May, 2008

What Christmas is to most kids, May is to gardeners.

We have waited all year for it and guess what, it is here and I don’t know when I have felt better.

As many of you know, I'm a hockey fan and the really good news is that the Leafs are making a comeback. No, really. Well, not THE Leafs, the leaves.

We had a nice slow snow melt in much of Canada – even the prairie farmers were happy to get that last 4 day storm in late April with they needed snow to slowly melt into the sub soil and provide moisture that has been oh-so-needed. And what is good for the farmer is good for the gardener. Most often.

Yes, the leaves are coming out as we speak and I am delighted.

I am also delighted with this news. Those of you that have been reading my newsletters for a while will know that I am an advocate for the planting of trees in urban spaces. It is my contention, backed with some interesting facts from arborists, that an urban tree provides over $160,000 in environmental value over its life time*. Added together the value of oxygen production, the prevention of soil erosion, the sequestering of carbon and the protection of desirable wildlife adds up to a big number. And all that they ask in return is for some water and that we keep heavy machinery and roads off of their roots.

That said, you can imagine how pleased I was when the Premier of Ontario said to me on a CFRB ‘Earth week’ interview that his government is going to finance the planting of 100,000 trees in urban spaces by the year 2012.

This is indeed good news. Evidently the Evergreen Foundation is going to be responsible for the planting. I will tell you more as I learn it.

In the mean time, we have work to do. And I mean ‘work’ as it relates to the most positive connotations of the word.

May is planting time. But before you do that [the fun stuff] it is very very important that you do the hard work – soil preparation.

Ever bake a cake without looking at the recipe, lining up your ingredients and pre warming the oven? That is to baking what soil prep is to gardening.

Planting is eating the cake.

The consistency of the soil that you are trying to achieve should be that of chocolate cake, minus the icing. You should find it as easy to push a sharpened spade into as chocolate cake [well, almost].

Make sure that your soil is loaded with a generous charge of organic matter. That means lots of compost, at least 4 inches or 10 cm. down. Turn it under with a digging fork or sharp spade [a Mark’s Choice sharpening file is made for this job….].

By ‘organic matter’ I mean compost, composted cattle manure or composted steer manure, for those of you on the prairies. You really can’t have too much of this stuff as all plant life thrives on it.

Remember this, as you venture out to the garden centre this spring: planting in good quality soil is essential to your long term success in the garden. I will go so far as to say that if you don’t invest in good soil, you will very soon be looking for a new hobby. Even golf looks attractive to a gardener who is frustrated with poor quality soil.

That said, May is the best time of the year - bar none – to pick up some real treasures at the garden centre. The early bird really does get the worm. As a rule of thumb, the best quality plant material is the first load shipped, the best of the new plant introductions are to be found early on in the season and almost always the first to sell out.

Go for it.

I am going to plant lots of the perennial plant of the year, the Rozanne perennial geranium [not related to the red/pink annual plants by the same name]. They grow to about 25 cm high; produce prodigious quantities of gorgeous blue/purple flowers from late spring through late summer. That’s about 10 weeks of reliable colour.
The great perennial grower/breeder Adrian Bloom of Blooms of Bressingham designed a stunning display at Ohio State University that I photographed last summer and plan on copying in my own garden. It is a river of blue.

Couple more things of importance before we get to some ‘things to do in your garden’:

1. Look over the list of public events that I am participating in this month. I am looking forward to hitting the road with my friends from Home Hardware to do some public events. These are ticketed events, so be sure to talk to your local Home Hardware dealer if you would like to join me. I guarantee that each evening event will be fun and informative. See the list below.
2. CTV/Canada AM. My apologies to you for misleading you in my last newsletter. I am still appearing with Jeff Hutchison, not alone, as I understood [most weeks], but we are appearing on Friday morning at 8:45 am EST, not the usual Wednesdays. My apologies to Jeff for calling him a goof last month. I meant that in the kindest possible way – though, I did mean it.
3. Newstalk CFRB 1010. I am ‘on location’ each week except May 17. Be sure to join me for the Lawrence Park tree planting May 3rd, Beaver Valley Stone at #407 and Yonge St. the following week and the Peel Children's Water Festival May 24th.

