Really, stay out!

New Heuchera heaved out of the soil.  Luckily I saved some earth this year so I could  blanket the little roots.

It isn't quite time to get out in the garden yet.  Tromping around in the wet earth will only compact the soil and cause all kinds of problems for your plants.  But we just can't wait for winter to be gone!  I was out picking up sticks in the garden, which had fallen from my big old trees and I had a good look for signs of life.  They are everywhere!  Crocus poking up, tulip bulbs up about an inch, and the fat green tips of hyacinths are ready to shoot up with the slightest bit of warm weather.

Hyacinths poking out, but the sedum has heaved and needs to be pushed back down.

Early crocus turn their purple faces to the sun in the morning, only to close on cloudy days!

Here's a list of things you may do in the garden in April:


 Remember: No walking on the grass or flowerbeds while the ground is wet and soggy. Soil compaction occurs, wait till the ground dries out

 Clean and sharpen hand tools such as pruners and shovels ready for the season

 Apply dormant oil sprays to fruit trees and woody plants to control hibernating insects. Apply it while the buds are swelling, but before the leaves open out. Good time indicator is when the frost is out of the ground.

 Once the ground has thawed, look for plants that have heaved out of the soil and resettle them. This is very important, as heaved plant roots are very susceptible to freezing when those blasts of 'below zero' occur.

 Start cutting back the ornamental grasses and dead stalks


April chores can include looking after your Lawn

Lawn Care:

• April brings in warmer temperatures and spring rains, so now is a good time to seed, overseed, or sod the lawn. Be aware that newly seeded lawns may take two or more weeks to germinate in the cooler spring weather. Watch for temperatures above 10 degrees C for about 4 - 5 days as a gauge to start sowing.
• When weather conditions permit, remove excess thatch from your lawn and aerate it, if necessary. This should not be done too often, and is actually better done in the fall for our area's cool-season grasses.
• Get your mower blade sharpened. Mowing with a dull blade tears the ends of grass blades, leaving ragged ends which later turn brown, and also encourages the spread of fungus disease. You want to be ready for May and June growth!

Ready for Garden Clean up?

Snowdrops, the perfect early bulb in our climate starting to spread a carpet over the back yard.  There now isn't that better than bare earth?

If you are looking for someone to help with Spring Clean up in your Mississauga, Ontario  Garden email:
margaret@perennialgardener.ca

Springing Up

Snowdrops revealing their green border on the inner petals

Went to the Successful Gardening show yesterday, as one of the many volunteer tasks I take on.  I thought "Oh, I'll get free entry!"  But of course, that did not work out for me.  I volunteered for a time before the show opened!  Yup, I got  to set up when nothing was there.  Which only goes to say that you should only volunteer when you have no ulterior motives! Well, I did it for Riverwood Conservancy which really is a precious treasure of a Botanical Garden in Mississauga.
I did manage to see some furniture made out of the plastized wood products, which I was quite impressed with.  Bosman was the seller.

Trex chairs at the Bosman display at the Successful Gardening show. 

The next Cloverleaf meeting

Looking for inspiraton?  Need a Spring Gardening Break? Co me to the next meeting, you'll make friends and learn something new!
 $14.00 a year for a membership or $5.00 per visit for visitors.

April Meeting
Wednesday April 20th, 2011
7:30pm
Frank Kershaw
Presents
“Historic Gardens of Ontario”

Need a Touch of Spring?

The Stratford Garden Festival is on until Sunday at  the Stratford Rotary Complex. There are supposed to be some beautiful display gardens!
www.stratfordgardenfestival.com

I'm off to the Bahamas, so I'll report from there for the next few weeks. Sun! Gardens! Sea! That's the Life!

Hosta of the Year

I'd much rather talk about hostas!  They are being hybridized like rabbits! There are so many beautiful new varieties out there that it is hard to remember that one is not the official collector for the neighbourhood.  But just take a look at some of the new varieties and try not to own at least one of them!
Praying Hands a slug resistant,  medium size hosta 16 inches tall by 30 inches wide, is the 2010 Hosta of the Year.

But one Sheridan Nursery, near me,  is going to carry is called "Designer Genes" 30 cm by 80 cm It has bright red stems and chartreuse foliage.  Just try to beat me to the nursery for this one!

This catalogue from a nursery in Iowa is great for pictures of hostas and all types of plants.
http://www.inthecountrygardenandgifts.com/catalog/

Herb of the year

Horseradish root

Horseradish!
Yep, that is the herb of the year.  For me, roast beef is just an excuse to eat horseradish. The most pungent horseradish I ever ate was at a Steer Roast in Buckingham, while visiting my sister. While sitting down to dinner and yakking about all manner of things, I took one unsuspecting bite of horseradish and my sinuses received a jolt that went straight to my eyeballs!   Every orifice watered!

Apparently,  once the root is scraped or grated, a volatile oil called allyl is produced as its glucoside sinigrin comes into contact with its enzyme myrosin. According to renowned herbalist Maude Grieves, it is only when these two substances meet that isothiocyanate, also contained in black mustard seed, is created: this accounts for the pungent, hot, yet subtly sweet taste of horseradish. 

According to Carol Little, a registered herbalist in private practice in Toronto.  Horseradish contains antibacterial, antibiotic, anti-parasitic, anti-anemic, and aperient properties. It is also a coronary vasodilator, a digestive, a diuretic, and an expectorant,  which means that it stimulates a number of body systems and can be used to aid mild circulatory problems, digestion, and water retention. I’ve used it to help to encourage timid appetites – a potent digestive elixir can be created by combining a small amount of horseradish with carminative herbs and apple cider vinegar. You can view her new blog at www.studiobotanica.com

According to Richard Mabey, author of The New Age Herbalist, “Horseradish is a powerful circulatory stimulant with antibiotic properties due to the mustard oil it contains. It is effective for lung and urinary infections because mustard oil is excreted through these channels.”

 A recent study by the University of Illinois shows that horseradish contains substantial quantities of glucosinolates – compounds shown to increase human resistance to cancer. The power of this ‘humble hot shot’ root is created chemically when it is grated or agitated to release constituents that, when put together, produce magic! An effective daily dose of horseradish can be as little as 1 gram or less than a teaspoon. (http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news3066.html)

Eat up - you'll be right in fashion.