Beaver Valley Probus Club

Bulbs, Bulbs, Beautiful Bulbs - Work Now, Enjoy Them in the Spring

Spring flowering bulbs are the best blooming investment you can make in your garden, BUT you have to do the work NOW have beautiful blooms this spring! While you can plant bulbs into late November, get them into the ground in October or early November; water them well and their roots will grow vigorously this fall to give you better blooms next spring.

Now, what to plant? There is a huge variety of spring bulbs, different colours, different heights and most important, different bloom times. Your objective should be to use this variety to generate the longest possible period of bloom, from snowdrops in early April to alliums in June.

EARLY	MID SEASON	LATE
Snow Drops	Trumpet Daffodils	Late Flowering Tulips
Crocus	Hyacinth	Lili Tulips
Anemone Blanda	Mid Season Tulips	Grape Hyacinths
Mini Daffodils	Double Daffodils	Giant Alliums
Early Single Tulips	Fritillaria Imperialis

When buying bulbs, as in most things in life, SIZE MATTERS. Bigger bulbs make bigger blooms. Check out the size of the bulbs that are available. Look for 12-14 cm (the circumference of the bulb) or more for daffs and pay a little more for bigger bulbs. Some online suppliers provide mixed collections of different colours that will save you money. If you order from a catalogue, get your order in fast, as some suppliers run out of the most popular kinds early in the season. Gray Heron Nurseries (formerly Ormsby’s on Hwy 26 just before Meaford) still has a wide variety of bulbs available.

Planting is easy. Select a sunny area, the more sun the better. If your garden is shady, don’t worry, plant very early bulbs which will enjoy the sun coming through the bare branches before they leaf out. Your soil should drain well, as bulbs don’t like wet feet. If you have clay soil, add 3 inches of sand or ravel to the bottom of the hole. Ideally, you should have a loose soil with lots of organic material like compost, at least for the soil used to fill up the hole over the bulbs.

Plant bulbs in concentrated groups of 7 to 11 in several spots in your garden for a real show. Otherwise you will have a spotty “meals” display with little impact. Avoid long rows of say 20 daffs. Five groups of 5 (I know it’s 25) will be more impactful. Plant a minimum of 5 to 7 bulbs in each hole, with the bulbs spaced 3 inches apart. The experts say, always plant odd numbers of bulbs 5, 7 or 9. (I’m told it’s a design thing.) Check the package for the proper depth to plant, as it varies by type of bulb.

Dig a good-sized hole to an inch below the correct depth, loosen up the soil at the bottom, add a sprinkle of “bulb food” or bone meal (formula 4 -10 – 4, make sure it’s a big middle number) and mix it in, tamp down the soil, add an inch of compost and set the bulbs in the compost. Fill up the hole with more soil/compost mix, adding a sprinkle of bone meal when the tops of the bulbs are covered by 1” of mix. For our cold winters, when the snow melts away in mid-January, it’s good to add a couple of inches of mulch over the planting hole. It will help keep the soil temperature more even. Pull it back in early spring and let the warm sun in. Reapply the mulch after blooming to deter weeds.

Now what about pesky squirrels, chipmunks and skunks? They love tulips and will dig up your tulip bulbs this fall and eat the blooms in spring. Some people recommend moth balls on the top of the soil, but don’t go as far as a pellet gun. I recommend a piece of chicken wire placed an inch below the soil over hole where the tulips are planted and then and cover it up. You can add moth balls on the top of the soil for good measure The key is, the squirrels can’t get through the chicken wire, but next spring, the tulip stems will come right through the wire and bloom.

Happy Gardening,

John Hethrington, Master Gardener, Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

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Here are the things to do for your garden in October!

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario. Please contact John for more information!