Please note that my Garden Show is now on at 11 a.m.

Finally, check out the Mark’s Choice product of the month in this newsletter.

And welcome!! To many new newsletter subscribers from Alberta. I took a whirlwind speaking tour of this Wildrose province in late April with Investors Group. I am delighted to have you on our list and I hope that you find the information useful.

One more thing…look for an exciting announcement about a new Mark Cullen/Yahoo! relationship. I will send you a special notice when we have the details all ironed out….. including a new weekly Mark Cullen blog.

Remember to fertilize your lawn with Golfgreen this month.

Great talking with you.

Yours,

Mark
Merchant of Beauty,

*International Association of Arboriculture

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In This Issue:

Where to Find Me this Month

Through the Garden Gate: Riverdale

Mark's Choice Product of the Month - Push Type Reel Mower

Soil Prep Basics

Environmentally Friendly Lawn Care

The Heart & Stroke Foundation

Through the Garden Gate: Riverdale

  Saturday, May 3rd in North York. The Garden Show on CFRB 1010 will broadcast live (11am to noon) from Arbor Day celebrations at 90 Dinnick Crescent. For more information on this event call Jane Somerville 416-486-6434.

  Saturday, May 3rd in Newcastle, Ontario. I will be speaking on behalf of Kylemore Communities at 2:00 pm. There is still room if you would like to join me! www.kylemorecommunities.com

  Saturday, May 10th in Thornhill, Ontario at Beaver Valley Stone. I will broadcast The Garden Show live on CFRB 1010 from 11 am to noon. For more information on Beaver Valley Stone visit www.beavervalleystone.com.

  Monday, May 12th at the gTO1 inaugural 'Green Tie' Event. Special guest speaker Roberta Bondar. This event takes place at Casa Loma from 6 pm to 9 pm. It is hosted by the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation and provides a platform to raise funds and awareness of the need to sustain our public green spaces - the parks and trees that make urban living healthier and add beauty to the place that we live and/or work in. Visit www.torontoparksandtrees.org/gTO_event.htm for more information.

  Wednesday, May 14th in Penticton. This is the first stop on my cross-Canada tour with Home Hardware. I will be speaking about The Canadian Garden Primer, An Organic Approach. Visit your local Home Hardware store for details and tickets.

  Wednesday, May 21st in Lloydminster. The second stop on my tour with Home Hardware finds me in Alberta. I will be speaking about The Canadian Garden Primer, An Organic Approach. Visit your local Home Hardware store for details and tickets.

  Saturday, May 24th at the Heartlake Conservation Area for the Peel Children's Water Festival. I will broadcast The Garden Show live on CFRB 1010 from 11:00 am to noon. For more information visit www.region.peel.on.ca/news/events/waterfestival.

  Wednesday, May 28th I will be in Renfrew for the third stop on my cross-Canada tour with Home Hardware. I will be speaking about The Canadian Garden Primer, An Organic Approach. Visit your local Home Hardware store for details and tickets.

I am really excited about this new lawn mower! It is perfect for the people with a small lawn [or ambitious people with big ones!]

First, the ‘training wheels at the back provide a smooth cut.

Secondly, this lawn mower adjusts easily to 2 ½ inches – the recommended height of most municipalities in Canada. {remember: the taller the grass blades, the deeper the roots}.

The wheels are 20 inches in diameter and ball-bearing driven [well, actually, YOU drive it…]

And finally, the grass catcher is great for taken excess grass clippings to the composter! Just the nitrogen you may need to get it heated up this summer!

Available only at Home Hardware.

For more information on Mark's Choice products at Home Hardware visit my Buyer's Guide or visit www.homehardware.ca.

Soil preparation is the key to gardening success. Poor growing conditions are often the result of problem root zones. Compaction and poor drainage can reduce the productivity of the soil. Gardeners are constantly striving to find solutions for stressed and compacted root zones. Soil amendments are invaluable for enhancing some of the most common soil problems.

