While you can't work with plants every day, particularly in the Winter, you can be involved in gardening activities on a daily basis. This evening is the monthly meeting of the Kitchener Master Gardeners. Roughly 25 members get together to hear one of our members give a short talk on gardening/horticulture and then we get down to planning activities.
On tonights agenda, we will be trying to make a decision on the purchase of a laptop and projection equipment that will be used for our PowerPoint demonstrations planned for Seedy Saturday 2010. We will also be planning our participation in the KW Home, Garden and Cottage Show, Canada Blooms in Toronto and the Kitchener Horticultural Society's events (Plant Exchange and Bulb Sale). We'll also most likely be talking about our annual summer trip.
We won't be getting our hands in soil and rooting about, but this is the next best thing. We have an opportunity to learn from one another and to share our passion with others. Over the years, my colleagues in the Master Gardeners have increased my knowledge of gardening and horticulture immeasureably and through my membership I have seen gardens and nurseries, listened to speakers that I might otherwise never have seen or heard.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Hardy Geranium
When we started this Blog, I mentioned how you can garden year round. For years now, I have overwintered the annual Geranium by taking cuttings at year end and grwoing them under lights in the basement. Another method of keeping your geraniums is to remove all of the earth from the roots in the Fall and then to hang the plant upside down in a cool place. I decided to do this for the first time this year.
In October, I took the plants out of the pots, removed the soil,trimmed of some of the branches and threw them into a box in the furnce room in preparation for hanging them up in the cold cellar. The other day as I planned for Tuesdays Horticultural Therapy session, I happened to glance in the box. In the past several months, the plants without water or soil had actually produced some leaves and even some sickly looking flowers. These geraniums are determined to survive so who am I to argue. The plants have been potted up, trimmed and placed under lights to see what will happen.
If you don't want to take cuttings or to go through the process of storing the plants in the cold cellar, you could always start some from seed. A colleague tells me that the geraniums are the most amazing plant to start from seed as every seed germinates. I couldn't believe that last year so I tried it. I took four seed packets (10 seeds to a package) and potted them up. I ended up with 40 plants to share with friends.
Geraniums are forgiving too as you can go for days without watering them. They might look a little wimpy, but they perk up almost immediately. Try them!
Trees with Winter Interest (contd)
In yesterday's piece about the Sycamore, I mentioned how much the branching in the tree reminded me of a schematic of the Internet and associated networks and then I added a picture of the bark.
The branching system of the Sycamore can be seen in the attached photo.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Trees with Winter Interest
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In the next issue of the Horticultural Society's Newsletter, there will be an article focussing on Winter Interest gardening using some notes prepared by Kim Ball.
Yesterday, as I was crossing through the Parking lot at Freeport Hospital, heading toward the front door, I stopped to have a better look at a tree that has always been of interest to me - the American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). It is not what I might consider to be a pretty tree in the Summer, but I find it really attractive in the Winter. The tree is much too large to be considered for the average city lot, but on the Hospital grounds, it has the perfect location. It's the bark that attracts me in the Winter. The bark is patchy, peels and as it falls off it gives the tree a rather mottled look.
Yesterday however, it wasn't the bark that caught my attention so much but the branching system. It made me think of the Internet and its connected office and home networks. You'll see what I mean when I can get a picture of the tree that I was looking at. Yesterday the sun was shining but today the snow is falling and I will have to wait for another day when I can get back to take a photo.
There are many other trees and shrubs that can add to the look of your Winter garden that are much more suitable to the average City lot. An obvious choice is the Birch. While the Paper Birch can grow quite tall, there are varieties such as the Himalayan Birch or Whitebark that are much shorter. Another tree that I quite like is the Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum). And don't forget the crabapple and dogwood varieties.
Yesterday, as I was crossing through the Parking lot at Freeport Hospital, heading toward the front door, I stopped to have a better look at a tree that has always been of interest to me - the American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). It is not what I might consider to be a pretty tree in the Summer, but I find it really attractive in the Winter. The tree is much too large to be considered for the average city lot, but on the Hospital grounds, it has the perfect location. It's the bark that attracts me in the Winter. The bark is patchy, peels and as it falls off it gives the tree a rather mottled look.
Yesterday however, it wasn't the bark that caught my attention so much but the branching system. It made me think of the Internet and its connected office and home networks. You'll see what I mean when I can get a picture of the tree that I was looking at. Yesterday the sun was shining but today the snow is falling and I will have to wait for another day when I can get back to take a photo.
There are many other trees and shrubs that can add to the look of your Winter garden that are much more suitable to the average City lot. An obvious choice is the Birch. While the Paper Birch can grow quite tall, there are varieties such as the Himalayan Birch or Whitebark that are much shorter. Another tree that I quite like is the Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum). And don't forget the crabapple and dogwood varieties.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Watering Plants
Do you ever have Hmmmmm moments?
