megram - Index

megram - dwsummer - Index

Your Garden Coach
Tame Your Garden Jungle
Novice gardeners don’t
despair — there is hope for
that wild backyard
BY CINDY BICKERTON
If your property comes up short on
pleasing you or matching your
lifestyle, read on! Aligning that space
to match your vision is not only possible,
it’s also fun and will improve your
fitness.
Spruce up what
you have
Before deciding on changes,
make the most of what you have. List
existing plants including their location,
needs and growth habits and how
much you like or dislike each. If you
have a journal from last year, maybe
your notes describe plants hit by bugs
or mildew, or simply didn’t bloom at
all. These may be plants to discard or
relocate.
Next comes the tidying-up stage.
Prune damaged branches, those that
rub against other branches and
branches that detract from the pleasing
shape of the plant. Many good
how-to books exist. Whether your bush
needs spring or fall pruning, restrict
your clipping to a maximum of 25 per
cent of its overall size in any one year.
If your gardens have been neglected,
you will undoubtedly have old
undergrowth to remove. When tackling
decades-old gardens for clients,
this task is the one that allows us to say
“aha — now we know what we’ve got.”
EVENING & DAY WEAR • CRUISE WEAR • GRADUATION
Marka
Fashion
Boutique
Exquisite fashion for the
exceptional woman
Brand new evening wear salon
is now open upstairs featuring
Mother of the Bride, Mother of
the Groom, Bridesmaid,
Evening Wear & Graduation
SALE
50% OFF
Selected Items
2160 St. Joseph Blvd., Orléans
613-841-9884
Open Monday - Saturday
Open Thursday & Friday until 8pm
ACCESSORIES & ALTERATIONS
Invariably green gems await beneath
the overgrowth.
Weeding is unavoidable unless
you opt for artificial plants (don’t
laugh, these are in vogue in the
southern U.S.) so the sooner you
begin, the sooner it will be done.
Years ago I offered my children a
penny for pulling out a small weed
and a dime for bigger ones — they
judged which was which. This math
lesson was a well-spent $20 while I
weeded the lawn and pruned bushes.
And their fortunes seem to have outweighed
any aches they acquired.
A word about pesticides: weeds
are merely plants in the wrong place.
If your lawn is completely overrun by
them, you are probably better off
removing the sod and top six inches
of soil, and beginning again. If the
soil is so poor or the previous owners
were so negligent that weeds rule
your yard, chances are it’ll take time
and a good load of toxins to kill the
weeds and you will harm so much by
doing that. To hand-weed your lawn,
try a handy tool called a weed hog to
save your back and speed your
progress. If you must, a judicious use
of spot chemicals can get you ahead
of the weed game. Dethatch, aerate
and then apply one to two inches of
compost or horse manure to the
lawn. Trail Road off Moodie Drive
sells terrific compost you load yourself.
What we leave in our garden bags
for pick up literally gets cooked by
the sun, then screened twice. The
final product at Trail Road is economical
and wonderful to work with.
Bring on the
Improvements
While tidying existing gardens
and lawns, make note of what is working
and what might change. If you
collected magazine articles or photos
of gardens you like, so much the better.
These will show common threads
of what appeals to you.
Young people in your life can
bring important insights into designing
your outdoor space. I recall asking
friends Kevin and Lisa, aged 6
and 9 at the point of the story, for
their ideas about my new, barren
backyard. Paper and crayons in hand,
they each offered fresh perspectives
that proved helpful in maximizing
the use of my yard.
In brief, work through these
questions when planning changes:
• Do you have site issues such as
slopes or strong winds?
• What traffic patterns do you want?
• What activities do you now enjoy?
Might enjoy in future?
Ottawa Page 6 Due West/Due East Magazine • Summer 2008