Tag: Kanata

Toro Ultra Plus, My new Garden Toy

~ Loreeebee ~ 1 Comment

I love my new garden toy.  It’s a Toro Ultra Plus leaf blower, vacuum and mulcher all in one.  I spent a few hours in a client’s garden today sucking up leaves with the vacuum attachment, then dumping the leaf bag full of finely mulched leaves onto her gardens.  I then covered the mulched leaves with a commercially prepared triple mix of soil, peat moss and compost.  This procedure is a great method for improving the quality of the soil in your gardens, especially if your soil is full of clay like most soil here in the Kanata suburb of Ottawa…

I also discovered, inadvertently,  if you forget to zip up the leaf bag after emptying it, the leaves you suck up off the lawn will get mulched as they enter the bag, then go right through the bag back onto the lawn.  I might try this on my own lawn, as mulched leaves are great for lawns too!

I researched this type of garden tool before purchasing the Toro Ultra Plus.  I chose an electric one as I did not want to be hauling oil or gasoline around in my van.  The battery operated ones were an option, but we have several battery operated tools at the cottage and the batteries always seem to need recharging, not to mention the batteries are expensive. The electric Toro Ultra Plus that I decided on was awesome to use; not too heavy (about 10 pounds), easy to assemble, and not too loud. The mulch came out incredibly fine; I estimate one bag of mulched leaves is the equivalent of at least 4 regular lawn bags.

With the beautiful weather we are experiencing this week, I hope to get a few gardens prepared for spring using this method, including my own. Perhaps I will do the lawn too…

Dog strangling vine prevalent in Kanata, Ontario

~ Loreeebee ~ 4 Comments

This dog strangling vine is one of the vines I was telling you about in a recent post that are very invasive, but also dangerous…

I have seen lots of these vines in my fall cleanups of gardens here in Kanata, Ontario. The leaves of the dog strangling vine are unremarkable, blending in with others in your gardens.  The seed pods are more distinctive; they look like yellow string beans, making it easy to recognize the vine this time of year.  If you encounter this vine in your gardens, pull out the vine by the roots before the seed pods burst spreading seeds everywhere.  Be sure to discard the vine, its roots and seed pods into your yard waste; do not add them to your compost bin.

I haven’t seen or heard of this vine strangling any dogs, but I have seen it strangle the life out of a fully mature tree, so beware!

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

~ Loreeebee ~ 2 Comments

As Thanksgiving approaches here in Canada (and in the USA in the near future) we should take a moment in our busy lives to contemplate what we are thankful for.  Here is my list:

  • I am thankful for my three wonderful sons, each one with different goals, dreams, skills and personalities.  I am thankful they are all still working and living close by and thoughtful enough to share their lives with me!
  • I am thankful for my husband of thirty one years, for his love and support, not to mention providing me with and helping me raise the above mentioned three sons.
  • I am thankful for my good health as well as the good health of those dear to me.
  • I am thankful for this wonderful country called Canada that we live in and the particular neighbourhood here in Kanata, Ontario that I live in.
  • I am thankful for the job I have where people pay me to play in their gardens.
  • I am thankful for the materialistic things in my life too, such as a warm and safe home, clothes on my back, food on my table, family vacations etc.

When you sit down for your Thanksgiving dinner, or before then, be sure to list the things you are most thankful for in your life.  Then remind yourself often of your good fortune, especially the non-materialistic things!