Beaver Valley Probus Club

Things to do in your garden in December.

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

Please contact John for more information!

December Garden Tips: 
After a few mild days in November, the cold and a little snow are both here. If you do get a good day, grab it, as here are a few extra things you still can do in your garden this December, if there is not too much SNOW! As you well know, there is no end to garden chores.

• Cut down tall perennials and ornamental grasses bent over by high winds and snow. Cut off most seed heads and don’t put them in your compost. Leave a few stocks with seed heads for the birds and pollinators.
• Loosely wrap evergreens and especially rhododendrons with burlap. It is better to use 3 tomato stakes and make a triangle of burlap, as high as the plant and 6” to 8” away from it This will break the drying wind and shield it from the winter sun.
• Protect young trees and shrubs from rodents with spiral plastic wraps or chicken wire. I know wraps look ugly, but the white reflects the sun to minimize sun scalding.
• If not done already, hill up the soil and/or place compost around your hybrid tea roses and other tender plants and shrubs.
• I place loose straw over my potentially tender Phenomenal and Czech lavender to create an igloo of protection.
• Bring in, drain and store all hoses and water related equipment. Blow out in-ground garden water lines before they freeze. Maybe call a plumber.
• Wash all your garden tools. Wipe the metal parts with a cloth soaked in 3-in-1oil. If you really want to be fancy, wipe wooden handles with boiled linseed oil or paint them red, so you won’t lose them next summer.
• Make sure you have stocked up on firewood for your indoor fireplace this winter.
• The ground should not be frozen solid yet, so you can still plant those spring bulbs that you forgot in your garage, or bought at 50% off. (I once planted tulips on Christmas Day in my garden by the sidewalk in downtown Toronto. An elderly gentleman passed by and asked, “Whatever are you doing?? I told him “It’s an old Hethrington tradition, I always plant tulips and daffs on Christmas Day”. He shuffled off shaking his head, but there were blooms in April and May. So, stick any spring bulbs you can find into the ground before it freezes solid.)
• Inside, check to see that your house humidifier is maintaining the inside humidity at over 40% to benefit both house plants and your family.
• Put lots of garden tools and garden books on your Christmas gift list.
• Start making to-do lists for your garden for next year. It never ends!
• Order seed catalogues and start dreaming about SPRING 2024!

John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc

Things to do in your garden in October.

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

Please contact John for more information!

October Garden Tips: 

• After a warm, no, it was a HOT summer, plus some lovely summer days in September, FALL is definitely here. Enjoy the much-needed recent rains that are bring many plants back to life! But, also be prepared for the possibility of an early FROST one of these nights! You never know!
• There is much talk among gardeners in the fall about “Putting Your Garden to Bed”. I think they mean preparing your garden for the winter. There is an annual argument among gardeners as to whether you should cut back all your perennials, ornamental grasses, etc., and clean up all the leaves in the fall, or leave them tall for “winter interest”, or to feed the birds and make homes for the Pollinator insects. However, up here, most perennials are covered by 2 to 3 feet of snow, so you can’t see them anyway and there are very few seedheads for the birds. And finally, if left unattended in the fall, Spring Clean-Up can be daunting. There may be wet weather, cold or a late spring. For these reasons, I am opting for a BIG FALL CLEAN-UP again this year, leaving just the leaves on the beds this fall. This will give me a jump on next spring.
• It is time to trim back perennials and divide them as needed if your garden is crowded. Give them to your neighbors. Or, pot them up now and put the pot back in the ground, saving them to donate to St. George’s church Giant Plant Sale, in Clarksburg. Saturday May 30, 8 AM until Noon.
• When you donate 15 or more perennials to the sale next year, you will receive an Income Tax receipt from the Church for the value your plants sell for. When digging and potting up this fall, always make sure to pick a cool, cloudy day and add bone meal fertilizer to the pots, or to any new plantings you do this fall.
• Remember, October is a great time to plant new shrubs and perennials. They get a big jump on plants you might plant next spring.
• Buy and plant spring flowering bulbs NOW. Add a little bulb fertilizer, like bone meal, to the bottom of the hole and add water to the hole to get the bulb’s roots started. Your efforts NOW, will bring big dividends in April and May 2026.
• For a longer bulb blooming season, plant a variety of bulbs, each with a different bloom date. Plant winter aconite first, then snow drops and crocus to start the season early. You can also plant early, middle and late blooming tulips and daffs in the same bed for a much longer bloom season.
• If you have squirrels or other rodents, place chicken wire just under the surface of the soil over any bulbs you plant. The squirrels will hate you, but your bulbs will love you. Interestingly, Daffs should not need this protection.
• If there is an early frost warning this fall, cover tender annuals overnight with an old bed sheet. They should make it through the night and keep on blooming.
• Bring in house plants when the evenings start to cool down, or if you get a frost warning. First, give them a thorough spray with insecticidal soap, so that there are no unwanted hitchhikers coming into your home.
• Lawn fertilizers come with a 3-number code on the bag, establishing the percentage of each of Nitrogen (for rapid growth), Phosphorus (for strong roots), and Potassium (for overall health). In the fall you want a lawn fertilizer with a low first number and high second and third numbers, or stuff advertised as a “Fall Formula” fertilizer. Don’t use that fertilizer you have left over from the spring with a high first number. Thre’s too much nitrogen!
• Start cutting your grass much lower than in summer to avoid winter-matted long grass next spring that you will have to rake out of your lawn.
• Water shrubs, evergreens and trees weekly and deeply at least until frost comes.

