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2 Red Deer Express, Spring Home & Garden Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Wednesday, May 8, 2013 Spring Home & Garden, Red Deer Express 3

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BY EVAN BUHLERRed Deer Express

Spring is here, and it is now time to think

about looking after your lawn.

“A good lawn has to be fed regularly,

whether you use organic or regular fertil-

izer, and it needs to be fed every six to eight

weeks to be healthy,” said Bruce McEwen,

president of Blue Grass Nursery.

McEwen recommends thatching and

aerating your lawn in early spring once it

is dry enough.

“You don’t want to be doing this stuff

when it’s wet, it will cause more damage

than good. It’s good when it’s dry and

there’s a lot of dust.”

Thatch is the collection of clippings,

leaves and other organic material that has

failed to decay.

While a thin layer of thatch is benefi -

cial to your lawn, as it provides insulation,

McEwen warned that too thick of a thatch

layer will prevent a healthy lawn.

“Taking care of the thatch also helps

with preventing disease. It doesn’t give

fungus a place to grow.”

Aeration opens the lawn up and allows

water and nutrients to more easily enter

the soil beneath the grass.

However, if you bag your lawn clippings

then it may be unnecessary to aerate in the

spring.

While the type and amount of fertilizer

will vary for every lawn, McEwen stressed

the importance of regularly feeding your

lawn.

He advised fertilizing after spring clean-

up, and then every six to eight weeks after,

with one feeding in the fall, remembering

to water it to prevent burning.

“Your lawn needs fi ve to seven pounds

of nitrogen per year for every 1,000 square

feet of area.”

Fertilizer consists of three major ele-

ments: nitrogen, phosphate and potassium

and McEwen recommends a fertilizer with

a higher nitrogen percentage.

He also said that people have to be aware

of the way their mower is operating.

“Something people don’t realize, to have

a healthy lawn, you have to sharpen your

mower blades regularly,” said McEwen.

When you see the little white tips on the

end of your blades of grass it is time to

sharpen your mower, because the grass is

being torn instead of cut properly, he said.

As for those pesky weeds, McEwen’s

preferred method of weed removal is to

hire Green Drop or another weed removal

company.

However, you can also use organic prod-

ucts, but McEwen does not know how ef-

fective those products are.

“You can pull them by hand, but you

have to be diligent, and keep doing it until

they fi nally disappear.”

He recommended watering your lawn

about an inch a week.

“We are very fortunate in this country

to get regular rain, so you can judge how

much you need to water.”

McEwen suggested giving a good water-

ing at least once or twice a week, instead of

a little bit at a time.

“If you just get it a little wet on the

surface all the time that’s when the roots

will grow, and once it gets hot it will turn

brown.”

There are two types of sod that are popu-

lar in the area: bluegrass and fescue.

McEwen recommended the bluegrass

sod for high traffi c areas and advocated

that is excellent for families.

On the other end of the spectrum is the

fescue sod, which requires low mainte-

nance and is ideal for low-traffi c areas.

reporter@reddeerexpress.com

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4 Red Deer Express, Spring Home & Garden Wednesday, May 8, 2013

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It is that time of year when everyone’s

thoughts are on yard and gardening prepa-

ration as well as spring-cleaning, but most

people overlook the benefi ts of an orga-

nized and effi cient garage. Your garage is

the family catchall that seems to hold ev-

erything from Christmas decorations to

sports gear, garden tools to toys, and recy-

cling to camping gear. It sometimes seems

that the garage has room to hold every-

thing but your vehicles.

With a few simple organizational items

and strategies, your garage can start to be-

come more organized and effi cient.

The best place to start is with some ad-

justable shelving on your walls. Mounted

above head-height, these shelves will be

high enough to be out of your walking

pathways and will allow you to gain back

your valuable fl oor. Adjustable wire shelv-

ing that uses vertical mounted track is con-

siderably stronger than fi xed shelving, and

are very simple to install. The main benefi t

with adjustable shelving is just that – it is

fully adjustable. By maximizing your dis-

tance between shelves, you can create the

most effi cient use of space for your items.

