Whether you want to add colour to your spring garden or ensure you have lush greens indoors, CSL has all the ways to make the most of the season.
1/ Become a Plant Parent
If you are one of the many who now know how to identify a wildflower by its Latin name, or can illuminate others on the benefits of raised bed gardening, you’re not alone. According to the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, nearly one in five Canadians started gardening since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the most rewarding parts of gardening is seeing plants bloom. In fact, data from the University of North Florida shows that living with flowers significantly alleviates daily stress, adding to a growing body of research at universities including Harvard, Rutgers and Texas A&M, that show “flowers’ ability to make people happy, strengthen feelings of compassion, foster creativity and even provide a boost of energy.” If you have a small space, or don’t want to invest too much time in your outdoor space, you can still get the benefits of flowers and plants. Improve your green thumb by getting an easy to care for house plant, or simply order a beautiful bouquet from time to time; it’s all about self-care.
FOR THE NOVICE: Teleflora’s Perfect Peonies, available through Teleflora.com
FOR THE NEW PLANT PARENT: Teleflora’s Growing Art Sansevieria Plant, available through Teleflora.com
FOR THE WANNABE GARDENER: Teleflora Sweet Violet Trio, available through Teleflora.com
2/ Plant Bulbs Now For Spring Blooms
Bulbs are wondrous things – a compact, self-sufficient food system that eventually sprouts flowers and leaves. While in dormancy, a cold period that lasts between 8-12 weeks, all the needs of the plant are fulfilled. The bulbs featured here are fall planted, meaning that all the work done in your garden now in the fall, will determine beautiful spring blooms next year.
“Fall, in particular, is a critical season for your backyard,” says Kris Kiser, President of the TurfMutt Foundation. “The work you put into your yard now will reap benefits all year long. Remember: Work your landscape and, your landscape will work for you. Plant bulbs and flowering shrubs that will give blooms in spring and summer to feed our pollinators, like birds, bees and butterflies, as well as provide beauty for those natural, video conference backdrops.”
To begin, prepare your soil so that it has good drainage by amending it with small stones, sand or a little perlite. Bulbs like full sun, and should be planted at a depth four times their height with the pointed tip facing up. If you can’t find the top, plant the bulb sideways and it will find the correct position. Planting directly into the ground. If you have limited space, you can plant bulbs in pots, old buckets punctured with drainage holes, burlap sacks, or any container with the proper depth and drainage. You can also plant several different types of bulbs like tulips, snowdrops and daffodils together for a beautiful display.
Make sure that you leave the bulbs outside over winter. They need the cold to initiate dormancy. Typical spring bulbs include tulips which generally bloom well for 1 or possibly, 2 years but will fade dramatically after that; narcissi (daffodils), muscari, snowdrops, fritillaries will come back year after year and multiply.
McKenzie Galanthus 40-Pack Snowdrop Elwesii Bulbs, $15.99; rona.ca
McKenzie 40-Pack Narcissus Bulbs – Mother and Daughter Mix, $15.99; rona.ca
McKenzie 20 Bulbs Sunshine Club Tulips, $9.99; rona.ca
McKenzie 40-Pack Tulip Bulbs Triumph Mixed, $14.99; rona.ca
McKenzie 20 Bulbs Pinksize Tulips, $9.99; rona.ca
This original article first appeared in the Fall 2021 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
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