Greetings from the A.M. Cuddy Gardens! Hope everyone enjoyed a safe and beautiful Canada day! We are back to work this week with weather I could not dream of. No rain just clear blue sky, warm sunshine with a slight breeze. It has been heaven to be out working at Cuddy Gardens. The lawns have been manicured. We have cleaned up and weeded many of the gardens including the Perennial Border, Dry Garden, Alpine Rock Garden and the prestigious Rose Garden. There was also a very interesting, informative and educational event that occurred two weeks ago that I just must tell you all about!
I'd like to start with all that was accomplished in the gardens this week first.
In the Rose Garden we have dead headed all the roses. The technique is to prune back to an outward facing bud just as you would when pruning in the spring and also not to be afraid of cutting down two or three buds. We are doing all this work not just to get rid of the dead but it also encourages new flower blossoms. Closer to Autumn we will stop dead heading and allow the rose hips to stay as they turn a brilliant orange and add winter interest in the garden. In the rose garden we are still fighting a battle with Rose Chafer and Japanese beetles. We use no pesticides, just manual control of picking them off the roses and into a bucket of soap and water. There is now evidence that the Chafers have reproduced as we have found some in the larva stage- a small green worm can have yellow or brown spots depending on species and are usually curled up in a ball. Have no fear the Rose Garden is looking magnificent none the less.
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| Damage caused by the pests |
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| Japanese Beatles |
The Alpine Rock Garden which is a very new addition to the A.M Cuddy Gardens is coming along quite nicely. We have been doing garden editing as some plants reproduce and spread to far from where initially wanted. A lot of weeding, cleaning up and raking the gravel. There has also been many cacti and succulents divided out of the garden for the upcoming plant sale.
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| Front and center is the Prickly Pear Cactus Native to Canada |
Now for that event I was telling you about. Becky Moule the first year Arboriculture teacher in the program organized for Jen Llewellyn from Ministry of Agriculture and Food to come out for an information session of pests and diseases found in the landscape. We summer student gardeners were lucky to join the discussion along with many members of the landscape and arboriculture industry. This was a great opportunity to network in the industry as well as further our education and understanding of pests and diseases we will encounter in our careers. Many pests and diseases were discussed; How to properly identify/ diagnosis problems, and of course the best treatment. I feel I learned a lot from this information session as well as made some good connections with possible future employers. Jen Llewellyn is full of knowledge and ready to share and help any way she can. Following her blog is a joy. www.onnurserycrops.wordpress.com
All in all it has been a great week out at the A.M. Cuddy Gardens, not that you would be surprised. It is paradise out here! be sure not to miss our next open house and plant sale August 16th!
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