Garden Project, Last of the Season for Gardens4u

November 11, 2020May 4, 2023 ~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

I finished the last garden project of this Gardens4u season recently. The beautiful weather we have experienced lately has certainly helped in that I was able to extend the season a bit.

This latest garden project was for a neighbour. I had already designed a garden in her front yard a few years ago…

…but the condition of her lawn after the drought conditions of this past summer convinced her to extend the garden right to the road.

So, she dug up what little lawn was left, giving me a blank slate….my favourite design opportunity (garden project)! I amended the existing soil with composted manure, then added stepping stones to divide the yard visually….and to provide access for maintenance as well as amusement for her grandchildren…

Instead of one large garden, I treated the sections as individual gardens with taller plants in the center and lower ones around the perimeters. I think this will create added visual appeal. (this may be difficult to see now, but will be obvious when the plants mature) Several existing plants were moved to achieve this effect; those that were previously at the edges of the garden were moved to the fronts of each new bed, with taller ones planted behind them. A row of drought-tolerant, succulent groundcover now edges the curb where the lawn refused to thrive.

The neighbouring yard/garden visible in my pictures is the mature version of one of my very first garden projects, way back in 2012.

The challenge now is waiting until spring to see this latest design come alive!

photo credit

Garden Renovation at Ruddy Shenkman Hospice

October 12, 2020February 24, 2023 ~ Loreeebee ~ 2 Comments

Recently Gardens4u expanded the front garden at the Ruddy Shenkman Hospice (RSH) in Kanata. I have been volunteering my (gardening) services at RSH for several years now, shortly after it moved to my neighbourhood.

This project has been a vision in my brain for a while; I just had to wait until all parties were onboard and permission was granted. As a non-profit organization, there are always lots of hoops to jump through.

A few existing shrubs were left in place, in particular the burning bush which is gorgeous this time of year. Two large spreading junipers were trimmed and shaped but will remain in the garden, mainly because they would be much too difficult (for me) to remove. They also provide winter interest as they are evergreen in our climate.

The first step was to mark out the shape of the new garden using a garden hose and black spray paint. My granddaughter was on hand as the inspector for that job…

burning bush makes a great photo backdrop

Next, to save time as well as my back, I enlisted the help of Tim Driscoll of TD Small Loads who scraped the sod and carted it away.

When that chore was complete, we spread the composted manure donated and delivered by Ritchies Feed & Seed on Carp Road in Stittsville.

After the soil amendment came the plants, many of which were donated by other members of the RSH garden team as well as some of my neighbours. The large shrubs were also selected from and donated by Ritchies. I placed the shrubs and perennials strategically in the garden, still in their pots, according to their bloom time and colour, foliage shape as well as their mature size. A few tweaks here and there are always the norm before holes are dug and actual planting takes place.

The final step is to fill any blank spots with contributions from my own gardens. Then a layer of cedar mulch (also donated and delivered from Ritchies) finishes the garden off…

I can’t wait until this garden matures, it should look beautiful!!

Best Time to Improve Lawns

September 24, 2020February 12, 2023 ~ Loreeebee ~ 4 Comments

With cooler nights as well as more and longer-lasting dew on the ground each morning, fall is the best time to improve lawns. If your lawn looks terrible due to a long summer drought, this post is for you!

Recovering from Summer

My lawn held up amazingly well (some weeds moved in along the curb, but the grass recovered) in the drought this summer, much better than many others in my neighbourhood, and also much better than it ever has other summers. I suspect the TLC I showed it last fall is the reason for that. This is one of the reasons I believe fall is the best time to improve lawns.

My Fall Lawn Regime

I believe that fall is the best time to improve lawns. I have more time to spend on my lawn in the fall but this belief is primarily due to my success with the following fall regime:

aerating
adding composted manure and seed
applying a fall fertilizer six weeks after seeding
cutting the lawn shorter than usual before the first snowfall

Aerating

When you aerate, ensure you use a proper aerator (hire someone to do it for you) that digs out plugs of soil. The inexpensive, so-called aerating tools that you step on do more damage to your lawn as they compact the soil instead of aerating it. Fall is the best time to improve lawns with aerating.

Composted Manure vs Garden or Top Soil for Lawns

I choose composted manure, either sheep or cattle/steer because I have yet to find a bad bag of it. By bad, I mean no weeds or junk in it. In the past, I have purchased bags and loads of soil, from garden soil to black earth, that were loaded with weeds seeds, garbage, and even cigarette butts. Never again! You can purchase composted manure at Home Depot, Lowes, or locally at Ritchies Nurseries.

Fertilize

If you plan to fertilize your lawn, pay attention to the three numbers on the bags. In order, they represent the nutrient levels of Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash/Potassium in the fertilizer. In September, as lawns recover from the summer weather, choose a fertilizer highest in Nitrogen for a slow growth.

Later in the fall, choose one with a higher middle number to stimulate root growth and protection over the winter.

Reseed

If you plan to reseed your lawn because it has bare spots and lots of weeds, you should wait six weeks after seeding to apply fertilizer. Be sure too to invest in grass seed that is specific for your location and sun exposure. If you are one of the lucky ones and do not plan/need to reseed, you can fertilize twice as indicated, once in September and again in November.

I promise this regime is not nearly as complicated as it sounds! Next summer your lawn will be grateful for the extra TLC you provide this fall. You too will be convinced that fall is the best time to improve lawns.