October 2021:

• after a warm summer, and 2 more weeks of summer in September, FALL is definitely here with the nightly risk of FROST.
• There is an annual argument among gardeners as to whether you should cut back your perennials, ornamental grasses, etc., in the fall, or leave them long for “winter interest”. However, up here, most perennials are covered by 2 feet of snow, so you can’t see them anyway. Spring Clean-Up can be daunting. There may be wet weather, or a late spring. For these reasons, I am opting for a BIG FALL CLEAN-UP again this year to get a jump on spring 2022.
• I say it’s time to trim back perennials and divide them as needed for your garden, or to give to your neighbors, or to pot them up for the St. George’s plant sale in June 2022 and get a Tax Receipt. Make sure it is a cool, cloudy day and add bone meal fertilizer to the pots, or your new plantings. October is a great time to plant perennials.
• Buy and plant spring flowering bulbs. Add a little bulb fertilizer, like bone meal, to the bottom of the hole and water well to get the roots started. Your efforts NOW will bring big dividends in April and May 2022.
• For a longer bloom season, plant a variety of bulbs, like winter aconite, snow drops and crocus. You can also plant early, middle and late blooming tulips and daffodils for a much longer season.
• Place chicken wire just under the surface of the soil over any tulip bulbs you plant. The squirrels will hate you. Daffodils should not need this protection.
• If there is an early frost warning, cover tender annuals overnight with an old bed sheet. They should make it through and keep on blooming.
• Bring in house plants when the evenings start to cool down, or when you get a frost warning. First give them a thorough spray with insecticidal soap, so that there are no unwanted hitchhikers coming into your home.
• Fertilize lawns with a low “first” number and high “middle” number or with a “Fall Formula” fertilizer.
• Start cutting your grass much lower than in summer to avoid winter matted long grass next spring.
• Water shrubs, evergreens and trees weekly and deeply at least until frost.
• Buy the Triple-19 fertilizer now, so you will have it to put on the snow that will be covering your perennial gardens in March 2022. The problem is, the Co-Op may not have any in stock in mid-March next year, before the snow disappears. It’s available now at the Markdale CO-OP for $30.50 for a 50-pound bag.

John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

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Here are the things to do for your garden in September!

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario. Please contact John for more information!

September 2021:

• Trim back perennials like Daylilies and Iris. Divide them as needed. Make sure it is a cool, cloudy day to divide and replant, or pot up for your neighbors or fall plant exchanges.
• Buy and plant spring flowering bulbs. Your efforts will be rewarded next spring. Check out Botanus on line at www.botanus.com. Add a little bonemeal fertilizer or special bulb food to the bottom of the planting hole. Water well after planting to start root growth.
• Take a critical look at your garden. Then fill in any gaps that may have developed with new perennials, shrubs and/or evergreens. They will get a huge head start over plants planted next spring.
• Bring in house plants when the evenings start to cool down. First give them a thorough spray with insecticidal soap so that there are no unwanted hitchhikers coming into your home.
• With cool nights and hoped for fall rains, it’s the ideal time for lawn repair. Dig out weeds, add clean, weed-free topsoil and re-seed. Water as required.
• Fertilize lawns with root-building “Fall Fertilizer” with a low first number (nitrogen) and a high third number (potash).
• Don’t use the lawn fertilizer you have left over from the spring, probably with a high first number (nitrogen). Save it for early next spring.
• It’s been first, a dry summer and then lots of rain, so water perennials, shrubs, evergreens and trees deeply. Dig a little test hole, say 14”-16” deep. Check moisture levels at that depth. If the bottom of the hole is dry, water weekly until frost.

John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

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Here are the things to do for your garden in August!

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario. Please contact John for more information!

August 2021:

• A cool dry May and June, followed by thundering rain, has made the weeds incredible. Keep adding mulch as it starts to work into the soil. Keep it at least 2 inches deep. It works to suppress weeds, keeps the soil cool and damp and protects the rain we get.
• Sow vegetable seeds for a fall harvest e.g. spinach and some varieties of lettuce.
• Tidy up plants and shrubs with a little judicious pruning, but early in the month.
• Stake tall perennials against the wind. 
• Cut your grass at least 2’’ high to combat drying out. Water well when needed, or when it is allowed.
• Check out bulb catalogues and order before they are sold out (try www.botanus.com from BC for lots of unique varieties).
• Order spring flowering bulbs now for planting in October. 
• Fill in gaps in your flower garden with fall-flowering perennials, like mums and asters. Start drying flowers and herbs.
• Start to divide daylilies, iris and peonies later in the month.
• Collect seeds that have matured but not fallen from the plant. Once they have completely dried, store them in air tight containers in a cool location.
• Take a hard look at your garden and decide where there are empty spaces for new plants this fall. Identify any plants that have not performed well and plan to replace them with a fall planting program of shrubs and perennials.
• Early Fall is a great time to sow grass seed and plant perennials, trees and shrubs. You will l get a big jump on next Spring!

