Springtime in the Rockies.... June 7/09

Well -  we knew it would happen but today when it froze, and snowed, and warmed up so much I hung my plants back up just in time for 2" of hail I knew this was Calgary at it's best. I heard it snowed in Medicine Hat and Saskatchewan so I guess we aren't the only ones hard hit. 

I honestly think if I hadn't dropped that hanging basket when hanging it back heavy with water after the snow and before the  hail it would have survived. Oh well- more bits and pieces to add to the compost. In good news it is wonderful to see snow and apple blossoms on my neighbor's outdoor table. What could be prettier?

Don't Squish Lady Beetle Eggs

Yes- they have barely emerged from winter but lady beetles are already laying eggs. While visiting my daughter in Edmonton last weekend she squished some while we were looking at leaves on plants. I pointed out other eggs on other leaves and she realized she had squished the good guys. Just in case you didn't know the eggs are laid in clusters and are yellow - usually on the underside of leaves but sometimes they are on the upper. Look for them and don't squish them!

Gentian in Bloom!

This is why I love alpines. This week when it was hot and (almost) unbearable my favorite dwarf Gentian (Gentian acaulis) popped into bloom. This weekend, with snow threatening it will be just fine, thank-you very much. It seems bizarre to have blooms 4-5 cm above a carpet of green foliage but this is definitely a drive-by beauty ... or as my son calls it " a positive externality"

Only other Calgarians will notice I find the flower form bizarre and not the weather. Go figure.

CBC Today

Call in toll-free today to CBC radio (1-866-468-4422) with your questions or ideas for the show. It is live on 1010 AM in Calgary from 1:30-2:00 PM today.

Dandelion roots - get them all

Seems like a simple enough task but digging dandelions to get the roots out is easier to say than do. This root was "dug" with the Lee Valley water weeder. This tool shoots a strong stream of water down beside the dandelion root and in the end a very long root comes out. This dandelion is not likely to re-grow but it does take a lot of effort and water to remove a dandelion with this system.

Keep in mind that overuse of commercial fertilizers gradually reduces available Calcium (which is displaced off the clay particles by Pottasium and then leached). Low calcium levels are implicated in poor soil conditions and higher dandelion populations.  Underuse of micro-organism stimulating organic matter can also lead to compacted dandelion-prone soil. 

Something White this week in the Calgary Herald

What are all those white trees, shrubs and flowers in bloom this week in Calgary? This photo is the double bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis 'Flore Pleno') in bloom just before it's glorious lezves appear. 

Mayday and Apple are also at their prime right now so look for them on a street corner near you!

A Poppy Moment

A little poppy moment on today's dog walk reminded me that everything does not need to be planned out completely in a garden. Here an icelandic poppy (yellow) seems to have sprouted in place.

Growing in front of a rock edge and seemingly on a paved path, this poppy doesn't take up much room and is a reminder that we don't need to deadhead everything - a few poppy pods left standing led to this happy surprise.

Trouble in Veggie Land

From Inga:

Since it is garden planting time, I am wondering how to to control onion maggots since the usual powdered chemical is no longer available. What should one use to aleviate this problem?

DB:

We had this question Friday on CBC and a listener called in to say she had planted rows of carrots between her onions for 40 years and had not had a problem. I guess the smell of the carrots confused the flies.

Other tips for control include sanitation. The last generation of larvae in the field in the fall are looking for feeding sites and they do like to feed on random onions left in the field.

Gardeners should keep their sites clean and move onions to new locations frequently. If I had this problem in the past I would choose a new site in the spring - plant early and cover the crop with reemay (also known as floating row cover). This would keep the adults from laying their eggs into the new seedlings. I would also plant carrots as per the listener's suggestion- why not?

Inga:

Our potatoes have small black spots in several places as if infested by some worm... Also the skins are covered with 'scabs'. How can this be remedied?

DB: The small holes are probably from flea beetles and the scab is from too much manure. Certain potatoes are thin skinned and more susceptible to scab, although it doesn't affect eating quality. A freshly manured field will often have the bacterial problem of scab.

Inga:

Carrots are also infested by black worm like areas about 2 - 3 inches below the tops. Cause? How do we get rid of this problem?

DB:

Again, reemay is the only cure for carrot rust fly and it only works if the fabric is put over the carrots in a new area that did not have flies last year. If you try to grow carrots where they have grown before the small flies will hatch out in spring and if the fabric is already in place they will quite happily smell and find the new carrots and lay their eggs at the top of each plant right there under the fabric..... so move your carrots to a new and clean site before adding the row cover.

Home Depo and Proven Winners - compare these plants

High end decorating magazines always show the expensive area rug or table next to the knock-off. Consumers always feel ripped off if they have just bought a trendy new interior piece at the high end price when it clearly looks the same as the knock-off. 

I feel that way right now showing you photos here of  Silver Fog Euphorbia (a Home Depo - ie cheaper- brand) and Diamond Frost Euphorbia  (a Proven Winner - ie expensive brand). Of course the Home Depo plant is bigger but the cost for this 11 cm plant was $4.47. The specialty nursery charged me $8.45 for the smaller 9 cm pot. Of course I can't tell you where I bought that but I just want gardeners to be aware of costs and to let you know even Donna Balzer pays too much some times. 

CBC Radio

Participate in the phone-in on CBC today ... 1:30 PM to 2:00PM. Lets hear how spring is progressing in your neighborhood! Are the trees leafed out? Are your Nanking Cherries in full bloom like my neighbor's?

