September, 2009
In This Issue:
Mark's Choice Product of the Month
Top 10 Fragrant Flowers
How Climate Change Will Affect Gardeners
Plant A Row Grow A Row
Toronto Parks & Trees BULBS Event
Feast of Fields 2009
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The Summer may be gone - but the Gardening Season Isn't!
As our gardening season stretches into its’ middle age, those of us that have been gardening for a while realize that the best is yet to come.
There are so many perennials that have yet to flower, annuals that will peek in the weeks ahead and of course the harvest! We can’t forget the harvest!
For the first few days that the kids go back to school I feel a little melancholic. We have 4 of them –kids that is – and even though the last one has just graduated from high school, we miss the bunch of them when school takes their focus off of summer activities: like grazing in the fridge, finishing the milk, borrowing the car and using my golf clubs. God bless them all.
I get over it.
If you live near Conception Bay South in Newfoundland, drop by the Mark Cullen Approved garden centre at the local Home Hardware and say Hi! to my friend Christine Hand.
To the garden! I say. To the garden!
Where the songbirds have not been told that it is time to return to school. And flowers are oblivious to the rhythms of our family life. It is the rhythm of nature that determines their path.
What to do in the garden this month:
Grass: The most sophisticated ground cover known to humankind.
As tough and ‘sophisticated’ as it is, this is the perfect time of year to give it some attention.
Sod growers and golf course greens keepers will tell you that this is the best time of year to start a new lawn or thicken an old one. Last month I gave you some details: you can get a complete 101 tutorial in my August 19 th blog on lawn care at http://ca.lifestyle.yahoo.com/home-garden/blog/markcullen/408/a-101-tutorial-on-lawn-care.
Remember that the pedigree of your lawn is in that bag of grass seed: nothing else that you do to your lawn will determine your success more than its’ contents. I recommend Golfgreen grass seed for this reason.
Plant: September and October are the best months of the year for planting permanent plants in your garden. Quote me any time.
Of the 4 or 5 gardens that we have ‘installed’ around our homes over the years, almost all of them have been planted in the autumn. Here is why:
 Trees, shrubs, evergreens and even perennials will put down roots in the fall before the hard frost of October/November. These roots provide added ‘boost’ to the growth that occurs in the spring. Furthermore, your newly planted winter hardy plants are now predisposed to the ups and downs of temperatures come spring – the result? Hardier plants.
Generally autumn provides reliable and well timed rain fall: perfect for all newly planted plants.
Virtually all hardy plants purchased at retailers this time of year are growing in containers. Their roots are perfectly at home there and are ready to put down new roots after planting. (Tip: if the roots are tightly wound in the shape of the pot, be sure to pull the roots apart in order to get them to grow ‘out’ rather than continuing to grow in the shape of the pot).
There are some great deals out there! Retailers put many of the plants on sale this time of year in order to move them out before winter. Look for bargains, but look carefully. Buying quality plants always makes sense, whether they are on sale or not.
If you live in Toronto be sure to visit the Toronto Botanical Gardens. Go to www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca. This is Toronto's best kept secret!
Perennials: If they have finished flowering, cut them back. If they are about to flower, cut some of the flowers for use indoors – place in a vase on the kitchen table.
Birds: If you have not been feeding them now is the time to get back at it. Birds eat a lot before they head south: they are stocking up their fat stores for the long flight. You could say that their little ‘fat pockets’ (often found behind their cheeks) are their form of ‘in flight service’. Ha.
I am especially excited about the new line up of Mark’s Choice bird seed (see below). This new ‘family’ of bird seed is well researched and believe me – only the very best quality ingredients are used in each bag. As with all Mark’s Choice products, I stake my reputation on it.
Veggie and Fruit garden:
‘if it is ripe, pick it’. These are words to live by.
Picking fruit and veggies when ripe encourages more fruit production.
It is simple – energy used to produce seeds in over ripe fruit cannot be used to produce newly ripened fruit.
Think like a vegetable: the plant is trying to reproduce by producing fruit. From the plants’ point of view, the fruit is not for you and me - it provides nourishment for the seeds as they mature inside of it.
So get out there and pick those tomatoes whether you need them or not!
Plant a Row, Grow a Row.
Got extra fruit or veggies? Drop them by the local food bank. They will thank you for it.
Go to www.compost.org for more info.
Mary's Yarns. Guess who Mary is... and note the boxes of new 'fall' inventory in the background! www.marysyarns.com Lots of things going on here in September!
Where am I this month?
Brockville, Thursday, September 24 th – Home Hardware - come on out for a great ‘Ladies Night’ event. I will post more information on my Events page as it becomes available.
Kanata: Thursday, October 1 st – Home Hardware. We celebrate the grand opening of a brand new, state of the art location in Kanata, just east of Ottawa. Come on out for a great time and lots of gardening tips! Visit my Events page for more information.
I am also on Canada AM each Friday at 8:45 a.m. with my buddy Jeff Hutcheson with weekly garden segments. Or you can view them streamed at www.ctv.ca/canadaam/.
My blog is posted each Wednesday at http://ca.lifestyle.yahoo.com/home-garden/blog/markcullen. I tell you what you should be thinking of in terms of your garden each week. And we have a chuckle.
See you soon – have a great month!
And keep your knees dirty,
Mark
Merchant of Beauty
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