Just a quick end of summer note! I hope that you are enjoying a fun and successful year in your gardens. I was lucky enough to visit my family in England in August and spent some quality time in a variety of gardens with my Mum. Trentham Estate near Stoke, are renovated 18 ^th century gardens that were absolutely huge and amazing and full of ideas! The National Hydrangea Collection in Derby was a little wilted looking due to the hot summer, but still fabulous! Wherever I go in this world, I am always looking for gardening and design inspiration! 

Back home, the heat this summer has been the big news - if you managed to keep the water on your veggies you probably have a good crop of Tomatoes. In our own garden, our Heritage Tomatoes have done very well and make a mean tomato salad (no blight this year!) Our Eggplants are beautiful and prolific, delicious roasted on the barbeque. One of my favourite crops is Basil and it is so easy to grow. We eat pasta with fresh pesto at least once a week right now! See below for more highlights from my own garden.

While the farm has been closed all summer, our sister company, Complete Outdoor Services Inc has been keeping us incredibly busy with landscaping and gardening work. We have completed some really interesting landscaping projects and it’s been the busiest year yet for garden maintenance. It’s hard to believe that this is our 30 ^th year in business!

I start my planning and ordering for next year in October - I already have a big list of ‘must haves’ from my visits to grower trials and reading trade literature. This fall, as you work in your garden and evaluate what has done well, please send feedback and ideas about what you would like us to grow in 2019.

 

But first, let’s enjoy the fall!

Quality shrubs and perennials available

Do you have any empty spots in your garden that need filling? Maybe you are undertaking a larger landscaping venture? Fall is a great time to plant. The soil usually is fairly wet and plants have a few weeks to make some new roots and get established before the winter. In the spring they are ready to pop up and take off fast. We plant our perennials and shrubs throughout the year on landscaping jobs, but we still have a selection for sale at the farm. If you find yourself in need of perennials or shrubs this fall, please contact me and I would be happy to be open for a private shopping appointment.

My favourite plants this year

Even though gardening is my profession, it is also my passion and hobby! As we all know, gardening brings its fair share of challenges as well as triumphs and this year was no exception. The excessive heat and drought in July meant that this year I enjoyed my gardens from the end of a hose pipe, but in August, I was well rewarded for my labours! This year, I have decided to celebrate the plants that really stood out for me in my garden. I hope that you will share your own winners with us. Please contact us by email or post on our facebook page.  

Torenia 'Summer Wave Blue'

I was so impressed with the Torenia that I planted in ground this year. In part shade and well watered, these plants offer a change from the more common Begonias and Impatiens. Unusual bright blue flowers formed a happy low growing carpet of colour right by my front door. No deadheading required!

Mandevilla 'Dundee Pink'

As close to 'No Care' as you can get! This pot of Mandevilla was planted by my son on Mothers Day weekend and has been sitting on our coffee table on our deck all season. I only need to water once in a while - Mandevilla is amazingly drought tolerant and loved this summer's heat. Simple, effective and casual bright hot pink colour. 

Nepeta (Catmint) 'Walkers Low'

My staff like to tease me about my love for Catmint, but there's no denying it, this plant is absolutely stunning! This year, my Walkers Low plants flowered for weeks and put on a terrific show. I have patches in sun and also part shade. The hummingbirds love it and it's such an easy, no fuss plant.

Cherry Tomato 'Sungold'

Highly productive orange cherry tomato. Yields were amazing this year! The sweetest and most flavourful tomato we have ever eaten. 

Rose 'Flower Carpet Scarlet'

My patch of groundcover bright red roses was stunning this year. Despite a bad infestation of caterpillars early in the summer, plants rebounded to provide continuous colour from June on and are still going strong. The single red blooms are happy and cheery and bright.

Garden Tips

Fall is here and with it usually comes some fabulous weather for gardening. This time of year is perfect for moving, dividing and reorganising perennials, while the details are all still fresh in our minds! Sometimes in the spring it can be easy to forget size, colour or even what a certain plant is when everything is still peeking out of the ground. Fall is a great time of year to reevaluate what’s working in your garden. 

Searching for a Greenhouse Worker

Fall is here and with it usually comes some fabulous weather for gardening. This time of year is perfect for moving, dividing and reorganising perennials, while the details are all still fresh in our minds! Sometimes in the spring it can be easy to forget size, colour or even what a certain plant is when everything is still peeking out of the ground. Fall is a great time of year to reevaluate what’s working in your garden.

We are searching for a Greenhouse Worker to assist in growing and selling our plants for the 2019 season.

Applicants must be available to work full days, varying from 2 to 5 days a week from late February to mid June, including weekends. The successful applicant will be physically fit and energetic, possess superior attention to detail skills, a passion for gardening and outstanding customer service skills. 

If you require further information about the position, please contact me.

To apply, submit detailed resume and cover letter. If you are selected for an interview I will be in touch. 

It's time to plan for 2019!

I will soon be in touch with those of you who purchased custom containers from us this year. I hope you are happy with this year's designs and service. Your containers should still provide plenty of colour and interest until frost hits. Keep fertilizing - the season is not over yet! When you are ready to clean up, please plan on dropping empty containers off here so we can store for the winter. In the meantime, start to think about how your containers performed and if you would like changes for next year. If you have previously not taken advantage of our custom container planting service here's how it works.