Landscaping Mississauga gardens – best evergreens for dry soil

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The best performing shrubs in dry soil in Peel, Halton, and GTA in general, are junipers and yuccas.

junipers perform well in dry soil

junipers perform well in dry soil

 

Junipers – grow naturally in many dry environments, such as rock outcrops and even sand dunes. There is also a large variety of species to choose from ranging from upright junipers ideal for privacy fences to creeping varieties. They come in different colours from golden green to blue.  The hardiest varieties to look for this season include the following: ground hugging Calgary Carpet or Blue Coast, and upright medium height Limeglow or New Blue Tamarix, and Blue Chip that can be used for the flower garden background or property dividing green fence when trimmed regularly.

 

 

 

yuccas, such as Andrew's needle tolerate dry soil and look striking in the dry garden

yuccas, such as Andrew’s needle tolerate dry soil and look striking in the dry garden

Yuccas do not require watering once they are established.  They grow a long taproot and are able to find all the water they need on their own.  In search of water, they  also spread, and if they find hospitable conditions, they may even become invasive, so regular weeding and root dividing may be necessary. Yuccas look like desert plants with spiky, pointed leaves. In July, they also display tall 150 cm – 175 cm (5’ – 6’) flowers pictured here.  The beauty of yuccas, such as Andrew’s Needle above, lies also in the fact that they are very easy to share with your neighbours – all you need to to is to chop put a part of your shrub’s roots and give it to your neighbour to plant in their garden…..

Landscaping Mississauga Gardens – how to read fertilizer labels and choose the right fertilizer for your soil

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fertilizers

If you decide to improve the quality of your soil using a chemical fertilizer,which is a quick fix method to improve the quality of your soil, you face a sometimes daunting task of selecting the appropriate fertilizer for your soil conditions among the variety of fertilizers available.  Choosing carelessly just any fertilizer, based on its name for example, may lead to further deterioration of your soil.

When using a fertilizer, you need to keep in mind the type of soil you originally have which you should determine by a taking a soil test described in one of our previous blog entries.

1. the soil tests done by using a soil kit to test for the pH and key nutrients levels described in detail here, determines what is the pH scale of your soil.  The pH scale describe the degree of acidity and alkalinity: an extremely high  (alkaline) or low (acid) pH levels affect the ability of plant to absorb essential mineral nutrients from the soil.  The majority of plants in southern Ontario flourish in soils with a pH ranging between 6 and 7, which is mildly acid to neutral.  To raise the pH level of acid soil, add ground limestone from a local garden centre, or wood ashes from a fireplace after the spring cleaning; to lower the pH of alkaline soil, use powdered sulfur, acid peat moss, or an acid fertilizer or simply mulch your garden with with acid ladden pine needles or oak leaves, which will lower the pH level as they decompose.

2. there are three major ingredients your soil needs in order for plants to flourish: nitrogen (for leaf and steam growth), phosphorus (for root development, seed formation and flowering), and potassium that enhances the plants vigour and resistance to diseases.  On the bag of fertilizer, the ratio of these nutrients is always expressed in this order: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K); that means that 10-10-10 fertilizer has ten percent of each nutrient mixed with filler, while 5-10-5 fertilizer is higher in phosphorus.

Landscaping Mississauga gardens -moisture

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draught tolerantThe moisture content of the soil on your property greatly affects the design of your low-maintenance garden.  Before planting examine whether your proposed garden site, as it naturally exists, is wet or dry.  Once you have determined that, you can either amend the soil or choose plants that flourish in the sort of soil you have in the garden.

The most recent trend in landscape design is  xeriscaping -choosing plants that will survive on only the natural water that is available to them. These plants should be grouped together in a dry sunny area of your garden.

However, even if your gardening area is usually dry and you decide to grow drought tolerant plants, you still may want to ensure continued good drainage in the proposed garden site before you start planting. Good drainage will prevent unusually heavy downpours or extended spells of wet weather from creating lingering puddles that could drown your plants. You can improve drainage by building raised beds on top of existing soil, by installing underground drainage pipes or tiles, or by regrading the area to create a slope that will allow water to drain away.

If your proposed garden area is generally moist, you still need to be prepared to keep it watered in dry weather. You need a water source nearby, so that during a drought you can sprinkle the spot daily in the afternoons or keep moist with the soaker hose.

Check our next blog entries for ideas what plants will do well in specific soil conditions in Mississauga and generally GTA area.  Here is our next blog entry on shrubs that perform well  in dry soil.

Landscaping Mississauga Gardens – composting

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If the soil tests described in our last two blog entries show that you need to improve the soil, you can do so in two ways; by adding the missing chemical components or composting.

The best way to build a better soil is to work in lots of organic matter that can solve all sorts of soil problems, such as poor drainage, lack of earthworms, extreme pH levels, or low nutrients.  The best source of organic matter is compost pile, which allows you to recycle leaves, grass clippings, plant debris, and household food waste into a nutrient rich soil conditioner.  Follow the steps below to learn how to make a compost pile:

composting1

1.Build a compost pile from alternating lawyers of “wet” material (green plant matter, fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds) and dry plant debris.

 

 

composting2

2. Sprinkle wet lawyers with wood ashes (for potassium and to lower pH) or lime (to raise pH) and livestock manure, or blood meal (a slaughterhouse by-product), or garden soil.

 

 

composting3

3. Spray the compost pile with water until it is moist as a squeezed out sponge; later moisten the pile whenever it gets dried out.

 

 

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4. Turn the compost once a week, moving material from the outer edges of the pile into the center; the compost is ready to use once it is dark brown and crumby.

 

 

Repeat every year. Adding compost to your soil every year will keep it in good shape for growing plants.