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by Ankaret Dean, Lanark County Master Gardener Lavender is native to the mountainous areas of the Mediterranean, and belongs to the mint family of plants called Lamiaceae. The name lavender comes from the Latin root lavare, which means "to wash."...
This plant is bought as a bulb, usually in the fall. Plant the bulb half into the soil. Water and fertilize. It will take six to eight weeks for the bulb to flower. Usually the flower stalk will grow first followed by the leaves. All the time you...
Dale Odorizzi, Lanark County Master Gardeners
As the days of working outside in your garden draw to a close, it is time to put away your garden tools properly for the winter. Doing so can add years to the life of your garden equipment. Your tools will be protected from rust and wear and they...
by Dale Odorizzi, Lanark County Master Gardeners Did you grow a tomato you loved this summer? Try saving its seeds so you can enjoy the same great taste next year. Select a tomato you loved. There is no point saving seeds from an inferior plant. It...
by Margaret Inwood, Lanark County Master Gardeners Timing is everything in life, especially when it comes to harvesting herbs for pre-serving and storing. Whether you intend to use the herbs medicinally or for cooking, it is important to gather them...
by Dale Odorizzi, Lanark County Master Gardeners Lanark County Master Gardeners invites you to join us at our Open House on August 11 from 2-4 pm at Rock Wall Gardens as we celebrate 25 Years of providing gardening advice in Lanark County. Come to...
by Ankaret Dean, Lanark County Master Gardeners This spring and summer the rainfall has been very low again: passing showers seem to miss us and no long three day rains. However there are quite a few ways that we can help to preserve moisture in the...
by Judy Wall, Lanark County master gardeners As we head into the upcoming gardening season, this is a good time to review many of the bugs in our gardens. So many of them are actually very beneficial in that they can actually help you eliminate or...
by Margaret Inwood, Lanark County master gardeners
Earwigs live for only one year and may die during the winter months. In early spring, any surviving females lay their eggs in tiny nests in the top 5 cm of the soil. It is a good time to dig around all plants to disrupt the larvae and expose them...
by Judy Wall, Lanark county Master Gardeners
Millions of years ago, dinosaurs as big as houses ate their way through ginkgo groves in North America, munching on the trees’ leathery fan-shaped leaves as they went. Today, we only know about dinosaurs because of their fossils, but the ginkgo...
by Margaret Inwood, Lanark County master gardeners It is very easy and convenient to grow several salad greens on a small amount of garden space. You can pick them fresh and enjoy their colourful, delicate flavours such as peppery, tangy, or a taste...
by Paul Pospisil, Master Gardener Emeritus Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum, also, Lycopersicon lycopersicum) are gardeners' number one favourite vegetable to grow. And no wonder, with the juicy, bursting flavour of home-grown tomatoes fresh off the...
by Margaret Inwood, Lanark County Master Gardeners Pruning should be done when plants are in full leaf to prevent excessive sap loss. Pruning is done to keep trees, shrubs and plants a good height and width, to remove dead and diseased branches and...
by Helen Halpenny, Lanark County Master Gardeners Today I went to a nursery and saw a herbaceous peony priced at $99. Yes, it was rather a rare plant. That made me remember my visit to a lovely garden a couple of years ago, whose owner told me she...
By Margaret Inwood, Lanark County Master Gardeners We are inside the house a lot in the winter months and the indoor air is often full of pollutants such as formaldehyde from paints and adhesives, chemicals from personal care products and from...
by Georgina Bailey-Wicher, Lanark County Master Gardeners Capsicum annuum, a member of the Solanaceae family, originated in Central and South America and was brought back to Europe by Columbus; the Spanish and Portuguese introduced peppers to other...
by Dale Odorizzi, Lanark County Master Gardeners
As the old year ends and the new year begins, many of us make resolutions as to how we can improve our lives and our health. This is also a good time to make resolutions about how we can improve our gardens. I have included some areas you can...
by Dale Odorizzi, Lanark County Master Gardeners A Rain Barrel is a gardener’s second best friend. It is an extremely easy, low tech, low cost way to collect water that is so vital to your plants. If you live on a town water supply, you have to...
by Paul Pospisil, Lanark County Master Gardeners The centuries’ old practice of putting food by for winter has disappeared from many households for a number of reasons: with an abundance of supermarket food, fewer people are growing their own; the...
by Ankaret Dean, Lanark County Master Gardeners One of the miracles of gardening is found in spring bulbs. We buy them in the fall, plant them before freeze up and then, in the spring, there are our beautiful colourful flowers. No weeding, no...