Another simple storage solution is to

install some PVC slatwall on areas of your

garage where you need to hang sports gear

or garden tools. PVC slatwall is very du-

rable and is also washable.

There are a wide variety of hooks and

attachments for slatwall that hold all of

your sports gear and garden tools. The

proverbial “A place for everything and ev-

erything in its place” could never be more

accurate. All of your items will have their

own assigned spot.

You will know exactly where to fi nd your

golf clubs or garden tools and can get right

into your activity without having to waste

time endlessly searching under piles of

disorganized clutter.

You also may want to consider a desig-

nated spot for extra coats and shoes. This

seems to be a common problem in most

homes, since entry closets never seem to

be large enough to hold an entire families

collection of outerwear. A few simple coat

hooks and shoe racks by your garage door

can take the pressure off of your coat clos-

ets.

We all love and anticipate the arrival of

spring, but it also heralds the unwanted re-

turn of some pesky insects. The best way

to keep the unwanted fl ies and mosquitoes

at bay, while still allowing the fresh breeze

into your home is to install a retractable

screen on your house doors.

Retractable screens are much more user

friendly than a traditional screen door. By

retracting or rolling up your screen door

when not in use, they do not take away

from the aesthetic curb appeal of your

home. They let the cool breeze into your

home so you can lower or even eliminate

your costly air conditioning bill. There is

nothing more refreshing than a cool cross-

breeze whisping through your home, and

you will feel confi dent that the bugs stay

outside, where they belong.

Do you have a small back yard or pa-

tio but still wish to grow your own veg-

etables or fl owers? A simple solution is to

use ‘growing towers’. Growing towers are

typically made of durable PVC and stack

on top of each other to allow your plants

to cascade down the sides. You can easily

plant up to 40 strawberry plants per four

tier stacking tower. What an incredible

use of vertical space. Growing towers can

come in a variety of colours to suit any dé-

cor and create an addition to your patio.

Terry Hollman is the president of Canadian Closet in Red Deer.

Getting prepared for this springEffi cient and easy ways to organize your home, yard and storage spaces

Earl Dreeshen, MP4315 - 55th Avenue, Suite 100A403-347-7426

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Terry

H O L L M A N

Wednesday, May 8, 2013 Spring Home & Garden, Red Deer Express 5

RenovatingRenovatingRedecoratingRedecoratingLandscapingLandscapingBuying a New HomeBuying a New Home

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With sweet summer in

our midst, it’s time to gear

up the green thumb and get

gardening.

This season keep your

pet in mind while planting

your garden and create a

truly enjoyable outdoor oa-

sis that’s not only beautiful

but that is also safe for your

four legged friend.

Clarine Lee-Macaraig,

an eco-expert with Ever-

green – a national organi-

zation committed to build-

ing sustainable green cities

– offers the following tips

for passionate pet owners

to take action in their own

backyards and beyond:

Planting prowess - choos-

ing the right plants is key

to a safe garden.

Avoid Lily of the Valley,

Yew, Rhododendron, Ole-

ander, Azaleas, Foxglove

and Deadly Nightshade,

which can be just as toxic

to humans as pets.

If you prefer a green

space to garden beds, con-

sider white clover seeds in-

stead of grass seeds.

White clover is much

more tolerant of dog and

cat urine.

And it can also grow in

shade, sun and it fi xes ni-

trogen back into your soil.

Roaming rover - know

your pet’s personality and

design accordingly.

For an energetic pup cre-

ate a raised garden, which

can protect some of your

prized plants and keep

your pet safe.

Raised garden beds are

also good solutions to pets

that are chewers.

Be sure to allow plenty

of space for your pet to run

in and don’t forget a shaded

area under which they can

enjoy some rest and relax-

ation.

Safe solutions - keeping

it organic is the safest way

to garden for everyone in

the family.

Avoid pesticides and fer-

tilizers, which can be dan-

gerous for four-legged fam-

ily members.

Because pets regularly

clean themselves the chem-

icals can irritate and harm

a cat or dog.

Another tip is to know

your pet.

If your pet is sensitive

and has allergies even nat-

ural or organic pest and

weed controls can aggra-

vate them.

Try using companion

planting for the best pest

control.

Rein it in - be sure to keep

your pets (cats and dogs)

leashed when walking on

unknown trails to protect

plant life and wildlife in

forests and wetlands.

Remember that cats can

also be wildlife conscious

too.

They can wear a leash

and collar bell to alert and

protect birds and other

wildlife.

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Pet-friendly outdoor spaces make for

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Vibrant green is the‘go-to’ colour this season

Today felt like the open-

ing scenes in a Bugs Bunny

cartoon when you stick

your head out of your rab-

bit hole and see the sun

shining and birds chirping.

Spring has arrived and it is

so exciting!

You can almost hear the

strains of Grieg’s Morning

Mood opus fl oating by as

you take a deep breath and

leave your coat and boots at

home. We have survived an

endless winter and I know

every one of you will be

making the most of our ab-

breviated spring this year.

When we were small

children, spring meant rid-

ing our bikes and colour-

ing pictures of baby lambs

and chicks while we begged

our moms to get our rubber

boots so we could splash

in puddles. My favourite

thing was looking for cater-

pillars: we had these fuzzy

green and blue caterpillars

that enveloped the trees

outside our home every

spring. I would get out old

jars and stuff them full of

leaves and grass, punch

holes in the lid and then

go caterpillar collecting –

wearing my favourite rub-

ber boots of course.

As we get older we lose

the desire to jump in pud-

dles and our colouring usu-

ally consists of painting a

room or planting a garden.

As adults we still love to get

our hands dirty and play

with messy paint!

This is spring fever folks,

when we fi nd ourselves

checking fl owerbeds for

the fi rst signs of budding

and we rake our lawns in a

desperate attempt to make

them look green. Cobwebs

are shook out, draperies

are cleaned and we attack

our car with the shop vac

on the fi rst nice weekend

we can park it in the drive-

way. All of these activities

are revitalizing and nec-

essary to swipe away any

trace of this marathon

winter. The importance of

colour in our lives cannot

be emphasized enough. As

children we reveled in vivid

hues and bold patterns, we

painted and decorated our

sidewalks with chalk and

our windows and mirrors

with colourful stickers.

As adults we express

ourselves with accessories

or perhaps a brightly co-

loured vehicle – does any-

one else love the electric

orange Jeeps on the road?

We choose colour to ac-

cent our skin tones or our

eyes and we most certainly

choose different shades

to improve our frame of

mind. Our love affair with

colour has been with us

since childhood and will

stay with us throughout

our lifetime.

Do yourself a favour and

inject some happy into the

month of May. This year’s

vibrant green is the go-to

colour for 2013. You can use

this jeweled tone in every-

thing from your interior

walls to the tips of your

manicured toenails. This

colour is reminiscent of

the fresh buds that are just

beginning to force their

way out of the ground and I

promise that if you use this

colour in your life it will

give you an instant boost.

Start small, perhaps you

want some beautiful bright

new towels for your guest

bath or a fun and fresh

spring trench coat – now is

the time!

This colour may inspire

you to plant some new fl ow-

ers or paint a room in your

home (I recommend C2-196

Fig Leaf) to bring the vi-

brancy of springtime into

your home.

Go hunting for green!

Hunt high and low, far and

wide for your favourite

rites of spring in your most

alluring shades as you soak

up the rays of sun.

Kim Lewis is an interior de-signer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre.

Kim

L E W I S

Wednesday, May 8, 2013 Spring Home & Garden, Red Deer Express 7

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A look at hot gardening trends for the spring and summer

The tulips have started to

poke through the ground,

the robins are singing and

tree buds have begun to

swell- spring is here.

The advent of this year’s

gardening season has

brought innovative ideas

and fresh perspectives to

traditional horticultural

methods.

In addition to new plant

varieties there are some

gardening trends that will

be a source of novel ideas

and inspiration for eager

gardeners in Central Al-

berta.

One of the most delight-

ful new trends in gardening

is ‘fairy gardening’.

Imagine a tiny garden

created with the most di-

minutive visitors in mind;

complete with teensy gar-

den benches, arbors and

even stepping-stones.

A fairy garden can be

planted as a part of a fl ow-

erbed or, if you wish to

keep it indoors any pot or

basket that is plantable will

work.

Fairy gardens are a neat

way to introduce children

to gardening and these gar-

dens can give even apart-

ment dwellers the chance

to have their own back-

yard- in miniature.

As the trend of growing

your own food continues,

many homeowners are

installing plants in their

landscapes that will be a

source of food.

Consider a dwarf apple

tree for a small yard or

even a hardy kiwi vine to

clamber over an arbor or a

back fence. Fruit produc-

ing shrubs like ‘Regent’

Saskatoon, ‘Juliet’ dwarf

cherry, and ‘Blue Belle’

honeyberry fi t in nicely

among other ornamental

landscape plants.

If space is a problem, a

pot of herbs or a planter

fi lled with edible fl owers

will be a great start.

Even a common peren-

nial like rhubarb can add a

dramatic touch to a mixed

fl owerbed or switching

out petunias for a hang-

ing basket of strawberries

will work nicely in a sunny

spot.

Including edibles in your

landscaping plans is easy.

The practice of contain-

er gardening endures and

there have been some inno-

vative developments in this

area.

The use of vertical spac-

es has really caught on

and the creation of ‘living

walls’ has allowed those

gardeners with limited

space to grow even more;

kits for creating a vertical

planter are available.

Container gardening is

an ideal way to add a splash

of colour and interest into

a yard.

Consider planting dra-

matic foliage plants like

ruffl ed heucheras, leafy ba-

nana plants, or variegated

grasses into bright ceramic

pots.

Even citrus and some

palms will do just fi ne out-

side for the summer in a

protected spot.

Organic gardening con-

tinues to be a standard

practice for many garden-

ers and there are many

options available that will

help you to maintain an or-

ganic status.

Examples of organic

fertilizers are composts,

manures, and bone meal.

Organic fertilizers not only

provide plants with nutri-

ents needed for growth,

fl owering, and possible

fruit set, they also encour-

age benefi cial microorgan-

isms to proliferate in the

soil.

Although not a fertilizer,

the Myke brand of growth

enhancers are a benefi cial

fungus, used when plant-

ing, that will improve

rooting, increase growth,

and create an increased

drought tolerance.

If insects and disease

become an issue, there are

several organic products

that will help. An exciting

new development in organ-

ic pest management is the

use of nematodes to control

the larval stages of garden

pests.

Commonly sold under

the retail name Grub Bust-

ers these nematodes are ef-

fective in controlling birch

leaf miner, fungus gnats

and even ants.

I have a feeling that 2013

is going to be a great gar-

dening year and even if

you don’t think you have a

green thumb, there are lots

of easy ways to get started.

Nurturing a tray of newly

sprouted seeds or being

able to pick fruit you’ve

grown yourself can be a

rewarding and satisfying

experience.

Trudy Watt is a horticultur-ist and seasonal goods buyer at Parkland Nurseries.

TRUDY

W A T T

“I HAVE A FEELING THAT 2013 IS GOING TO BE A GREAT GARDENING YEAR AND EVEN IF YOU DON’T

THINK YOU HAVE A GREEN THUMB, THERE ARE LOTS OF EASY WAYS TO GET STARTED.”

TRUDY WATT

8 Red Deer Express, Spring Home & Garden Wednesday, May 8, 2013

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