Whether you are a beginner or have been gardening for years there is always something to learn from other club members or gardening professionals.
There are 3 sections presented:
- A monthly checklist of gardening tasks to help you identify when to plant, prune and do the various tasks that will keep your garden in tip top shape. These tasks are geared to our Ajax climate.
- Ideas and tips shared by club members or gathered from other clubs, or the wider World.
- Links to websites of gardening resources, vendors etc.
Boxwood Moth Infestation
Does your boxwood look dead? Are they brown and lifeless? Can you see webs and caterpillars?
You have been hit with the infestation of boxwood moth that is decimating boxwood plants.
Last year a number of Ajax gardeners pulled out their dead boxwood while others seemed to be unaffected. However. this summer I am seeing more and more plants dead and dying.
To help you with understanding this infestation and how to deal with it here are some resources from Ontario experts.
Some Resources:
Box Tree Moth: A Toronto Master Gardeners Garden Guide – Toronto Master Gardeners
Boxtree Moth Caterpillars and Larvae – Toronto Master Gardeners
Box tree moth: A growing concern for Ontario gardens – Landscape Ontario
Box tree moth – inspection.canada.ca
Box Tree Moth | National Invasive Species Information Center
Monthly Gardening Checklists
At our March 24th club meeting, Gini Sage from Durham Master Gardeners gave a wonderful presentation on starting seeds at home.
Here is a link to a tip sheet from the Master Gardeners for your reference.
Tip Sheet for Starting Your Plants from Seeds (durhammastergardeners.ca)24th
Outdoors (weather permitting):
- Loosen the soil and add compost; don’t overwork the soil.
- Gradually remove mulch from roses and make saucer ridge around bush. When rose leaf buds break, prune roses back to 3 or 4 buds, except climbing roses, which only require dead wood be removed. Pruning should not be done too early in spring, as an unexpected hard frost can nip back buds before a newly pruned cane. Better to be a little late than too early. Begin feeding roses once they start to grow.
- Replace soil in window boxes and outdoor pots.
- Sow seeds that require cold weather planting (i.e., selected herbs, peas, lettuce, spinach, and leeks).
- Plant seed potatoes and onion sets.
- Top dress lawn; apply early spring fertilizer. Sow grass seed on bare spots.
- Put in stakes for sweet peas and tomato plants.
- Divide rhubarb, chives.
- Transplant pansies, sweet peas, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, turnips, parsnips, and cress.
- Work handfuls of bone meal into soil around bulbs as they finish blooming. Deadhead spent flowers.
- In late April/early May, when conditions permit, work bone meal into soil; plant summer flowering dahlia, lily, and anemone bulbs. Put in first planting of freesias and gladioli (then plant every 2 weeks until mid-July).
- Divide perennials.
Indoors:
- Following package directions, sow cosmos, cleome, lavatera, nasturtium, marigolds, zinnias, balsam, and snapdragons.
- Transplant fibrous begonias into 3″ pots.
- When conditions permit, slowly harden off transplants.
Outdoors:
Avoid working in garden if the soil is soft and wet to prevent soil compaction, which impedes health root growth.
- Apply fertilizer to established asparagus beds.
- Spread a handful of rotted manure around each rhubarb plant.
- When temperature is above 0°C (32°F), apply dormant oil/lime sulphur.
- Prune fruit trees, berry bushes, grape vines, and deciduous trees (excluding maples and birch and spring flowering shrubs and trees).
- Cut back dried stalks of perennials, pressing perennials back into place if frost has lifted.
- Black plastic can be placed on clay soil to warm up for early planting.
During final weekend in March (weather permitting):
- Remove burlap winter protection.
- Sow sweet peas if ground is workable.
- Remove top, loose layer of garden debris and leaves.
- Remove winter mulch from roses and prune off dead wood; apply dormant spray (weather permitting).
- If not too wet, lightly rake lawn and apply spring fertilizer.
Indoors:
- Following package directions, sow flower seeds for sweet alyssum, baby’s breath, balsam, calendula, dahlias, petunias, snapdragons, strawflower, sweet peas, and verbenas, and later sow morning glories in peat pots and nicotiana.
- Following package directions, sow vegetable seeds for basil, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, head lettuce, parsley, and later in the month, tomatoes.
- Start summer flowering bulbs (begonias, calla lily, cannas, caladiums, and elephant ears).
Outdoors:
- Visit local nursery greenhouses and sign up for gardening seminars.
- In late February, if you have kept your f Christmas tree strip off the needles and spread around rhododendrons and azaleas.
- Inspect, repair, and sharpen tools. Make a list of new tools required and watch for spring garden sales.
Indoors:
- Plant paper-white narcissus in pebbles and water.
- In early February, sow pansies for April planting and snapdragons for late May planting.
- Plan new gardens; decide which perennials need dividing.
- Force indoor blooms on branches of fruit trees, forsythia, and magnolia.
- In mid-February, sow verbena, then trailing lobelia, eggplants, peppers, and geraniums.
- Increase food and water to houseplants.
- In late February, sow petunias and impatiens.
- In late February, pinch back seedlings that are growing leggy.
Outdoors (weather permitting):
- Turn compost for last time; add water.
- Remove leaves from hostas and other perennials, which become soggy after frost. Discard; do not compost.
- Finish planting spring flowering bulbs, provided ground isn’t frozen. (Use blood meal to deter squirrels.)
- Continue to water shrubs, trees, and evergreens. If autumn has been dry, water perennial beds.
- Drain and put hose away; turn off outside water supply. Empty and protect rain barrels (turn upside down).
- Protect roses after first hard frost to prevent rodents from nesting. Protect rhododendrons and azaleas.
- First-year trees and shrubs should be wrapped in burlap for added protection.
Indoors:
- Order seeds that will be sown in December, January, and February (sweet peas, pansies, petunia, snapdragon, verbena, peppers, eggplant, lettuce).
- Fertilize Christmas cactus and keep well watered while the flower buds are forming; in mid-December, put into sunny location and continue to feed with half-strength liquid fertilizer.
- Plant paper-white narcissus bulbs in stones and water for winter forcing.
Outdoors (weather permitting):
- Plant deciduous shrubs.
- Prune faded blooms off roses and cut back to first healthy, outside bud with 5 leaflets.
- Divide perennials.
- Take cuttings of impatiens, coleus, and geraniums to winter indoors.
- Pot up herbs for indoor use during winter.
- Plant new lawn or grass seed/sod when weather cools.
- Fertilize lawn.
- Plant spring flowering bulbs, using garden compost and small amount of bone meal to enrich soil.
- Last chance in early September to prune trees that “bleed” (birches, maples).
- Replace spent annuals with fall pansies, mums, fall asters, and kale.
- Make autumn arrangements (use bales of hay, cornstalk, pumpkins, gourds, grasses).
- Bring houseplants indoors before heat is turned on.
- Plant peonies.
- Fertilize established peonies with bone meal.
Outdoors (weather permitting):
- Plant deciduous shrubs.
- Prune faded blooms off roses and cut back to first healthy, outside bud with 5 leaflets.
- Divide perennials.
- Take cuttings of impatiens, coleus, and geraniums to winter indoors.
- Pot up herbs for indoor use during winter.
- Plant new lawn or grass seed/sod when weather cools.
- Fertilize lawn.
- Plant spring flowering bulbs, using garden compost and small amount of bone meal to enrich soil.
- Last chance in early September to prune trees that “bleed” (birches, maples).
- Replace spent annuals with fall pansies, mums, fall asters, and kale.
- Make autumn arrangements (use bales of hay, cornstalk, pumpkins, gourds, grasses).
- Bring houseplants indoors before heat is turned on.
- Plant peonies.
- Fertilize established peonies with bone meal.
- Sow collards and Chinese cabbage every week until first of August for constant supply.
- Sow kale.
- Transplant fibrous begonias.
- Remove rose suckers from below soil surface.
- Photograph gardens throughout blooming season for records.
- Sow endive for September harvest.
- Fertilize container plants weekly with half-strength soluble fertilizer.
- Deadhead annuals; deadhead perennials (except self-seeding).
- Remove seed heads from rhododendrons and lilacs.
- Prune evergreen hedges.
- Mulch the garden beds.
- Stop cutting asparagus and fertilize the bed.
- Tie up flowers and vegetables that need staking.
- Harvest herbs to encourage growth and keep tidy.
- Spread manure around roses.
- Prune flowering shrubs after they have finished blooming.
- Indoors:
- Plan your spring garden based on photos you’ve taken.
Order autumn crocus and bulbs.
In early May, sow lettuce for summer crop.
Note bare spots in the garden that can use a plant/bulb; mark the spot.
Prepare flower beds.
Plant perennials, noting flowering times, and plan for continuous blooms; divide hostas and many other perennials.
Feed iris and check for Iris borer.
Tidy up Spring Bulbs, working bone meal into soil around bulbs as they finish blooming (deadhead faded narcissus, hyacinths, and tulips, but leave foliage until brown); deadhead pansies.
Plant summer flowering bulbs (freesia, gladiolus, dahlias, lilies and anemones) – use bone meal.
Plant annuals and vegetables (sow snap and pole beans, pre-sprouted summer squash, zucchini, spinach, chard, leaf lettuces, beets, radishes and late carrots. Transplant peppers, cosmos, marigold, petunias, geraniums, verbena, and herbs.
Buy and plant rhododendron.
Fertilize strawberries and mulch between plants.
Mulch gardens after annuals are planted.
Sow morning glories, beets, herbs, endive, dill and carrots.
Transplant basil, parsley, calendula, cleome, nasturtium, impatiens, stocks, alyssum, lobelia and zinnias.
Check hostas for slugs.
Prune forsythia.
Cut dead branches off rose bushes. Spread well-composted cattle manure around roses.
Clean water gardens and add new plants.
Weeding!
Garden Ideas
Check out some Ideas for old teapots and cups in your garden:
Teapot-birdhouse
Teacup feeders
Birdhouse or birdfeeder from old boots.