|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Volume:12 Issue:6 Web site address: www.squamishgardeners.com Date: June 2009 |
|||
|
Letter from the Editor: "Down the Garden Path" by Ellen Grant
Yes, “June is burstin out all over” as the song from the musical Oklahoma asserts. I can’t keep up with the weeding, planting mowing, and watering. The warm, or should I say “hot” weather seems to make me lazy and in need of a siesta by mid afternoon. I manage to perk up like the flower after sundown so I do get some gardening done then. But as another song states, “Summer time and the livin’ is easy”.. so I’ll just do what must be done today and leave the rest for tomorrow. Don’s knees will need a major make over soon so mine will do the walking, diggng and hauling this summer in our yard. I have discovered that the chore of cleaning out the old vegetable garden will be a major event this summer. I have been using it for a holding bed for a few years. Now I have to find homes for all those bits and pieces that have been temporarily residing there. This sometimes takes several plant moves as other plants must be uprooted to make way for others. It’s like musical chairs of the garden. When I’m finished I plan to remove all the dirt from the four raised boxes and replace it with the soil I won at the Garden Tour last year. Of course I’ll augment it with some great compost that we managed to created over the winter.
I was stopped by another gardener at a local plant outlet recently and asked how he could get rid of the worms that seem to love to eat the leaves of the snowball viburnum and also the worms on his gooseberries. I suggested the usual dormant lime and sulphur treatment one uses for trees and shrubs to get rid of overwintering pests. Does anyone have a different solution? I can find information on viburnum beetles but not worms. |
||
"Mine is the Month of Roses; yes, and mine
The Month of Marriages! All pleasant sights
And scents, the fragrance of the blossoming vine,
The foliage of the valleys and the heights.
Mine are the longest days, the loveliest nights;
The mower's scythe makes music to my ear;
I am the mother of all dear delights;
I am the fairest daughter of the year."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
May was a spectacular month! All the spring shrubs seemed to bloom at once. The scents of azalea, lilac, viburnum and wisteria filled the air. The hum of bees and the songs of birds and frogs chorused us daily. Our koi, goldfish and turtles survived the winter and seem more active than usual. But so far we do not have any baby ducklings. There are raccoons around even in the daytime so perhaps even the mallards are opting to keep their young on the river instead of the pond.
|
Page 2 Newsletter |
|
|
While trying to research this topic I found the old remedy for summer pests such as aphids. Cut up rhubarb leaves (about 2 lbs.), add 2 pints of water and blend in your blender. Strain then add another 2 pints of water and some soap flakes (about a tablespoon). Spray roses and other affected plants .Don’t make it any more potent or it will scald the plants. A nitrogen rich manure tea for hanging baskets and beds can be made by soaking stinging nettles in warm water for a week then straining Use with your regular watering. Rainwater is also a great “green” solution Have you ever noticed how plants grow so much better after a rainstorm? This water contains nutrients, is warmer than tap water and is applied when the air is cooler and the sun is not beating down. Many gardeners are now adding rain barrels to their supply list as they try to duplicate natures’ pathway to cultivating their patches. Another tried and true trick is summer mulching. After you have weeded a part of your garden apply mulch. It may be bark, straw, leaves, grass clippings, seaweed, peanut shells, sawdust, wood shavings, even wet layers of newspaper that will work. It will help to retain moisture at the roots of your cultivated plants but cut the sunlight from reaching the weed seeds to start germination.
June should be as wonderful a month as May was. Roses, lilies, clematis, iris, mock orange, honeysuckle, and peony are only a few of the wonderful perennials and shrubs that we can look forward to enjoying. Notice how many are noted for their fragrance! And June starts the parade of berries with strawberries. Next comes the little wild blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blueberries. The big blackberries are August’s addition and as autumn arrives, cranberries bring the end of the berries bounty. Do you have a few of these in your garden? They are tasty out of hand, make great pies, puddings, and jams. Most freeze well and as we now know, they are all full of anti-oxidants. They are good for you! If you don’t have room in your garden for a few of these plants, try a trip to Pemberton or the Fraser Valley where you can pick your own or buy some at our Saturday Farmers’ Market.
|
Page 3 Newsletter |
|
While daydreaming on a stroll around the garden recently I mused at the abundance of the colors, red and yellow, as they related to the spring blooms. The bees were busy gathering pollen and the hummingbirds were gorging themselves on the sweet nectar. When I was still teaching I often used a book by Aileen Fischer called “Flowers Yellow and Flowers Red” to introduce primary students to the nonfiction science section of the library. This author’s use of rhyme, delightful illustrations and scientific topics was just right for 4 to 8 year olds. The garden is a great place to explore the wonders of science with children of all ages. My granddaughters #1 and #2 learned the names of plants from a very early age and delighted in amazing adults with their knowledge.
June 8 will be our Meeting for this month. It will be at the Brackendale Art Gallery at 7pm. The supplies and instructions for the Garden Tour will be given out and discussed. It will probably be a short meeting so please try to attend. |
Their learning also included the fauna as well as the flora. Frogs, toads, snakes and salamanders, ducks, herons, hummingbirds and chickadees, raccoons, coyotes and bears, they all were part of our lessons in the garden. Composting and worm bins are great fun. We’ve discussed prey and predator, life cycles and rain cycles and weather. Of course the chemistry of cooking has become the topic from the vegetable garden as well as things like photosynthesis, soil testing and fertilization. I don’t want my granddaughters to think of science as being a foreign subject. It is exploring what is all around us. They are now 8 and almost 6years old and a visit always means a journey of delight down the garden path. I hope that you have youngsters in your life that can share your garden.
Speaking of sharing gardens, remember to pick up your tickets for our Tour on Sunday June 14 at the Library. Volunteers have a reduced fee. Because all of the gardens this year are in the greater Squamish area, from Brackendale to Valleycliffe,you should have time to do your two-hour garden sitting, to view the gardens leisurely and still have the opportunity to enjoy the garden art show while you sip your complementary coffee at the Quest University Restaurant.
|
Page 4 Newsletter |
|
Field Trip to UBC Botanical Gardens
After the hour-long tour ended we took the opportunity to wander on our own through the Alpine and Physic gardens. We somehow managed to lose Mark and Jim in the Physic Garden - has anyone seen them since? Of course we had to stop at the Shop In The Garden where, needless to say, several purchases were made – only to support the Garden, of course.
We returned home to Squamish after a full and fun day, with still an evening left to make room in the garden for the new purchases. Nairn Stewart |
Many thanks to Moira Biggin-Pound for organizing a successful field trip to see the rhododendrons in bloom at the UBC Botanical Garden. Nine intrepid Squamish Gardeners set out on Friday morning, May 22nd and managed to meet up at the garden on time for a scheduled tour with Ingrid Hoff, the Horticultural Manager of the Garden, who talked to us about rhododendrons last year. Ingrid gave us a very interesting tour of the Asian Garden and the various types of rhododendrons and other plant life there. We also got a chance to see (from the ground) the new Greenheart Canopy Walkway which opened in the fall (more about this on the Garden’s website, www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org).
Several of us carried on to Phoenix Perennials in Richmond where more plants were added to the collection. This garden centre is well worth a visit, and perhaps a future field trip.