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'Plasmo Let Down'
I have been excited to write you this month as May is THE gardening month of the year, certainly where planning and planting are concerned. It is the one month of the year when we can plant winter hardy stock like trees and roses (the first half) and frost tender stuff like tomatoes and petunias (the second half, unless you live in Newfoundland - God bless all of you).
Which brings me to point #1. Impatiens (the flower, not the lack of patience that we all experience from time to time) are under siege. Every corner of the country is susceptible to the pathogen Plasmopara obducens, which causes downy mildew.
If you planted some impatiens last year, as I did, and found yourself wondering why they never grew much and why the runts that sat in the ground all summer finally keeled over in late August you have experienced "Plasmo let-down" (I made that up).
Our first response is always to seek out a solution. Surely in these times of optimism and hope and sophisticated scientific answers to most of life's vexing problems there is a whammy that will save our precious impatiens.
No.
This is not a new problem and nor is it exclusive to our part of the world. My British gardening magazines have been talking about it too, and even there, where people would rather garden than eat, there is no solution.
The next question is 'what else can I plant that will give me a great show of colour in sun or shade that I got from impatiens?' I can provide an answer to this one. Here is my list of plants to consider for those places in your garden that are protected from the wind, demanding an eye full of colour and are generally considered low maintenance:
Tuberous Begonias. I know, they have been around a long time and they are not new, but the Non Stop begonias do get better each year. The rose shaped flowers that hang on the strong, fleshy stems provide a show like no other. What they lack in fragrance they make up for in their exotic, hollyhock-like flowers and plugged in colours.
Fibrous begonias. Troopers. They will not let you down in sun or part shade, they bloom all season long, the leaves are a lovely glossy green or bronze and they are inexpensive (like impatiens!). Make sure that you plant in well drained soil and put some diluted 20-20-20 on them from time to time to keep them growing at their optimum.
Angel Wing Begonias. They grow taller than the other begonias but they are great garden performers and container plants. Squeeze a couple of them into your window boxes or moss lined hanging baskets and you will have a rich show worthy of downtown Victoria, where they really know how to mix it up!!
Other colourful annual plants that thrive in the shade include dusty miller, browallia, coleus (look for King Kong for a giant of a winner).
Perennials that make great groundcovers in the shade include pachysandra (Japanese Spurge) hardy to zone 4, vinca periwinkle which is hardy to zone 3 and lily of the valley which is hardy to zone 2. Hard to miss with any one of these.
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Where is Mark this Spring?
Saturday, May 19 - Get Bloomin' Spring Garden Symposium. Goderich, ON
Saturday, May 26 - Mark Cullen Approved Garden Centre event. Napanee Home Hardware Building Centre.
Saturday, June 2 - Iroquios Falls Home Hardware. Mark Cullen Approved Garden Centre event.
Thursday, June 7- Lloydminster Home Hardware Building Centre. Mark Cullen Approved Garden Centre Event.
Friday, June 8 - Invermere Home Hardware Building Centre. Mark Cullen Approved Garden Centre event.den Society.
Saturday, June 9 - Three Hills Home Hardware. Mark Cullen Approved Garden Centre event.
Friday, June 22 - Wilson's Home Hardware. Mark Cullen Approved Garden Centre event. Barrington Passage, NS.
Saturday, June 23 - Sissiboo Home Hardware. Mark Cullen Approved Garden Centre event. Weymouth, NS.
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Floriade Officially Open
April 4, 2012
Her Majesty Queen Beatrix officially opened Floriade 2012 on April 4. By adding a tulip to a colourful bouquet of Dutch flowers she gave the go-ahead for the six-month World Horticultural Expo, which is this time taking place in Regio Venlo.
The Floriade park comprises five different themed worlds separated by wooded areas within a total area of 66 hectares. The site boasts more than a hundred exhibits - gardens and pavilions of the participating horticultural sectors, businesses and international participants. A total of 35 countries are represented at this edition of the Floriade, the sixth to be organised so far.
