Wow! My Garden
Your online resource for garden information, ideas and advice.
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Cucumber Mosaic
I spoke with so many people last year that had new and different garden experiences - birds they've never seen before now visit regularly - insects are eating plants they've never eaten before - and some are frustrated with plant viruses they've never had to deal with. My neighbours large, stunning, magnolia developed a nasty case of magnolia scale - after 20 years! And I had my first case of cucumber mosaic.
Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is most often spread by aphids, but can be carried by wind and rain from other sources. And once moves in, it can overwinter in the soil. There's no cure - remove the damaged plants to try to minimize the spread to other cucumbers, melons and squashes.
Your best bet is to purchase CMV resistant seeds. The first sign of the disease was a vine that just looks weak - and leaves with a mosaic type pattern throughout and spotted with holes. The fruit did start to grow, but quickly became distorted and discoloured. Lucky for us, we did get a good size harvest before the CMV hit, but the virus spread to neighbouring plants. This year they will be planted in different beds around the garden to hopefully avoid any disease issues.
Try Clover when Overseeding
If you have trouble keeping grass healthy and green in high-sun areas, want to reduce your time spent watering the lawn, or if you just want to try something a little different, add white dutch clover to your overseeding bucket. Clover is drought tolerant, adds oodles of nitrogen to the soil, requires zero fertilization and the low-growing white flowers are a treat for our pollinators.
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See how to grow potatoes in bags.
Invite Butterflies into the Garden
Welcome butterflies into the garden with a mix of nectar producing blossoms and preferred host plants. Plant milkweed – it’s the only host plant of the monarch butterfly larvae -and it’s easy to grow! Purchase plants from your local garden center, plant seeds indoors in early spring, or sow directly into the groufotolind once the risk of frost is over. Milkweed are an easy-growing perennial that need little attention, but produce big results. Tall flower stems and pink or white blooms give monarchs a home for their young and provide food for all butterflies. Not all butterflies lay eggs on the same plants that they feast on – many plants are simply host plants and are not food providers, so when planning a garden be sure to include both – you’ll attract plenty of butterflies and help keep the population strong!
Is it poison ivy or poison oak?
Find out here!
Cucamelon
Unbelievably easy to grow! A vining annual that starts with pretty little yellow flowers that grow into mini watermelon-looking fruits about the size of a grape.
With a taste of cucumber soaked in lime, cucamelon has a refreshing, almost tangy flavour. Eat them right off the vine!
They're a slow germinator, so start them early if you can and don't plant until all risk of frost is over.
With a taste of cucumber soaked in lime, cucamelon has a refreshing, almost tangy flavour. Eat them right off the vine!
They're a slow germinator, so start them early if you can and don't plant until all risk of frost is over.
Rat's Tail Radish
Want to grow a fun, non-stop vegetable? Then plant Rat’s Tail Radish.
Unlike the traditional underground, round, red radish, rat’s tail is an edible pod that sprouts from pale pink flowers that in turn, sprout from long, flowing stems.
A non-stop summer performer, rat’s tails are easy to grow and won’t fade away in the heat like most radishes do. This is certainly not a cool-season radish – they thrive during warm summer days and prefer full sun. Similar in appearance to a long bean, (and a rat tail!), this edible pod is delicious fresh from the garden, is a great addition to stir-fry’s and is also an easy pickling vegetable.
Butterflies flock to the flowers, and continued pod harvest will also produce new flower growth and in turn, more radishes.
Rat’s tail is an Asian heirloom that was introduced to the U.S. in the 1860s and has been growing ever since. Plant this interesting, easy-care and colourful radish every two weeks over the season for a continued harvest.
Help for common compost problems.
Grow Native!
If you don't already, consider growing native plants in your garden. Plants are considered native if they originated and are growing naturally in a given area; they have adapted to the soils, the regional climate and wildlife - and will continue to survive climate changes like floods, drought, blizzards and frost. The list of benefits, and plants is long - and worth it in the end. Here's a few reasons why we should all be going native... Reduced Maintenance:While there is no such thing as a no-maintenance garden, native plants offer a very low-maintenance alternative. Because they are resistant to pests, disease and drought, they don't required the same level of attention that many other tender plants need to survive. Well established natives have deep roots that support them through dry times, they rarely require fertilizer and they help deter weeds and invasive species from moving in and taking over the garden. Soil and Water Conservation:The deep root system of native plants increases the soils' ability to store water and keeps that soil where it belongs. Natives also help reduce water runoff; their dense growth and large, lush foliage allow rainwater to drip into the soil rather than pooling around the plant or draining away. Native plants require far less watering than their non-native neighbours need, and they are strong, long-lived plants that rarely need replacing, providing overall good value for your gardening dollars. Wildlife:Native plants provide wildlife with the habitat they need to survive. If you grow them, they will come. And stay. Native plants naturally produce the seeds, berries, nuts and nectar that the local wildlife enjoys. Natives provide a protective cover for wildlife - provide seeds, nuts and berries for mammals - insects, seeds and fruit for birds - nectar for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies and host plants for butterfly caterpillars. Plant a swamp or common milkweed; it's the only larval plant that the monarch caterpillar lays it's eggs on - bring monarchs back into your garden! A Garden Full of Beautiful Plants:There are native plants available for every garden location - sun, shade, water, rock gardens and woodlands. Wildflowers in bloom combined with native grasses and ferns provide a stunning visual in any setting. Many native plants provide impressive, showy flowers, colourful berries, unique nuts and seeds and stunning fall foliage. Plant big bluestem grass, Canada wild rye or sideoats grama. Consider perennials like black-eyed Susan, dense blazing star, wild lupine, showy goldenrod, evening primrose, blooming sedge, coneflower, bluebells or butterfly weed. Ferns include maidenhair, royal, hart's tongue, oak, ostrich and lady - the list is long. There is also an impressive lineup of shrubs, bushes and trees to complete your backyard native oasis. Create a Wetland:Add water features (or a pond) to your yard to encourage frogs, toads, dragon and damselflies to move in, and to provide a water source for birds and butterflies. These wetland creatures will thank you by working to keep the mosquito population down during the summer season. Use a variety of native plants in the pond, add large rocks and old logs to provide spots to soak up the sun and create mini-wetlands near a smaller water features by planting bog or pond plants in buried plastic containers to keep the roots wet. It won't take long before your wetland neighbourhood starts to fill up. Adding even a few native plants into your current landscape each year will help to encourage a healthy and sustainable ecosystem you can enjoy for years to come. Grow a native plant - and save a life!
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