Resources

Q. Where can I find some of the new plants this year? I am especially interested in the coneflowers like Green Envy, Mac & Cheese and Tomato soup.

A. Any Landscape Ontario member Garden Centre would be happy to sell you the plants you are looking for. The problem with brand new plants varieties is they take a year or two to become widely available in the marketplace. Demand is so high for the new varieties that they are quickly bought up.

On the Landscape Ontario ‘Green for Life’ website, click on the Find a Professional page. Choose Garden Centre from the drop-down menu and hit Search Using Your Location. You will then be prompted to enter your postal code to find a list of plant retailers, listed by the closest distance to your postal code. The search results include phone numbers, so it will require a few phone calls to see which garden centres have the specific plants you are looking for in stock or if they can order them in for you.

Q. Could you please recommend some native flowering plants that will climb a wire grid on a west-facing, 6th floor balcony wall.

A. There are two native climbers which come to mind. Virgin’s Bower (clematis virginiana) can often be found in your local nurseries. The other, Groundnut (apios americana) is more difficult to find. Groundnut plants (with very pretty flowers) can be purchased from grow-wild.com, a supplier of native plants in Claremont, Ontario (just north of Pickering).

You can also find an independent Green for Life garden centre on the Landscape Ontario website by using the Find a Professional page on our website. Simply choose Garden Centres from the pull-down menu and click Search Using Your Location. You will then need to enter your postal code to get a list of garden centres closest to you.

Linda Hugli
Master Gardener

Q. I have some birch trees that are troubled by an insect.
What do I do now that we are not able to use pesticides in Ontario? Any suggestions?

A. Having researched the problems with birches and coming to the conclusion that you may have a European Birch ‘Youngii” or Betula pendula “Youngii” I discovered that although this ornamental tree is quite beautiful with lovely yellow fall colour, it a tree that requires more maintenance in the form of spraying than other trees in the birch family.

The tree has a history of being succeptible to the Bronze Birch Borer which bores its way into the sapwood of the tree, lays eggs in the trunk or branches in August and goes through four instars (stages) over a period of two years and then exits leaving a “D” shaped hole in a six week period beginning in June and ending in July. The tree will have swollen areas of the trunk and leaves will be chloric or yellow and the foliage in the upper crown of the tree.

I would have to say that only a certified arborist could make the final diagnosis of your tree. Having done that, the arborist would then know what treatment could be made to your tree. The arborist would have a license for treating your tree.

Find a certified arborist near you on the Landscape Ontario Find a Company page here. I hope this answer helps you.

Valerie Liney
Lake Simcoe South Master Gardener

Q: I have snails in my flower garden and they even find their way up into my flower pots. Will they harm my plants and if so how can I get rid of them? I’ve been picking them off and stepping on them but I have to check each day to see if there are any more.

A: Snails, like slugs, are a bothersome pest – they can destroy young plants. You are doing the right thing and short of handpicking them, you can try Diatomaceous earth �” it’s a white abrasive powder made from ground-up, fossilized shells of small sea creatures. It punctures holes in the skins or shells of many insects and caterpillars, including snails and slugs. However, it also kills bees, so use in the early morning, before flowers open. You may have to reapply after heavy rains. You could also eliminate hiding places such as dark shady hiding places like branches on the ground. Larger lids like from a jar, holding some beer may attract them may also eliminate them… just place right on the ground level and clean them up in the morning as they will only travel at night.

Hope this helps,
Astrid Strader, Horticulturist
Etobicoke Master Gardeners

Q. How do I get rid of grubs in my lawn?

A. Grubs are a natural part of any lawn and should only be treated if there are too many.
To measure whether or not you have grub problem, simply lift a one square foot section of sod with a spade. If more than 5 – 10 larvae are present, then you have a problem. The most effective way to control the grubs with with nematodes. It is best to apply them in late July to early August when the eggs are hatching and the grubs are immature. The nematodes, also known as Steinernema carpocapsae are a parasite of the grubs. They can be purchased at your local retail garden centre. A healthy lawn can support a few grubs per unit area and still survive. An unhealthy lawn will soon be destroyed by the grubs, particularly those of the European chafer beetle. The grub (the larvae of the beetle) feeds on the grass roots which kills the grass. Skunks, raccoons, starlings and even squirrels can dig up the area completely while feeding on the grubs. The good news is that they are reducing the grub population. The bad news is that they don’t get them all – some hatch (in early June) and mate and come back later in June and July and lay eggs in the soil. By the end of July, these eggs are hatching to start the cycle all over again.