As from April 5, 2012 the park will be open to the public for six months. The envisaged 2 million visitors will make the Floriade the biggest event in the Netherlands.
Floriade 2012 facts & figures
* World Horticultural Expo, organised once every ten years
* 1960: Rotterdam, 1972: Amsterdam, 1982: Amsterdam, 1992: Zoetermeer, 2002: Haarlemmermeer, 2012: Regio Venlo
* Patroness: Her Majesty Queen Beatrix
* Theme of Floriade 2012: "Be part of the theatre in nature, get closer to the quality of life"
* 5 April until 7 October 2012, open every day
* 2 million visitors
* 66 hectares, of which 40 hectares exhibition site
* 5 themed worlds separated by wooded areas
* The themed worlds: Relax & Heal, Green Engine, Education & Innovation, Environment, World Show Stage
* Gardens and pavilions (buildings) of approximately 100 participants
* Horticultural sectors, Dutch organisations and foreign participants
* Largest cable car in the Netherlands: capacity of 4000 persons per hour
* Two permanent buildings: Innovatoren and Villa Flora
* Villa Flora: largest indoor flower exhibition in Europe
* Planted vegetation: 1.8 million bulbs, 18,000 shrubs, 190,000 perennials, 15,000 hedges, 5,000 roses, 3,000 trees
More details
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Gardening from a Hammock
Gardening from a Hammock, a new guide to low-maintenance gardening, pulls together advice and tips of well-known garden experts, designers and nursery owners for both new and experienced gardeners.
This book is for those who love to garden, but have neither the time, knowledge nor energy to do much about it. Gardening from a Hammock will give you tips to save time, techniques to avoid weeding, and a selection of plants that will survive benign neglect. You'll have more time to relax and enjoy your garden.
Gardening from a Hammock is a soft-cover book with hundreds of gorgeous, full-colour photos and 17 chapters, each devoted to a different style of garden and philosophy.
A practical addition to the book is the detailed Botanical Reference Guide, an illustrated 32-page chart with photos and specifications for all of the selected plants, as well as details on growing conditions, size at maturity, and how to use each plant in your garden. Take this guide to a nursery to help you choose the right plant for your site.
The book also contains an alphabetical index of plants by common and botanical name to help you find your favourite plants, plus a section on hardiness zones, and a metric conversion chart.
Gardening from a Hammock is a self-published book by garden writer Ellen Novack and Master Gardener Dan Cooper. It will be available for sale at Toronto Botanical Garden or online through the website www.gardeningfromahammock.com at a cost of $22.95.
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I grow 200 tomatoes each year. Last year was my best year ever in the tomato patch largely due to the love and attention heaped on my crop by Zac, an intern student from the University of Guelph. Zac worked for me last summer and he poured his heart and souls into my tomatoes. Here are his secrets:
As you wade into the intense shopping environment of your favourite local retailer this month let me suggest that it is in the best long term interests of your personal success to buy plants in small batches and return to the store frequently. Plants that you bring home and do not plant for a few days should be stored on the north side of your house or garage and watered before they become too dry. For best results, use 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer to keep the plants wet and apply again at the time of planting. 
Spring is a very busy time for me and I look forward to it every year as my best opportunity to meet YOU. I am always delighted to meet newsletter readers and encourage you to provide feedback with your comments on its content. Are we hitting your gardening hot buttons? It is our goal to do so.
My brother Peter sent me this and I thought that you would get a kick out of it! 
I built 2 wooden blue bird boxes with my buddy Larry's son, Ryan. He took them home proudly and with some help from Dad mounted them on their ash tree.
At a recent speaking event I received an interesting tip. A number of gardeners have had success controlling Japanese Beetle damage by planting geraniums!
Ask your gardening friends if they would like to receive my FREE monthly e-newsletter. If the answer is 'yes', send me their email address.
Every day in the month of April, we selected a winner from our list of e-newsletter subscribers. Each winner will receive $8 in Mark's Choice premium vegetable seeds. If your name is on our list of winners, and you haven't already done so, please email your mailing address to 