Etobicoke Master Gardeners Humber Arboretum 1 Presented at:

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Etobicoke Master Gardeners Humber Arboretumwww.etobicoke.mgoi.ca www.humberarboretum.on.ca

Presented at: Humber Arboretum

Prepared by: Etobicoke Master Gardeners

Waking Up Your Garden

http://www.etobicoke.mgoi.ca/

http://www.humberarboretum.on.ca/

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Master Gardeners of Ontario




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Waking Up Your Garden In the Spring




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Even in March




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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...




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Your garden is awaiting a warm embrace


www.colourbox.com



https://www.colourbox.com/image/colorful-flowers-in-spring-garden-image-4297162

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So Let’s Wake Up Your GardenOur Goals today: • Winter Warm-ups & the importance of garden

assessment• Review garden clean-up & weeding • Discuss soil & soil improvements• Provide an overview of pruning techniques & what

to prune when• Favourite tools & tool care• How to prepare your lawn• The finishing touches


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Winter Warmups

• Importance of garden assessment • The 3 steps


1 •REVIEW the past

2 •OBSERVE the present

3 •PLAN for the future



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Garden Assessment Step 1: Review • Did you keep a garden journal?• Did you take pictures?

• Why every gardener should!• Journals & pictures help you to review and think about; • Which plants thrived and why or why not• Which plants may do better, and which should be

moved• Assess pollinator activity• Track plant locations & identification • Determine which plants may need to be replaced • Allow you to compare your garden from previous

years Etobicoke Master Gardeners Humber Arboretumwww.etobicoke.mgoi.ca www.humberarboretum.on.ca



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Garden Assessment Step 2: Observe

• Observe the microclimates in your garden or lawn• Hot spots, or cooler zones• Windy areas• Effects of hardscaping




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• Observe moisture patterns in your garden or lawn• Areas that are wetter after

rainfall• Is there any pooling• Areas that are damp, or the last

to thaw• Moss growth




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• Observe the light patterns • Which areas are full sun; partial

sun; full shade• What can be moved to change

the light pattern• Light patterns can change • DON’T FORGET TO TAKE NOTES!




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Garden Assessment Step 3: Plan • Based on your review determine what you are

changing• Prioritize your changes• Hardscaping • Trees & shrubs• Plant materials• Vegetable patches• Container gardens

• Research plant materials • “Map It Out” - choose your plants and their locations • Plan companion plantings, and crop rotation in your

vegetable garden• Plan for winter interest (structure, features)




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Garden clean-up • Encourage ‘air circulation’ and pull away

the ‘sheets’• Clean Up Non woody Perennials• Replant perennials that have been heaved

out of the soil, exposing their roots• Prune Woody Perennials and Roses




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Garden clean-up • Consider dividing mature later-flowering

perennials if necessary (overgrown clumps)• Divide perennials after growth has

appeared

• Candidates for spring division could include: Hosta, Daylilies (Hemerocallis), Ajuga, Daisies (Leucanthemum), Phlox




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Garden clean-up • Prepare Soil

• Get a jump start on weeding

• Empty your compost bins

• Make plant tags for emerging plants

• Plant Cold-Hardy Blooming Annuals and vegetable seeds indoors




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Garden clean-up • Get Containers Ready• Get irrigation lines blown out or turn your

outside taps on• Pressure wash old worn looking pavers,

outdoor furniture, and decks• Plan for next year, fall versus spring

clean-up • Seasonal interest rarely applies to

perennial plants




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Get Your Veggie Garden Ready• Make/repair raised beds.• Weed and till the soil.• Add soil amendments

(triple mix, bagged manure, organic compost – Note: not city compost!).

• Choose your crops.• Plan the layout.• Start seeds indoors or buy

seedlings.• Keeping a journal is

important here too (note insect and disease problems).

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Community Garden near the San Francisco Civic Center – Mar 7, 2015

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Plan Your Container Garden

• Choose the site(s)• Choose the

containers• Choose the potting

medium – peat-based medium is light• Choose the plants• Make plans for

watering and feeding

19Etobicoke Master Gardeners Humber Arboretumwww.etobicoke.mgoi.ca www.humberarboretum.on.ca



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Common spring weeds• Dandelion, Purslane, Ragweed, Burdock, Crabgrass, Canada

Thistle, Garlic Mustard




21Etobicoke Master Gardeners Humber Arboretumwww.etobicoke.mgoi.ca www.humberarboretum.on.ca

Soil – what is it made of?• Weathered rock material broken down over many

years• Sand, silt and clay• Micro-organisms• Organic matter• Water and Air

http://pnwmg.org/images/soilparticlesize.gifhttp://foodstorageandbeyond.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/types-of-soil.jpg

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What does good soil provide to plants?• Temperature control during very hot/cold periods• Oxygen that roots need to breathe• Anchoring support to stay upright• Water that roots need to drink• Food, food and more food!!!

