I say there’s nothing luckier than learning you have a new gardener on your Christmas list – because there are so many things out there that they can use and will appreciate receiving. Here are a few of my favourites.
Weeding and Cultivating
Over the years I have filled my tool bucket with tools, only to realize that there are just a few that I use over and over. One I’ve used for 4 years now and is one of my all time favourites, is the Cobrahead® Weeder and Cultivator. As the advertising literature says, “It weeds, cultivates, scalps edges, digs, furrows, transplants, de-thatches and harvests with ease.” And, the best part is not just that it does all that, but it does it well. It has a steel head and solid wood fibre reinforced recycled plastic handle which feels great in your hand. It comes in a standard version as well as a long handled version (54″) for folks who need or want to do their gardening in a standing position rather than their knees.
Scaring Away Unwanted Animal Visitors
For folks who have wildlife they’d prefer would stay away from tender shoots and stems, there’s ScareCrow by Contech. It is an “Automatic outdoor animal deterrent”, it works for up to 4 months on a single battery releasing a short but startling burst of water to any unwelcome visitors. Scares the animals just enough to send them running off, but doesn’t hurt them in any way. They claim it has been used with great success against deer, fox, raccoons, cats and even bears – oh my!
Carrying Stuff Around the Garden
Every gardener with a bit of property will at some point need a wheel barrow. Nothing makes gardening easier than being able to transport equipment, plants and soil around the garden. The problem with many wheel barrows - especially if you get one large enough to suit your needs is finding a good place to store it. Well, the Fold-A-Cart 6 cubic foot folding work cart could be just the thing for the gardener on your list. Fold-A-Cart offers a good sturdy product that folds up perfectly until it is ready to use again.
Protecting Your Hands with Great Gardening Gloves
Gardeners the world over are always looking for that perfect pair of gloves, and I think I’ve found them. They are called Bionic Gloves. Here is one of my well-worn pair to the left. They are padded just where you want the padding, breath nicely so your hands don’t become overly hot; keep soil out around your nails and at the base of your fingers – and look great too. I liked the pair I was given to trial so much, I went out and bought myself a second pair – one for the wash and one pair to use. There is a woman’s glove, a man’s glove, and a great Women’s Bionic Rose Glove that lets you reach into the rose bushes without getting scratched by the thorns.
Uprooting Stubborn Weeds
Helen’s favourite tool (and mine too, if I could ever get it away from her) is Fiskars UpRoot Weeder. When I first used it a couple of years ago, people would get out of the car to see if they could try it too. When I realized that I’d eliminated the weeds from my lawn, I have to admit that I was looking longingly at dandelions around the neighbourhood, wondering if they’d mind if I helped myself. I don’t know if it is the satisfying stomp on the weed, or the fact that you get to shoot it out afterward with a satisfactory reloading motion that so appeals – anyway, it is certainly high on my recommendation list. Here’s the video of Helen putting it to work.
Any one of these presents under the tree will give your gardener the gift of anticipation if it’s cold and snowy now – or get them out and into the garden if you’re fortunate enough to live where it’s temperate and the soil is ready to till. If you hurry, there’s still time for Christmas delivery. Of course, if you’d like to be the lucky recipient of any of these great gifts, feel free to send your Santa to this site to place an order!
We’ve been asked where you can buy the excellent (and fun!) tool Helen used to uproot dandelions in an earlier video. You can buy it online at Fiskars UpRoot Weeder #7870 And if you hurry, there’s still time to get that link to Santa!
We’ve also added another video we shot earlier in the year, in which you can actually see the tool and the action more clearly. Here’s the link: http://learningtogardenwithbarbara.com/lawn-care-getting-rid-of-dandelions/#more-165
Nothing says Christmas the way a beautiful Poinsettia does. And, never before are there so many different colours, shapes and sizes of this remarkable plant to chose from to compliment your decor. Whether you decide on the traditional red or go for a funky spray-painted blue sparkled one - you care for them exactly the same way.
Here are my quick tips on how to enjoy this beautiful plant from now until Christmas. In fact, if you follow these steps, you’ll have a good looking plant long after Christmas is over.
1. The beautifully coloured bracts are not flower petals. The flowers are at the centre of the bracts. Look for plants with blooms that are closed or just starting to open. These are the plants that will last the longest.
2. Now that you’ve chosen your lovely Poinsettia, remember, it is a tropical - it must never get cold. If you live in a cold climate, make sure the Poinsettia is wrapped well before you leave the store. In fact, if you can warm your car up first - so much the better. Do not leave it in the car while you do the rest of your shopping - it will freeze, look good for a day or two - and then all the leaves and colourful bracts will fall off.
3. Poinsettias want to be the centre of attention - put it in the middle of a bright room away from any kind of draft. Avoid window sills as well.
4. Poinsettias like lots of water and need to be watered frequently. Feel the top of the soil - it should be a little moist. If it is dry, water well, but be sure it is not sitting in water if you have it double potted. Water it through and then dump the excess water in the outside pot.
Follow these steps and you will have a beautiful houseplant to enjoy for the entire Christmas season.
Even pulling dandelions out of the lawn can be fun if you have this great tool. Helen has become addicted to it, and Barbara had to hold her back from dealing with the dandelions in all the gardens on the street!
We spent some time at Helen’s place, planting some bulbs to be forced and raised indoors for lovely winter colour. The following four videos cover all the phases of planting cold weather bulbs (hyacinths) and tropical bulbs (amaryllis). We hope you will watch the videos and then follow the steps to plant your own bulbs. And it would be wonderful if you would send us photos when they start to flower — we will post them on the site for the world to see!
Planting the hyacinths, part 1
Planting the hyacinths, part 2
Planting the amaryllis
Good luck with your bulb planting, and don’t forget to send us your photos (or your questions to Barbara).
Just a few little pointers on bulb maintenance
Hyacinths - A Few Words on Care:
Place in fridge
Water 1x per week (only if dry) and just enough to moisten soil
When you see the little green sprouts at the top of each bulb - remove from fridge and place in a bright spot. Turn your pot 1/4 if you find the hyacinths are leaning toward a light source. As they grow they may need water every other day.
After the bulbs have bloomed you can put them in your garden. It will take a couple of years before they regain their size and bloom again. Unfortunately they cannot be reforced.
Amaryllis - A Word on Care:
Soil should be kept barely moist until you see that they’ve started to sprout.
Pot should be kept in a bright area. Turn the pot 1/4 daily if you find the amaryllis is starting to lean toward a light source. You may need to use long twigs and tie a little support so that your blooms don’t topple. Red dogwood stems make a pretty support. During its period of growth it may need water every three days.
If you want to try to get your amaryllis to bloom again, follow these tips:
When the flowers are finished, cut back the large stock and allow the leaves to grow, watering when dry, and fertilizing every other week. The leaves will turn yellow eventually. At this point, stop watering. Let the bulbs go through a resting period for a couple of months, add a little more soil if necessary, and start to water again. With any luck you’ll have a beautiful amaryllis for many years to come.
Update: This short video was shot four weeks after planting.
The double bloom on the first stalk is now finished (it lasted about a week). Following Barbara’s instructions, Helen “deadheads” the amaryllis, in this case taking the stalk away too.
Crabgrass is an annual weed, so it dies at the end of the season — but not before making lots of seeds for next year! In this video, Barbara shows how to deal with crabgrass organically in its pre-emergent stage.
Barbara, since I’m going to be planting bulbs at my place next Tuesday (with your guidance every step of the way!), please tell me what I need to get in advance. As you know, I’ll be planting hyacinths, which I brought home from Amsterdam airport a couple of months ago. I hope they’ll turn out like the lovely picture on the package.
What kind of potting mix/soil should I get? I have a bowl that is about 10″ wide and about 4″ deep in the middle. Do you think that will work, or should I look for something different? I want it to be a nice decorative bowl, rather than a simple pot. Do I need to get any special plant food or other additional materials? Let me know and I’ll stock up over the weekend.
Helen, that bowl sounds just fine. You’ll need a small bag of soiless mix. Make some room in the refrigerator for the bowl — I’ll explain later. And, no worries about fertilizer — you won’t need any for this project.
Barbara, I can’t wait to find out why I need room in my fridge! (Stay tuned, folks!)
This series shows the whole process of how to cut back, split and transplant a perennial. We are using one of Barbara’s favourite hosta to demonstrate how to do it. Watch the whole series, and at the end you’ll also see how NOT to do it! First, let’s cut back the plant.
OK, now that it’s cut back, let’s dig it out — sometimes quite a job!
Now comes the exciting part—splitting the plant with a deadly weapon!
And now the last step, transplanting.
But wait! Helen quietly had a go at transplanting the other half of the plant. Not quite the right way, as it turns out. Barbara explains why, and corrects the problem.
So there you have all the steps required to make more plants out of your favourite perennials. If you have any questions about any of this, just post a comment and Barbara will answer for you. Or just let us know what you think of the videos!
Over the years I have filled my tool bucket with tools, only to realize that there are just a few that I use over and over. One I’ve used for 4 years now and is one of my all time favourites, is the Cobrahead® Weeder and Cultivator. As the advertising literature says, “It weeds, cultivates, scalps edges, digs, furrows, transplants, de-thatches and harvests with ease.” And, the best part is not just that it does all that, but it does it well. It has a steel head and solid wood fibre reinforced recycled plastic handle which feels great in your hand. It comes in a standard version
For folks who have wildlife they’d prefer would stay away from tender shoots and stems, there’s ScareCrow by Contech.
Gardeners the world over are always looking for that perfect pair of gloves, and I think I’ve found them. They are called Bionic Gloves. Here is one of my well-worn pair to the left. They are padded just where you want the padding, breath nicely so your hands don’t become overly hot; keep soil out around your nails and at the base of your fingers – and look great too. I liked the pair I was given to trial so much, I went out and bought myself a second pair – one for the wash and one pair to use. There is a woman’s glove
