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Hail No!

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We’re under sever Thunder storm watch here in Toronto today. I’ve heard that we might get extremely high winds and hail up to 4 cm (about two inches) in diameter!

I certainly hope we don’t get that hail as it will really damage my garden! We’ve had hail several times this summer, but luckily the hail pellets have been on the small side and didn’t do any damage. Other areas of Toronto have had quite a bit of storm damage and flooding in the last month or two though.

We’ve apparently broken the rainfall record this month too. It’s been a wet summer. Hot and humid too! I think I’ve only watered the garden and lawn twice so far this month. I’m fine with that – the less gardening chores the better and it helps save on our water bill too.

How has the weather been in your area? Has the weather been good for your garden or are you having to do a lot of watering or maintenance to keep your garden looking great this summer?






Turn a patio or deck into a year round sunroom

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My brother is on holidays this week and on Monday he came to visit. It was a fairly nice day – not too warm although it was humid, so we sat outside in my garden for about an hour and a half.

Since the weathers been kind of odd this year – either lots of rain and storms or hot and humid, I haven’t spent a great deal of time sitting on my patio enjoying my garden this summer. It was nice to just sit in the garden and to not be doing garden work!

My brother and I talked about a number of things as we hadn’t seen each other for a while. He talked to me about plans for his garden and he also mentioned that he and his wife had been thinking of tearing down their deck and making a glass enclosed sunroom to enjoy year round.

I thought his sunroom idea was fantastic and I immediately starting thinking about how he and his wife could decorate the room with loose flowing curtains on the windows to give them so privacy when they wanted to be out of the eye of their neighbors.

My brother wasn’t that into my curtain idea as he really likes the idea of having the sunroom totally open, but if I ever turned our enclosed back porch and possibly part of our patio into a sunroom I think I’d have some flowing curtains that I could close for privacy.

I’d also decorate the sunroom with furnishings like some of the fantastic pieces of modern furniture from NYC Concept Furniture.

They have some beautiful sofas and sectionals that I think would look great in a garden themed sunroom. They also have some lovely tables that would work well in an open concept room.

Their selection of designer modern furniture is of high quality and it’s all been made in Europe. They’ve obtained a wide variety of furnishings for the living room, dining room, bedroom and other areas of the home from designers in Germany, Spain, Italy and Belgium.

Being in Canada I’ll probably have to get furniture for my possible sunroom locally, but if you are in the Greater NY/NJ/CT are you might want to take a look at what NYC Concept Furniture has to offer.

Helpful tips to avoid injuring yourself in the garden

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Now that it’s July, you’ve probably finished most of your major gardening work for the summer, unless of course you are in the process of doing some landscaping. However, it’s always a good idea to use proper body mechanics while in the garden to avoid injury to your back or other joints.

Autumn will arrive soon enough and some of us will have more planting to do and other garden maintenance to prepare for winter so here’s some tips for you to help you avoid injuring yourself when you’re just trying to get a little gardening done.

Protect your joints

If you will be kneeling while working in the garden use knee pads, a knee cushion or a kneeler seat to protect your knee joints. Also remember to use tools with padded handles or easy spring loaded grips in order to minimize stiffness in your hands.

Take care when lifting!

We just finished mulching our garden – yes we were a little behind as usual! bags of garden mulch, soil and other garden supplies are heavy and can be difficult to carry. Use a wheelbarrow to move items from your car and place them close to the area where you will be using them. Another great idea is to open the bag, dumping the contents in the wheelbarrow or close to where you’ll be using it and then use a shovel to move small portions of the material to the garden.

Plan your tasks and conserve your energy

Just like in nursing and many other jobs it’s best to prepare everything that you’ll need before you start a task. Gather up all the gardening equiptment that you’ll need in a basket or container and carry it to the yard. This will save you trips and perhaps some time searching for tools once your already working in the garden.

I tend to bend or squat while working in the garden and I almost always end up with a sore back. Sit or kneel in one area and complete your gardening task – weeding, planting, pruning before moving to another area of the garden. This will also help conserve your energy and kneeling or using a kneeler seat will help your back too.

Moving heavy plants and other heavy objects

When it comes to landscaping your yard with new trees, shrubs or plants – perhaps large plants or ones in containers always try to move them with a wheelbarrow.

Tip the wheelbarrow forward as close to the plant as possible. Then gently rotate the pot or ball of plant onto the wheelbarrow. Slowly bring the wheelbarrow into standing position (keep your knees bend while you do this to easy your back). Carefully move the plant to it’s destination and reverse the process to get the plant off the wheelbarrow.

If you were thinking ahead and already dug a hole for the plant you might be able to move it right off the wheelbarrow and into it’s new hole!

If you have to lift a heavy item squat down, get a good grip and use your legs to lift. Don’t use your back or you’ll risk injuring your back. If there is someone else around to help you move heavy plants don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Work on one project at a time

I’m guilty of starting several projects at once and then feeling compelled to finish all of them before I stop gardening for the day. Don’t be like me – start one project at a time and finish it before moving on to another project whether it’s planting your annuals or planting seeds or seedlings or digging holes for your new roses. One job at a time.

Take a moment to decide which task needs to be given priority. Perhaps one task will take a lot longer than an other or your plants are desperately in need of care. Decide which job needs to be done first and start it. This can keep you from overdoing it and you might feel more satisfied with yourself when you complete the task rather than having several unfinished jobs on the go.

Listen to your body!

Yet another rule that I’m guilty of not following. I push myself in the garden even when I’m not feeling well or when my back is in full on spasms. I just will not go inside until I’m finished whatever I started. (I am getting a little better at listening this year as I try to plan smaller tasks).

Your body will tell you when it’s had enough. Listen to it. Muscles aching? Feeling tired? Sit back and take a break or stop your work for the day.

If you drink water while working in the garden you’ll remain well hydrated and well hydrated muscles will cramp less.

Don’t forget to stretch once you are done working in the garden. Stretching will help reduce muscle soreness and keep your more flexible. Once inside take a shower or a long soak in the bath tub to ease those muscles. Your body will thank you for it!

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