Today, on this Thanksgiving Day, I am especially thankful for flowers.  A stroll in my garden, past the  hydrangeas turned dusty-pink, along the moist, grassy path and the last flowering, pink anemones  bouncing on wiry stems, and toward bright, pilon-orange calendula, adored by nectar-seeking insects; these lush surroundings filled with life worthy of quiet observation, is all that I need to lift my spirits.
All the photos posted above were taken today in my garden, this October 9th, 2021.   It was a warmer than typical October day.  As you can see,  flowers are blooming still, and are even more lush-looking than they were in summer, thanks to cooler autumn weather in my  zone 5 garden.  Perennials  that flower well into autumn, like sedums, asters, ornamental grasses, and cold-hardy annuals, stretch the gardening season and are food for the soul. 
​I hope that you too, took some time to enjoy the flowers in your own garden or in your surrounding neighbourhood.  We have so much to be thankful for.  Wishing all gardeners a Happy Thanksgiving Day!

The high temperatures of late have forced me to take extra measures to protect some of my most cherished garden plants.  I usually do not water my established perennials, but this last stretch of high heat without rain were an unexpected doozy, taking a toll on garden plants much earlier in the season than I can ever recall.  Mulching with compost (or any organic material) helps prevent drought stress from lack of rain.  So does planting drought-tolerant plants.  
The photo above is of my first home garden in Ontario.  The globe thistle and Hollyhocks  flowered easily without much help from me.  Globe thistle or Echinops,  should not to be confused with another perennial look alike called Sea holly or Eryngium.  Both are purple, drought tolerant perennials that come alive in summer heat in full sun.  Globe thistle grows larger with ping-pong ball-sized, spiky flower heads that will re-seed freely.  There is also a less known white coloured variety. 
I remember learning about xeriscape gardening (gardens that use little to no water) 20 years ago when I was studying for my Gardening and Landscaping Certificate. I wasn't fond of cactuses so I didn't pay much attention to xeriscapes then, preferring the look of more traditional flower gardens.  I am glad to say that I brought a few of these tough perennial plants with me when I moved from my house in Ontario.  Today, these low-maintenance perennials are of the mainstays of my summer border filling empty earth patches with their architectural qualities even into winter while feeding bees and other beneficial pollinators while in bloom with their lavender-purple, nectar-rich flower balls.  Just make sure to wear gloves while handling them.
 ( For more on plants that take the heat read one of my my articles in the Suburban.)

     It's already May 1st and finally a warmish 15℃.   If you haven't hardened off your seedlings yet, now's a good time to start.  Hardening off simply means plants that are started and raised indoors need to get used to the harsher elements outdoors before they are planted for good in the garden.  If they are not hardened off before planting, sunlight, wind and the variable temperatures outdoors may kill delicate plants before they even get a chance.   
​     To harden off seedlings, slowly acclimatize them by bringing them outside for increasing periods of time.  This allows them to  toughen up and eventually handle harsher outdoor environments.   Start on a cloudy day for two hours , then increase their time outdoors over a period of a week or so introducing direct sun with caution.  They should be able to handle sunlight without wilting or getting sunburnt leaves.  My tomato seedlings were transplanted from their original small cell packets over two weeks ago and have been watered and fertilized regularly, so they have grown considerably since seeded in early April.
     Today as I was eagerly bringing my tomato plants outside, I dropped them all over the kitchen floor.  Accidents will happen, especially when you are dealing with many seedlings, which is why it's best for beginners to keep it simple and start with very few plants.   Luckily, they didn't suffer too much damage.  Also seeded in my basement are alyssum, calendula, poppies and cosmos and I'm trying to root a  few cuttings of basil in water.   These annuals are supposed to be easy to grow from seed and fairly quick to grow.  We'll see if that's true in my next post. 
     In the meantime enjoy the comfortable spring weather and ponder nature at its finest as you stroll outdoors  during this most promising season, about to unfold.  It is quieter than ever out there, but this peace won't last forever.   So take the time now to appreciate the calm, soothing sounds of ever present birdsong and delight in a fiery orange sunset.  As you meander through your garden, pull a few weeds while they are young and easy to remove to stay ahead of this unending chore. 