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Composting – what are the benefits?• Reusing and recycling• It’s natural – occurs in nature!• Helps grow strong healthy plants• Good for soil health and structure

• Adds micro-organisms to root zone• Reduces needs for synthetic fertilizers• Helps improve water drainage in clay soils• Helps improve water retention in sandy soils• Helps clean up contaminated soil (remediation)

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Greens vs. Browns• Greens are high in nitrogen or protein.• Greens help microorganisms to multiply fast in the

piles.• Greens help internal temperatures in hot compost

piles.

• Browns are high in carbon or carbohydrates.• Browns supply the energy / food that soil organisms

need.• Browns also help stop odours.• Browns help stop the nitrogen in the piles from

leaching. • Browns are essential in the faster formation of humus




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Why is pruning necessary• To maintain a healthy plant • To keep it from growing too large• To make it more beautiful, and alter form• Improve the quality or quantity of flowers, leaves or fruits• To renew or rejuvenate old shrubs


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http://culvercitycrossroads.com/2015/02/18/transition-to-offer-fruit-tree-pruning-demo/

http://culvercitycrossroads.com/2015/02/18/transition-to-offer-fruit-tree-pruning-demo/

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Pruning Techniques • Clean, sharp tools are essential• Make the right cut in the right place at the right time•You prune a stem when you want to strengthen it, encourage or prevent flower bud formation and/or cause branching




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Pruning Techniques • Stem pruning Thinning Heading

• Removing bark• Root pruning


www.ca.uky.edu



http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ho/ho59/ho59.htm

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ho/ho59/ho59.htm

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What to Prune When• Woody perennials

• Roses

• Flowering shrubs and vines

• Fruit trees

• Ornamental grasses

• Evergreens Etobicoke Master Gardeners Humber Arboretumwww.etobicoke.mgoi.ca www.humberarboretum.on.ca

baetensnursery.com



http://baetensnursery.com/pruning-basics/

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Woody perennials • Some shrubby plants with woody stems need to be

cut back each spring, because they only bloom on new branches Buddleia is one example.• Why pruned in the spring;• to limit winter damage• to encourage the plant to start sending out those new

flowering branches• It's best to wait until danger of a hard frost is past

• Other woody plants such as Lavender and Artemisia need to be pruned to maintain vigorous growth • Prune when the plants shows signs of opening buds on the

lower stem portions or new growth at the base of the plants• Remove a third of the oldest stems from the base of the

plant every year for 3 years




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Roses• First step - remove winter protection • Dig out standards or un-hill others• Roses should not be pruned until about April, to

avoid winter damage• Once the leaf buds begin to swell on the bush,

it is safe to prune• Pruning before the leaf buds open causes the

rose bush to put its full energy into new growth • Hybrid tea, floribunda and shrub roses – prune• Climbing roses flower only on old wood and

need little or no annual pruning, just clean up of very old wood




Etobicoke Master Gardeners Humber Arboretum www.etobicoke.mgoi.ca www.humberarboretum.on.ca

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Roses

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Ornamental Grasses

• If you left your ornamental grasses up for winter interest, you can cut back warm season ornamental grasses that have totally browned

• Cut grasses to within a few inches of the ground

• You don't need to wait for new growth

• They'll come back up when they're ready


http://gardening.about.com/od/plants/a/Ornamental-Grass.htm

http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenmaintenance/ss/Cutting_Grasses_3.htm



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Flowering Shrubs and Vines• Perhaps the most confusing group of plants, when

it comes to pruning times• A general rule of thumb:• Prune summer and fall flowering trees and shrubs in the dormant season (late winter / early spring) - Caryopteris and some Spiraeas• Prune spring flowering trees and shrubs soon after their flowers fade – Forsythia, Lilac, flowering Quince • The confusion comes with plants like Hydrangeas , Roses and Clematis; some of these flower in spring, some in summer or fall, some flower repeatedly

• Always prune away any dead / diseased/rubbing wood

• Prune every year, so that plants are regenerated over time


http://landscaping.about.com/cs/flowerseed/f/pruning_shrubs.htm

http://gardening.about.com/od/winterinthegarden/a/ForceSpShrubs.htm

http://gardening.about.com/od/hydrangea/a/Hydrangea_Care.htm



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Fruit trees and bushes

• Fruit trees and berries will steadily decline unless they are pruned and tended

