|
|
| Manitoba People and Plants News |
|
|
Here's the news for avid gardeners in Manitoba.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Nancy,
T. G. I. Fall!
I always welcome the fall season because it forces me to slow down and concentrate on things other than soil, plants, and watering! The beautiful scenery that Mother Nature creates this time of year is second to none and families gathering to share Thanksgiving meals is soon upon us.
Now that our harvesting is finished I can focus on Perennial Bliss more. I had fun bringing meals to the field and pushing our combines to the max; but in the greenhouse, you will find me creating exciting orders for Spring 2009 and putting the final touches on my display at Ladies' Night Out to be held in Baldur, Manitoba tonight.
Many e-mails are coming my way these days, and there are two bits of information that I'd like to pass along to you from these e-mails. The first is a new style, earth friendly online magazine to catch the eye of generation X, Y, and Next:
Sycamore, IL (August 2008) - Proven WinnersŪ has launched
Proven Beauty™, a new online magazine in an effort to further reach current and
future gardeners. Proven Beauty is geared to reach those using the internet for
everything from reading to research. This publication can be found at
Proven Beauty... The
publication is subscription free and can be viewed when it's convenient to your
schedule... This new style, earth friendly alternative to paper magazines
is an excellent solution to fulfilling the growing need for specialized,
instantaneous, and enjoyable to read gardening information by consumers that are
increasingly depending on online publications.
The second bit of information is the Incredible Northern India Garden Tour
2009:
Incredible India, where gardens, monuments and traditions
meet is an unforgettable experience and www.gardeningtours.com is proud to offer
this unique, one of a kind tour for just ten people February 28th - March 4th,
2009... Land only per person sharing is $5,080.00 CDN, single
supplement is $2,452.00 CDN... Email donna@icangarden.com for further
information and check the full day by day itinerary out at www.gardeningtours.com.
Sincerely,
Nancy Heide
|
Bulb Planting Tips
Tulips should be planted in the fall in groups of 8 bulbs with the pointed side up. Water well after planting.
Allium bulbs should be planted eight inches deep in a well-drained area that gets six or more hours of sun light.
Generally speaking, bulbs should be planted two or three times their depth and in well drained soil in full sun.
Using bulbs in the landscape gives you a jump on spring. They require little maintenance and their rewards are many. Most make great cut flowers.
Won't they look great in your garden next spring?
|
Bringing Plants Indoors
Fall is a great time of year to bring in some tender perennials to display as houseplants. Succulents, Banana (Musa), Elephant Ears (Colocasia, Alocasia), Hibiscus, Asparagus Ferns, Coleus, Geraniums, Herbs, and ornamental sedge add decor to your space in winter!
Conditions inside the home favour the population growth of undesireables like aphids and spider mites. Controlled by natural predators and natural weather patterns outdoors, these pests can quickly become aggressive and dominate your plants indoors.
The best control is a careful and scrutinous examination of any plants brought indoors. Any undesired ride-alongs can be removed by a pinch between your thumb and forefinger. A hard spray of water also does the trick for squeamish gardeners.
|
Bumper Crop
 Fresh tomatoes are so much better tasting than those you find in the grocery store. This year I tried a few new varieties and I had a bumper crop!
Brandywine (see photo) is an heirloom variety that your grandmother probably grew. It is the best tasting tomato I've tried yet. The large fruits are not disease-tolerant, but mine showed no signs of blossom-end rot. They were later to mature than other varieties.
Sweet Chelsea is another new favorite of mine. The smaller (1-inch) fruits grow in clusters, making for very easy picking. Up to a dozen fruits are on my clusters. They taste great and show no signs of any disease.
Still, my favorite tomato variety to grow (and eat) is Fantastic. They really are. Good taste combined with perfect, disease-free plants and early maturity is the complete package. Even though another variety (Ultra Sonic) boasts to be earlier and better, I found Fantastics to come out on top this year.
I grew all of these varieties in an area that has never been used for tomatoes, watered
only once at time of planting (my hose doesn't reach my vegetable garden), weeded every week, and sprayed them in
July with diluted Plant Potion, a natural plant stimulant which boasts bigger, healthier, stronger plants.
|
Pure Magic Follow-up
 I must follow-up on an article from the March edition of MPP News... The container recipe I included in that article is stunning to this day (October 3!)
Here is a photo of my own hanging basket with that combination planting. This photo was taken September 23, 2008.
The Bordeaux Supertunias were the star of the combination, with the Diamond Frost Euphorbia and Opal Innocence Nemesia being choked out.
To remedy this, I would plant monoculture containers of Bordeaux Supertunias, or else use fewer Supertunias and more Euphorbia and Nemesia in the planting.
|
Food For Thought
Our last topic of discussion, 'Do you see yourself as eco-chic? What steps have you already taken or
plan to take to make your gardening hobby more sustainable?' revealed either a gap in our understanding, or your hectic schedules! At Perennial Bliss, we are committed to sustainable practices and I know many of you are too. Here are some practical ideas to move in the right direction.
Use a rainbarrel or other means of collecting rain water.
Use compost as a fertilizer and mulch.
Compost.
Boil water to use as a weed killer in cracks along driveways.
Discourage troublesome ants with vinegar, coffee grounds, or lemon juice. (But encourage them if they aren't ruining anything... they actually contribute to healthy soil)
Put a sponge in the bottom of a small planter to reduce waterings and prevent soil from eroding out the drainage hole.
That's just a start. Do you have an eco-friendly tip? Click here to respond. I would love to have your input and will post the results in the next issue of MPP.
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Nancy Heide
Perennial Bliss
|
PO Box 302
Killarney, Manitoba R0K 1G0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