It's Summer Grandma!

Yes it is hard to believe I was reporting in from BC a good six weeks ago and noted at that time the daffodils were starting to bloom. Today my five year old grand-daughter said "Guess what Grandma... it's summer now."  When I asked her how she knew it was summer (I mean it is still freezing at night and the leaves are not fully out on the trees) Mali told me the tulips were in bloom and that meant it must be summer. 

Wherever you are I am hoping these overnight frosts are not getting you down and that you are using frost blankets on your annual flowers if they are already in pots. Meanwhile - enjoy summer (or at least spring) and this beautiful photo of daffodils in full bloom.

Pruning Trees- More follow-up

Kathleen is following up with even more (very good) pruning questions. 

"When is a good time to prune trees?  I have a mountain ash and an ohio buckeye that needs some attention."

This can be done in June -  it is easy to remember "prune in June" for deciduous trees. The only question I ask is why do you want to prune? Except with fruit trees, after the first few shaping and formative years of pruning,  trees can often go a long stretch without any extra trimming. Ohio buckeye in particular are slow growing so I wouldn't want you pruning and slowing down their growth. Trees don't need a lot of trimming once their basic form is set. Heaven forbid you start doing massive renovation style pruning and then find you have to keep it up over time. 

At this time of year I only suggest pruning to remove winterkill. Later (i.e. in June) you can remove crossing branches or anything that is suckering or growing straight up through the tree. If the tree is old keep this to a minimum. If you are in the first years of a tree's growth you may occasionally also remove a lower branch or two - but only after it is fully leafed out in June. If there is a lot of trimming to be done  I always suggest hiring a certified arborist. The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) should be able to give you a name or ask anyone you hire to make sure they are certified.

Red Currants and Other follow-up Pruning Questions

Iris in Hanna, Alberta saw the Herald column on pruning but was wondering specifically what to do with Red Currants - I didn't address those. She's says she is a faithful reader so what can I do? I must add a little addendum:

Red currants bloom on small spurs on wood that is 2-3 years old. Iris' shrub is only 4 years old but she is afraid to prune it. I suggested she wait until mid-June to make sure it doesn't bloom this year and then cut the shrub back to about half because she says  it is getting tall and unmanageable (a sign of a young tree or too much compost or fertilizer). In the future she can cut out all but two-three of the new sprouts in spring and most of the older than four or five year branches. If the sun shines on her shrub she should have blooms this year and every year after!

Spring Plant Sale

Just a reminder the best little plant sale is happening this weekend at the Lakeview Community Hall in Calgary. Buy alpines like you've never seen before!

Date: May 23

Time: 1-4 PM

Place: 6110 34th St. SW Calgary

crags.ca for more details

Garden Fluffing- Spring

Yes everyone knows now that to sell a house it needs to be fluffed. A pillow just so or a blanket tossed casually over a chair in the bedroom. This casual elegance doesn't work quite so well outdoors where things continue to grow and plants reseed. Deadwood causes concerns and yes vigorous spreading mint takes over.

In this four part series we look at fluffing the garden seasonally and we start with spring. Look for it next Friday in the Calgary Herald!

Cover up - it might snow!

It was +10 C and sunny this morning but by noon it was pouring and reports from the north say it is already snowing in Edmonton. In the too good to be true department (where we all pretended it was spring  as we basked in the sun over the weekend) it looks like Murphy's law once again. We will in fact probably have snow by the long weekend.

If you have been buying plants and getting excited by the whole "garden shopping" season then you need to get down to a garden center to buy floating row covers, spun-bond polyester, frost blankets or Reemay (all the same thing but with different names) to cover up your plants. You are gonna need it.

Alpines in Bloom

We have been waiting all winter to see the tiny and delicate alpines bloom in the city and finally the waiting is over. I am sure they are in bloom now all over the country but surely no one waits for spring as long as prairie gardeners?

I absolutely love the Primula marginata shown above, and it came directly to me from the Calgary Rock and Alpine Garden Society (CRAGS) spring plant sale two years ago. This year's sale is once again in the Lakeview Community Hall in Calgary and is free to the public so check it out on May 23, 2009.

Look at the CRAGS web site for further functions and open gardens. http://www.crags.ca/events.html

Gears or no gear?

My neighbor is shy but he really wants me to know that the new hedge clippers he bought are so much better than his old ones. Why is that you may ask? The new clippers are geared - with each clip there is less push needed to get the same effect as with his old non-geared clippers on the left. If you are in the market for new lopers or hedge trimmers try the geared ones. They really are easier to use. And don't be shy. Send me your tips.

Winterkill & Boxwood

In our cold and crispy climate it is little wonder there is going to be a certain amount of winterkill. Boxwood is a plant that most people don't think grows here (in zone 3 Calgary) but - in fact -  it can be quite good in a sheltered east or semi-shade location. The tiny bit of winterkill showing here is easily removed at this time of year. Check out my Calgary Herald article on May 15 for a full article on spring pruning to remove winterkill and other such things.... Yes it is gardening season again at the Herald so don't miss out.

Finally Rain!

The Value of rain is impossible to measure. It is free. It brings nitrogen directly to plants with each drop - greening things up faster than you can imagine. It is soft and warm compared to our hard and cold tap water in the city. Best of all it is chlorine free so will not kill all the little micro-organisms in the soil or on the leaves. After a dusty dry spring we love  rain! Now we just have to remember to hook up our rain barrels for another season.