| Open Monday thru Saturday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sundays 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. VIP PROGRAM BUTTERFLIES & BLOOMS - 2009 Come and visit us and CATCH THE EXCITEMENT! NEW PERENNIALS AT BLUE WILLOW Top 10 Perennials CAMPANULA BLUE WATERFALL - Cascades of starry blue flowers - Perfect for the summer rock garden CAREX "EVERGOLD" - Rugged, tough and adaptable for sunny or dry shady areas. DICENTRA "KING OF HEARTS" - Long display of rose-red lockets. Performs well in a bright shady spot. GERANIUM "ROZANNE" - Gorgeous hardy violet-blue flowers. Blooms all summer and fall. HEUCHERA "OBSIDIAN"- Unique jet-black coral bell leaves. A knockout. HOSTA "PATRIOT' - Striking, elegant and edged in creamy white. Extremely versatile. LEUCANTHEMUM "SNOWCAP" - Compact display of yellow-eyed Shasta daisies. Excellent in containers. PAEONIA "BOWL OF BEAUTY" - A garden classic with blooms of rich rose-pink and creamy yellow. RUDBECKIA "GOLDSTURM" - Long-blooming golden orange daisies through late summer and fall. SALVIA "CARADONNA" - Dramatic spikes of deep violet-blue flowers. Loves the sun.
MORE WATER GARDENING & THE PONDLESS WATERFALL April 2007
Overseed now for a thick healthy lawn this summer The snow has melted and it’s finally dry enough to rake and clean up your lawn. As you’re getting up close and personal with your grass, you notice there are thin or even bare patches. If you can see soil, so can the weed seeds and it’s just a matter of time before they get a foothold and start to grow. Topdressing and overseeding your lawn this spring is the natural way to thicken your turf and crowd out undesirable weeds. Topdressing Topdressing involves the addition of a thin layer of good quality topsoil or compost on top of your lawn. This is especially important in new subdivisions built on little topsoil and thin lawns. Topdressing adds all-important organic matter to improve the condition of the soil. Always use good quality compost and topsoil to ensure it is weed-free. Avoid using non-composted manures, they may contain weed and crabgrass seeds. Many Landscape Ontario member garden centres sell bags of top dressing that contain a blend of compost, soil, and peat moss. The easiest way to top-dress a lawn is to shovel or dump small piles of the soil mix all around your lawn and then spread it out into a ¼ to ½ layer using a hard rake. Don’t leave the soil layer thick enough to smother the grass blades. Overseeding Overseeding improves your lawn’s ability to resist weed and insect infestation by encouraging a healthy lawn. Avoid buying all purpose grass seed as there are high quality blends specifically labelled for sun and shade. Chose a blend with a mixture of several grass types as it will be more resistant to weeds and pests. Topdressing and overseeding can be done together. The first step is to clean up the lawn with a fan rake to remove leaves, dead grass and other detritus of winter. Apply grass seed to your lawn with a spreader or by hand. Distribute the seed as evenly as possible, then cover with a thin layer of your topdressing mix. Alternately, mix the seed and the soil and spread them on the lawn together. Lightly rake a thin layer of the seed/soil mix over the entire lawn or just on problem areas. Make sure the seed bed stays moist, either through rainfall or daily light watering, until seeds begin to sprout. When the new grass has grown to a height of 6 to 8 cm, it can be cut, but not shorter than 4 to 5 cm. Do not let the grass grow so long that it will not stand upright. Ensure that your mower blade is sharp to avoid tearing the grass plants. Answers to your questions about fertilizer Fertilizer is the greatest thing that ever happened to your lawn, and one of the simplest and cleanest yard chores you can do. Anyone can agree with that statement in general -- it's when fertilizing gets specific that homeowners feel uncertain, even fearful they will actually harm their turf. The answers to the questions below give you enough specific information to fertilize with confidence, then sit back and enjoy the results. Complete fertilizers contain three essential nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K). The number on the bag of fertilizer indicates the percentage of each of these vital plant nutrients contained in the bag. For example, turf food (20-5-10) contains by weight, 20 per cent nitrogen, 5 per cent phosphorous and 10 per cent potassium. The remaining percentage is a carrier that is necessary for distribution and small quantities of micro and macro nutrients. Many high quality lawn and garden fertilizers found in Landscape Ontario member garden centres will contain slow release properties for non-burning and long lasting results. Q. How much fertilizer does my lawn need? A. Turf grass fertilizers usually contain nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in ratio of 4-1-2 (such as 20-5-10 or 16-4-8). There are many brands available but are all quite similar in this regard. Your lawn needs a one-half kilogram of nitrogen for 100 square metres with each application. Check manufacturer’s recommendations on bag for actual coverage. Apply in early spring, late spring, summer and fall for a total of 2 kg. of nitrogen per 100 square metres in the growing season. Q. How many bags of fertilizer will be needed? A. The numbers on the bag are percentages, so a bag of 20-5-10 contains 20 per cent nitrogen. An 18 kg. bag will therefore contain 3.6 kilograms of nitrogen (18 divided by five). In