Garden Gate November/December 2022

Now that our gardens are winding down for the year, some of us are already thinking about next spring. You may have already ordered and planted bulbs and be thinking about what you’ll divide and move in early spring. I think it’s time to finally pull out a few deutzias that the rabbits just won’t leave alone. For replacement ideas, I’ve been perusing the reader recommendations in our Top Picks story on page 22. These gardeners shared some great reasons to try these plants as well as advice for growing them well. This time of year I also start thinking about a few new tools. Maybe that’s because my holiday shopping inevitably turns up a few things I’d like for myself too! In the spirit of sharing recommendations, the Garden Gate…

Keep up the cactus Karen Nickel, WI After repotting a cactus, Karen noticed that the top-heavy plant might need some extra support to remain upright as the roots developed in the larger pot. Which budget-friendly tool came to her aid? Chopsticks! She used four chopsticks to create a horizontal grid support across the soil. To make this grid, first cut the chopsticks to a size that fits snugly inside the rim. Fit two sticks on either side of the cactus and run another set of two perpendicular to the first. To avoid damaging the plant, make sure the chopsticks aren’t squeezing the plant. Tiny land for small gardeners Nicole Bear, SK If you’re often in the garden trying to pull weeds while little ones are pulling at your shirttails, clamoring for attention—well, that sounds like…

Snow bunting Plectrophenax nivalis APPEARANCE High-contrast black and white plumage characterizes these Arctic birds. During the spring and summer breeding season, the male (shown below) is mostly white with black and white wings. Females and nonbreeding males are mostly white with brown markings around the face, wings and chest. Black beaks or brown beaks with black points punctuate their look. They’re slightly smaller than robins and spend most of their time on the ground eating insects and seeds. LOCATION These songbirds nest in the rocky areas of the Arctic tundra during the summer. The male uses a flight song display to mark territory and attract a mate, flying straight up and then singing while gliding down. After the spring and summer breeding season, they migrate south in midfall to the northern half of the…

Summer brings plenty of flowers to keep pollinators happy, but what about late fall and early spring? As the weather cools in autumn, pollinators, like bees and butterflies, need nectar sources to build their energy reserves to get through winter hibernation or make a long migration journey. EARLY WAKE UP In spring, hummingbirds begin to appear, and hoverflies, butterflies and hibernating bumblebees and solitary bees will come out at the first sign of warmer weather. Meanwhile, honeybees don’t hibernate but they will become more active and start collecting nectar as soon as your spring flowers arrive. HOW TO HELP POLLINATORS Grow a variety of fall- and spring-blooming flowers to keep them fed at both ends of the growing season. Look for a mix of bulbs, perennials, shrubs and annuals in different shapes…

If you’ve ever forgotten an unused bag of premixed concrete outdoors for several days or even weeks, you may already know how quickly it can soak up moisture and harden. What if you could put that tendency to use in a few clever and easy-to-create garden projects? Turns out, you can. Here’s how. 1 RAISED BED A raised bed wall is as easy as stacking bags on top of each other and wetting them down. To make one like the one at left, start by choosing which product you’d like to use—bags of pre-mixed, ready-to-use cement/sand blend, such as QUIKRETE® Sand Mix #1103, come in different sizes and weights. Once you know the bag size, measure the outline of the bed and calculate the number of bags you’ll need. Lay out…

Whatever your project, here are some tips from the folks at QUIKRETE® for success using premixed, ready-to-use concrete bags. • Use mix in biodegradable bags, not the kind with a plastic lining. • Poke holes in the top of the bag for better saturation when wetting the concrete. • Keep the bags wet by misting or covering with plastic for four days to cure before removing the paper. • Check temperatures before doing your project — do not let the wet bags freeze (below 32 degrees F), or the concrete may crack. • Remove the paper by peeling, pressure washing or burning it off carefully with a torch. Or leave it to degrade on its own.…