John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

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Here are the things to do for your garden in July! Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario. Please contact John for more information, or to obtain a copy of the calendar of the full year’s tips.

July 2021:

• Watch for the Japanese beetle on your Lilies, Roses, Rose of Sharon, Dahlias, Hollyhocks, and numerous other plants. Handpicking and squeezing, combined with a beetle trap, are the most efficient way to limit these ravaging critters. Luckily, the little red devils don’t eat Day Lilies (Hemerocallis) 
• Watch for earwigs and LDD moth (gypsy moth) caterpillars. Spray plants with a 40:1 mixture of water and dish soap. 
• Ants are also a problem. The ant powder does not seem to work for me. Maybe the ants didn’t read the instructions to take it back to their nest. 
• Trim evergreens, cedar hedges, etc., NOW as needed, not later in the summer. 
• Stake straggly annuals and perennials, or pinch them back to promote new growth. 
• Raise lawn mower blades for summer mowing. (Grass should be at least 5 - 7.5 cm (2 to 3 inches) high to stay healthy and weed free.) 
• Prune spring flowering shrubs like Forsythia and Spirea after blooming,. If you really want to be picky, remove individual spent lilac blooms. 
• Water flower beds deeply and try a second round of weeding. Add mulch again to keep the weeds at bay. 
• Mulch your tomato plants. When a ripe tomato drops, it won’t split or get muddy. Mulch holds moisture too! 
• Thin, hoe, weed and water vegetables as required. (This is why I stick to flowers) 
• Water lawns and beds as deeply as you can. May was a record breaking NO RAIN month. Now we get downpours in late June. 
• Tackle weeds now before they go to seed. 
• Turn compost regularly and check the moisture level - not too wet, not too dry, like Goldilocks, just right.

A big thank you to everyone who turned out for our second COVID Plant Sale at St. George’s, the Anglican Parish for the Blue Mountains, in Clarksburg. You bought over 1,000 donated plants. Thanks to the many plant donors TOO!

Come to the Frog Hollow Garden Tour of my many different gardens on Saturday, July 31 (Civic Holiday Weekend). Proceeds to St. George’s church. Pre-purchase your $20 tickets on line at www.froghollowgardentour.ca to see our 2½ acre Frog Hollow Gardens. It’s a safe, socially-distanced, self-guided, timed entry tour. Refreshments will be served.

John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

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Here are the things to do for your garden in June! Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario. Please contact John for more information, or to purchase a obtain of the calendar of the full year’s tips.

June 2021:

• Summer is really here! Driest May in years! Get your annuals planted now. Add a little general-purpose fertilizer and water well.
• Fertilize perennials, roses, shrubs and vegetables using a balanced fertilizer, not the one for your lawn. Pull back the mulch (that should already be there). Dig the fertilizer in lightly around each plant and replace the mulch.
• Start cutting your lawn higher and leave cuttings on the lawn as “green” fertilizer.
• Prune spring blooming shrubs and trees (lilac, forsythia) after they have flowered.
• Prune evergreens and hedges now, not later in the summer.
• Finish removing all daffodil and tulip flower stems. Leave leaves to mature and feed the bulb for next year. Add a little bone meal around bulb clumps to promote bulb growth for next year.
• Stake or cage tomato plants, dahlias, gladiolas, peony plants, etc.
• Thin vegetable seedlings and plant successive crops. (Plant a second crop as the first is maturing e.g. lettuce, spinach, radishes.)
• Seed flowering cabbage/kale into garden rows for later transplanting.
• Plant seeds of fast-growing flowers such as cosmos, marigold, calendula, etc.
• If desired, move houseplants outside to protected areas.
• Deadhead (cut off) faded blooms on plants such as petunia, rose, verbena, etc. This will promote continuous blooms and bushy plants for the second half of the summer.
• Weed and water garden beds as needed.
• Add mulch to suppress weed growth and hold in moisture. At least 2”.
• Cut back by a third, late bloomers such as mums and asters. This will make them bushier and give them a mounded shape for the fall.
• Turn compost regularly and check moisture level, not too wet, not too dry.
• Take cuttings of perennials, shrubs, roses, etc. for rooting.
• Watch for local plant sales like the Giant Plant Sale at St. George’s Anglican Church in Clarksburg on Saturday June 12, 2021. Approved by the Grey-Bruce Health Unit, it starts at a NEW TIME, 8 am. Entry by car only. Choose from a wide variety of choice perennials for sun or shade, named Daylilies, raspberry canes and shrubs at really reasonable prices. 599 Garden Club experts will provide advice. Also 255 tomato plants in 4 varieties. Your resident Master Gardener will be at the sale to answer your horticultural questions.

