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In Your Garden This Month
Plant Pruning techniques

Old Farmer’s Almanac - 1893
It is judicious for parents to cultivate a love of flowers in their children from their earliest years, as flowers have a refining influence, and never lead astray but always upward.

Butterflies and flowers were made for each other. As the poet pointed out, butterflies are flying flowers, and flowers are tethered butterflies.

In attracting butterflies to your garden, it's important to understand what they want most out of life: nectar. The ancients, who believed that nectar fell into flowers directly from heaven, named it after the wines of the gods. Butterflies' wish list also includes sunny open spaces, shelter from the wind, and fresh water.

For a nectar-rich flower border designed to satisfy these requirements, consider the plants listed below. Then invite a few butterflies over for a drink.

Common
Beard tongue
Bee blam
Butterfly bush
Catmint
Clove Pink
Coral bells
Daylily
Larkspur
Desert Candle
Flag
Flowering tobacco
Lily
Lupine
Petunia
Pincushion Flwr
Scarlet sage
Scarlet trumpet
Summer Flox

  Latin
Penstemon
Monarda
Buddleia
Nepeta
Dianthus
Heuchera
Hemerocallis
Delphinium
Yucca
Iris
Nicotiana alata
Lilium
Lupinus
Petunia
Scabiosa
Salvia splendens
Lonicera
Phlox paniculata

 
What to do in the garden each month
Anne Barker's Qigong - 18 exercises 
Compost for organic growing
Growing your vegetables
Medicinal Ginger
 
Previous Tips
 
     
PATIO VEGETABLES
Recomendations for best veggies to be grown in containers from the B.C. Council of Garden Clubs.

Bush Beans
Lima Bean
Beet
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Egg Plant
Lettuce
Onion
Pea
Pepper
Pumpkin
Squash
Tomato


Potatoes

 

Frenchie, Provider, E-Z Pick, Marbel
Geneva
Formanova, Little Mini Ball, Little Egypt, Dwergina
Green Valiant
Primax, Early Jersey Wakefield, Lasso
Minicor, Thumbelina, Planet, Little Finger, Royal Nantes
Snow Crown
Bush Pickle
Pirouette
Leaf Anuerue, Red Salad Bowl, Baby Oak
White Lisbon, Tokyo, Long White
Snowflake, Sugar Ann, Knight
Ace, Lipstick, Cherrytime, Sweet Chocolate
Jacke Be Little, New England Pie
Summer - Gold Rush Zucchini
Winter - Gold Nugget, Cream of the Crop
Gem State, Burpees Pixie Hybrid, Stokes Alaska, Super Bush VFN Hybrid, Florida Petite, Patio Price VFN Hybrid, Red Robin, Small Fry VFN Hybrid, Tiny Tim, Toy Boy
Small finger potatoes or early new potatoes can also be started in posts

N.B. Most seed should be started six weeks prior to planting out – not before May Day
     
VEGETABLE GARDENING 2009
Recommended varieties from Botanical Society’s recent presentation
     

Bush Beans
Bush Pole
Beet
Broccoli
Cabbage
Corn
Cucumber
Lettuce
Onion
Pea
Potato
Radish
Salad Greens
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Tomato

 

Bush Blue Lake, Provider, Royal Burgundy
Blue Lake, Kentucky Wonder
Red Ace, Chioggia
Goliath, Purple Sprouting (for overwintering)
Purple Haze, Sugarsnax, Scarlet Nantes, Flyaway (partial rust fly resistance)
Corn Extra Early Super Sweet, Seneca Spring
Marketmore, Sweet Slice, Pioneer
Buttercrunch, Red Salad Bowl, Red Sails, Freckles, Pandero
Copra, Red Baron (for storage) Walla Walla (overwintering)
Green Arrow, Mister Big, Sugar Lace
Yukon Gold, Kennebec
French Breakfast, Cherry Belle, Easter Egg
Mizuna, Corn Salad, Mibuna, Red Mustard
Olympia, Tyee, Longstanding Bloomsdale
Bright Lights
Tomato Ultra Sweet, Fantastic, Lemon Boy, Sweet Million, Tigerella, Early Girl

PS Remember Corn does not do well on the coast – see Evelyn’s mini sample pic from last year
PHGC recommendation “corn is a space hog – plant tomatoes instead and be assured of a great harvest”.

Can't find a particular variety you are looking for?
Check out http://www.seeds..ca/hpd/catCSCI_specieslist.php
     
Joan Posnikoff recommends STOKES seeds for their germination properties.

Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage (red)
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Corn

Onion - late
Onion - Spanish

Pickling cucumbers
Garden peas
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Beans

 

Ruby Queen;
Everest
Red Dynasty
Loughton -
good winter storage
Artica
Chippawa
Nicolet
Super Star
Bush pickle
Lincoln
Yukon Gold and Warbas;
Better Boy and Ultra Girl
Beans Blue Lake

 

Various Newsletters
Edible Garden Project - March 2009

Select Roses - June 2008
Coast Botanical Society latest Newsletter - The Salal
Sechelt Garden Club Newsletter - latest