Dwon 2 Earth header
April 2, 2015
Vol 4, Issue 4
Down The 
Garden Path

with Joanne Shaw
path with shed
Joanne Shaw

I don't know if there are any basketball fans among you and as you know I am a pretty big sports fan but this time of year it is definitely March Madness in my house. My husband takes days off work to watch the tournament and with our "sports" son away at college they have been texting furiously during the games. Unfortunately basketball is not my favorite game to watch on TV. I even prefer to watch golf over basketball. My true favorites are baseball and hockey. My son is anxiously awaiting warmer drier temperatures (aren't we all) so that his 2nd season of baseball at college can get started.  And I am looking forward to the start of the Blue Jay's season especially with all the new faces to learn. But I am truly looking forward to the start of gardening season this spring so that I can start talking other leaves than the Maple Leafs! Since I have been told I am not allowed to cheer for the Senators or the Habs, I have just downloaded the Winnipeg Jets app to my phone. Go Jets GO!

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All kidding aside, in addition to March Madness, March also brings us Canada Blooms. I was able to attend again this year and took quite a few pics that I am happy to share with you in this month's Through The Garden Gate.

Down the Garden Path radio show continues to grow and I have really enjoyed interviewing guests on a wide range of topics. Last month we talked about everything from Bees to Soil to Raising Chickens.  All past shows are now available on my website so please have a listen and let me know what you think.

The busy season is upon me and I hope you enjoy my main article, a little more personal than usual, on why I like being a landscape designer.

Enjoy and I hope to see you down the garden path,


All the best,

  

 
Joanne  

   

  

Joanne Shaw 
Landscape Designer
Down2Earth Garden Design
Listen on Monday's
7:00 pm EST on RealityRadio 101
Down The Garden Path radio show



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HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
FEATURE ARTICLE
A LOOK THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE
TIP
6 Tips Everyone Should Know About Early Spring Lawn Care     

 

1) DON'T walk on lawn or in garden while it is still wet; you will do more harm compacting the soil than good.

2) DON'T rake lawn until it has REALLY dried out; you will disturb the healthy roots more than you benefit the dead roots AND walking on the lawn really does compact the soil preventing moisture and nutrients from penetrating.

3) DON'T let the lawn companies aerate your lawns until at least May; aerating = good; machine tearing up your lawn = bad.

4) DON'T forget to take a close look at trees and large shrubs for ice damage.

5) DON'T forget that grass seed doesn't germinate until the temperatures are between 16 and 20 degrees F.  Spreading before that is called 'feeding the birds'.

keep off grass

6) When should I fertilize my grass this spring? Here's a great article that sums it all up for you!



 


For more gardening tips and informative articles, visit my Newsletter Archives page!


FEATUREARTICLE
What It Means To Me To Be A Landscape Designer 


I have written before on the topic of Landscape Design and why I think it's important to get one as well as how beneficial I think it is to work with a Landscape Designer.  Today I thought I would touch on why I personally like being a Landscape Designer.

It comes down to the fact that I really like helping people. And for those of you like me, if you like helping people it is easy to help them with something you know and love. The people that are good with numbers help others with their taxes, those naturally organized people like helping their friends get organized and I like helping people with their gardens. Over the years I truly enjoy figuring out what's wrong with that plant or coming up with a suggestion for "that spot" in your garden where nothing grows! I also love proving those that say they have a black thumb and cannot grow anything, wrong.

But I also like thinking bigger! As in the whole yard. I love looking at a space as a blank canvas and reimagining it in a whole new way. Sometimes it is not easy when looking at 25 year old shrubs and a sunken walkway to see how to transform it.  For me the designing starts in my head.  Even before I rang your doorbell, I was thinking about the space. I really enjoy standing at your kitchen sink and creating a new view for you to enjoy throughout the seasons. And I continued to think about it before putting pen to paper or turning on my computer. Whether you needed a few tweaks to your garden, a whole new garden or a complete new front yard, I truly enjoyed working with you on it.

I have to admit that I get attached to the gardens I helped create, even more than my own, I think. I love driving by when I am in the neighborhood and seeing how the front garden is doing or staring wistfully at the backyard gate, wondering how that backyard is doing! I love it when my customers send me pictures or emails about their gardens (hint hint).

In addition to loving what I do, I really believe I can save you money and time. We know we never have enough of either. Planting the right plants in the right spot saves you time and money. Creating a Master Plan that helps you stage the install over a couple of years, saves you money and time in the end.

The devil is in the details, especially with a landscape installation. From choosing the brick type and colour to picking the rocks and the plants, it's a lot of work and I believe homeowners need help or need this to be handled for them. I attend many seminars and tradeshows to learn about new trends in the industry from stone to plants and I collaborate with other designers and contractors to make sure I get it right and I do all of it because I really like helping people. My radio show is another way I can help others - from sharing timely tips to exploring informative topics - it has been a blast!

I hope you enjoyed my help! Thanks for staying in touch with me here. If there is someone else you know that you think I can help please .



GardenGate
A look through the garden gate...

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I have to admit I thought Canada Blooms was more about water, rocks and walls than it was about the gardens this year. Once again water played a large part in alot of the booths.



How about making the eaves trough (a necessary evil) an interesting focal point?






We would all love garden furniture we could leave outside all year, right?


 
Here's a variety of the wall choices available.




 
Joanne Shaw is the owner and operator of Down2Earth Garden Design. A graduate of Ryerson University in Landscape Design, Joanne has 15 years experience in designing gardens and a decade in landscape and related business, both for her own clientele and established local nurseries.

CONTACT
Joanne Shaw
Landscape Designer
Down2Earth Garden Design
joanne@down2earth.ca
www.down2earth.ca
905.839.1597
905.903.2597