John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc

Here are the things to do for your garden in May! Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario. Please contact John for more information, or to purchase a copy of the calendar of the full year’s tips.

May 2021:

There are lots of things to do in your garden, now that spring is here:

• If not done already, clean up winter debris in the garden as soon as the soil is dry enough to work. Dig in manure or compost around perennials and shrubs and weed well. An extra hour weeding now will save 3 days later in the summer. Use a line to cut sharp straight edges for your beds. For curved edges, run hot water through a hose to soften it up and lay out a smooth curve. Watch you don’t chop the hose!
• Take photos of your spring bulbs in the gardens so you will know if there are any gaps and where they are, when you plant more bulbs in the fall.
• Plan to plant early blooming bulbs, like snowdrops and crocus, in the fall at places close to where you come in and out of the house. You will then be greeted by early signs of spring.
• Add 3” to 4’” of mulch to flowerbeds and shrubs to conserve moisture and discourage weeds. Shredded cedar bark is best, but expensive. Try 13/Forty Landscape Supply (519-599-1340) for 3 grades of mulch.
• Don’t walk on or roll lawns that are still full of water. It compacts the soil.
• If your lawn is already compacted, rent an aerator and dig plugs out of the lawn. Let the plugs dry and rake them back into the lawn as a top dressing. Add grass seed to bare patches.
• When dry, rake lawns vigorously to remove dead grass and thatch.
• Spread weed-free topsoil on thin patches in your lawn. Apply grass seed, roll and water. Keep seed moist, but don’t flood.
• If you find moss in your lawn, the soil is acidic. Apply dolomite lime before a rain.
• If you have very big or deep pots or planters, put some empty plastic water bottles in the bottom of the pot to take up space the roots will never get to. It makes the planter or pot lighter and easier to move, if needed.
• Prepare containers and pots for planting. Fill with a mixture of compost and potting soil. Add peat moss or better still, coconut coir to retain moisture.
• Place pots with culinary herbs close to the kitchen door for easy access.
• Pot up your extra perennials for spring plant sales at least 3 weeks before the sale. Use your best compost, not garden soil, in the pots. To be really fancy, add a little bone meal to the pot before you put the plant in. Add plant labels with the name (Botanical or common) colour, sun exposure, height, bloom time, etc. Water well and keep in the shade. 

The St. George’s Anglican church annual COVID Plant Sale is planned for June 12, at the church in Clarksburg. Starts at 7 am. Info 519-599-3811.

• Harden-off seedlings for at least a week before planting. Google the last frost date for your area and allow at least 2 weeks more before planting tender transplants such as annuals and tomatoes. This year, probably into early June.
• Plant beans directly into the garden as they quickly germinate and will grow as long as the soil is warm. Maybe mid-May this year.
• Install peony rings before the plants start to grow.
• Monitor for the presence of slugs, cutworms, earwigs and tent caterpillars.
• Control weeds in the lawn by hand pulling. Use nematodes to control grubs, which eat the grass roots leading to brown patches in the lawn in summer.
• Prune roses according to type.
• Dead-head faded tulips and daffodils and other spring bulbs, but do not cut or pull the leaves out until they are brown and decayed.
• If you have any Fritillaries or Asian lilies (day lilies are beetle-free), now is the time to watch for the red lily beetle (adult, larva and eggs). So far, removal by hand is the best and only way to reduce the problem.

