2011 Garden Trends

Mark Cullen, Expert in gardening Home Hardware
www.markcullen.com

Gardeners today have different priorities than a generation ago. The focus has shifted to these three trends: growing your own food, container gardening and growing a great, environmentally responsible garden.

Growing plants from seed is rewarding and economical

With the increased demand for locally grown food, urban gardeners are growing more of their own vegetablesand fruits. March is the month to startsowing many vegetables from seed if you want to harvest homegrown produce this summer. Seed racks in the stores are filled with a great selection this time of year. I recommend that you look them over early in the season while the seed selection is at its best.

Sowing seeds can be as simple or as sophisticated as you choose. A sunny window can provide sufficient light or you may opt for supplemental grow lights.

Mini greenhouses have a humidity dome to help seal in moisture and encouragegermination. This year, try the new Natura®/Mark's Choice® Biodegradable CornstarchPots. They can be planted in the ground to decompose or can be added to your compost pile.

Home Gardener Seed & Cutting starter soil promotes optimum seedling growth. Seed-starting soil mixes areformulated to maximize water retention and provide proper drainage. Growing your own vegetables is one of the fastest growing gardening trends. Icall this the '100 metre diet'. A short listof your favourite vegetables that will grow best from seed sown directly into garden soil in the spring include: peas, beans, corn, squash, pumpkins and carrots.

Growing demand for containers

I have been watching Canadian gardeners for a long time and have observed that we love to plant upcontainers for decks, patios, pathways and everywhere we want colour and plants above the ground. I urge you not to use the same soil you used last year when you plant your containers this year. There is nothing wrong with digging the old soil into your existing garden soil. That's a good idea! The point is, the nutrition was pulled out of the soil last year from the plants you had growing in the container. A container soil mix is specifically formulated for the demands of containergrown plants.Check out my new Mark's Choice® Container Mix. Itcontains some interesting surprises: calcinated clay, which is a natural water absorber, compost and sharp sand, for porosity.

After your containers are planted, add a teaspoon or so of Smartcote® Feed & Forget® fertilizer. I like this stuff because it eliminates the need to mix or reapply fertilizer for the entire season. The granules of Feed & Forget provide a diluted form of fertilizer every time you water, or it rains. It's well named and a terrific concept for the busy or forgetful gardener - which pretty much covers the whole group.

Reduce watering up to 50%

All natural Water Wicks are a Mark's Choice® product that I am very excited about. Each Water Wick tea bag absorbs up to 400 times its weight in water. Prepare a hole for planting, drop a pre-moistened Water Wick tea bag into the bottom of the hole and place the plant directly on top of it. Firm the soil around the plant. Now, as the soil dries out, the plant will draw moisture from the Water Wick. When you water your plants, the Water Wick is automatically recharged with water.

The results: you reduce watering up to 50% and your plants will become deeply rooted from searching for water at the bottom of the planting hole. Each Water Wick lasts up to six months before it composts into the soil. It's important to me that they are made of 100% natural ingredients - even the tea bag, which is hemp! Give them a try! I have used them in the veggie garden, under newly planted perennials and in containers, with great success.

Water Wicks are made in Canada and are a 100% Canadian concept! Environmental awareness is no longer a trend, but a widely accepted part of gardening life. Those of us who enjoy gardening share a love of nature and want techniques that save water, minimize insect and diseaseproblems, enhance the environment and improve our soil.

Anna Olson's Beet and Potato Salad with Creamy Horseradish Dressing

Beet and Potato Salad with Creamy Horseradish Dressing

Ideally, this salad should be prepared a day ahead, with an occasional stir to allow

the fuchsia colour of the beets to permeate the dressing.

Serves 6

1 lb whole fresh beets (about 4 medium) 450 g

11⁄2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes 750 g

1 lb celery root (1 medium) 450 g

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 90 mL

salt and pepper

1 tbsp white vinegar 15 mL

1 tbsp prepared horseradish 15 mL

1 tsp Dijon mustard 5 mL

1 tsp dill seed 5 mL

1⁄4 cup mayonnaise 60 mL

1⁄3 cup sour cream 75 mL

Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C).

Peel and dice the beets, potatoes and celery root. Place each vegetable in a separate baking dish and toss with 2 tbsp of oil and season lightly. Cover each dish with foil and bake until tender (celery root takes about 30 minutes, potatoes about 40 minutes and beets 50 minutes). Let cool.