John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc

Things to do in your garden in September.

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

Please contact John for more information!

September Garden Tips: 

• WOW! What a summer, so hot and dry!! Water, water, water whenever you can!
• Trim back perennials like Daylilies and Iris. My mother always cut the iris fans up one side and down the other for a perfect V. But she was a picky gardener. Divide them now as needed.
• Make sure it’s a cool, cloudy day to divide and replant anything, or to pot up plants for your neighbours, or for fall plant sales or plant exchanges.
• Fall is the ideal time to divide and plant Iris, Daylilies, Peonies and many other perennials. Share extra plants with neighbours. To see my YouTube video on dividing and potting up plants, but don’t laugh at the old man groaning, as he divides up and pots his perennials.
• Buy and plant spring-flowering bulbs NOW. Your efforts will be handsomely rewarded next spring. Check out the website www.bulbsrus.com for good deals. Dig the hole a little deeper than the specified depth and add some water to the bottom of the hole, then some soil, mix in a little bonemeal fertilizer or special bulb food. Sprinkle in a little topsoil, set the bulbs in place and back fill the hole. Water well after planting, to start root growth.
• Take a critical look at your garden. Then fill in any gaps that may have developed with new perennials, shrubs and/or evergreens. They will get a huge head-start over plants planted next spring.
• Bring in house plants when the evenings start to cool down. First, give them a thorough spray with insecticidal soap so that there are no unwanted hitchhikers coming into your home.
• Pray for cool nights and hope for fall rains. It’s the ideal time for lawn repair. Dig out weeds, add clean, weed-free topsoil and re-seed. Keep the area moist.
• Fertilize lawns with root-building Fall Fertilizer. Buy the one with a low first number (Nitrogen) and high second and third numbers (Phosphorus & Potash). Don’t use the lawn fertilizer you have left over from the spring, with a high first number (Nitrogen). Save it for early next spring.
• With the heat and lack of rain this summer, deep down it is bone dry. Check the moisture levels 14 to 16 inches deep. If the bottom of the hole is dry, water your gardens weekly and deeply until frost. Buy a soaker and put it on the end of your hose. Then place it in the middle of your relatively flat garden beds and let the water slowly seep in.
• Look for the annual Grey County Master Gardener’s fall plant sale, for a wide variety of top flight perennials, Saturday September 14 from 9am until noon. Again, this year, it’s in Meaford, at the Rotary Pavilion at the Harbor. Choose from unique perennials and lots of native and pollinator plants at reasonable prices. Come early for best selection!

John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc

Things to do in your garden in July.

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

Please contact John for more information!

