inches deep with the bud facing up
  • Sow seeds of beets, carrots, peas, celery, lettuce, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, broad beans and parsley
  • If needed, prune rhododendrons after they finish blooming
  • Lightly feed perennials with a 5-10-10 fertilizer. Avoid spillling on the center or crown of the plant
  • Go on slug patrol. Slugs love cool, moist weather and succulent, leafy crops. Debris in the garden provides them a place to hide.


Thanks to Mary Hanson for these timely tips!

Photo: Thanks to Michael Stewart

 March 2026 

GARDENING WITH CHILDREN


Gardening is not just for adults. It is important for children to be involved in gardening, even if it is only in a small way.  Possibly a potted plant or a special herb they can call their own. The sights and smells of flowers and herbs have a lasting effect on children which stay with them into later years.

If you would like to encourage your children or grandchildren, start when they are very young and their enthusiasm is boundless.  Small children and gardens just seem to go together.  Make a habit of having them help you for short periods each day.  Young children love to mix and dig, so let them blend the potting soil or dig a hole for a new plant.  Give them tasks they can accomplish easily.  Always show them how much fun you are having.

If you have space, establish a garden bed just for a child.  Help them prepare the soil and plant their seeds or plants.  Allow them to make their own choices (no matter what they are) but keep in mind that children love fragrance, color (the brighter the better) and texture.  Some good plants are lamb’s ear which is soft and wooly, nastursiums for color and ease of planting and almost any  of the herbs such as mint or lemon balm (planted in pots to discourage them from spreading) for their wonderful scents.  If you are planting seeds, steer them towards flowers and vegetables that grow quickly.

A fun project for children is to grow a secret hideaway.  Build a string trellis and plant scarlet runner beans that will grow up the strings and form a sheltered place all their own.

Create a garden to attract butterflies and birds.  And while you are at it, put up a birdhouse or bird feeder and transform the garden site into a wonderful place for your child to discover nature.


Thanks to Mary Hanson for these timely tips!
Photo: Edgeworthia chrysantha   photo by Eric Kennedy Flowering through March into April. Grown in part shade.  Heavily scented.

 Feb 2026 

FEBRUARY CHECK LIST

 

At this time of the year it is very difficult to know what can be done in the garden.

The weather is unpredictable, as evidenced this past week. At the beginning of last week the temperatures climbed and there was a feeling of spring in the air. I noticed people out weeding their gardens and tending to the pruning. The crocuses were in full bloom, daffodils were ready to pop into flower. Then came the surprise snowy weather which left everyone wondering whether their plants would survive the cold.

 

Here is a check list of some things you can do in the garden now to get ready for spring.

*    It is a good time to take cuttings from overwintered geraniums.

*    Divide any clumps of perennials and re-plant into the garden.

*    If you haven't sprayed your fruit trees with dormant oil and lime sulphur yet there is still time to get it done. This treatment will kill overwintering eggs of harmful insects.

*    Check stored gladioli corms and dahlia and begonia tubers for rot or disease.

*    Clean up flower beds and put debris in the compost pile.

*    Plant trees and shrubs as soon as the soil can be worked.

*    Bare-root roses can be planted toward the end of this month.

*    Start seed flats indoors under glass. Make sure the plants have enough light.

You can either use grow lights or a combination of cool white/warm white fluorescent tubes set at a height of 10" above the plants.

*    Prepare garden beds by working in plenty of compost or manure. Lime 2 weeks later.

*· Small fruits, such as strawberries, and cane fruits ( raspberry, blueberry,etc) can be planted anytime now . Make trellises for raspberries .

*    If you are thinking about making a compost bin for next year, now is a great time to construct it to be ready for the gardening season.

*    Lawns can be power-raked to remove thatch and moss, or hand-raked with a wire-leaf rake. ( Thatch is the dense mat of grass clippings that can accumulate on lawns and may occasionally need to be removed. If thatch is too thick it impedes the fertilizer or water from reaching the root zone.)

*    Dolomite lime can be applied to lawns at the end of the month.

*    Grape vines can be planted and arbors built.

*    Primulas and pansies are available now at garden centres for planting outdoors for that welcome look of spring.

*   Check your toolshed to be sure that all of your equipment is in good repair.

*    Prune any flowering type shrubs that bloom in the garden after the end of May. Do not prune such shrubs as forsythia, rhododendrons or any others which will bloom in the spring or you will be cutting off the potential blossoms.

*  And last, but not least, for terrific exercise this time of year, you can always hand weed the garden site. The bending and twisting will get you in good shape for the season ahead. 

*  Happy Gardening!

Thanks to Mary Hanson for these timely tips!
Photo: Natalie Jackson

 Feb 2026 

WHAT'S BLOOMING IN MY GARDEN?


From Saltery Bay to Lund, garden club members compiled and shared information on plants growing in their gardens in the years of 2002-2005. The climate zone in this area ranges from 6b to 9a so only some of these will be in your garden. An excerpt from February:

What's Blooming in February:
Camellias, Crocus, Dandelion, Daphne, English Daisy, Heather, Helebore, Kale, Lungwort, Marsh Marigold, Mini Daffoldils and Irises, Primroses, Primula, early Rhododendron, Snowdrops, Viburnum, Viola, Winter Aconite (pictured), Winter Jasmine.

What I'm Doing in My Garden:
Caring for the soil: weeding, adding compost and seaweed into garden beds; cleaning & prepping the greenhouse
Working with plants: starting seeds..onions, shallots, leeks, peas, lavender, petunias, asters, marigolds. Starting woody cuttings..heather, rhodos - with bottom heat in the greenhouse. Pruning type 'c' Clematis. 

Thank you to the creators of this handy booklet: Linda Cummings, Ted & Margaret Cooper, Lin Morrison, Margaret Tyne and Shirley Cole.


Photo: Winter Aconite, Wendy Devlin

 Nov 2025 

WINTERIZING YOUR LANDSCAPE 


Winter weather can take a harsh toll on the plants in your landscaping. In our area winter is especially hard to deal with because our temperatures flucuate instead of staying cold. Freezing and thawing is damaging to plants. Here are some tips that can help. You will improve a plant's ability to survive dry winter weather if you make sure that the plant has sufficient waterings until the soil freezes. It may seem hard to believe in our rainy,wet climate that plants could dry out in winter but sometimes we get long periods of sunny weather with not a lot of rain or plants may be under an eave or overhang where rain doesn't reach. It is important to all plants, but expecially to broadleaf evergreens such as azaleas and rhododendrons, and newly planted trees and shrubs of any kind.
Tips for Individual Plants
Roses: This year has been exceptionally mild so roses still have lots of seed pods left on them. The pods, known as hips, can be left on the rose plants towards the end of the growing season. This will signal the plant to begin to shut down for winter. It is very important to remove fallen leaves, as they can harbor disease spores which can overwinter. It is not necessary to prune roses in the fall unless there are long canes which will whip around in winter winds. This can damage the root systems. Save major pruning until spring.  In late November treat roses with a lime sulphur dormant spray or dust the plant and surrounding soil with dusting sulphur. Apply a 6" to 8" layer of mulch or soil around the base of the plants after the ground has frozen to keep it frozen. Perennials: Remove any leaves which accumulate on perennial beds, as these can smother your plants. Remove any foliage or stems which were infested by insects or disease at the end of the season. Mulch the plants after the soil has frozen. This can be any time from mid December through early January. You can use wood chips, soil, straw or evergreen boughs as your mulch. If perennial beds are located under the eaves of your home, make sure that the eaves are kept clean to keep overflowing water from drowning your plants.
Trees and Shrubs: Established shade and ornamental trees can be fertilized from October through December. Newly planted trees that are located in windy sites can be staked to avoid root damage. Pull mulch at least 12" away from the trunks of trees and shrubs to discourage rodent damage. If deer present a problem, wrap loose cages of chicken wire around trunks.
Evergreen and Broadleafed Evergreens: In addition to watering, an anti-desiccant or anti-transpirant may be used to seal in moisture. These sprays should be applied in late November or early December on a day when temperatures will be 4 degrees C.or above until nightfall. The spray must dry before it freezes. Shrubs that flower early in the spring form their buds from mid-summer through fall. Do no prune them in fall, you will lose your flowers. Ground Covers: It is very important to remove fallen leaves from ground cover beds. Leaves that are not removed will smother your plants and they often harbor disease spores that will cause problems the following year.
Lawns: Start mowing at lower heights when cool weather begins. The last mowing of the year should be to 2". Fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn. Rake up leaves. Any that are left will result in bare spots next spring. Service and winterize the mower before you put it away for the season.
Vegetable Garden: Clean up plants as they succumb to the weather. This is a good time to till the garden. Leave soil clumps to freeze and thaw over the winter. 

Thank you Mary Hanson for the timely information!


Photo: Viola Kovaks on Unsplash

 Oct 2025 

OVERWINTERING YOUR GERANIUMS 


If you don’t want to buy new geranium plants each year, there are three basic ways to carry them through the winter. 

1. Pot them up and grow them indoors.  Place the containers by a very sunny window in a   cool room or in the basement or the garage. The plants will stretch for the light and will become leggy but you can shape the plant in the spring by taking cuttings which will increase your supply of plants. 

2. Dry them. If you have a cool but frost-free spot, such as a protected garage or unheated basement, you can hold your geraniums over the winter by digging them up and storing them without soil.  To do this, dig the plants and cut off almost all of the top growth.  Allow the plants to dry for an hour or two, shake the soil off the roots and cut the roots back by two-thirds. Place the trimmed plants in a brown paper bag, seal the bag and set it in a dark, cool place for the winter. Check the plants periodically to make sure they haven’t shriveled completely. If they begin growing while still in the bags, either the temperature is too high or the plants are not dry enough. If they are too dry, spray lightly with a fine mist (just enough to wet the surface of the roots). Pot the plants up in late winter and move them to a bright window at first, letting them dry out between waterings until they show signs of growth. 

3.  Take cuttings from existing plants.  Before the frost hits your geraniums, take cuttings from the succulent young growth rather than larger, woody stems. Cut  10-to-15 cm (4-to-6-inch) pieces from the tips of the stems. Include several nodes (the point where the leaf meets the stem) in each cutting.  Take off the lower leaves and stick the bottom part of the stem into hormone rooting powder which can be purchased from most garden centres.  Shake off the excess powder and stick the stem into a sterile medium of perlite and sand. Insert the cuttings 4 cm. into the sand mixture. Tamp the sand down around the cutting and place in a sunny location. Keep the medium evenly moist.  Check the progress of the root of the cutting in a few weeks. When roots have formed, pot the young plants.

Thank you Mary Hanson for the timely information!


Photo: Katerina on Unsplash





Sep 2025

Seeding vegetables and herbs in unheated greenhouses with ground-level or raised beds is still possible in September. This gives you microgreens all winter for soups, salads, and shakes, and those left to grow as large as possible can be transplanted out in March to the garden bed and provide great greens until the first spring seeded crops are up. It is great to have some greens started in August and July to provide for earlier greens in October, but the September crop will often prove just as fruitful. Also, spinach and green onions for example can be transplanted from the greenhouse into standard 11” by 21.5” nursery trays and grow well until February in sunrooms and glassed-in porches.