Whisk the vinegar, horseradish, mustard, dill seed, mayonnaise and sour cream together. Stir in the cooled vegetables and season to taste.

Long Lost Blog...

Ah, the blog.

I don't work at work, I work at home for the most part (except for payroll). I usually take the kids for coffee most every day and use that opportunity to check in on the baby department and other areas I order for, make notes, and then do the ordering late at night. Sometimes I get emails from vendors in other time zones wondering what the heck I am doing up that late (or else they are up late working too!)

Now that I have 2 kids I find it harder to find time for anything. I definitely operate on a must-be-done and must-be-done-now basis. Obviously keeping the items at the store in stock is a high priority so when I try to stay on top of what's moving and how fast. But at the same time I need to make sure that I take downtime too, and not use every stolen second I get for something work-related.

So the blog has fallen off the page. Sorry. I try to set a bunch of update to happen in advance, so that it doesn't all sit stagnant.

Lately I have really been enjoying my friend Haley's blog (I just love it all). She has started some food blogging which I have a weakness for. I read recipes and dream of making them myself--I have stacks of cookbooks and recipes torn from magazines. The worst thing ever is trying a recipe and hating it, especially if it was a meal (as opposed to a dessert or snack or something.) Recent example--Coconut Chicken Stir-fry. Sounds delish, non? Except it smelled so nasty I didn't even want to try it, I made Jeff taste it first. It was really onion-y and just had an overall bad flavor (and has subsequently turned me off of bamboo shoots for life). The Best is when you find a new recipe you LOVE and you know will become "your thing" and secretly hope everyone loves and raves about and names after you. ;)

In store news, we are redoing the garden centre. Again. We are always redoing something! If we are lucky we will get a bigger Sweetpeas so we can offer more Ice Cream flavors!

In the Baby Department, we have started carrying some hair clips and tutus made by a local Mom. Check them out at Kid Chic Boutique.



Also, I am in LOVE with the new bibs we have. First of all, this bib from Baby Bjorn.


Now, at the local grocery store you can a pelican bib for $2. I own one of them and it's not good. What makes this bib better is it is shorter than the typical bib, so the scoop doesn't get caught on the highchair tray. And it does more than keep your little one clean, it also prevents spills and dribbles onto high chairs, laps and the floor. Extra soft plastic forms a scoop at the bottom, creating a deep catch-all pocket that is also waterproof (no soak-through). Its special ergonomic design is tailored to fit little bodies and includes a soft, adjustable neck closure. Best of all, you can just rinse and use it again. Made of PVC-free, BPA-free recyclable plastic.

The other one I am in love with is the Skip Hop Zoo Bibs.


The adorable bib that tucks into its own built-in pouch. Lightweight and water-resistant with a handy catch-all pocket to keep things neat and tidy at mealtime. ZOO Bibs have a clever tuck-away pouch—perfect for travel or for storing when dirty. Adorable ZOO faces and details are sure to delight baby at every meal, especially with matching bowls and plates (and even backpacks and bath mitts!)

So that's all for now. Badger Sarah to do a posting on our delicious and amazing yellow Alpine Strawberries!

And now a word from Mark Cullen...

Colour Trends in the Garden

There is a growing trend among homeowners to create an outdoor living space that is an extension of their home's interior. One way to transition from indoors to out is to use the same colour scheme throughout. Playing with colour in your garden can be as much fun as painting a picture or creating a colour palette to decorate a room. Claude Monet, after all, said he was "...a gardener first, and then a painter".

My Top 5 Perennial Pink Picks

The first paint colour that caught my attention was 'Pink Tank' from the Beauti-Tone® Simon Chang Trend Colour Collection. This is a vibrant, energetic hue that I would describe as a stunning pink. There are a number of plant blooms with a similar hue that will take this colour from your home to your garden.

Aquilegia - Columbines are available in a wide range of colours. Swan Rose and White Aquilegia feature large rose/pink blooms with a white corolla. Hardy to zone 3.

Buddleia - Butterfly Bush, Pink Delight, has fragrant clusters of deep-pink flowers. You won't be the only one admiring this plant; hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to the tall, arching blooms. Hardy to zone 5.