July Garden Tips: There’s lots to do in your garden In June, now that Summer is here!

• Watch for the Japanese beetle on your Asiatic Lilies, Roses, Rose of Sharon, Dahlias, Hollyhocks, and numerous other plants. Handpicking and squeezing, combined with a beetle trap, are the most efficient ways to limit these ravaging critters. Luckily, the little red devils don’t eat Day Lilies (Hemerocallis)
• Watch for earwigs and Gypsy moth caterpillars. Spray plants with a 40:1 mixture of water and dish soap.
• Ants can also be a problem. The ant powder does not seem to work for me. Maybe the ants didn’t read the instructions to take it back to their nest.
• Trim evergreens, cedar hedges, etc., NOW as needed, not later in the summer.
• Stake straggly annuals and perennials, or pinch them back to promote new growth and make them bushy and probably re-bloom.
• Raise lawn mower blades for summer mowing. Grass should be at least 5 - 7.5 cm (2 to 3 inches) high to stay healthy and weed free.
• Prune spring flowering shrubs like Forsythia and Spirea after blooming. If you really want to be picky, remove individual spent lilac blooms.
• Water flower beds deeply and try a second round of weeding. Add mulch again to keep the weeds at bay.
• Mulch your tomato plants. When a ripe tomato drops, it won’t split or get muddy. Mulch holds moisture in too!
• Thin, hoe, weed and water vegetables as required. (This is why I stick to flowers)
• While there has been lots of rain, water lawns and beds as deeply as you can.
• Tackle weeds now before they go to seed. Save yourself from weeding their offspring next year.
• Stake tall perennials that may be weakened by too rapid growth or too much rain.
• Turn your compost pile regularly and keep it moist - not too wet, not too dry - just right, like Goldilocks.

John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc

Things to do in your garden in June.

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

Please contact John for more information!

June Garden Tips: There’s lots to do in your garden In June, now that Summer is here!

• Summer is really here! Lots of sun and much needed rain. Get your annuals & vegies planted now. Add a little general-purpose fertilizer and water-in well.
• Fertilize perennials, roses, shrubs and vegetables using a balanced fertilizer - not the one for your lawn, it has too much nitrogen. Pull back the mulch (that should already be there) a little from the perennials. Dig the fertilizer in lightly around each plant (or, if you have it, use well-rotted manure) and replace the mulch.
• Start cutting your lawn higher/longer and leave cuttings on the lawn as fertilizer.
• Prune spring blooming shrubs and trees (forsythia, lilac) after they have flowered.
• Prune evergreens and hedges now, not later in the summer.
• Finish removing all daffodil and tulip flower stems. Leave the leaves to mature and feed the bulb for next year’s bloom. Only remove the leaves when brown. Add a little bone meal around bulb clumps to promote bulb growth for next year.
• Stake or cage tomato plants, dahlias, gladiolas, peonies & delphinium plants.
• Thin vegetable seedlings and plant successive crops. (Plant a second crop as the first is maturing e.g., lettuce, spinach, radishes.)
• Seed flowering cabbage/kale into garden rows for later transplanting.
• Plant seeds of fast-growing flowers such as cosmos, marigold, calendula, etc.
• If desired, move houseplants outside to a protected area.
• Deadhead (cut off) faded blooms on plants such as petunia, rose, verbena, Shasta daisies etc. This will promote continuous blooms & bushier plants for blooms later in the summer & fall.
• Weed and water garden beds as needed. But water deep.
• Add mulch to suppress weed growth and hold on to moisture. At least 2” deep.
• Cut back, by a third, late bloomers such as mums and asters. This will make the plants bushier and give them a mounded shape and more blooms in the fall.
• Turn compost regularly and check moisture level, not too wet, not too dry, just right, like Goldilocks.
• Take cuttings of perennials, shrubs, roses, etc. for rooting, for plants next year.
• Watch for local plant sales like the Plant Sale at the Meaford Hospital, Saturday June 7 2023. It starts at 8:30 am. Choose from choice perennials, a wide variety for sun or shade: Daylilies, ornamental grasses, unique Hostas and shrubs at really reasonable prices.

John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc

Things to do in your garden in May.

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

Please contact John for more information!

May Garden Tips: There’s lots to do in your garden In May, now that Spring is finally here!

• If not done already, clean up winter debris in the garden as soon as the soil is dry enough to work. The little insects that wintered in your garden, that you have been protecting, will have flown away. Cut off dead plant stalks. Rake the leaves etc. and put them on your compost pile.
• Dig in manure and/or compost around perennials and shrubs and weed well. An extra hour weeding now, will save 3 days later in the summer!
• Use a string line and cut sharp, straight edges for your beds. For curved edges, run hot water through a hose to soften it up and lay out a smooth curve. Watch you don’t chop the hose!
• Take coloured pictures of your spring bulbs in each of your gardens so you will know where there are any gaps and where existing bulbs are, when you order more bulbs to plant in the fall. Save the pictures in a safe place.
• Plan now to plant lots of early blooming bulbs like snowdrops and crocus in the fall at places close to where you come in and out of the house. It’s nice to be greeted by early signs of spring.
• Add 3 to 4 inches of mulch to flowerbeds and shrubs to conserve moisture and discourage weeds. Shredded cedar bark is best, but expensive. Try 13/Forty Landscape Supply who have 3 types of mulch: Cedar, Pine, Black and Utility. It’s the cheap stuff I use.
• Don’t walk on or roll lawns that are still wet and full of water. If you can see your footprint, stay OFF the lawn. You will compact the soil.
• If your lawn is already compacted, rent an aerator which will dig out small plugs. Let the plugs dry and rake them back into the lawn as a top dressing. Add grass seed to bare patches.
• When dry, rake lawns vigorously to remove dead grass and thatch.
• Spread weed-free topsoil on thin patches in your lawn. Apply grass seed, roll and water with a mist setting. Keep seeded areas moist, but don’t flood.
• If you find moss in your lawn, the soil is too acidic. Apply dolomite lime before a rain. You may need a second application.
• If you have pots or planters that are very big or deep, put some empty plastic water bottles with lids in the bottom of the pot to take up the space the roots will never get to. It makes the planter or pot lighter and easier to move.
• Prepare containers and pots for planting. Fill with a mixture of compost and potting soil. Add peat moss, or better still, coconut coir to retain the moisture.
• Place pots with a selection of culinary herbs close to the kitchen door for easy access.
• Harden off seedlings for at least a week before planting outside. Google the last frost date for your area (June 1 in the Blue Mountains) and allow at least 1 week more before planting tender transplants such as annuals and tomatoes.
• Walk around your garden and look for perennials that have grown and should be divided, are in the wrong place, or you don’t like anymore. Pot them up for spring plant sales at least 3 weeks before the sale. Add compost, not garden soil to the pots. To be really fancy, add a little bone meal to the pot before you put in the plant. Add plant labels with the name (Botanical and/or common), colour, sun exposure, height, bloom time, etc. Water well and keep in the shade.
• If you dig, pot-up and donate 15 or more perennials to the St. George’s Church annual Plant Sale, you will receive an Income Tax Donation Receipt for the price your plants sell for. Register as a donor online at www.stg.plantsale.com. Bring them to the church Wednesday, May 9 AM to 3 PM. It’s a win-win for everyone.
• The giant annual St. George’s Plant Sale is Sat May 24, 2025 on the church grounds in Clarksburg. It starts at 8 am. Come early for best selection.
• Plant beans now directly into the garden, as they germinate quickly and will grow as long as the soil is warm. Maybe mid-May this year.
• Install peony rings before the plants start to grow.
• Monitor for the presence of slugs, cutworms, earwigs and tent caterpillars. The best solution is to pick them off.
• Control weeds in the lawn by hand pulling. Use nematodes to control grubs, which eat the grass roots, leading to brown patches in the lawn in summer.
• Prune roses according to type.
• Deadhead (cut the blooms off) tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs but do not cut or pull out the leaves until they are brown, shriveled and decayed. The green leaves are needed to nourish the bulbs for next year’s bloom.
• If you have any fritillaria or Asian lilies, now is the time to watch for the red lily beetle (adult, larva and eggs). It seems that removal by hand is the best and only way to reduce this problem. At least, day lilies are beetle free.
• And finally, another call-out to students who like to work in the garden. There are lots of jobs, after school and all summer long. Contact John Hethrington at casacarolejohn@gmail.com

John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc

Things to do in your garden in April.

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

Please contact John for more information!

April Garden Tips: There are lots more things to do in your garden in April!

• Make sure you’ve done everything you were supposed to do on the March 2025 Master Gardener's List, or ask for a new copy. See email above. Spring had started to arrive by mid March and the snow then melted away quickly, but then there was the ice storm to close out the month. Wiarton Willy, who forecast an early spring, was wrong again! He’s only right 26% of the time!
• Start off the new gardening season with a few bend and stretch exercises every time before you start in the garden. I find skiing muscles have nothing to do with gardening muscles. Take it easy. There are a lot of gardening days before the next ski season.
• If you can find them, buy and plant frost-resistant pansies early in the month for spring colour.
• A New Program for Spreading Triple-19 Fertilizer: I have learned from the Guelph- educated agronomist at Mid-West Co-Op in Markdale that you should NOT spread 19-19-19 general purpose fertilizer over the snow on all your flower beds and shrub boarders, as I used to recommend. You will lose the Nitrogen as it will melt away. So, after the snow has gone, and new leaves have not yet appeared on your plants, you should spread it just in your flower beds. Triple-19 fertilizer is available now at the Mid-West Co-Op just south of Markdale on HWY 10 @ $34.20 a bag. With the tariffs, this price may change.
• Organize your compost pile for the new season. Start a new one with the top foot or so of compost material from last year’s pile as a base. Take the top off down to the new compost you have created and start a new pile with the stuff from the top 12 to 24 inches of the old pile.
• As the weather warms and the ground dries, prune back perennials and ornamental grasses to 1” to 2” from the ground. Collect dead material, shred, if possible, and put it on your new pile.
• Push any plants that the frost has heaved out of the ground back into place.
• Prepare your garden beds for planting. Dig in compost, and/or manure, and/or other organic material around each perennial plant. Remove weeds that have come through from last fall. When you have cleaned up the beds, Add  3” to 4” of mulch to control weeds this summer. For mulch try 13/40 Landscape Supplies on Grey Rd 40 for a variety of mulches - 519-599 1340.
• Here’s an opportunity. Look over your garden to determine what plants are in the wrong place, or have grown too big and need dividing, or you hate them! Dig, Divide, Pot-up and Donate any extra perennials you have to the St. George’s Anglican Church Annual Plant Sale, Saturday, May 24, 2025, 8 AM to noon. When you donate 15 or more perennials, you will receive an Income Donation receipt for the value your plants sell for. Plant intake days are Wednesday May 21, 10 – 3 & 6 – 730pm, plus Thursday May 22, 10 until noon. To register as a donor and get a FREE “Plant Donor Kit”, with Plant and Donor labels, a waterproof Sharpie Pen and complete digging, potting and labelling instructions, email stg.plantsale@gmail.com
• Remove winter rose protection. For Hybrid Teas, prune back to 6” or 8”and apply dormant oil spray before the buds break.
• Apply dormant oil spray to shrubs like euonymus that may have suffered from scale last year. Do it before the buds break.
• Prepare your vegetable garden with a good digging. Dig in compost and manure. Mid-month, plant the seeds of cool-weather vegetables like peas, spinach, lettuce, onions and beets. Plant seeds of frost-resistant annuals like larkspur, sweet peas and calendulas.
• When you can’t see your footprints in the lawn, it’s dry enough to rake it vigorously to remove any thatch. Repair damage with weed-free topsoil. Add grass seed to bare spots & keep moist.
• Fertilize your lawn with slow-release high-nitrogen fertilizer (the first of the 3 numbers on the bag). Slow-release urea costs more, but it’s worth it, as it should last until the fall.
• Apply crabgrass pre-emergent herbicide to your lawn, if required.
• When spring finally arrives, plant new trees, shrubs, perennials and biennials in your garden. No need to wait until the end of May for perennials and shrubs, that’s for annuals. Up here, June 1st is the date to safely plant frost-tender annuals. With a late frost forecast, cover annuals with a bedsheet at night.
• Re-fill your pots and planters with compost. But first, put empty plastic bottles with tops on at the bottom of large pots. You will need less soil and they will be lighter and easier to move. Add slow-release plant food to the top 4 inches.
• Start mowing your lawn only as needed. Keep it long to crowd out any weeds.
• Save Saturday, May 24 for the St. George’s, Anglican Parish of the Blue Mountains, Giant Annual Plant Sale on the church grounds at 166 Russell St. in Clarksburg. They are projected to again have well over 1,000 high quality perennials and shrubs to choose from, at very reasonable and competitive prices, plus free gardening advice from the 599 Garden Club plant experts. Sale runs 8 AM to noon. Come early for best selection.
• And finally, if there are any students out there who are interested in garden work after school this spring, as well as during the summer months, please get in touch NOW. There are lots of well paid jobs available. Contact John Hethrington casacarolejohn@gmail.com

John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc

Things to do in your garden in March.

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

Please contact John for more information!

March Garden Tips: Things to do for - or in - your garden in March!

• WOW! What a winter! Feet and Feet of snow! No January or February thaw. But, it’s not all bad. When it finally melts, there will be lots of much needed moisture deep in the soil.
• To get a WHIFF OF SPRING, take in the Barrie Spring Garden & Home Show, March 8 and 9, from 10am to 5pm at the Bradford Greenhouses Garden Gallery in Springwater, on Hwy 90, just west of Barrie, or east of Angus.
• After March 15 you can start tuberous begonia & caladium corms in pots, or in a tray of peat moss. Keep it moist, but not soggy.
• Plant brassicas, like kale, turnip and radish seeds plus hardy annual seeds indoors for late May planting outdoors.
• Start tomatoes, lettuce and other fast-growing vegetables from seed in late March to early April.
• Make a list of spring garden chores in the order they should be done, if you haven’t already done so.
• Order summer flowering bulbs & plants. Try www.botanus.com.
• Order or buy flower & vegetable seeds NOW for summer planting to get the best selection!
• Check, repair and sharpen your gardening tools on a snowy day.
• Apply combination dormant oil spray to fruit trees & pest-prone shrubs when above-freezing weather permits.
• Bring Spring indoors. Start forcing branches of spring-flowering shrubs like Forsythia, if you can get through the snow to get at them.
• If you can find them, buy Narcissus bulbs and grow them in gravel with water for spring flowers indoors.
• Prune summer-flowering shrubs and vines late in the month.
• When the snow is finally gone from your garden beds (maybe in April) and they are still damp, but before new plant leaves emerge, buy and apply triple-19 agricultural fertilizer liberally, but only to your garden beds. It’s available now at the Midwest Co-Op on Hwy 10 south of Markdale.
• Plan to plant a few native shrubs that have berries for the birds, plus pollinator perennials for the bees and butterflies.
• When the snow finally goes, loosen up and dig-in any packed winter Mulch, and press perennials that have heaved, back into place.
• Think about your garden and make a list of the perennials you could dig, divide and donate to the St. George’s Annual Plant Sale in Clarksburg, Saturday, May 24, 2025. Donate 15 or more plants and get a tax receipt for the value your plants sell for. I have 327 on my list!
• If there are any students out there who are interested in garden work after school this spring, plus during all the summer months as well, please get in touch now. There are lots of jobs available. Contact John Hethrington casacarolejohn@gmail.com

John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc

Things to do in your garden in February.

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

Please contact John for more information!

February Garden Tips: Things to do for - or in - your garden in February!