Some general information about grubs on the Green for Life website can be found at:
http://www.landscapeontario.com/grubs-in-the-lawn

To find a garden centre in your area, simply visit the Find a company page on the Green for Life website, click on Garden Centres and drag the map to your location or enter your city, town or address and choose OK.

Good luck!

Q. How do I burlap my Japanese maple? Do I just gather up all the branches and squish them together to form a tall thin wrap, or do I wrap them loosely in the shape they are in so it will look like a giant fat burlap ball?

A. Protecting your Japanese maple from harsh winter conditions is certainly a good idea as they are a bit temperamental in Canada.  However, I don’t suggest actually ‘wrapping’ the tree. We want to avoid damaging the branches by tying them, especially as they become brittle in the cold winter months. We also don’t want to create a cozy pocket for animals to take up winter residence. Instead, you want to create a burlap ‘room’ around the tree. Drive some appropriately tall stakes into the ground surrounding the perimeter of your tree, then attach the burlap to the stakes. Old hockey sticks work just fine. Make sure the burlap goes right to the ground and stretches as tall as possible, thus creating a room for your tree. It is unnecessary to put a roof on your room. You should also make sure the tree is well watered up until frost and mulched to protect the roots. Remember, never apply mulch right up to the trunk of the tree. Always leave two or three inches of space between the trunk and the mulch. Mulching right up to the trunk is unhealthy as it encourages disease, insects and even those furry rodents to snuggle up to the trunk for free winter snacks of bark. 

Yours in gardening,

Q. I am looking for a maintenance lawn care company that would service the M6B 1X4 area.

A. On the Green for Life website click on Choose a Professional in the top left corner and then choose Find a Professional from the drop-down menu.

Choose Lawn Care from the drop-down menu and hit Search Using Your Location. You will be prompted to enter your postal code to find a list of member companies that work in or close to your postal code.

For the types of questions to ask and qualifications to look for when hiring a landscape professional, see the Hire With Confidence section of our website.

Q. I am building a 350 square foot walkway. How do I calculate how many yards of gravel and screening I will need?

A. You can use the handy Garden Calculators on our website to determine the amount of aggregates you will need for your job. Simply enter the length, width and depth of each material to see how many cubic yards are required. Remember, all materials (for interlocking or planting) compact over time. It is always a good idea to add a few inches to your final depth to allow for compaction. For example, using 3/4 crusher (a mixture of gravel and sand) for the base of your walkway will require just over 6 inches of material before compaction for a final base of only four inches. For every one inch of material, it compacts to three-quarters of an inch.

Q. I’d like to find a designer who can draw up a five-year plan for me to re-design my yard and flower beds to increase bloom and visual interest. I probably need to do most of the work myself to limit costs. How do I go about finding a designer who can meet my needs in my rural area?

A. You can find a list of local designers who work in your area using the Find a Professional page on our website.

• Got to the Find a Professional page
• Choose Designers from the pull-down menu
• Click Search Using Your Location
• You will then be asked to enter your postal code to get accurate results.
• Click OK

Finding the right designer is important and using the above-noted information is the right way to proceed. Most people are worried about overall cost, but having a final plan or design enables you to build only those parts of the garden for which you have the money and time. Having a plan to work towards is the best way to ensure you get your dream garden.

You can also find more information on working with a landscape designer here.

Good luck!

Q. The back of our pool has concrete which has broken cracks in the two far corners. I believe we need a retaining wall at that end. Who should we call for advice and an estimate?

A. On the Green for Life website, click on Choose a Professional in the top left corner and then choose Find a Professional from the drop-down menu.

Choose a contractor from the drop-down menu and hit Search using your location. You will then be prompted to enter your postal code to find a list of member companies that work in, or closest to your postal code.

For the types of questions to ask and qualifications to look for when hiring a landscape professional, see the What to Look For section on our website.