Hemerocallis - Daylilies are available in an incredible variety of colours and shades. Varieties closest to the Simon Chang colour 'Pink Tank' include: Cherry Cheeks, Hush Little Baby, Little Show Stopper, Pink Damask and Preppy Pink. Hardy to zone 2.

Sedum - Autumn Stonecrop, Abbeydore, is an upright variety of Sedum that produces tall stems with bright magenta flowers. Elsie's Gold and Mr. Goodbud are also good choices of a bright pink colour. Hardy to zone 3.

Delphinium - New Millennium Delphinium, Dusky Maidens, is a tall variety with rich shades. Blooms feature shades of deep pink on three-foot stems. Hardy to zone 3.

Stainless Steel Garden Tools

Ergonomic, forward tilting handle and centralized foot tread reduce back strain and deliver more cutting power with less effort. Manufactured by Spear and Jackson, an English supplier of garden tools for over 150 years.

Stunning and bold

'Scream Green' is another colour from the Beauti-Tone® Simon Chang Trend Colour Collection that attracted my attention. It is a bold, almost electric green colour that reminds me of healthy grass. What better way to highlight a stunning green leaf than pairing it with the deep tones of burgundy and purple.

Ipomoea batatas - Sweet Potato Vine is a trailing annual plant that seems to grow in popularity every year and is a great choice for containers and hanging baskets. Terrace Lime, Margarita, and Sweet Caroline Light Green feature green/yellow foliage in a lighter shade than 'Scream Green'.

Delairea Odorata - German ivy is an annual plant with an abundance of thick, green leaves. It grows quickly and trails over the sides of hanging baskets. The rich, green colour can be paired with flowering annuals for stunning containers.

Sagina Subulata or Sagina - Irish moss is a low-growing annual plant that grows well between flagstone and patio slabs. The bright green colour is also attractive at the edge of a shady perennial border.

Dark and mysterious

If your colour palette is more the dark and mysterious purple, burgundy red, and deep brown tones, then you will appreciate 'Brazilian Walnut' from the Beauti-Tone® Simon Chang Trend Colour Collection. This is a striking colour that can be found on foliage plants.

Ipomoea batatas - As previously mentioned, 'Sweet Potato Vine' is a trailing annual available in many varieties. It is available in many colour varieties. Ace of Spades, Sweet Caroline Purple, Illusion Midnight Lace and Blackie all feature dark foliage in varying shades of purple/brown.

Solenostemon - Coleus is an annual plant that grows almost anywhere - from bright sun to deep shade. The foliage colour is affected by light intensity. Black Dragon features leaves in deep purple maroon and Wizard Mix has a variety of colours from light green to deep purple. In shaded locations, the deep purple of the Wizard is very similar to the Simon Chang colour 'Brazilian Walnut'.

Weigela florida - This medium-size shrub reaches a mature height of 5 feet. Weigela, Wine and Roses, needs full sun to produce the best colour. It is a striking combination of dark purple coloured foliage with 'Pink Tank' coloured blooms. Deep rosy pink flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies to the garden. Hardy to zone 4.

Tips for growing beets

Beets, with their deep green, red-veined leaves, can be a pretty addition to any garden and are easy to grow. The tops are edible and full of vitamins, and should be picked early in the season for the best flavour. Early or late canning and bunching varieties are now available in red, white and yellow. There are a great number of sizes to choose from, too.

Days to harvest

From planting to harvest: 50 to 60 days. Beets are frost tolerant and can be planted at intervals from early spring until ten weeks before frost is predicted. Do not sow beets in midsummer when the intense heat will damage the seedlings. They must be harvested before the root becomes woody and inedible.

Soil requirements

Beets like a rich, sandy loam with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Amend soil with compost or well-rotted manure to ensure it is fertile and well drained. Spread a slow-release general fertilizer before sowing seeds and provide a consistent source of water. Overwatering can cause excessive leaf growth and small roots.

Spacing

Plant seeds to a depth of 1⁄2" (1.5 cm) in spring, 1" (2.5 cm) in summer, and space them 1 to 2" (3 to 5 cm) apart. Since each seed sprouts several beets, thin to 1" (2.5 cm) apart when the beets are 2" (5 cm) tall. Thin again to 3" (7.5 cm) apart when they reach 4" (10 cm) tall. The large Winter Keeper needs to be thinned even more