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        It may be a chilli 5℃ today, but that doesn’t mean you can’t garden.   As I mentioned in my last post,  there are plenty of gardening activities to do to keep green thumbs busy and warm at home during quarantine, including growing tomatoes and leafy greens. 
    Before you begin  know that edible plants can be loosely categorized according to the temperature in which they like to grow (warm or cool), the time it takes to grow from seed to harvest (maturity date), and the best method for starting seeds (directly in the soil or as young transplants).   Read the information on your seed packet.  Warm-weather crops such as tomatoes can be started in the comfort of your home and then transplanted outdoors when nighttime temperatures remain above 13 ℃, sometime in May, after hardening off.   Cool-weather crops like kale, lettuce, arugula, spinach and peas can be planted outside in the garden earlier, even with threat of frost.   You may still want to start certain cool weather crop seeds indoors however to give them a head start, then transplant them outside when seedlings are robust enough.
     I started two types of tomatoes: one large, beefsteak style indeterminate variety that matures in about 75 days and cherry tomatoes with a fairly short maturity date called Tiny Tim (see photos above).
    I put two seeds about 1/4 inch deep in each cell pack filled with good quality, pre-moistened soil, waited and watched for growth.  The instant gratification that accompanies every seed germinated feeds a gardener’s perseverance.  Once seedlings put on a bit of growth, I plucked out (thinned) the weakest of the two and either ditched it or carefully planted it in the soil where there was more room for it to grow.  This goes against most sage gardening advice, but they looked too healthy to throw away and I wanted to grow as many tomatoes as I could.  Besides, what kind of mother throws her babies out if she can save them?
     I have learned the following key things when starting tomato seedlings:
1)Use any supplemental lighting you have.  
If you already perused the tomato growing sites online you may have read that tomatoes can easily be started by a sunny window.   That may be true if you have a greenhouse or live in the south or enjoy growing etiolated vegetable seedlings.  I have found tomato plants need more light than the sunniest window in your home can offer, especially if starting seedlings in late winter, when sunshine and bright light are hard to come by in northern regions like ours.  If you don’t have grow lights, ordinary fluorescent shop lighting will do just fine (no need to get fancy) or order some online.  
2) Tomato plants love heat  
If yours haven’t germinated yet, try placing a little heat under the cell packs.  If you don’t have growing equipment like a heat mat, be resourceful and place seed containers in the warmest place in your home, the top of a fridge or even a clothes dryer when it’s on will do.  Artificial heat mimics what happens in nature when sun warms the soil and hastens germination.   I didn’t have a heat mat and my electric heating pad died (probably from growing too many seedlings), so I used a magic bag by heating it for a few minutes in the microwave then placing the heated bag under the cell pack a few times a day.  Yes, that may seem laborious, but really, what else do I have to do?
3) Tomato seedlings need air
The other thing that helped my seedlings once they germinated is circulating air.  Air circulation helps prevent damping off, a fungus that regularly kills seedlings in too humid conditions.  Air may also help strengthen their stems as they grow.   I simply placed an oscillating fan a few feet away from the plants and set to the lowest speed for a few hours every day.
4) Give your seedlings a little T.L.C.
Although tomatoes are easy to grow from seed, they still require nurturing.  But that's the the fun part about gardening, isn't it?   I check on my seedlings’ progress regularly to ensure they are watered enough and looking healthy.
     You can see from the photo at the top left, that after 20 days since initial sowing, my seedlings resemble miniature versions of mature tomato plants.  Soon it will be time to transplant these babies into individual containers and then hardened off.   
      It is a gratifying experience, to watch something as simple as seeds come to life, first when cotyledons appear during germination and then later with the emergence of their first true leaves.   In fact, now more than ever before, watching life unfold in front of me even from a tomato plant is incredibly fulfilling.  
 

     It's easy to fall into despair when news of more closures, illnesses and death surrounds us daily.  Medical experts warn that is it now more crucial than ever to remain optimistic and stay engaged mentally and physically in activities that will stimulate us in positive ways, especially over the next two weeks when cases of corona virus are expected to spike.  In a world centred around taming the outbreak, hope understandably wanes.

    But here’s the good news: if anyone is capable of hope, it is gardeners.  Every seed sown and plant nurtured is rooted in hope.  Hope that the gardener’s efforts will blossom into to something wonderful and worthwhile.  And most often, it does.

    If you are staying at home like most Canadians are, there are plenty of gardening activities you can do to keep busy and lift your spirits even if there are patches of snow still on the ground outside.  If you live in an apartment and are without a plot of land, that’s ok.  You can garden in containers.  Here are five garden-related things to do now with links to my articles for those who want more ‘how-to’ information:

1)Plan a veggie garden
     It isn’t too late to sow seeds of tomato, eggplant, pepper and other warm season edibles so they are ready for planting outdoors in gardens next month.  If you have a cold frame, a raised bed or if you garden in containers, you can even sow seeds of leafy greens, onions, beets, chives, parsley and other cool weather crops outdoors now that the risk of frosty weather is unlikely.   If you don’t have seeds in storage, look for them online, in neighbourhood grocery stores and from other local sources that have remained open during the pandemic.  Sow only enough seeds that you have the space for or this task can quickly get out of hand.  Also, carefully read individual seed packets for maturity dates and directions.
Heres the link to my article on avoiding common pitfalls when starting seeds indoors
http://www.thesuburban.com/columnists/elaine_sanders_gardens_and_landscaping/avoid-these-common-pitfalls-when-starting-plants-from-seed-indoors/article_f7027501-dd7c-55e7-a86a-630c59789e80.html

2)Turn your compost 
     Who needs a gym when you have a garden to work in? If you have a home compost in your yard, turning the pile is a terrific workout! (but watch your back!) Our household practices composting throughout the year even during winter and by springtime when contents are defrosting,  it needs a good turning.  I use a pitchfork to move the stuff on the outside of the pile to the centre.  Remember to top off any ‘green’, nitrogen-rich materials (e.g., kitchen scraps) with more ‘brown’,  carbon-rich materials (e.g., dead leaves) at a ratio of approximately 3-1(browns to green).  Turning the pile and maintaining the right carbon to nitrogen balance will speed up decomposition so that home-made compost is ready to feed your vegetable plants and flowers to help them thrive.   Making it yourself also means you won’t need to rely on expensive, commercially produced compost which may be difficult to locate right now.

3) Refresh your planters
     Ditch the winter holiday decor (please!) and make a new arrangement for your door-side planters.  You can order spring flowers online from local nurseries offering online purchases and deliveries.  Now's the time to get creative and use materials found on your property such as forsythia branches or crafts you may have lying around in the basement. (see my last post for a photo of my spring bulb planter)

4)Pot up dahlia tubers
     If you have dahlia or begonia tubers either newly purchased or stored from last season, now is the time to pot them up so they are ready to be planted outdoors at the same time as  your tomato plants.
Here is the link to my article on growing Dahlias:
 http://www.thesuburban.com/columnists/elaine_sanders_gardens_and_landscaping/elaine-sanders-get-a-jump-on-the-gardening-season/article_e71c9f9f-9773-5bac-8adb-785a3918c6c8.html

5) Create a terrarium
     Creating a terrarium is easy and fun to do with kids.  Teach kids about the water cycle by using a cleaned out pop bottle.
Here's the link to my article on terrariums:
 http://www.thesuburban.com/life/home_and_garden/elaine-sanders-revitalize-your-home-s-decor-with-low-maintenance-terrariums/article_11880976-8454-530e-999b-babd1a445169.html

     There are many signs of hope around my neighbourhood.  I saw hope in the crocus blooms emerging from their winter slumber, in the rainbows and the Easter decorations adorning home landscapes, in the flitting about of birds and squirrels oblivious to the world’s perils, and in the drawings on the driveways of children eager to return to playdates with friends.  There is also hope in the way essential businesses are adapting to this crisis.  Garden centres for example, are adjusting their services to include online purchase and delivery of plants, soil and other gardening materials right to your door so you can remain at home.  Call your favourite one to see if they offer online delivery and check the garden centres listed in my links page.
What gardening activities have you been doing at home lately?  I’d love to know.
Until next time, please stay safe and stay hopeful.