John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc

Here are the things to do for your garden in April! Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario. Please contact John for more information, or to purchase a copy of the calendar of the full year’s tips.

April 2021
Things to do for your garden in April:

• Cut down perennials and grasses. Put the cuttings on your compost.
• Remove any weeds and add them to this year’s compost pile.
• Prepare garden beds for planting by digging-in compost, well-rotted manure (if you can find some) and other organic material around each of your plants.
• Remove rose protection, prune and apply dormant spray before the buds break.
• Start planting trees, shrubs, perennials and biennials as soon as the soil warms up and the snow stops.
• Plant seeds of cool weather vegetables such as peas, spinach, lettuce, onions, beets and frost resistant annuals like larkspur, sweet peas and calendulas outside.
• Once the lawn has dried and no longer shows your footprint, rake to remove winter thatch, repair any damage and sow grass seed on bare spots.
• Consider aerating your lawn if it is old and compacted.
• Fertilize your lawn with slow-release fertilizer. It’s more expensive, but worth it for a greener lawn all summer long.
• Apply pre-emergence crabgrass herbicide, if required, to stop last year’s seeds from sprouting this year.
• Check your lawn mower and other power tools to make sure they start and the mower is sharp.
• Start lawn mowing only when needed.
• Organize your compost pile. Move uncomposted material from last year’s pile and start a new pile with it. Use last year’s compost on all your beds.

Here are the things to do for your garden in March! Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario. Please contact John for more information, or to purchase a copy of the calendar of the full year’s tips.

March 2021
Things to do for - or in your garden in March:

• Start tuberous begonias & caladiums in pots.
• Plant brassicas (cabbage family) seeds and hardy annuals for April - May planting.
• Start tomatoes, lettuce and other fast growers from seed in late March to early April.
• Make a list of spring chores in the order they should be done, if you haven’t already done so.
• Order summer flowering bulbs.
• Order/buy seeds for summer planting NOW! It is reported that they will be in short supply this year.
• Check, repair and sharpen gardening tools.
• Apply combination dormant oil spray to fruit trees & pest-prone shrubs when above-freezing weather permits.
• Bring Spring indoors. Start forcing branches of spring-flowering shrubs like Forsythia.
• Prune summer-flowering shrubs and vines.
• Loosen up packed winter mulch and press perennials that have heaved, back into place.
• Plan to plant a few bird-attracting, native berry plants.
• If there are any students out there who are Interested in garden work this spring, please get in touch now. There are lots of jobs available. Contact  John Hethrington

Here are the things to do for your garden in February! Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar by John Hethrington, Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario. Please contact John for more information, or to purchase a copy of the calendar of the full year’s tips.

February 2021

Things to do for - or in your garden in – February

• Now there is lots of snow cover. But if we get a February freeze/thaw, mound up all the available snow and any new snow that falls, around tender plants like roses. If you have a few bows left from your Christmas tree, put them over tender plants to catch the snow. It is the freeze/thaw that kills plants, not just the cold.
• Start planning your garden projects for 2021. Make a list for the Spring. Then you will know what you didn’t get done when you check it in June. I have mine done and I am tired already. A garden is never finished!
• Start propagating stem cuttings of geraniums, fuchsias, etc. by the end of the month.
• Plant slow germinating seeds inside, like impatiens, peppers, eggplants, etc.
• As the weather warms, you can start pruning shade trees, fruit trees and shrubs, if you can get to them through the snow. Leave trees that “bleed” like maples and birch until after they have leaves.
• Visit local nursery greenhouses when we are allowed and smell the coming spring. Stop by the Garden Gallery just west of Barrie on Hwy 91 on the way to Angus to just inhale the SPRING.
• You can forget about the big garden shows like Canada Blooms and the Peterborough Garden show this spring, they have all been cancelled because of COVID. Think Spring 2022.