As I traipse between the basement and the main floor of the house to water my plants, I'm having one. I began to think of the water I'm using. We have four types of water that are accessible in our house: hard water, soft water, reverse osmosis water and water from the furnace. Over the years, I have used all but the reverse osmosis water for plants.
What do we know? Well we know that plants require various amounts of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium. That wasn't all that surprising was it. We also know that they need trace amounts of calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron and a few others. We know that excessive amounts of these and other minerals such as sodium, potassium, chlorine and fluorine are bad for plants.
We know too that really hard water contains lots of calcium and magnesium; that softening the water replaces some of the calcium and magnesium with sodium or potassium; that reverse osmosis water has some of these minerals removed; and that furnace water has sulfur which causes the water to be more acidic.
Knowing all this, what water then is best for our plants. We seem to know intuitively that rain water is best for outdoor plants. When we do a quick search of the literature, it is difficult to find someone who will say definitively which water is best but there are some additional things that we are told. Plants take up nutrients best when the water is room temperature and that the best pH is between 5.5 and 6.5.
So now what? I guess that given all of the above, the best water I have available to water the plants is the reverse osmosis water, that has been left to warm up a little, because that is effectively rain water. The next best is the hard water as I believe ours is not excessively hard. Many garden writers seem to agree with this approach. And finally, for plants that need slightly acidic water (azaleas), the furnace water might be OK.
Back to my traipsing
As I traipse between the basement and the main floor of the house to water my plants, I'm having one. I began to think of the water I'm using. We have four types of water that are accessible in our house: hard water, soft water, reverse osmosis water and water from the furnace. Over the years, I have used all but the reverse osmosis water for plants.
What do we know? Well we know that plants require various amounts of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium. That wasn't all that surprising was it. We also know that they need trace amounts of calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron and a few others. We know that excessive amounts of these and other minerals such as sodium, potassium, chlorine and fluorine are bad for plants.
We know too that really hard water contains lots of calcium and magnesium; that softening the water replaces some of the calcium and magnesium with sodium or potassium; that reverse osmosis water has some of these minerals removed; and that furnace water has sulfur which causes the water to be more acidic.
Knowing all this, what water then is best for our plants. We seem to know intuitively that rain water is best for outdoor plants. When we do a quick search of the literature, it is difficult to find someone who will say definitively which water is best but there are some additional things that we are told. Plants take up nutrients best when the water is room temperature and that the best pH is between 5.5 and 6.5.
So now what? I guess that given all of the above, the best water I have available to water the plants is the reverse osmosis water, that has been left to warm up a little, because that is effectively rain water. The next best is the hard water as I believe ours is not excessively hard. Many garden writers seem to agree with this approach. And finally, for plants that need slightly acidic water (azaleas), the furnace water might be OK.
Back to my traipsing
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Year round gardening
I frequently hear people lamenting that they can't garden year round.
For me it is quite the contrary. I find that seldom does a day pass that I am not doing something that involves gardening or horticulture. I may not be spending time in the garden but I am spending time on gardening issues whether it involves activities around the two Groups that I'm a member of (Horticultural Society or Master Gardeners) or tending to plants that are growing under lights in the basement, answering questions from colleagues and friends, reading newly received magazines, studying catalogues, planning changes to my garden (winter or summer garden), writing articles or planning horticultural therapy sessions.
This coming week for example, I have 2 horticultural therapy sessions planned and a Master Gardener meeting to attend. These three activities will require some research and planning that can be spread out over several days. There are 2 catalogues and 2 websites to check for new plants for this summer.
So if you are still lamenting the fact that Spring is still a few months off, look for related options to pursue your gardening passion.
For me it is quite the contrary. I find that seldom does a day pass that I am not doing something that involves gardening or horticulture. I may not be spending time in the garden but I am spending time on gardening issues whether it involves activities around the two Groups that I'm a member of (Horticultural Society or Master Gardeners) or tending to plants that are growing under lights in the basement, answering questions from colleagues and friends, reading newly received magazines, studying catalogues, planning changes to my garden (winter or summer garden), writing articles or planning horticultural therapy sessions.
This coming week for example, I have 2 horticultural therapy sessions planned and a Master Gardener meeting to attend. These three activities will require some research and planning that can be spread out over several days. There are 2 catalogues and 2 websites to check for new plants for this summer.
So if you are still lamenting the fact that Spring is still a few months off, look for related options to pursue your gardening passion.
KW Home, Garden & Cottage Show
KHS along with the Master Gardeners will have a booth at this year's show - Mar 6 to 8, 2009. Please be sure to stop by and say hello. Don't forget to take in one of our horticultural seminars. The show is at Bingemans. [more]
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