Going Green

Story byJoy Gregory
Photography by Roth and Ramberg

Itching to get your hands dirty? Here’s a garden primer to get you started.

Jim Hole’s love of gardening was nurtured in the most old-fashioned of ways; he caught it from his mom and dad. But the man nicknamed Mr. Science by his own greenhouse-growing family, insists there’s hope for rookie gardeners who can’t tell the difference between a petunia and a pansy. As the co-owner of Hole’s Greenhouses and Gardens sees it, the best green thumbs are earned, not inherited. To fast-track successful gardening for the novice backyard farmer, read on.

Soil >> Hole recommends soilless mix (versus potting soil) for all planters, containers and hanging baskets. It contains no field soil, which can harbour weeds, diseases and insects. Also look for high levels of blond peat moss, which helps the mix retain moisture, and lots of coarse perlite. It aids drainage and oxygen flow to the roots and makes the mix lighter.

Gardeners should also have their garden soil tested, then fix it with organic material (manure, peat moss, sand) as needed. As is the case on Alberta farms, “soil is a gardener’s number one resource.”

Seeds >> Cheaper seeds cost less but they have lower germination and reduced performance. That holds true for vegetables and flowers. Hybrid Goliath broccoli, for example, costs a few more cents than common types, but the plants produce more broccoli florets and hold them longer, too. Similarly, hybrid flower seeds boast ‘true’ colours, size and shapes. (Lower-quality seed may contain a range of colours and types.)

Plants >> Here again, you get what you pay for. Smaller plants may cost less initially, but a 15 cm (large) tomato plant (with proper care) will bear fruit until early fall. The same is true of flowers. Depending on the size and maturity of what you buy in May, you can have flowers in early June or in mid-August. Some smaller plants never hit their peak.

As for hanging baskets, Hole recommends sticking to the bigger baskets. Go smaller than 30 cm “and you’re wasting your time.”

Fertilizer >> Fertilizer is sold with three numbers representing the most important elements (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) in that order. Ask garden-centre personnel for information about what fertilizers to use where. And “don’t ever buy the big jugs of fertilizers, or of insecticides, for that matter,” warns Hole. He advocates buying amounts you can use in a single season or application. That way, there’s no issue regarding shelf life or disposal.

NOURISH KNOWLEDGE

Hole also has an easy answer for that first question regarding the difference between a petunia and a pansy. It turns out that Her Honour, Lieutenant Governor Lois Hole, is Jim Hole’s mother and business partner. She’s also the author of a great series of books about gardening in Alberta. Each of her picture-packed books covers a specific topic, including tomatoes, roses, bedding plants and perennials. “Alberta is a great place to garden, and the more you know, the better gardener you’ll be,” says Jim. •

Feels like farming

So what’s with growing your own food?

MICHAEL TKACHYK LAUGHS WHEN ASKED WHY HE gardens.“I’ve always had a garden,” says the partner in a Calgary-based company that sources information-technology personnel for the province’s oil and gas industry.A resident of northwest Calgary, Tkachyk admits his efforts often yield little in the way of bragging rights. Still, he loves that rectangular patch of backyard dirt where he routinely grows potatoes, peas, beans, lettuce, onions, radishes and tomatoes.“One year I even grew Brussels sprouts,” says Tkachyk.“But why do I do it? That’s a tough one.”

Press him on his familial connections to Alberta soil and Tkachyk confesses his regular attempts at food production elicit fond memories of childhood vacations to Alberta farms owned by relatives. Some of those relatives still own mixed farms in the St. Paul area.

Tkachyk knows they’re part of an agri-food industry that employs one in three Albertans and feeds the world by shipping top-quality Alberta-grown food products to some 120 nations.While his own efforts pale in comparison, they do give his family of five a special taste of home-grown veggies. Beyond that, there’s a therapeutic aspect to gardening that’s just plain hard to explain. For all of the frustration unleashed by hassles like aphids and hail, “I just like to watch something grow. There does seem to be some connection to what I do and what farmers are doing.”

PASSIONATE STEWARDS

“For me, gardening is a passion,” adds Alfred Prins, whose acreage near Red Deer grows vegetable-garden staples and a plethora of fruit from apricot, pear, apple, plum and cherry trees he planted himself. Growing up with six siblings on a mixed hog farm in the Lacombe area, Alfred’s gardens have always had a practical food focus. Now, with four kids of his own to feed, a grow-your-own vegetable patch still makes economic sense.

But his love of gardening has a professional focus, too.As the manager of Parkland Nurseries and Garden Centre in Red Deer, Prins spends his day nurturing plants – and gardeners.With a horticultural technology diploma from Olds College and 18 years at the garden-centre, Prins is convinced hobby gardeners and farmers walk a good deal of common ground.

First and foremost, both are stewards of the earth. As such, they have much to gain from taking care of their soil, doing what they can to conserve moisture and keeping a close eye on plant health. At the field and garden-plot level, regular plant surveillance makes diseases and pests easier to control. So when garden-centre customers come in and demand immediate solutions to problems like dew worms or fairy rings, Prins does the same thing agri-food industry specialists do when farmers come to them with questions about diseases or pests; he points them in the direction of good information – and reminds them that healthy plants are the first line of defence. (Even dandelions are no match for a lawn that’s well cared for, insists Prins.)

Prins and Tkachyk shy away from any suggestion they really know what it’s like to depend on the earth to produce their food, or their families’ livelihoods. But they suspect Alberta farmers know why gardening across North America is so hot it’s cool. “After a busy day, the garden’s the place to be alone with your thoughts,”muses Prins, who imagines that crop farmers appreciate a similar solitude.

“Besides,” adds Prins, with a ready smile, “when it comes to gardening in Alberta, or growing crops in Alberta, there’s just something to be said for trying to defy Mother Nature.”•

Alberta’s top 5

When it comes to bedding-out plants, Alberta gardeners put a lot of faith in the triedand- true, all of which thrive in flower beds, containers and hanging baskets. Jim Hole of Hole’s Greenhouses and Gardens, says the top five annuals grown in sunny Alberta are as follows:

1. Petunias.
The petunia is a favourite choice of landscapers and home gardeners. For a spectacular season-long show, mix colours and spreading and cascading varieties.

2. Marigolds.
Quick to bloom and flowering until frost, these low-maintenance flowers stand up to heat, rain and windy conditions.

3. Geraniums.
Loved for their flowers and their foliage, sunloving geraniums come as erect or trailing plants. For fragrance, choose scented varieties.

4. Impatiens.
With spreading mounds of foliage topped with many single or double flowers, garden impatiens are a great option for shadier areas.

5. Begonias.
Short, compact plants with clusters of flowers and outstanding performance in fully shaded areas, or large, showy plants ideal for moss planters, begonias add class to containers and sheltered beds.

What’s the buzz?

Three gardening gurus share the dirt on the latest gardening trends.

GLORIA BECK

“Water gardens and classic statuary are two of the hottest trends in contemporary gardening,” says Gloria Beck, president of the International Garden Centres Association and the owner of central Alberta’s largest garden centre, Parkland Nurseries and Garden Centre in Red Deer.

Beck, a past president of the Canadian Nurseries and Landscape Association, is the first woman and first non-European to lead the international association. The post takes her around the world – then back to her Albertabased business, where Parkland is part of a $75- million greenhouse industry that transforms Alberta sunshine into everything from bedding plants to cut flowers, potted ornamentals, foliage plants, trees and specialty grass seedlings.

“We’re getting more and more people interested in water gardening,” notes Beck of one of the major consumer trends seen by her own business. “It used to be that a bird bath or a fountain would have suited gardeners. These days, people want a pond, fountain, sometimes even a waterfall, not to mention plants and fish.” For information about water gardening and quality statuary, including concrete benches, fountain and small statues that can be nestled into your yard, Beck recommends that gardeners tap into the expertise of their local garden-centres.