         Hello everyone and thank you for visiting my  blog.
The Covid-19 pandemic is certainly an unprecedented trying period in everyone's life.  Kids are out of school, adults are out of work and life as we knew it is on pause.  For many of us, there is much to feel anxious about.   Most of us also probably have much more time than we know what to do with.
     One of the best ways I know to spend time and relieve anxiety is horticultural therapy, a.k.a. gardening.  Gardening has not only proven health benefits (read my article on how here), but it is the perfect way to practice social distancing.  Last week, fed up with seeing my dreary, winter front door planter (and, for that matter, those beside everyone's front door in my neighborhood ) I managed to find some colourful spring bulbs to fill it with.  Once I located some flowers (yes, you can find some too! More on that later), it took less than 10 minutes to assemble.
I simply emptied the winter arrangement, leaving most of the earth in the pot and keeping some of the red dogwood branches for contrast then planted the daffodils in the centre and surrounded them with purple hyacinths.  I packed my planter fuller than I thought would fit, gave it a drink of water and, voila!    Although I know not many people will be visiting my home this spring, except for the mailman, this fragrant and colourful spring arrangement makes me happy every time I pass it by.
​        It may seem that life was more certain before this pandemic changed our lives for good, but that was just a fallacy.  All we really ever had then, and continue to have now, is today.  So grab  a trowel  or a rake and go ahead and do what makes you happy right now.  And be grateful for this moment.

Just look at what I spotted one morning last week on my way into school basking on the daffodil bulbs we planted last fall in the front entrance of the building. 
Based on a Google search on butterflies, I believe it's a Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis Antiopa)  a cold-tolerant native which is one of the first butterflies to emerge in spring.  The mourning cloak spends the winter hibernating in loose tree bark or other hiding places where it is protected from winter's wind.  Their larval host plants tend to be trees and shrubs rather than flowers, dining on tree sap more than nectar.  The mourning cloak has been spotted flying around as early as March in Manitoba.  Brrrrr! 

​The gardens at J.R.H.S. have been amended with good compost and the seeds are sowed. With all the rain and hopefully a little sunshine, its just a matter of time before the lettuce, spinach and peas start growing.  The resource kids work hard and take a lot of pride in gardening, as can be seen in the photo above left. 

Warmer weather at last!  There are patches of snow here and there but the birds are chirping and the temperature read 20degrees, so I dragged one of the Muskoka chairs out from the shed today to get a little reading done outdoors for a change.  On the way to the backyard, I took a mental inventory of winter's damage and what needed doing, trying not to get too distracted from the point of being outdoors: to relax and enjoy the warm spring day that had finally been bestowed upon us.  
Spring is after all, when I usually do most of my yard cleaning, not fall.   Partly because I am busy and partly because I am lazy (or at least would rather be doing other things), I am pleased that there are many ecological benefits to letting spent perennials and small leaves decay naturally over the winter.  Gardens that are not cut down and raked up of all debris in the fall are better for your soil and the dried seed heads and stalks of perennials offer birds and hibernating insects a late winter snack.  This is not just good for wildlife, but also good for the plants in your garden.  Besides, plants like ornamental grasses and dried hydrangea flower heads look pretty dusted in snow.
The leaves that were strewn across my garden beds have also shrivelled to the point that they are no longer an eyesore--well sort of.   There are simply other eyesores -bigger ones-that capture my attention more, but they can't be done now, not until the softened ground is a little sturdier- when it doesn't leave a footprint after walking on it is the advice most often preached.  So thankfully, it is still too early for yard work so I can read.  Despite this, chores are calling to me in the garden, a garden that just last week was still covered in snow.
Here's my mental list so far:  cut back to the ground all dried perennials like the peonies, once flattened by heavy snow, that have flopped onto the boxwood hedge and the ornamental grasses which will, sooner that I can find time to get outside again, be sprouting new foliage.  When fresh spring foliage mixes into existing, dried miscanthus foliage it will be too late and impossible to cut back so this job takes priority.   Once new growth starts up again, the boxwood hedge will also need its yearly trimming to keep it looking tidy.  There is also the lawn around the garden to re-edge.  This job-and it is a job due to the size of my garden--is best done early in the season while I can cut into it like butter rather than waiting too long when ground is much harder to cut through.  When timed right, re-edging is a good day's workout, but very rewarding since the garden looks superb with a sharply cut edge.  Then there are dead branches to prune out,  young weeds to pull and I can't forget the rain barrel to set up and (Ugh!) the overflowing compost to clean up.  Maybe this one can be delegated to kids.  
Yes, gardening can be hard work, it is a labour of love for sure.  But it's not all labour.  After spring chores in the 'off' seasons, I can sit in my Muskoka chair and lounge with a good book knowing  all the work that is behind me.  Until I start spot another  weed...