• So if you are growing tree fruits or berries to harvest, pruning them should be given high priority

• Pruning:• promotes flower/fruit production • increases sunlight into the crown to help ripening• Removes less productive growth• Shapes the tree into a more efficient shape

• Most fruiting plants need to be pruned while they are dormant


http://gardening.about.com/od/treefruits/fl/Choosing-a-Fruit-Tree-for-Your-Yard.htm

http://gardening.about.com/od/treefruits/fl/Choosing-a-Fruit-Tree-for-Your-Yard.htm



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Evergreens• As a general rule, evergreen trees don’t

need to be pruned• It is not recommended that you use

pruning to keep an evergreen tree’s size in check• You will just stress and distort the tree • Choose a smaller, dwarf evergreen rather than trying to size down a large tree

• To improve the fullness of the shape of the bush• this can be accomplished with well timed pruning.• It is best to do this while the tree is young


http://landscaping.about.com/od/pruningtrees/f/tree_watering.htm

http://landscaping.about.com/od/pruningtrees/f/tree_watering.htm

http://gardening.about.com/od/treesshrubs/a/DwarfEvergreens.htm



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Favourite tools & tool care

• Rakes – Flex or Fan Rakes- Straight or Rigid Rakes

Hoes - Trench hoe or Fork Cultivator• Shovels, Forks and Trowels• Secateurs – Bypass, Anvil and Ratcheting• Loppers – plain and extended handle• Saws – folding, pole saw


thegreatestgarden.com



http://thegreatestgarden.com/the-plant-home-vegetables-with-quality-garden-tools/high-quality-garden-tools-22/

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Rakes


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Shovels, Forks and Trowels


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Secateurs


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Loppers


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Saws


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Maintenance


Etobicoke Master Gardeners Humber Arboretum www.etobicoke.mgoi.ca

www.humberarboretum.on.ca 42



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Prepare your lawn • Rake the lawn to remove dead

growth and winter debris• Aerate/dethatch if needed • Cut grass long (2 1/2 inches)• Leave clippings on, water deeply and

less frequently (1 inch of water per week) • Re-seed bare patches of lawn




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Prepare your lawn

• Rake bare spots firmly with a metal rake before seeding• Top dress to fill low spots and soil health • Sprinkle grass seed into a bucket of soil

and spread evenly over the bare spot• Keep well-watered until seeds germinate

and the new grass establishes• Pre-emergent herbicides such as

corn gluten may be applied


http://eartheasy.com/corn-gluten-organic-fertilizer



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Prepare your lawn • If you fertilize use composted manure or a

balanced organic slow-release fertilizer

Nutrients: N = Nitrogen• stimulates lush green growth of leaves and

new shoots, promotes dark green colour P = Phosphorus• promotes development of strong healthy root

system and setting of flower budsK = Potassium• aids in the overall strength of stems and roots

and resistance to disease Etobicoke Master Gardeners Humber Arboretumwww.etobicoke.mgoi.ca www.humberarboretum.on.ca

blog.greatgardensupply.com



http://blog.greatgardensupply.com/npk-fertilizer-mean-anyway/

http://blog.greatgardensupply.com/npk-fertilizer-mean-anyway/

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The finishing touches

• Mulching •Add mulch (or top up) to areas of exposed bare soil•3” max thickness •Ensure mulch doesn’t touch crowns of plants and/or stems and trunks of trees•Mulch flower beds with compost or other organic materials•Use leaves, and organic mulch•Mulch open soil areas to minimize the spread of weeds


www.boxmaths.com



http://www.boxmaths.com/best-mulch-for-flower-beds-in-alabama/

http://www.boxmaths.com/best-mulch-for-flower-beds-in-alabama/

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• Common mulch options include shredded bark, bark chips, and stone chips

• Carefully consider which mulches you choose•Coloured cedar chips, attractive but carry dyes and chemicals•Wood mulches may attract ants •Peat moss acts as a wick and is an ecologically a poor choice•Cocoa bean shells, may encourage mould




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• Edging•Reshape garden edges, and trim grass along edges • A clean edge improves the overall

appearance of your lawn•Create ditch edges or a mowing strip along the edge




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Etobicoke Master Gardeners & Humber Arboretum

Thank you!

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Etobicoke Master Gardeners Humber Arboretum 1 Presented at: