Many of us are left wondering… What do I do with shady area in my landscape?
The answer is, that there are many great perennials that flourish in part to full shade.
One of my many favourites are the newer varieties of dicentra (bleeding heart). Unlike some of the older fern leaf varieties they are much easier to grow. Dicentra Valentine is great with it’s larger red and white flowers on a background of lush green foliage. Or, for a bit more contrast, try Gold Heart dicentra. It has bright pink and white flowers on a backdrop of golden leaves.
Another great option to add some colour to those shady spots is astilbe. These heavy drinkers prefer to grow in part to full shade. Astilbe has large plumes of flowers stemming up from it’s delicate looking foliage. Two of the varieties we have found grow the best are the Younique series, and the japonica varieties, such as Montgomery and Radius. There are also some great new varieties including Colour Flash (white flowers on dark green leaves with red edges), and Color Flash Lime (pink flowers on chartreuse foliage). Chocolate Shogun is a stunner with larger leaves than other astilbe, in a rich chocolate/burgundy colour adorned with pastel pink blooms.
For those of you who prefer foliage that is non-flowering , ferns are a great way to fill in a shady space. The Ostrich fern (matteuccia) is an extremely tough Zone 1 plant. This 46” tall fern has gorgeous bright green fonds, that will sucker and spread to fill in an area with only a few host plants.
As a less invasive option try a Cinnamon fern (osmunda), reaching 40” tall with a broader more exotic looking fond. An American Maidenhair fern is great for the front of your beds. It is much smaller than other types, reaching only 8” high, and has softer lacey looking fonds.
Myself and Erna’s absolute favourite perennial, which is great in sun or shade is ‘Sun King’ Aralia (Japanese Spikenard). It’s a bright, tropical looking, shrub like perennial that grows to 3’ tall and wide. Just an all around awesome plant.
Last but not least, we have the hosta. With so many varieties to chose from, this shade lover comes in a wide variety of shades and sizes. A great new type of hosta to try is ‘Lakeside Paisley Print’, which is great for borders reaching only 10” tall with golden leaves and lime green ruffles edges.
Come and see me in the perennial house for more ideas and advice on all of your gardening needs.
Ahhhh. Spring is in the air. Ok ok. Ignore the recent snow we have been getting. Trust me. Spring will happen and happen fast.
For most of us, Spring is a time of new things. The air is fresher, we have more sunlight and it is a time to start cleaning up. I’m here to tell you that after you open the windows and clean the walls and floor, it is time to take that cleaning attitude outside to your yard.
Every year, your lawn will accumulate a dead layer of grass and organisms. This layer is called thatch. Typically, you want thatch but only to a certain thickness. This is generally ¼ inch to ½ inch. A good rule for me has always been that if it feels like your lawn feels spongy and like a trampoline, you have too much thatch. The best possible way to remove this thatch is with Power raking. Power raking allows for water and fertilizers to penetrate to the roots, giving you a thicker healthier lawn.
Another good spring yard cleanup chore to do is lawn aeration. Over the course of the year our lawns can become very compacted. A compacted lawn does not allow for air and moisture to move through the soil properly. Core aeration will physically remove a core plug of soil from your lawn and deposit it on top of your lawn. This relieves the compaction in the soil and allows for all those essential water and nutrients to penetrate into the soil. “So what about those ugly core plugs left on my lawn?” is what most of you are asking. Just leave them where they are. They will decompose over a few days to a week at the most and will also bring some great nutrients back into the soil. Just leave them where they are.
Oakridge offers full yard maintenance services including Spring Cleanup and Core Aeration. Check out our services page or call us at (204)326-1015 if you are interested in a free quote. Now dust off those rakes and get that mower ready for the season. Or call me, Mike, and I’ll do it for you!
Oakridge Garden Centre is very excited to now offer full yard maintenance and landscaping installation services. This is another component we are adding to truly become the best, true garden centre. Now you can come in to buy your plants, enjoy a warm drink with a scrumptious dessert and then have Oakridge come and install your plants and then take care of them for you. Yard Maintenance services offered:
Spring Cleanup
Aeration
Overseeding
Lawn Mowing Programs
Lawn fertilizer
Tree and shrub pruning
Flower and garden maintenance
Fall cleanup
Snow removal
All of the above services can be combined into a full year long package or customize your package to what your needs are. Landscaping Services offered:
Landscape designs
Establishing new lawns
Flower/garden bed rejuvenation
Patio install
Fence post install (can include completing fence)
Irrigation systems
Retaining walls
Tree, shrub, flower plantings
Please call to talk to our Yard Maintenance and Landscaping Specialist Mike Payment for more information and a consultation. Also see our Services section on our website for more information.
If you’re looking to give your garden a solid head start this year, you may want to consider starting your seeds indoors. There are a few easy steps to take and is a great way to give your plants a strong foundation before gardening season is in full swing.
SOIL Starting seeds indoors whether they are annual flowers or vegetables, starts with a good seedling starter soil or a light textured potting soil.
CONTAINERS
Next is finding the right kind of containers, not too big or not too small. The ideal container is one that is divided into cells and fits into a tray with a translucent dome to retain moisture. There are other containers that could be used, such as paper cups or egg cartons which work well for tiny seeds. Seedlings will grow well in containers that hold 3 to 4 ounces of soil. For DIY containers (such as the cups or egg cartons), be sure to punch drainage holes in the bottom and use plastic wrap over top to create a dome to retain moisture.
ENVIRONMENT
The next things you need to start germinating seeds is moisture, temperature and sometimes light.
Now that you have your perfect container. Fill them to the top with moistened soil, tap the soil down slightly to ensure there is no air pockets, add more soil if needed. Sow seeds to the depth that is suggested on the seed packets. If your seeds are very tiny, like petunia seeds, you can take a very small pinch of seeds and sprinkle on the top of the soil (less is better for small seeds) three to five seeds are ideal, gently and generously add moisture then cover with dome/plastic wrap. If your seeds are larger, like marigolds or melons, you can make a hole in the soil by pushing your finger into the first knuckle. Drop in a seed or two then pinch hole closed. Again gently and generously add moisture.
Once your seeds are all sown, place them in a warm area. In front of a warm window, heated sunroom, or as my mom use to do, put your tray on top of the refrigerator. Watch your soil for moisture every couple days, a spray bottle works great to put a mist on the soil if needed. Once you see your seeds germinate remove the dome/plastic wrap then place your trays in a warm, well lit area. Under grow lights works really well. Water gently as soil slightly dries and as needed. It is very important not to over water your seedlings. Your seedlings will develop it’s first set of leaves followed by a lull in action as the seedling switches it’s power source to develop it’s first true leaves and a flurry of new roots. Separate or thin out seedlings if they are crowded. You can use a seedling starter fertilizer once a set or two of true leaves develop. Water with fertilizer every 3rd or 4th watering, be sure not to mix your fertilizer stronger than recommended on the package. Now the fun is watching your little seedlings grow till there ready for transplanting.
Have fun, and if you have any questions or need supplies drop by Oakridge Greenhouse cover with dome/plastic wrap package and our staff will help you out.
Be sure to check out our events page for all of our fantastic events coming up for Spring. From our Spring kick-off to some great workshops, we hope to see you at Oakridge soon!
Date: Saturday, April 16, 2016 Time: 10:00 am till 4:00 pm
This is the day we officially announce spring has sprung – and we don’t care what the weather is like outside. So join us for our salute to spring with a day of sales on giftware, patio pots, garden décor and much more.
Plug and Seeding Sale | Additionally, all our extra plants will be for sale! Dave Hanson of Sage Garden Herbs will be here to talk about all things herbs – growing, harvesting, storing etc and we’ll sample some very fine appetizers made using our own freshly grown herbs. Free but please register. Workshops on succulent containers and Fairy gardening. Call 204.326.1015 to register.
Spring Pruning | We’ll show you some basic pruning techniques for trees, flowering shrubs and conifers. Free but please call 204.326.1015 to register
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28th–10:00am-5:00pm
Head to Oakridge for our popular Christmas open house, featuring fabulous Christmas decor, kids workshops and delicious treats including home made cider, coffee and cookies. Stay tuned for more information.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14th from 6:30pm-10:00pm
Join us for our 2015 Christmas event. Drop in any time to get some of our unique ideas for Christmas decorating and entertaining, and get a quick peek into this years holiday fashion show at 7:30pm. RSVP and pickup tickets at Oakridge.
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Looking for that perfect backdrop for your Christmas photo? Look no further than the Oakridge Winter Wonderland. Staff will be on hand to snap a photo with your camera, or you are welcome to bring your own photographer. Book your spot today, available Saturday’s from 10am – 4pm.
