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Happy New Year Gardeners

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Happy New Year!

I’m hoping that all of my fellow gardeners and gardener wannabees are happy and healthy as we start this new year.

I know for many of you your gardens are now dormant since it’s winter and it’s too cold for leaves on our plants let alone flowers! However I’m sure many of you are making plans for Spring.

I haven’t done this for a few years, but this year, come February or so I’m going to set up my seedling trays and start planting seeds. If I remember correctly you have to start Asters, Impatiens and a few other plants quite early in order to have big enough plants for the end of May or early June planting. Of course, the majority of plants that I’ll start indoors don’t need to be planted until March ie Tomatoes.

Luckily I have a good stock of seeds in my cool basement storage. I hope that most of them are still viable! I also collected seeds off a number of my plants this year ie Cosmo, Cleome, Liatris etc so I’ll be planting some of those in little pots and others right in the garden beds ones the soil is thawed in the Spring.

I know that growing some of my own plants will cut our costs greatly. As I said I haven’t grown my own seedlings for a few years now … instead I’ve purchased annual flowers and some veggies at a nursery in late spring or early summer … but enough of spending money on things i can grow on my own! I just have to get started early enough.

Do you grow some of your own seedlings? If so – what types of plants do you start indoors during the winter?






It sure feels like winter here!

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I know it’s not winter yet, but it sure feels like it here in Toronto.

Last week we got our first real snow. It wasn’t much – only about 2 cm and it was pretty much gone by Saturday when the weather warmed up and it started raining.

As sad as it is to say goodbye to the garden for the winter, it was nice to see the plants dusted with snow, and roses and rose buds lightly dusted with frost.

Last week when the snow storm hit we had heavy winds and it looks like at least one of my roses took a beating. The rose had a growth spurt in September and even though I wanted to cut down it’s extra long stems I didn’t because they had buds on them and I hoped to see their blooms before it got too cold here (I did, once it was freezing!). So the rose got battered in all that wind and it looks like two long stems broke off. They’re still attached, but hanging by just a bit bark.

Have you had your first snow yet? Is it starting to get “winter cold” in your area? If so, how is your garden fairing, and does it look nice even when covered in snow?

Just about time to put the garden to bed for the winter

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It’s hard to believe but November is here.

It’s starting to get colder and the leaves are falling off the trees and my garden plants. It’s time to start putting the garden to bed for the winter.

As far as gardening goes I dislike this time of year the most.

Yes I still have some flowers blooming, but it won’t be long before the first snow arrives and my garden will be awash in white. It’s a long wait until spring and new garden life – isn’t it?

Yellow Mums

In the last two weeks I’ve spent some time closing down the garden. Trimming plants and removing plants that have died down. We’ve put away our patio furniture and just this past weekend all the solar lights and torches were put away for winter. Tropical plants such as my Passion Flower vines, Hibiscus and Jasmine have all been brought inside as they can’t withstand our very cold winters here in Toronto.

There isn’t much left to do, other than cover the garden beds with tree leaves that have been falling heavily over the last few days. Soon the trees in the area will be bare – but their leaves will be protecting my garden beds.

I still have to cut down the sunflowers that I grow in the front boulevard …

Sunflower in the sun 2

They are still blooming and most look pretty good – but I know that won’t last. Perhaps next weekend we’ll chop them down … oh yes I mean chop, normal garden pruners just don’t do the job on Sunflowers thick stems.

Have you started getting your garden ready for the long winter? What do you do to prepare your garden?

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