Articles

 URBAN TREES SERIES

Malis ‘Thunderchild’

MATURE HEIGHT                  15 to 20 feet (4 to 5 metres)

MATURE SPREAD                   12 to 15 feet (3 to 5 metres)

URBAN TREES SERIES

Amelanchier alnifolia

MATURE HEIGHT                  12 to 15 feet (4 to 5 metres)

MATURE SPREAD                    6 feet (2 metres)

LIFESPAN                                    20-25 years

URBAN TREES SERIES

Chionanthus virginicus

MATURE HEIGHT                  15 feet (5 metres)

MATURE SPREAD                   15 feet (5 metres)

URBAN TREES SERIES

Acer x freemanii ‘Jeffersred’

MATURE HEIGHT                   40-50 feet (12 to 15 metres)

MATURE SPREAD                    30-40 feet (9 to 12 metres)

URBAN TREES SERIES

Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’

MATURE HEIGHT                   20-30 feet (6-9 metres)

MATURE SPREAD                    15-20 feet (4.5-6 metres)

LIFESPAN                                   45 years

 URBAN TREES SERIES

Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis ‘Harve’

MATURE HEIGHT                    Up to 50 feet (15 metres)

MATURE SPREAD                     Up to 35 feet (10 metres)

URBAN TREES SERIES

Betula platyphylla ‘Jefpark”

MATURE HEIGHT                           25 – 40 feet (7-12 metres)

MATURE SPREAD                           7 feet (2 metres)

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URBAN TREES SERIES

WHY do you want to plant a tree?  For shade?  Fruit?  Colour?  Wind screen?  

WILL you have time to nurture the tree (prune, water, fertilize)?

CONFIRM what you are buying – use the latin name.

URBAN TREES SERIES

Trees provide immeasurable  benefits to homeowners and the communities in which they live, delivering cool shade to privacy, beauty, windbreak, water runoff reduction, pollution reduction … and the list goes on.

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

IT’S LIKE MAGIC – just type a gardening question into the Google search bar and voila – thousands of results pop up right before your eyes!

Whether a new or experienced gardener we’ve all done it – followed well-intentioned advice trusting that the advice was reliable, relevant and unbiased, when it wasn’t.

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Many of the plants labelled as CHRISTMAS cactus are THANKSGIVING cactus, or of blended ancestry.

Christmas cactus and Thanksgiving cactus are closely related, so it’s easy to mistake them for the same plant. Both plants are in the genus Schlumbergera:

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Blossom end rot appears as a sunken, leathery, brown to black spot on the blossom side of a fruit in tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and some cucurbits.

BER is associated with a lack of sufficient calcium in developing fruit and conventional wisdom holds that calcium-rich amendments like EGGSHELLS and ANTACIDS (i.e. TUMS) can help prevent BER.

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

SAY YES TO THE CHIPS!

FRESH wood chips, when used as a MULCH, do NOT leach nitrogen from the soil.

In areas where TREES and SHRUBS are a dominant feature of the landscape, arborist wood chips have been cited as superior mulches for enhanced plant productivity and represent one of the BEST MULCH CHOICES.

So go ahead and say YES to the local arborist looking to unload wood chips for FREE!

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Pine needles themselves are acidic but they do not have the capacity to appreciably change the soil pH (make it more acidic).

Pine needles break down naturally and the microbes (decomposers) in the soil neutralize them.

Pine needles can be used to mulch shrub borders, flower beds and vegetable gardens

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Tree staking is seldom necessary, but when trees are staked, they are typically staked TOO HIGH, TOO TIGHTLY, and for TOO LONG.

Improperly staked trees grow taller than wider. When a tree stake is removed, a lack of trunk and root development makes the tree vulnerable to breakage or blow-down.

Newly planted trees CAN require staking if:

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Plants with woody roots often need corrective root pruning before transplanting.

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Most dish soap products are not true soaps, but powerful surfactants called detergents. They can contain phosphate, bleach, enzymes, dyes, fragrances and rinsing aids

TRU SOAPS are made from natural oils and fats.
 

Spraying a plant with diluted dish soap removes the plant’s natural defences against pests and diseases.

Dish soap alters everything it comes into contact with, including BENEFICIAL insects.

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Placing sand, gravel, pebbles or pot chards in the bottom of a container before potting houseplants or outdoor plants OBSTRUCTS water movement.

Water doesn’t travel easily from layers of finely textured material to layers of more coarsely textured material

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Most houseplants like a more humid environment than you do, and it can be a real struggle providing our plants with the levels of humidity they require during the dry winter months.

There are several scientifically proven ways to keep your plants healthy and happy during the winter months. But, contrary to popular belief, MISTING is NOT one of them:

Indoor temperatures evaporate moisture QUICKLY!

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Bone meal supplies high levels of phosphorus and calcium.

Phosphorus and calcium are required for plant growth, but both (especially phosphorus) can cause problems if they occur in high concentrations. 

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

This myth may stem from the fact that if clay is the smallest soil particle (leading to poor drainage) and sand is the largest soil particle (leading to fast drainage), mixing the two will create a well-drained soil.

BUT

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

MYTH: A bleach solution is the best choice for disinfecting pruning tools

THE FACTS

A bleach solution is NOT the best method for disinfecting pruning tools

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

Add an aspirin (or chlorine bleach, borax, vinegar) to prevent bacteria from building up in the tree stand’s water reservoir. Or add corn syrup (or sugar, molasses, honey, soda) to nourish the tree. These are just a few of the additives promoted to make your Christmas tree last longer.

THE FACTS

Not one of the above-mentioned ingredients has been shown to do any significant good. Contrary, some ingredients may adversely affect the tree.

MYTH BUSTERS SERIES

THE FACTS

Epsom salt, also known as magnesium sulfate, is a naturally occurring compound that contains magnesium, sulfur and oxygen

There are MANY online recipes for using Epsom salt: