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"There are some things he likes to do
And some he likes to leave to you -
While he is putting in the seeds
You will be pulling up the weeds"
Reginald Arkell, Green Fingers
I have a passion for gardening - as do many readers of this letter - but I believe that none of us enjoy all aspects of creating and maintaining a garden equally.
Weeding can be fun - for a couple of weeks after the soil warms up and before it dries out completely and temperatures rise and sweat begins to form on the brow. Then it is not so fun (as my kids now have us saying: what ever happened to 'much' as in 'so much fun'?)
Hand watering is never fun. Standing at the end of a hose with a shower head on the end of it while water runs through the breaker is the closest that I get to falling asleep standing up. Maybe that is just me.
How bout pruning a rose bush? How bout 50 on the same day?
Or sowing seeds by hand can be fun. My vegetable garden is laid out in rows 60 feet long. I can sow one row of beans and enjoy it. Two rows is o.k. By the time I get to the third row I am looking for a seeding mule or making excuses to change my job.
All of this is to say that May is your best bet to break the tedium of the gardening experience so that you can bask in the activity that you love and enjoy.
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The Toronto Star
On Monday, May 23rd the Toronto Star will run a special story about 'How to Shop' while at your garden retailer. Well before then you may want this information, so here is a teaser, intended to help get you set in the right direction. Full details are in the 1,000 word article that day or on line in late May at www.yourhome.ca
1. Good value does not always equal the lowest price. While there is a lot to be said for sale prices on most anything that you buy retail keep in mind that buying plants is unlike most other items that you put in your grocery cart. Plants are living things. A great looking plant is not pot bound, leggy, has yellowing leaves or is necessarily in full bloom. It IS young, roots only fill ½ of the container, stocky and always green. And not necessarily in full bloom.
2. Labelling pays for itself. During this, one of the busiest times of the year at garden retailers, it is not always easy to get answers from a sales person to your gardening questions. For this reason accurate picture labels are worth their weight. A good label is printed in Canada and is appropriate for our growing zone, includes a picture and detailed cultural information. It is also a handy reference placed next to your new plant in the garden.
3. Roots do not encircle the inside of the container. Young, white fibrous roots are ready to take off in your garden. These roots must make a home in your soil before the top part of the plant can thrive. It is o.k. to turn a plant upside down while at the garden centre, gently remove it from the pot and inspect it. If the roots circle the inside wall of the pot or cell pack put it back and look for a younger, perhaps less impressive looking specimen.
4. Full bloom is not always a good thing. It takes energy for a plant to produce a bloom. It is, after all, an effort on the part of the plant to attract pollinators (not buyers) and to reproduce. A great garden performer will have much more green growth on it than blooms. The power reserved in the roots will be there when you most want it to push the blooms to max while planted in your garden over the next month or two, rather than on the retailers shelf.
5. Wet. The hallmark of a good plant retailer is one that pays close attention to the maintenance of the plants that they sell. Many mass merchant retailers fall down in this department, allowing plants to become dry after they are received at the store. A plant that dries out excessively 'hardens off', reducing the vigour that it had when it left the green house. Avoid buying plants that are 'light weight' [dry] as they may just collapse on you before you get home. Buy wet plants.
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Where is Mark this Month?
* Tuesday, May 3
Orillia Home Hardware Building Centre - Ladies' Night
Orillia, Ontario
* Tuesday, May 5
Bridlewood Home Hardware
Kanata, Ontario
* Saturday, May 14
CIL Golfgreen tent at the Mississauga Marathon
Mississauga, Ontario
www.mississaugamarathon.com
* Saturday, May 21
Warkworth Lilac Festival
Warkworth, Ontario
www.warkworthlilacfestival.ca
* Monday, May 30
Rocky Mountain House Home Hardware Building Centre
Rocky Mountain House, Alberta
* Tuesday, May 31
Rimbey Home Hardware
Rimbey, Alberta
For more info on these events
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As you wade into your garden retailer looking for the plants that will make your garden and yard look spectacular this season, I suggest that you pick up some bark mulch. Spread over the surface of the soil about 5 cm deep it will eliminate up to 90% of your weeding this season. YES!! To be precise it will prevent most weeds from coming into existence by insulating weed seeds from the direct rays of the sun.
Join Jeff Hutcheson and I during the month of May (through until Christmas, actually) as we bring you tips to help you grow a better garden. Wednesday mornings at about 8:45 a.m. (EST) on CTV/Canada AM. If you are busy and miss it you can watch it 24/7 (as many times as you like) by following this link: 
Imagine a pair of hand pruners that will cut through 3/8" of green wood like a carrot and that requires 30% less power from your wrist to do it. The blade is made of high carbon steel and is Teflon coated to help you do the job smoothly and without nicks. And speaking of nicks, you can keep this pruner sharp, lubricated and smooth with a hand sharpener and oil dabber that is included with the purchase. 
Now is a good time to get out and buy her something special. If your Mom enjoys gardening or just enjoys seeing great gardens I recommend that you consider my newest book, The Canadian Garden Primer. 410 pictures, many of my own 10 acre garden. Many tips to help you create the garden of your dreams and information that you can use regardless of where you live in Canada. This book is packed with information that will help you garden sustainably and images that will inspire. $30 at Home Hardware and book stores.
Every spring, this is one of the most popular gardening questions. There are basic steps you can follow to grow a healthy lawn.
* Mark's Choice Folding Yard Cart
I have a way to cut your watering down by up to one half this summer. Water Wicks were introduced to the Mark's Choice line up last year and I remain very excited about them. Each 'Water Wick' tea bag absorbs up to 400 times its weight in water.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
The Richmond Hill Garden and Horticultural Society (RHGHS) is having its annual Spring Plant Sale from 9am to 11:30am on Saturday, May 7th in the gym of the McConaghy Seniors' Centre at 10100 Yonge Street in Richmond Hill (just north of Major Mackenzie Drive East).
Toronto Botanical Garden's 24th annual garden tour. 
"Almost Eden captures the absolute wonder of the earth and teaches us how we can create a little bit of this wonder in our own backyards. Readers will discover how their gardens can be in tune with God's original plan of earthly stewardship and be creative and well designed. Readers are encouraged to revisit the notion of what a perfect garden actually looks like and discover how to achieve this perfect garden.
It's that time of year to get organized and think about what worked last year and what you might do differently this growing season. There is more and more focus in gardening articles about mapping your gardens, keeping your tags and receipts handy and making notes about what works and what doesn't. This handy little book is designed with all this and more in mind. Let's face it life gets busier and busier so who has time to search for all these things? That's why this organizer is a must for every gardener.