Your Dream Garden Is In Sight

Every green thumb relishes in the coming of spring. It's time to dig out your gloves and gardening tools, and create your new masterpiece. With the change of seasons just around the corner we wanted to share five things we think should you consider when it comes to your dream garden.

1. Design. Whether you prefer a more organic flow, or a structure garden incorporating stone retaining walls, the design of your garden sets it up for success. The best design patterns to choose will depend on your space, taking into consideration direction access to sunlight and rain.

Tip - As it warms up, look to see where the snow melts first in your yard: these are the areas that receive the most sun. 

2. Seasonal choices. Certain flower varieties are better apt to bloom with the seasonal uncertainties of spring. To present your best garden as soon as spring hits, consider perennials that will bloom in the cooler spring weather like lily of the valley, lilacs, peonies, azaleas, pinks, and vinca.

3. Variety. Maintaining a nice variety of flowers creates a more dynamic garden presentation.

Tip - Be sure to check with your gardening specialist to ensure that the varieties you choose will grow together without conflict.

4. Colour scheme. Gardens are much like any piece of art, in that you want to choose colours that complement each other. Start with the hue you like best and experiment with different combinations while you browse the flower market.

5. Maintenance. It's important to consider how much maintenance you want to put into your garden. If you want the most impact, with the least work, consider spring-blooming perennials that will flower year after year with little maintenance required. The most reliable bulbs include tulips, daffodils, and crocuses.

Looking for more gardening tips and inspiration? Landscape Ontario will be presenting its Canada Dream Garden installation at the Ottawa Home & Garden Show, March 26-29, at the EY Centre. Discover lots of fun ideas for your outdoor space and get valuable advice from local experts. Don't have tickets yet? Get 2-for-1 on Facebook!

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Straw Bale Gardening: A Revolutionary Way To Grow!

Find innovative products, new ideas, practical advice, and great deals with hundred of experts all under one roof at the KC Remodel + Garden Show.

And when it comes to gardening, there is nothing more innovative than Straw Bale Gardening! Don't have the right soil or looking for a new way to garden? Create a Straw Bale Garden. Joel Karsten will show you how when he appears on the Fresh Ideas Home Stage in the Governor's Hall on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Growing a successful vegetable garden is difficult enough if you have terrific soil to plant your garden in, but with poor soil it can be virtually impossible. Straw Bale Gardening allows anyone, even those with the worst soil conditions, to grow a terrific garden that is productive and much less labor intensive. For anyone with difficulties bending over or doing the heavy work that is usually involved in turning the soil and digging to plant and harvest crops, the raised height of the Straw Bale Garden makes those chores obsolete.

Harvesting potatoes means simply knocking over the bale at the end of the season and picking the potatoes up, no digging required. Weeding will also become a thing of the past; there are no weeds in a Straw Bale Garden. Stop spending money buying containers, building raised beds, and buying special planting mixes. With minimal maintenance you can get maximum production through Straw Bale Gardening. It will completely change everything you thought you knew about gardening - plus, it is so unique all your neighbors will be talking!

Don't forget to check the entire schedule for the Fresh Ideas Home Stage. Kevin O'Connor, host of the award-winning PBS series This Old House and Ask This Old House will share practical home improvement, renovation, and restoration advice, as well as hilarious stories from 35 years of the original DIY show when he appears on the Fresh Ideas Home Stage Friday and Saturday.

The KC Remodel + Garden Show, the region's largest event of this kind (with over 500 exhibitors), takes over the American Royal Center, February 6-8, 2015. Buy your tickets in advance to receive the best discounts - right now you can get 2-for-1 tickets via Facebook. And don't forget, Friday is Hero Day at the show. All active and retired military, fire, and police personnel will receive free admission to the show on this date.

FEBRUARY 6 -8, 2015.
AMERICAN ROYAL CENTER.

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Gardening Guru: An Interview With Steve Whysall

Believe it or not, the BC Home + Garden Show is only five weeks away, and we can’t wait for the excitement to begin! From February 18-22, 2015, expert advice and unlimited inspiration will be under one roof at BC Place Stadium. Steve Whysall, garden columnist for The Vancouver Sun, tops our list as one of the presenters we’re most excited to welcome back to The Vancouver Sun Gardening School stage.

If you haven’t caught one of his seminars before, allow us to introduce you to Steve. Steve has been covering gardening for the Vancouver Sun for over twenty years and has written more than 2,600 stories for the paper. During that time, he’s published five gardening books, four of which quickly became number-one bestsellers in BC. Steve has also written for various magazines, including Canadian Gardening and Gardens Illustrated in the UK.

We caught up with this garden guru to find out what to expect from him this spring. 