Severe compaction leads to poor drainage, lack of soil aeration and restricted root growth. Organic compost is an ideal soil amendment to relieve compaction and enhance the nutrient content. Dig in a generous layer of organic compost to break up compacted soil and improve drainage.

"There are no failures in the garden just composting opportunities!"

The Groundskeeper at markcullen.com is bombarded with questions on lawn care every spring. Canadians are anxious to get out in the yard and get their grass off to the best start possible. The most successful method of controlling weeds in the lawn is to grow a thick and healthy lawn. The idea is to compete weeds out of existence. Remember that the pedigree of your lawn is equal to the quality of the seed you sow. Golfgreen grass seed is available in mixtures for Sun, Shade and All Purpose locations for the darkest green lawn and improves the overall health of your turf better than any other grass seed mix on the market. Guaranteed weed free, it contains no annual grasses.

Follow these steps to get lawns off to a good start this spring:

  Rake any winter debris lightly with a fan rake. This can be done as soon as the ground is dry enough to walk on without causing compaction.
  Feed the lawn with slow release CIL Golfgreen lawn fertilizer. This contains double-coated, slow release nitrogen which breaks down very slowly when it comes into contact with water. This gives the best results and is a responsible use of lawn fertilizer as it will be less inclined to leach into the water table. Over the course of a season, a lawn can actually grow over 2 metres (6 feet) in total height! In order to support this growth and still maintain thick, lush, green grass the lawn needs a continuous and dependable supply of nitrogen. Every time the lawn receives water, double-coated nitrogen is released.
  Cut the lawn at least 2 1/2 inches high using a mulching mower or the new Mark's Choice walk behind reel type mower. Longer grass blades allow the lawn to compete with weeds and provide shade to the root zone. A taller grass plant also has a deeper root system allowing the plant to withstand dry periods.

This year I will be writing a monthly column for The Heart & Stroke Foundation's website. These articles can be found on their 'Features' page on the 1st of each month. Sign up for the Heart and Stroke monthly newsletter and learn how to live a heart-friendly life!

The Purpose of a Hoe

Taking the time to weed your garden can take your mind off your worries and may even have the beneficial effect of lowering your blood pressure.

I thought I was the only one who looked at a hoe hanging in a garden shed the way I do. I thought that there couldn’t possibly be anyone who would attach such an extraordinary measure of importance to the weed-cutting tool that so many others take for granted.

But I found one such individual by the name of Jeff Taylor, who wrote the following in a gardening magazine: “One could safely say that a hoe is the quintessential garden tool. A good hoe can connect spirit and body, sweat and psyche, mind and matter. It provides unbroken daydreaming time, thanks to the damnable tenacity of weeds.”

Before you ask what this is all about, let me explain on behalf of all hoe lovers out there, of which there may be only two.......

Read the entire article, starting May 1st, at www.heartandstroke.ca.

(Reprinted with permission of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Want to receive heart-healthy recipes, nutrition and physical activity tips to your inbox every month? Then subscribe to Healthline, the Heart and Stroke Foundation's free monthly e-newsletter today.)

For more great garden stories, pick up a copy of my most recent book A Sandbox of a Different Kind, Personal Reflections on the Canadian Gardening Experience. By Mark Cullen.

The 21st annual self-guided walking tour highlights over 25 private gardens in Riverdale. The gardens of Riverdale are as diverse as the residents. You'll see everything from tranquil flowering Japanese-type gardens to English cottage-style gardens featuring a riot of colours and shapes - and everything in between. Many of the gardens are small, so full advantage is taken of every bit of space.

If you're looking for motivation, inspiration and a great day with (or without) your family, order your tickets now, as this event has sold out in previous years.

Date: Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15, 2008
Time: 11 am to 4 pm
One Day Pass: Public $40 / TBG members $35
(tickets are limited, advance purchase recommended)

For more information visit www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca/events/ttgg.htm

For more information, refer to Mark's best selling gardening books — or tune into CanadaAM every Friday morning at 8:45am on CTV. If you have a specific question, simply search Mark's Library at www.markcullen.com or listen to The Garden Show on CFRB every Saturday 11am to noon.