JIM HOLE

That expertise will also help consumers manage the dual restrictions of time and space, two major constraints on today’s hobby gardeners, adds Jim Hole of Hole’s Greenhouses and Gardens.With busier lives and smaller yards,Hole’s has seen a steady move towards container gardening and smaller trees and shrubs. The former can deliver immediate beauty,without the fuss. The latter fit available space with less maintenance.

Interest in vegetable gardening is also on the rise, with time-and-space-challenged gardeners “doing a sort of gourmet gardening,”says Hole. That means planting vegetables and herbs among the flowers. With a hybrid tomato here, and herbs, broccoli and swiss chard over there, backyard connoisseurs can have their gardens – and eat them, too!

Frustration with Alberta’s short growing season, coupled with an industry reputation for high-quality plants, are the major motivations behind another industry trend. These days, Hole notes a definite increase in the number of garden-centre consumers who buy mature bedding plants and already-finished containers and baskets. “Why not buy something big, plunk it in and have it look good from Day 1?” asks Hole.He expects price-wise consumers to find they’ll save money by buying fewer but more mature plants.

KATH SMYTH

Over at Greengate Garden Centres Ltd. in Calgary, horticulturist Kath Smyth says today’s consumers visit garden centres precisely because they recognize the value of the expert advice offered by industry insiders.Whereas they once sought advice about what flowers to grow, increasingly sophisticated gardeners now want the specifics on a range of topics from water conservation to ideas about which plants to grow where, or tips on keeping wildlife out of their gardens.

She reminds consumers that garden centres are a good place to seek solutions to garden problems. In addition to relaying sound horticultural information about plant performance and placement, employees take special training to handle or sell fertilizers and pesticides. They’ll also guide buyers through a range of non-chemical management options, including proper lawn care, deadheading and routine garden maintenance.•

Bloomin’ balconies

Craving a little green space of your own? Plant that patio!

Extreme sports grab their share of Alberta headlines, but zealous gardeners around the province are on the cutting edge of another trend. As our lives speed up, suburban yards get smaller and urban condominium projects attract a growing share of the population, patio and balcony gardening is going mainstream. So look up. W-a-a-y up. Because the trend to container gardening is on a vertical incline.

Last summer, Linda Pokornik of My Backyard Inc., a Calgary-based landscaping company, designed a balcony garden for one of her five children. The fifth-floor apartment faced a busy street, “so there was no privacy whatsoever.” That’s when Pokornik’s inner gardener took control.

By the time she was done, that balcony was growing tomatoes, herbs, sweet peas, wave petunias, trailing verbena, Jackmanii clematis and trailing ivy. “People with balconies actually have one up on traditional gardens because they tend to be made of concrete, which are warmer than ground-level gardens,” says Pokornik. Plants also cool the air – a fragrant plus for balcony gardeners who like to leave the doors open to catch a fresh breeze. Pokornik’s tips for a bountiful balcony or patio garden:

Dirt >> Look for light-weight soilless mixes. Some come with fertilizer already added. You can top up the fertilizer throughout the growing season (some recommend daily doses with every watering), or use slow-release tablets for the season. Tip: For ease of movement, water the pots after you move them onto the balcony or patio.

Pots >> Check out the new plastic and styrofoam pots on the market. They look great and are easy to move. Tip: Use pots with bottom drainage. Improve drainage by placing a few rocks at the bottom of the pot, or go light and use styrofoam packing material.

Plants >> With Alberta’s short season, Pokornik recommends balcony gardeners plant for success and buy bedding plants from a local greenhouse. On the vegetable side, she suggests everything from leaf lettuce to herbs, cucumbers, tomatoes and peas. For flowers, keep colour and texture in mind and don’t forget foliage accent plants of green or silver. Ask your garden-centre about annual winners (see Alberta’s Top 5) and easyto- care-for newcomers. Tip: For maximum impact in the early and late days of summer, buy the biggest plants you can afford.

Go wild >> Trellises, step ladders and shelving units can all be used to grow plants up – and down. Seeking adventure? Get permission to attach string from your balcony to your neighbour’s. Pole beans, sweet peas and clematis all love to climb. Tip: Check local greenhouses for hanging bags. Simply fill with dirt, cut holes where needed, pop in bedding plants, water and watch! •