Marketplace Events (MPE): What are you most excited about discussing at the 2015 BC Home + Garden Show?

• Steve Whysall (Steve): "I will be showcasing some of the world’s most original gardens and unique horticulture creations that have had a huge impact on the gardening world and revolutionized the way we think about gardens and landscapes. I plan to show images of gardens I have visited on my travels throughout England, France and Holland, to Japan, Italy and South America, as well as some key gardens here in North America. I am hoping these lectures will not only be entertaining and informative, but full of inspirational ideas that people can take away and put to good use in their own garden."

MPE: Which gardening and plant trends are you most looking forward to for spring 2015?

• Steve: "Container gardening is going to be big again, especially for people with limited space, such as apartment and townhouse homeowners with compact balconies, patios and courtyards. I love growing everything from trees and shrubs to perennials, bulbs, annuals and tender tropical plants in containers, so I will be looking forward to trying out more creative container gardening solutions."

MPE: Are you planning any additions to your own garden this season?

• Steve: "My goal for the past couple of years has been to convert my perennial garden to a green-on-green garden, with layers of different shades of green foliage. This was inspired by the various Dutch, French and Italian gardens I’ve visited over the years, where this green-on-green style has been perfected with magnificently sculptural yews and clipped boxwoods. I suspect I will be growing more food plants as well, such as strawberries and blueberries, but I’m looking to combine them with a strong flower element such as dwarf lilies."

MPE: Which gardening techniques and types of plants would you recommend for homeowners with minimal garden space?

• Steve: "In a small space, it’s important to be more selective about the plants you use. Each one needs to not only look beautiful but also be relatively tidy and easy to maintain while offering a long growing season. For this reason, I recommend structural perennials such as euphorbia, hosta, salvia, astilbe and sedum and low-fuss grasses such as Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’, Carex ‘Ice Dance’ and Festuca glauca along with easy-care shrubs such as Sorbaria sorbifolia ‘Sem,’ dwarf nandina and dwarf rhododendrons and azaleas. With a window box, double impatiens is a favourite breed of mine, because they resemble miniature roses, as well as double begonias such as the gorgeous pink ‘Belleconia’ and yellow ‘Lemon Glory’. For sunnier spots, I love calibrachoa as well as sun-tolerant coleus and the wonderful new varieties of cascading petunia and verbena. The goal is to plant densely but as carefully and intelligently (shape and colour-wise) as if you were planting a full-length border."

MPE: What suggestions do you have for homeowners that want a garden, but find it hard to keep even a cactus alive? Are there any particular plants that they should lean towards or avoid?

• Steve: "There’s no such thing as a no-maintenance garden. However, there are plants that will survive in spite of neglect. Succulents, for instance, such as echeveria, aeonium, senecio, sempervivum, and sedum can tolerate being left out in the sunshine without water for long periods. Pelargoniums are pretty much foolproof and won’t die if they are not watered every day. The key to success is always to think carefully about putting the plant in the right location. Don’t put impatiens or ligularias in full sun, for instance – they will fry. Equally, don’t try to grow roses and petunias and pelargoniums in the shade – they will sulk and die. Get the location right and your plant has a 100% better chance of surviving and thriving, even with neglect."

Interested in learning more? Find Steve on The Vancouver Sun Gardening School Stage on Thursday, February 19 at 7pm; Friday, February 20 at 4pm; Saturday, February 21 at 2pm; and Sunday, February 22 at 1pm. We can't wait to hear all Steve has to say! Don't miss out, buy your tickets online today. Right now you can get 2-for-1 tickets on our Facebook Ticket Deals.

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Cool or Weird: Moss Graffiti

Interested in low-impact, environmentally responsible ways to make your mark? Look no further than moss graffiti. Also called eco-graffiti or green graffiti, this unique alternative to spray paint is considered a form of guerrilla gardening. Instead of using harsh and damaging chemicals, artists use a paint brush and moss "paint" that grows on its own. You can create an original look and leave the space greener than when you found it! Want to try it for yourself? Check out this guide to creating your own moss graffiti.

We think moss graffiti is an innovative solution to a problem many urban homeowners face. Plus, there’s no end to the ways you can use it to make your home, garden, and community more beautiful. Check out some of the clever green artwork below.

Anna Garforth's installation at Kings Cross

Another Anna Garforth design

Image via Oliveloaf Design

We’re definitely on board with moss graffiti, but we have to ask: what do you think of this trend? Is this taking the idea of being environmentally conscious too far, or are you excited to get your moss on? Let us know. And, of course, if you’re looking for more inspiration for your home and garden, there’s something for you at any Marketplace Events show. 

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