applying half a kilo per 100 square meters this 18 kg. bag will be sufficient to cover 720 square metres. Note: The manufacturer provides the coverage information on the packaging. Use this information as concentrations of micro and macro nutrients can vary substantially. Q. Do I water after applying fertilizer? A. Yes, dry granular fertilizers need to be watered in to begin to dissolve them and take nutrients down to the roots. Q. Is that the same with Weed and Feed and fertilizers with insecticides? A. No. The active ingredient that kills the weed has to stick to the foliage. Apply Weed and Feed after a rain or on a wet morning grass or after watering. Fertilizers with insecticides are sometimes watered in and sometimes not. It depends on the insect being targeted. Read the instructions on the label for the appropriate method. Q. How do I store fertilizers? Will they keep? A. Unused fertilizers will not lose their effectiveness; but keep them in a cool dry place such as on a shelf or at least off the floor in the garage. Close any open bags. Moisture will do no actual harm but will make the product difficult to spread properly. Q. How do I apply lawn fertilizer? A. Use a cyclone type broadcast spreader for even distribution.
Q. Can I burn the grass if I use too much? A. Yes you can. Most lawn fertilizers are very safe, with a proportion of their nitrogen in a slow-release form. Nevertheless, too much in one spot can burn the grass. It is a good practice to calculate the amount of fertilizer needed and apply only half that amount walking with the spreader in one direction and then apply the remaining half at right angles across the lawn (see illustration below). Q. How much fertilizer do I apply to flower and vegetable beds? A. A typical formulation for flowers and vegetables is 8-12-8 or similar. One kilogram of such a balanced formula per 10 square metres, should be worked into the soil at planting time. Q. Should I fertilize again through the summer? A. Yes. Another application of one kilogram per 10 square metres of a balanced fertilizer should be applied close to each plant as a side dressing. Do this four to six weeks after planting and, in the case of tomatoes, after the first flower cluster has set fruit. This information is provided by Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association, one of the most vibrant associations of its kind in North America, comprised of over 2,000 members, nine sector groups and nine local chapters. Visit www.landscapeontario.com to find a professional member near you May 9 2007
The magic of mulches There is no magic bullet when it comes to low maintenance gardening,
but using mulch comes close! Mulch is a protective layer of material spread on top of the soil.
This layer helps to: conserve moisture in the soil prevent weed growth protect the sides of houses from mud splatters protect plant roots by moderating soil temperature keep mud and soil off feet when working in the garden provide a clean finished look organic mulches gradually break down and improve soil structure Mulches can be either organic – bark chips, cocoa bean hulls, leaves,
compost, grass clippings or pine needles – or inorganic, such as stone,
landscape fabric or plastic. All organic mulches gradually decompose and
return beneficial organic matter to your garden. Inorganic mulches are
more permanent and should be applied after all planting is complete, as
it can be awkward to install new plants once a layer of stones has been
spread on the garden. Types of organic mulch Bark chips: available in large or small chips and shredded, also
comes in different colours. Cocoa bean hulls: smell heavenly when first applied. They are light
and airy, but will pack down with rain or irrigation. Leaves: nature’s compost. For the best results you should chop
your leaves up by running over them with your lawn mower before raking
them up and putting them on your beds. Compost: if you have a back yard composter, the well-seasoned
compost can be applied as a mulch. Pine needles: rhododendrons and azaleas love an acidic mulch of
pine needles. Grass clippings: most lawn mowers mulch grass clippings into
small bits that are meant to be dropped back on the lawn to decompose
naturally. If you still have a mower that collects clippings, a thin
layer can be spread on the garden as mulch, but it can get smelly in the
heat of summer. Types of inorganic mulch Stone: depending on the style and colour of your house, you can
use river pebbles, larger potato stone, gravel or brick chips. Landscape fabric: a porous fabric that is placed on the bed
before the plants are installed. Xs are cut in the fabric to put the
plants through. Usually another type of mulch is layered on top of the
fabric to hide it. Plastic: used mainly with vegetable gardens to help heat the soil
more quickly in spring and reduce weed growth. Plants are placed in
holes cut in the plastic. It’s easy to apply mulch – just remove any large weeds in the bed
before you start and spread a layer two to four inches deep over the
soil around your plants. Keep the mulch away from direct contact with
plants – an inch or two of space will help prevent disease growth and
stem rot. If you’re mulching this spring, apply now, before your plants get too
big. Temporarily inverting old plant pots over your smaller plants will
help protect them while you are shoveling mulch around. Once the ground
has frozen next fall, a layer of mulch will help prevent the soil from
freezing and thawing, which can heave plants out of the ground.