By Lanark County Master Gardeners Lily leaf beetles make noise by rubbing two body parts together when they are threatened. Just as their name suggests, their foods are lilies and fritillarias. Even their scientific name, “Lilioceris lilii”...
by Margaret Inwood, County Master Gardener Earwigs live for only one year and may die during the winter months. In early spring, any surviving females lay their eggs in tiny nests in the top 5cm of the soil. It is a good time to dig around all...
by Margaret Inwood, County Master Gardener It is very easy and convenient to grow several salad greens in a small amount of garden space. You can pick them fresh and enjoy their colourful, delicate flavours such as peppery, tangy, or a taste of...
by Judy Wall Lanark County Master Gardener Are you already yearning to be outdoors in your garden, as you wait for the snow to disappear? This is the time to start planning your spring gardening projects. There are some activities, however, you can...
By: Paul Pospisil, Lanark County Master Gardeners The centuries-old practice of putting food by for winter has disappeared from many households for a number of reasons. With an abundance of supermarket food, fewer people are growing their own; the...
by Kathleen Lang, Lanark County Master Gardeners If a new bed is in your plan, now is the time of year to put your plan into action. If this new bed is presently planted in lawn, you probably think that you will have to dig up all that sod. The...
by Helen Halpenny, Lanark County Master Gardeners The time is here to harvest the last of the vegetables in the garden; the hardy cole crops like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale are at their best, having had a touch of frost. As long as the...
By Kathleen Lang, Lanark County Master Gardeners The scent of lavender is familiar to all. Whether grown in a border or bed, in a large pot, or as a hedge, it is one of the most attractive and fragrant of all herbs. Lavender is also a traditional...
By Dale Odorizzi, Lanark County Master Gardeners It has happened to all of us—maybe we have been away on vacation or working too hard or the weather has been too hot or we have forgotten about a distant garden but all of a sudden, we cannot see...
by Margaret Inwood, Lanark County Master Gardeners Clematis can be grown in a variety of settings from shade to full sun. Choose a spot where the roots will remain cool. Clematis climb by twining their stems around a support structure such as wire,...
by Helen Halpenny, Lanark County Master Gardeners Early blight on tomato plants is prevalent this year. It is a fungal disease that causes defoliation of the leaves. Early blight is commonly called leaf spotting. First, small circular spots appear...
by Helen Halpenny, Lanark County Master Gardeners In July it’s not too late for growing a second crop of vegetables. Just choose short season crops like lettuce, chard, spinach, radish, zucchini and kohlrabi. Planting a few dozen onion sets every...
by Kathleen Lang, Lanark County Master Gardeners Today, green salads have become very popular, and growers have traveled the world and chosen a variety of favourite greens from different countries, to provide us with a colourful and tasty fare....
by Margaret Inwood, Lanark County Master Gardeners
If the leaves on your plants are turning yellow and the overall growth of the plant is stunted, the soil is lacking nitrogen and you should add manure or bloodmeal. If the undersides of leaves, veins and stems of your plants are a reddish purple...
Rhubarb, ‘Rheum rhubarbarbum’, the staple of every garden, is the first spring crop we pick for pies and jam. But some varieties of ‘Rheum’ are also striking ornamental plants. With large umbrella-like leaves that contrast with red stems....
by Helen Halpenny Lanark County Master Gardeners You folks who live in apartments, condos or houses with small yards need not be deterred from having an attractive garden. With careful planning, you can enjoy the outdoor space at least three seasons...
By Kathleen Lang, Lanark County Master Gardeners Don’t drown them – roots need air as well as water – keeping soil soaked at all times means certain death for most plants. Give them a Rest – Beginners are usually surprised to learn that...
By Dale Odorizzi, Lanark County Master Gardeners Late winter is an excellent time to prune many trees and shrubs. The trees and shrubs are dormant and without leaves, it is easy to see the structure of the trees so that you can see which branches...
by Peter Pietsch, Lanark Master Gardeners By now most of you who have bought an Amaryllis (botanical Hippeastrum) before Christmas are left with a pot, a bulb and a few leaves. It was quite a show and so easy to grow! If any of you are like me, you...
