Front Cover

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FakeyFakerson, Ph.D(BS)

(Content borrowed from the Shelmerdine website)

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Table of Contents

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All about Gardening

Here’s your one-stop-shop for everything you’ve ever wanted to know about your garden and its inhabitants. Content stolen borrowed from Shelmerdine’s website.

1.Trees and Shrubs

Trees and shrubs form the foundation of any garden, and when well-planned provide year-round interest! Enjoy lovely blossoms in spring, lush foliage during the summer, stunning fall colors, and interesting twig color, berries, and evergreen foliage in the winter months. Over 90% of our trees and shrubs are grown within Manitoba. Therefore they are hardy to our Zone 3 climate and soil type, ensuring that they'll thrive once planted in your garden!

Shelmerdine's 1-year warranty on trees and shrubs, and 5-year warranty when accompanied by the purchase of Myke's® Growth Supplement, ensures your success with our trees and shrubs.

1.1.Planting Trees: Yellow Pine

Yellow Pine will grow to be about 80 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 7 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 100 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided.

1.2.Planting Shrubs: Junipers

Mint Julep Juniper will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 7 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments.

This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

1.2.1.Landscape Attributes for Junipers

Mint Julep Juniper is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a shapely form and gracefully arching branches. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Mint Julep Juniper is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Groundcover
  • General Garden Use
  • Mass Planting

2.Seeds and Bulbs

Nothing teaches patience and brings about more pride than starting plants from seed or bulb!

Shelmerdine carries an extensive selection of seeds, from the exotic to the everyday, and our bulbs are of the finest quality. Start your seeds indoors in March or April to get a jump start on the planting season!

Spring Bulbs, including begonias, potatoes, onions, garlic, asparagus, dahlias, lilies and gladiolas are available from early April into June.

Fall Bulbs, including tulips, daffodils, allium, crocus, and iris are available from September through October.

Bulbs for forcing indoors, including paperwhites, amaryllis and hyacinth are available from mid-October through December.

2.1.Seed Basics

Starting seeds inside is a great way to get exactly the plant varieties that you want. Many people think that starting seeds is just for seasoned gardeners, but it is not hard to get the basics down. Successfully starting seeds indoors will require a few things:

2.1.1.Seed Containers

You can choose to start your seeds in plugs, flats, or peat pots. Ideally you should not start your seeds in any container that is too large. Larger pots hold more water than the seedling can use and this will stress the plant.

2.1.2.Potting Mix for Seeds

Use a high-quality, soil free potting mix for seeding. Potting mix retains water as well as drains well. Soil tends to compact and crack and does not retain moisture.

2.2.Bulbs 101

Bulb gardening can be easy and very rewarding! If planted properly, some bulbs will give you many years of enjoyment. Bulbs that we plant in the fall will emerge in the spring with very little extra effort on our part. Unfortunately, when planting bulbs the smallest mistake can lead to a garden full of duds, but it is easy to avoid making those little mistakes

2.2.1.Tips for Planting Bulbs

Simple things to remember when planting bulbs:

  • Always plant bulbs in areas with good drainage. Planting bulbs in well-drained soil is vital and the most important instruction we can give you.
  • Don’t use any strong commercial fertilizer or fresh manure when planting bulbs.
  • Always cut as little foliage as possible when cutting flowers from your bulbous plants. The leaves and foliage are essential for storing food for next year's blooming.
  • Always let the foliage die back on its own in the garden before trimming it back or digging up the bulbs. Do not trim back healthy green foliage or the bulb will not perform well next year. Therefore, you should plant them in a way that annuals and perennials can be planted around them to hide the withering leaves.
  • Never dry bulbs in the sun, always in the shade in a well-ventilated area.
  • Always store bulbs in a dry, well-ventilated area to prevent mould or mildew. It's best to store them in a paper bag or a cardboard box so that they can breathe.

3.Vegetables and Fruits

There is nothing that improves one's quality of life more than growing your own fruits and vegetables! More than ever, the environmental, psychological and social benefits of growing edibles and living sustainably are being embraced.

And you don't have to have a huge garden to start growing.... even the smallest balcony with a few pots can keep yield fresh tomatoes, lettuce and herbs, all summer long.

No matter your space, visit Shelmerdine to learn how you can begin your own fruits and vegetables!

We carry many varieties of apple, plum, pear, and cherry trees, grape vines, strawberry, raspberry and Saskatoon berry plants, even kiwis! Locally grown vegetable starter plants and seeds are available during the early spring season.

3.1.What Vegetables to Grow

Don’t go overboard- grow what your family likes to eat. If you're a first time gardener, stay away from “exotic” vegetables. Kohlrabi, or other hard to grow veggies like cauliflower and head lettuce may be a disappointment for beginners.

Grow hybrid vegetables. Hybrid vegetables are usually stronger and healthier than other vegetables. They often have higher yields. Many have a built-in disease resistance and they perform well under a wider range of conditions.

3.2.Planning Techniques

Plan to use all the space in your garden. Through planting techniques like vertical cropping, succession planting and intercropping, you can make maximum use of the space you have.

3.2.1.Vertical Cropping

Train vegetables like pole beans, peas, cucumbers, squash, and gourds to some type of support to save space in the garden. Existing fences, poles, wire cages, and trellises can be used for support.

3.2.2.Succession Planting

This technique involves growing a crop like lettuce in the spring and replacing it when the warm weather hits with a crop like beans. In the late summer, you can reverse the process and replace the beans with a cool season crop like lettuce or radishes.

3.2.3.Intercropping

Intercropping is the growing technique of planting fast growing vegetables among slow growing vegetables. An example of this technique would be planting radishes, lettuce or green onions among caged tomato plants.

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Appendices

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