BC Home & Garden

Avoid hedges that require excessive pruning. Its glossy red leaves in spring are pretty… but Photinia grows like mad in all directions. Consider more restrained Ilex crenata (Japanese holly, not prickly) and other slow to moderate growers. Do your research and ask a lot of questions at the garden centre. Prune deciduous trees and shrubs while dormant. Sharpened pruners will make it easy! Dull pruners damage plants and are dangerous for your pinkies. If the stem is thicker than your baby finger, use loppers. Wear sturdy gloves to protect hands. Summer-flowering bulbs arrive at garden centres towards the end of February. Try something new: Tigridia (exotic tiger-faced flowers) and fragrant Ornithogalum (tall, white flowers with shiny black centres), as well as Acidanthera (mini glads). Later this month, cut back any deciduous grasses, shrubs or perennials that you were kind enough to leave unsnipped for birds and other wildlife. New food sources for the birds (larvae, etc.) appear soon. Seedy Saturday is the occasion to obtain locally grown seed, connect with fellow gardeners, and get valuable information about bees, planting, fruit trees and more. It's the last Saturday in February at VanDusen Botanical Garden, and there are various other dates in spring around the province. Dig/divide any emerging perennials. As light levels increase, they'll grow quickly, so don't delay. For the cottage-garden look, replant perennial divisions in wiggly, uneven drifts, mimicking nature; avoid lining up plants like soldiers. Consider eventual plant height, placing taller plants towards the back. If your compost is stuffed to the brim and hasn't "cooked" enough yet, try "Russian composting." Gently (be careful of the worms!) dig holes or trenches 20 cm (8 in.) deep, fill halfway with kitchen waste, cover with soil and tamp down. Mark the spot so you'll know where to put the next one. They have to be fairly deep, otherwise skunks and other critters may try to unearth your compost, LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS In late winter, volunteer seedlings from edibles, like chives, will emerge. depending on what you've buried. If you like, plant a few sweet-pea seeds about 2.5 cm (1 in.) deep over the deposit. You'll be blown away with the results. Just don't forget to mark the site with a stick, or make yourself a note in your garden diary. ■ February 2013 BC HOME & GARDEN | 79 p78-79 Garden Calendar.indd 79 13-01-23 11:38 AM

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