May 2000  

The Very Merry Month of May

Time to Take Things a Little Easier, Enjoy Gardening and Relax

By Wes Porter

May is the month when everything in the gardening world bursts forth and demands attention, work, and yes, money.  Or does it?  Regular readers of City Gardening have spent the past March and April spring gardening.  With March came pruning fruit trees and summer flowering bushes, pulling back mulch, early fertilizing and even digging in some areas.  Dodging April showers, there was more fertilizing, along with crabgrass control, whacking the first weeds, rose pruning, feeding and mulching, perennial division, herb and vegetable seeding and so on.  No, we are not saying that May is a time to completely relax.  But we do suggest you take things a tad easier.  Sit back, a suitable beverage in hand, read City Gardening, and watch the neighbours become a chiropractor’s delight.

Still, there is some work to be done.  Fertilize the lawn.  Set the mower at 2” high and cut at that height all season.  This will help smother out adventurous weed seedlings.  Those weeds already established will succumb to a judiciously applied knife.  The best of these is sold for a modest $5.95 by Rittenhouse at www.rittenhouse.ca, or phone 1-877-488-1914 for their catalogue.  Hacking these horrors out is not only more environmentally friendly than using “weed-and-feed” preparations, but it is also a good way to work off frustrations. An old professional contractors’ trick to make a perfect finish for a lawn is to trim all edges with a turf edger, that tool with a semi-circular blade at the end of a long handle.  A filament weed trimmer is not the tool for this task.  Besides, they scream like wounded banshees, causing neighbours to drop their drinks, cover their ears and curse.  Why bother with lawns?  Because they are the carpets of the garden, setting everything off to perfection.

Alternate ground covers also require care and attention.  Fertilize, and if necessary prune out dead material.  There will come a time in early June for pruning woody forms back, but now it is still too early.

Allow the foliage of spring flowering bulbs to die back naturally.  Remove only the spent blooms and stems of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and narcissus.  An application of granulated bulb food will assist the roots to form next season’s flowers since bulbs, like good gardeners, tend to look far ahead.  If you had been saving any bulbs forced for indoor bloom earlier this spring, plant these out also.  They will probably take a couple of seasons to recover from their strenuous performance before resuming once more their regular blooming cycle. 

It is safe in south-central to plant out most annuals in the first week of May, certainly in large urban areas.  Leave the “carpet bedding” to municipal parks departments.  Although a patch of annuals around the front door acts as a focal attraction, annuals come into their own in containers of every sort, something covered inside this month’s merry issue.

While almost all herbs and vegetables can now be planted outside with impunity, wait until at least the end of May before exposing basil, tomato, pepper, eggplant and okra to chilly night air.  An infallible sign for male gardeners is the appearance of the local beach bunnies.  Of course, male gardeners are more concerned with lawns than herbs and vegetables in Canadian culture.  No similar sign, politically incorrect or otherwise, has been reported for that predominant gardening species, Hortilus canadensis femina.  Readers are urged to contact us with suggestions for the correction of this dastardly deficiency.

Watering the Garden

Last year was second only to 1998 as the warmest summer on record.  The Upper Great Lakes haven’t been so low in over thirty years.  Indications are that this summer will be little different.  Moreover, a winter with reduced snow cover and an early spring have left little reserves in the soil.  The knowledge of how to water well and wisely will have the garden flourishing.

Almost all garden plants -including trees, shrubs and evergreens- require one half-inch of water every three days.  Not a sprinkle each day, but a good, steady drenching that penetrates deep into the ground.  Leaving the sprinkler in the same location for an hour at average municipal water pressure will achieve this. 

The best form of sprinkler to use is that known as an “oscillator”, or one that swings backwards and forwards, delivering a square or rectangular pattern depending on the setting.

Some such oscillating sprinklers come with a built-in timer (Melnor makes one such model).  These can be set to deliver water in the early hours of the morning.  Not only is water pressure higher then, but also none will be lost due to evaporation from the heat of the sun.

Another advantage to watering at this time is that unlike late afternoon applications, it does not encourage diseases.  A fast and hard deluge is also an excellent way of knocking the bad bugs from their pesticide perches.  Lastly, if the neighbour’s feline has taken to caterwauling, it is a singular damper to its amorous life.  The same goes for raiding racoons and scurrying skunks.

Apply properly and assist nature’s air conditioning plus keep the garden growing properly.

The Facts of Fertilizer

All plants require nutrients, most of which they obtain from the atmosphere.  The remainder of nutrients -obtained dissolved in water from the soil- are critical, however, and these are what concern us here. 

There are three vital nutrients.  They are nitrogen (for the green parts of the plant), phosphate (for both young plants and the production of blooms, so also for fruit and seeds), and lastly potassium (used in creating hardiness and the translocation of other nutrients).

Obviously, a plant grown for its foliage will require a fertilizer higher in nitrogen than in the other two elements.  Conversely, a flowering plant requires more phosphate.  Like humans though, a balanced diet is always the most desirable.

Three figures appear on all fertilizer containers sold in Canada.  This is known as the “NPK ratio”.  Using the chemical symbol for each nutrient, it indicates the proportions of the nutrients in the container.  A bag of lawn fertilizer will typically have a high first figure (or N), while fertilizer for flowers will have a high P.

Granulated, dry fertilizers are often used on lawns and other large areas or where lasting effects are desirable.  Such preparations are usually less expensive than those that can be mixed into a liquid or those sold already in that from; however these tend to be very fast acting, with absorption in a matter of hours.  Liquid fertilizers are of particular use for container-grown plants, both inside and outside.

The pH (acidity/alkaline levels) can affect the ability of plants to absorb nutrients from the soil.  In the Toronto area, with pH levels near to the optimum 6.5, or slightly acidic, this is of no concern unless “acid-loving” plants such as azaleas and rhododendrons are grown.  In such cases special fertilizers are desirable and ample quantities of peat moss, oak leaves or pine needles should be incorporated into the soil when planting and later as an annual mulch.

Garden lime is a very useful amendment on clay soils and elsewhere.  Avoid using it for a few weeks after fertilizing as it can “lock up” and make unavailable nutrients added by intentional fertilizer applications.

Natural or chemical choices may cause more dissension than anything else in the garden.  We admit to favouring natural sources… but not to the total exclusion of chemical fertilizers.

Annuals for Every Occasion, Many Situations

Some three millennia ago, the Greek poet Homer appreciated flowers.  “Aretos brought clear lustral water in a bowl quivering with fresh-cut flowers,” he remarks in The Odyssey.  The Bard of Avon, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream inquires, “What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?”  And, a short while later in the same scene, “thou on pressed flowers dost sleep”.  And while Canada’s own Lucy Maud Montgomery bemoaned her annual flowers burning up in an Ontario drought, Eleanor Roosevelt was of the opinion that flowers “carry a message of beauty which we can share the world over”.   Incidentally, “Roosevelt” derives from the Dutch word for “field of roses”.  So many people rooting for them for so long: why then all the bad press of late?

Annuals are out, perennials are the “in thing”, proclaim the arbiters of horticultural fashion.  But are these self-styled prophets any more believable than the fashion mavens in other fields?  Any self-respecting gardener will disagree.  Annuals have never been more “in fashion”, well-used and popular.

A simple splash of geraniums in sun, or impatiens in shade alongside the front door will bring instant attention; this is true.  Red is a favourite here, but even the sophisticated claims of pure white will be greatly enhanced if they are fronted by grey-foliaged dusty miller.  Add white annual alyssum to the front of this and… voila!  Colour, texture and scent combine in an unforgettable tableau.

You have just witnessed the creation of a classic Edwardian annual planting.  Not only the blooms and their colour but also the scent combine, and along with the careful selection of foliar effects they create displays that literally have people stopping to admire the artistry.  This may be extended to containers of every shape and description, from the hanging basket and window box to the classic clay pot to ornate antique cast iron planters—and everything in between.  Those that rest on patio, porch or pillar should be choked up slightly to allow for better drainage.  Prevent slugs, earwigs and other malefactors from gaining access through the drainage holes by placing a section of nylon fly screen at the bottom of the container before filling.  The very best growing medium for filling is “Pro Mix”, a special formulation that is light, economical and easy to use.

Pro Mix also holds moisture better than ordinary soil.  This is a critical

factor for hanging baskets exposed to wind and sun, even more so for container plantings of every sort on decks and balconies.  But it does not matter where they are, sun or shade- all will require weekly feedings with a liquid plant food which has a high level of phosphate to boost blooms.

Another weekly chore is to nip off spent, dead blooms.  This not only improves the appearance but also further encourages blooms.  The time for all this activity is right now, in early May.  No need to wait for the mad rush of Victoria Day.  Look for the best at your local garden centre now and create your very own floral fantasies.

Horticultural Happenings

Spadina House Gardens: Music in the Orchard.  Free concerts every Sunday in June.  1:30-2:30 pm.  More information at 416-392-6910.

Casa Loma Gardens.  Free every Tuesday evening through to October, from 4 pm until dusk.

Toronto Field Naturalist Outings.  Free guided walks- wear suitable clothes, footwear; bring camera, notebook, binoculars.  Children are welcome, but no pets please.  All walks are TTC accessible.

v     4 May: Earl Bales Park- nature walk.  Meet 10:30 am at Park Community Centre, E. side of Bathurst, S. of Sheppard- good place for spring flowers.

v     6 May: Riverdale Farm- nature walk.  Meet 2 pm, SE corner of Sumach/Winchester Streets.

v     8 May: Havergal College- nature walk.  Meet 6:45 pm, SE corner Lawrence We/Avenue Rd.  Spring flowers in restored ravine. 

v     9 May: Casa Loma- guided garden tour.  Meet 6:45 pm, corner of Spadina Rd/Austin Terrace. 

v     10 May: Todmorden Mills- nature walk.  Meet 10 am, S. side Pottery Road below Broadview. 

v     13 May: Rouge Valley- nature walk.  Meet 10 am, Morningview Trail/ Old Finch Ave. Bring lunch, water- long walk, hill climbing.

v     16 May: Thorncliffe Edges- nature walk. Meet 6:45 pm, SE corner Millwood/Redway Roads.

v     17 May: Centennial Park- nature walk.  Meet 10:30 am, at the greenhouses Elmcrest Rd. N. of Rathburn: bring lunch, water- long walk.  Wildflowers.

v     24 May: University Gardens- native gardens.  Meet 6:45 pm, SW corner St.George/Harbord Streets.  Don’t miss this one!

v     27 May: East Point- nature walk.  Meet 10:30 am, at foot of Morningside Ave.  Long walk- bring lunch, water.

North American Native Plant Society. 13 May: Spring Plant Sale- Wildflowers.  10 am- 4 pm.  Civic Garden Centre, Lawrence at Leslie.

Toronto Wildflower Society.  21 May: Wildflower Garden Tour.  10am- 4pm.  More information from 416-222-2736.

Blossom Festival.  22-28 May.  Ocala Orchards Farm Winery, Port Perry.  More information from 905-985-9924.

Toronto Field Naturalist Nature Reserves: A Day in the Country- 20 May, by bus, $10.  Guided walk by experts 10 am- 5pm; bring lunch, water.  More information on 593-2656.

Environment Days

with Toronto Councillors

You too can meet one of these exalted representatives of the common taxpayer at the following locations, times and dates, when they will accept garbage and hand out free mulch (but not that kind of manure).

Ø      4 May:  Gordon Chong/ Denzil Minnan-Wong, 4-8 pm, Don Mills Centre at Lawrence East.

Ø      6 May:  Norm Kelly/ Mike Tzekas, 10 am- 2 pm, Parkway Plaza, Ellesmere at Victoria Pk.

Ø      7 May:  Rob Davis/ Joe Mihevc, 2-6 pm, St. Thomas Aquinas, 636 Glenholme Ave.

Ø      11 May:  Frances Nunziata/ Bill Saundercook, 4-8 pm, Eglinton Flats, NE corner Jane/Eglinton.

Ø      13 May:  Maria Augimieri/ Peter Li Preti, 10 am- 2 pm, Northwood Park, Sheppard West of Keele.

Ø      18 May:  Tom Jakobek/ Sandra Bussin, 4-8 pm, Main Pumping Station, Coxwell and Eastern Aves.

Ø      20 May:  Betty Disewro/ Dennis Fotinos, 10 am- 2 pm, Earlscourt Community Centre.

Ø      25 May:  Doug Holyday/ Dick O’Brien, 4-8 pm, Cloverdale Mall, 250 The East Mall.

Ø      27 May:  Doug Mahood/ Sherene Shaw, 10 am- 2 pm, Kidstown, 3159 Birchmount Road.

New Products

You never know where you’ll find a new garden product these days.  Our local Shoppers Drug Mart came up with a new idea from the ancient and revered culture of China: a pink flamingo that doubles as a lawn sprinkler.  And not only does water spray from its back, but the yellow wings flap as it does so.  We were rendered speechless.

Pestilent Pigeons

A correspondent writes in the current edition of the Toronto Field Naturalists newsletter to advise that she finds marigolds planted on her fourth floor balcony at Kingston Rd. and Main St. an effective deterrent for pigeons, even when left out dead over the winter.  She formerly had them nesting on her balcony and learned much from them including, she says, that they forecast the weather.  For example, 24 hours prior to storms, they become agitated (aren’t pigeons always agitated?).  The TFN editor adds that she has heard that Vaseline on the railing coated with black pepper also deters these birds.

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