Evergreen boughs (cut from your Christmas tree) placed over your dormant
perennial garden can also act as insulation for the winter. Don’t forget
to remove the boughs in spring before the plants start to sprout!
Leafy, lovely trees: nature’s air cleaners Trees have been called the lungs of the earth as they naturally
replenish the oxygen we use every day. However, we need trees for more
than the air we breathe. Trees improve the value of our lives in a
number of different ways. Improve health Trees improve moods and emotions, and they create feelings of
relaxation and well-being. Trees provide privacy and a sense of solitude and security. Foliage helps to settle out, trap and hold particulate pollutants
(dust, ash, pollen and smoke) that can damage human lungs. Because of their potential for long life, trees frequently are
planted as living memorials. We often become personally attached to
trees that we or those we love have planted. In cities, trees can act as buffers, absorbing a significant
amount of urban noise. Add natural character to our cities and towns Provide us with colours, flowers, and beautiful shapes, forms and
textures. Trees add interest by changing with the seasons. Trees and associated plants create habitat and food for birds and
animals. Reduce pollution Trees absorb carbon dioxide and other dangerous gases and, in
turn, replenish the atmosphere with oxygen. An acre of trees produces enough breathing oxygen 18 people every
day. An acre of trees absorbs enough carbon monoxide, over a year’s
time, to equal the amount you produce when you drive your car 26,000
miles. A single mature tree can absorb 48 lbs. of carbon dioxide per
year, and release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support
two human beings. Over 50 years, a tree generates $31,250 worth of oxygen, provides
$62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycles $37,500 worth of
water, and controls $31,250 worth of soil erosion. City streets lined with trees show a 60% reduction in
street-level particulate readings. One 12-inch sugar maple along a roadway removes 60 mg of cadmium,
140 mg of chromium, 820 mg of nickel and 5200 mg of lead from the
environment each growing season. Conserve water and prevent soil erosion Trees reduce surface runoff from storm water, and prevent soil
erosion and sedimentation of streams. Trees increase ground water recharge to help make up for losses
in paved areas. Trees prevent wind from eroding soil. Save energy Deciduous trees provide shade and block heat from the sun during
hotter months. By dropping their leaves in the fall they admit
sunlight in the winter. Shade from trees over hard surfaces such as driveways, patios and
sidewalks minimizes landscape heat load. Shade trees can reduce air conditioning costs up to 30 percent. Evergreens planted on the north sides of buildings can intercept
and slow winter winds. Increase economic stability Trees enhance community economic stability by attracting
businesses and tourists. Healthy trees can add up to 15 per cent to residential property
values. This information is provided by Landscape Ontario Horticultural
Trades Association, one of the most vibrant associations of its kind in
North America, comprised of over 2,000 members, nine sector groups and
nine local chapters. Visit
www.landscapeontario.com to find a professional member
near you.
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Starting Plants From Seed
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Herbs,
vegetables, annuals, perennials, and wildflowers can all be grown from seed in your own
home. 
Some Articles contained herein were compiled by Sheridan Nurseries of which Blue Willow is a preferred partner. Other articles will be acknowledged according to their sources