Landscaping Tips

A Beautiful Garden is the finishing touch to a beautiful home.  

Here are a few tips we have collected for beginner gardeners.  Remember, small gardens can be made to look larger to the eye by using pale colour, and large spaces can be transformed with profound colours.

Baskets/Containers

• Put your Baskets out 2-3 weeks after Mother's Day
• The larger the container the better, this puts less stress on the plants
• Plants should be fast growing
• Flowers should be visible from a distance

Arranging

• Before placing your plants, decide which is the front and which is the back
• A well balanced basket should have one large, bright, stunning upright plant with equal numbers and equal colours.
• Aviod messy plants
• Trailing plants should be placed near the edge of the basket
• Accent colours-use plenty of white and silver
• Make sure there is enough soil for root developement and moisture rentention
• Soil-Use top-dress, don't mix fertillizers into the soil, don't pack too tightly

Tips By The Month 

January- Plant winter flowering shrubs (Heather, Jasmine..), also start early seeds (Pansies, Begonias, Geraniums)

February- Prune most evergreens and fruit trees, bare root furit trees can be planted.

March- Put Compost and manures into flower and vegetable gardens, early perennials, biennials and pansies can be planted for early colour, strawberries, rhubarb and asparagus can be planted.

April- Annuals such as snapdragons, violas and mimulas can be put out, lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, brassicas and early potatoes can be planted

May- The long weekend in May is a great time to get out all warm-loving veggie plants, flowers and herbs.

June- Plant Roses, hanging baskets should be set out this month.

July- Plant hydrangeas, stake tall growing flowers and vegetables

August- Harvest vegetables and dry herbs, dead-head, clean up perennials and annuals, seed winter vegetables

September- Plant early spring flowering bulbs

October- Lime your lawn, winterize outdoor plants

November- Winter flowering trees and perennials can be planted

December- Select a living Christmas tree early, fir and pines are the longest lasting cut Christmas trees, cut haf an inch of the bottom of the stem and water it lots.