• The snow came early and deep in late December and it snowed almost every day in early January 2025, giving us good snow coverage for your plants. But, before we get a February thaw and refreeze, mound up all the available snow and any new snow that falls around tender plants like roses.
• If you have a few boughs left over from your Christmas tree, put them over tender plants to catch the snow. It is the freeze/thaw cycle that kills plants, not just the cold.
• Start planning your garden projects for 2025. Make a long list for the Spring (then you will know what you didn’t get done when you check it in June). I have mine done and I am tired already. Luckily, a garden is never finished, someone once said!
• Go online and order up Spring Catalogues. I just got mine from Botanus in British Columbia, packed with spring and summer plants like dozens of colourful Dahlias, beautiful Begonias, lovely Lilies and Achilleas. Check them out at www.botanus.com
• Start propagating stem cuttings of geraniums, fuchsias, etc. by the end of the month.
• Plant slow germinating seeds inside now for the spring, like impatiens, peppers, eggplants, etc.
• Don’t over-water house plants. Wait till the soil in the pot is dry down at least an inch before adding more water. Then water well and wait until it’s dry again.
• Check your tools. Clean off any rust and sharpen pruners, shears, clippers, shovels, etc.
• As the weather warms, you can start pruning shade trees, fruit trees and shrubs, if you can get to them through the snow. Leave trees that “bleed” like maples and birch until after the spring sap runs and the leaves appear.
• You can forget about the biggest garden show again this year. Canada Blooms has been again defeated by lingering fears of COVID. But the Peterborough Garden show will be at the Healthy Planet Arena in Peterborough on Saturday April 5 9am – 6pm and Sunday April 6, 9 am – 3 pm. It’s a 250 K hike, 3-hours, but worth it.
• To get an earlier, closer WHIFF OF SPRING, plan to take in the Barrie Spring Garden & Home Show, March 8 & 9, from 10 am to 5 pm at the Bradford Greenhouses Garden Gallery in Springwater, on Hwy 90, just west of Barrie, or east of Angus. It’s worth the drive to Springwater!

John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc

Things to do in your garden in January.

Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

Please contact John for more information!

January Garden Tips: Welcome to the new gardening year. There’s lots to do for your garden, even in winter.

• Winter came last month with 3 feet of snow, but it kept the frost out of the beds. By now, it has mostly melted away. If the traditional January thaw comes and the snow is almost gone, mound any remaining snow over roses and tender perennials.
• Cut the branches off your Christmas tree and place them over tender plants to catch the snow, which is a good insulator. It’s the freeze/thaw cycle that kills the plants.
• Inspect house plants for whiteflies, spider mites and aphids. Apply insecticidal soap and spray with water.
• Inspect any spring bulbs you may have stored or forgotten about. Discard soft or mouldy ones. Plant any leftover, unplanted spring bulbs like daffs, tulips etc. in pots with good potting soil and a little bone meal. Water. Put the pots in an unheated garage or garden shed for 6 weeks. Take them inside in February or early March for spring blooms in less than a month.
• Expand your personal knowledge through online courses. Check out Master Gardener websites for lectures and seminars. Start looking online for seed and plant catalogues.
• Start planning your garden for next spring. I’m already making lists of plants to divide, and BUY.
• Make detailed lists under different categories, like: BIG projects, regular maintenance, new plants to buy and also, plants to divide and donate to the St. George’s Plant Sale, Saturday, May 24, 2025. Call 519-599-3047 for more info, or if you need a digging crew to help you pot up your plants for the sale.
• Google “Seed Catalogue Websites” and see hundreds of seed sources.
• Order flower and vegetable seeds. Decide which seeds should be started inside.
• If you can find them, try forcing amaryllis and paperwhite narcissus now for indoor winter bloom that will cheer you up during a long winter.
• At the end of the month, start the slowest germinating seeds like begonias and geraniums, also seeds for early spring bloom e.g., pansy, verbena, alyssum and dianthus.
• The Markdale CO-OP, now called Midwest Co-Op, will have a good supply of Triple-19 fertilizer in early March. This is the strong agricultural fertilizer to put on the soil in your flower beds in March right after the snow has melted. Put it around your plants, not on them, as it could possibly burn them. It will fertilize your gardens all summer long. It’s worth the drive to Markdale!

John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario

• More information about Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc