Seasonal Garden Maintenance

It is not uncommon, within the time constraints we impose on ourselves, to feel overwhelmed by the challenges of maintaining our own yards and gardens efficiently. The relevance of the saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" can become quickly apparent. Many of us repeat the same actions in our gardens each year and find that sustainable practices are eluding us.

With a clear understanding of a garden's natural progression throughout the seasons, proactive maintenance can be easily achieved. Working with nature as opposed to against it will ensure many health benefits. Embracing such a philosophy will increase the availability of nutrients and decrease water requirements and the amount of work needed in the long term, while bringing sustainability into your environment.

What a garden needs is appropriate plant material for its environment. Stupendous growth will be achieved by incorporating crucial nutrition and ensuring its availability. Nutrient replenishment that can be done by mulching and amendments. For sustainability, we also want to think about water, especially water retention capabilities, and the amount and intensity of day light, as well as plan for regular maintenance done at appropriate times.

Gardens will dictate the amount of work required, because of the aesthetic desired and the plant materials chosen. There is always something to do in a garden to ensure it will continue to thrive.

Reducing the amount of time needed for regular maintenance can be achieved by having a densely planted garden. A lush garden is aesthetically pleasing. It also offers less open and bare areas, therefore reducing the availability of land for seeds flying by like dandelions and other weeds who would claim an open market on your property.

Consider adding appropriate plant material this spring as well as in the fall to your garden. You may also think about enlarging your existing flower beds and reducing the amount of grass to maintain.

At the same time, increasing the bio diversity will attract a rich amount of beneficial insects and birds who will contribute to the health and growth of your gardens.

Kindest regards,
Roberto Gaudet

mylivingcanvas.com
604-809-9115

My Living Canvas is providing sustainable human powered gardening practices, and pesticides alternative. We are promoting a healthy, sustainable growing environment for you and your community. My Living Canvas believes in enriching the soil with compost which in turn feeds the plants material. Every year we add soil amender to your flower beds and your freshly aerated lawns. This process provides nutrition plants require for a healthy growing season. All the organic matter when breaking down continues to nourish and equalizes the soil PH. Liming is no longer required for lawns. The organic matter in the soil also enhances moisture retention which reduces water consumption.

My Living Canvas is providing all your gardening needs without gasoline powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers or trimmer. We use pesticide alternatives, keeping you and your neighborhood at peace naturally. We are dedicated to having our garden looking at their very best and to provide helpful knowledgeable advice with a highly reliable service.

We also support earth friendly, biological pest control methods for your health benefit as well as your entire yard ecosystem.

Call us so we can schedule an appointment to get your yard looking its healthiest for the 2011 growing season.

Avoiding Synthetic Fertilizers

Over many years of garden observations, we have found the necessity of using of synthetic fertilizer is highly questionable and have found alternative soil stimulating solutions. We also question the necessity of using weed killers. It is a well documented fact that weed killers will suppress more than the unwanted plants (the weeds). They will eliminate the life of an entire thriving eco-system who contributes beneficial work within our yard. They also prove to be detrimental to the health of our children, family, friends, neighbours, and pets.

These chemicals will go washing into our ground water and will end up in our streams and rivers, changing our lives at different levels. Fertilizer runoff is especially noxious in streams as it causes excess weed and algae growth, reducing the available oxygen for fish and other aquatic life.

Most organic gardeners have different techniques and tools that prove to be sustainable. Mulch, mulch, mulch, and mulch, we always say. We believe in feeding the soil rather than the plant; the soil will feed not only the plant but an entire eco-system to sustain healthy life forms.

Human powered equipment promotes healthy, rich soil, filled with organic matter that keeps composting to supply all nutrition required while helping in moisture retention. Natural garden invaders can be deterred by natural alternatives such as natural predators and companion planting. The management of pest becomes easier with a well-planned garden. The plant material chosen will produce a greater bio-diversity and create a sustainable eco-system as well as having you and your neighbour living at peace naturally.

Kindest regards,
Roberto Gaudet

mylivingcanvas.com
604-809-9115

My Living Canvas is providing sustainable human powered gardening practices, and pesticides alternative. We are promoting a healthy, sustainable growing environment for you and your community. My Living Canvas believes in enriching the soil with compost which in turn feeds the plants material. Every year we add soil amender to your flower beds and your freshly aerated lawns. This process provides nutrition plants require for a healthy growing season. All the organic matter when breaking down continues to nourish and equalizes the soil PH. Liming is no longer required for lawns. The organic matter in the soil also enhances moisture retention which reduces water consumption.

My Living Canvas is providing all your gardening needs without gasoline powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers or trimmer. We use pesticide alternatives, keeping you and your neighborhood at peace naturally. We are dedicated to having our garden looking at their very best and to provide helpful knowledgeable advice with a highly reliable service.

We also support earth friendly, biological pest control methods for your health benefit as well as your entire yard ecosystem.

Call us so we can schedule an appointment to get your yard looking its healthiest for the 2011 growing season.

Winter Gardening Projects

Our Vancouver winters are a perfect opportunity to observe and make notes of how your naked garden has sustained itself during the seasons. Notice the amount of soil present: are any roots showing? Are there any plants, shrubs or trees that are struggling, searching for light or simply are not happy in this location? Are there any signs of disease?

Doing some research to find out what plants you have and under which growing condition they grow best will allow you plan your next gardening season.

Do you like the current look your garden offers? Start thinking about changes, extending existing beds, and creating new ones.

Winter pruning will promote tree and shrub health. It is a very good time to guide and establish their shape. Proper pruning promotes good air flow, which will reduce disease causing organism infiltration in the spring. You may also see that an area of grass is dying due to the shade provided by the trees and may a good reason to enlarge an existing flower bed and to thin the tree canopy.

We recommend amending your soil every year. Is there enough soil? The soil is what feeds the plant material and 4-5 inches (7-10 cm) is a good initial amount of soil to provide your plants for a healthy growing season.

Kindest regards,
Roberto Gaudet

mylivingcanvas.com
604-809-9115

My Living Canvas is providing sustainable human powered gardening practices, and pesticides alternative. We are promoting a healthy, sustainable growing environment for you and your community. My Living Canvas believes in enriching the soil with compost which in turn feeds the plants material. Every year we add soil amender to your flower beds and your freshly aerated lawns. This process provides nutrition plants require for a healthy growing season. All the organic matter when breaking down continues to nourish and equalizes the soil PH. Liming is no longer required for lawns. The organic matter in the soil also enhances moisture retention which reduces water consumption.

My Living Canvas is providing all your gardening needs without gasoline powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers or trimmer. We use pesticide alternatives, keeping you and your neighborhood at peace naturally. We are dedicated to having our garden looking at their very best and to provide helpful knowledgeable advice with a highly reliable service.

We also support earth friendly, biological pest control methods for your health benefit as well as your entire yard ecosystem.

Call us so we can schedule an appointment to get your yard looking its healthiest for the 2011 growing season.

Winter Pruning - Organic Gardening Advice from My Living Canvas

There are three main objectives when deciding to prune a tree or shrub: strength, shape, and airflow. Winter offers easy access and a good view of the tree’s “skeleton” and their dormant phase is ideal for pruning and shaping.

Pruning for strength means to prune so that the limbs and branches are strong and stable. Removing weak limbs and small angles will improve the general health of trees and shrubs. This will reduce the chances of it being damaged by winter elements. Pruning for shape will produce an aesthetically pleasing tree or shrub that is balanced and sized correctly for the space it occupies. Trees and shrubs have an overall structure, and some branches will grow into their structure while others will grow too far out and spoil the overall shape. Removing branches that are out of alignment will improve its overall structure.

Trees and shrubs are part of your landscape as a whole and may also need to be pruned to accommodate the need of other items in your yard. Internal branches fill the structure of a tree or shrub and both inhibit airflow and reduce light to the interior of the tree. This creates a perfect environment for disease-causing organisms to take hold.

Pruning trees and shrubs promotes good airflow. Thinning them out is also important because branches that are growing into the tree's internal structure will eventually butt against one another. Their junction can gather moisture and cause decay. There is also a tendency for the limbs to grow together, which is not healthy for trees. Water sprouts or suckers are found in the interior of the tree as well as at the base of the trunk. They grow rapidly and use more of the tree’s energy than they return, so they are better pruned away.

All these problems will be apparent in late winter and can be corrected without tangling with excess growth in spring or summer. Late winter pruning should be completed before the new growth cycle begins.

Kindest regards,

Roberto Gaudet

mylivingcanvas.com

604-809-9115

My Living Canvas is providing sustainable human powered gardening practices, and pesticides alternative. We are promoting a healthy, sustainable growing environment for you and your community. My Living Canvas believes in enriching the soil with compost which in turn feeds the plants material. Every year we add soil amender to your flower beds and your freshly aerated lawns. This process provides nutrition plants require for a healthy growing season. All the organic matter when breaking down continues to nourish and equalizes the soil PH. Liming is no longer required for lawns. The organic matter in the soil also enhances moisture retention which reduces water consumption.

Fall Garden Clean-Up

With colder winters and the rainy season upon our gardens, all non-evergreen plant material is dying off and will soon be ready to be cut back. The extent of fall clean-up required is determined by the kind of garden you grow, the concerns you and/or your neighbour may have in regards to your garden appearance, and the number of perennials versus evergreens.

Doing a big fall clean-up might not be as necessary as once thought. Less is more in your garden. Leaving some perennials and flowers standing offer wild life and habitat for over winterizing insects, perches for birds, food from seeds left behind, as well as enjoyment watching them bring life into our winter gardens. For us, there are forms, textures and colors to contemplate.

In an organically-managed garden, bugs--and lots of them--are welcome; nature will take care of itself. Come spring, migrating birds will come looking for those insects provided by your garden. Some other ways insects are beneficial is by being pollinators, predators and by increasing bio-diversity to your garden.

If perennials stalks must be cut down, you may choose to cut them in about 5” lengths and lay them on the ground of your garden bed. They will serve as mulch with fall leaves and could provide cover for over winterizing butterflies. All this important organic material will enrich your soil and you and your garden will reap the many benefits coming next spring.

The work you will want to do this fall is remove all weeds, especially invasive ones. Divide overgrown plant material, reposition or share with friends. Remove parts of grassy areas and extend your planting areas. Planting of new material or some of your divided plants from your or friends' yards. Spring bulbs are best to plant in the fall.

Some pruning and trimming for shaping and plant separation can also be done at this time. Dead and diseased limbs are not to be added to your compost.

My Living Canvas is providing sustainable human powered gardening practices, with pesticides alternative, keeping you and your neighborhood at peace naturally. Living Canvas believes in feeding the soil rather than feeding the plants. Every year before new growth erupts from the ground we add soil amender to your flower beds and lawn after being aerated. This process provides all the nutrition plants require for a healthy growing season. All the organic matter when breaking down continues to nourish as well as retain moisture in the ground.

Kindest regards,
Roberto Gaudet
My Living Canvas Organic Gardening
(604) 809.9115
mylivingcanvas.com

Leaves — A Gardener's Best Friend

For many generations, leaves have been one of the most abundant organic resources available to gardeners.

Leaves are 100% organic matter with excellent nutrient-holding capacity, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, mycorrhyzal fungi, and moisture-holding capacity, which equalizes the soil temperature. Leaves provide a wide range of natural 'fertilizers' as they continue to decay into the existing soil.

By gathering leaves in the fall and bringing them to your garden, you will increase the fertility, biodiversity and structure of your soil. Your plant material uses up much of this organic matter as nutrients for their own growth, so we need to replenish it regularly. Mother Nature supplies a rich abundance of leaves every fall, and--best of all--they are free for the taking.

Spread leaves over your garden beds as mulch, or cover empty beds, and let them decay into your soil. In the spring, you can add compost right over top or you can add the leaves to the compost pile. You may notice that certain leaves--thicker, waxy ones--will not decay as rapidly as others. It's best not to use these leaves. Examples are Holly, Rhododendrons, Viburnums--mostly all evergreen leaves.

If we work to use leaves in this way, there will come a day when the city's expenses of collecting and disposing of the leaves will be eliminated by urban gardeners and we will all reap the rewards of using the richness of leaves as nature intended.

At My Living Canvas, we are providing sustainable human-powered gardening practices, keeping you and your neighbors at peace naturally. My Living Canvas believes in feeding the soil rather than feeding the plant. Every year before new growth erupts from the ground we add compost to flower beds and lawns. This process provides all the nutrition plants require for a healthy growing season. All the organic matter when breaking down continues to nourish the soil as well as retain moisture in the ground.

Kindest regards,
Roberto Gaudet
mylivingcanvas.com
604-809-9115

Soil Compaction

Managing soil compaction in lawns in an organic manner:


We first aerate the soil manually, as we feel the heavy gas powered aerators' weight further induces soil compaction, plus they are noisy, leave a gas smell in the air, and use the earth's precious resources.

We aerate the soil manually in a period when soil is moist, making it a less time consuming job. We then apply a thin layer of soil amender (compost).

Organic matter is what breaks the cycle of soil compaction. The micro organisms living happily in your soil will work continually at breaking down the organic matter that the environment, you, and your gardener will supply to your yard.

Small amounts of grass clippings may be left on your lawn after weekly mowing. Any extra could also be spread in your garden beds. Your grass clippings are a rich and easily accessible source of organic matter.

During the fall, gather fallen leaves to spread in your garden beds after you have done your final fall clean up. They will serve as great mulch: a blanket for your plant material for the winter and early next season. In the final days of February, add a layer of soil amender and your beds will be ready for another season of stupendous growth.

Living Canvas is providing sustainable human powered gardening practices, and pesticides alternative, keeping you and your neighborhood at peace naturally. Living Canvas believes in enriching the soil which in turn feeds the plants.

Every year we add soil amender to your flower beds and lawn. This process provides nutrition plants require for a healthy growing season. All the organic matter when breaking down continues to nourish and equalizes the soil PH. Liming is no longer required for lawns. The organic matter in the soil also enhances moisture retention which reduces water consumption. We also support earth friendly, biological pest control methods for the benefit of your health as well as the health of your entire yard ecosystem.

Kindest regards,
Roberto Gaudet
mylivingcanvas.com
604-809-9115

Slugs in the Garden

There are a few ways of deterring slugs from eating away at our gardens. Rather than using the slug killers on the market that contain products that do not enhance life in the soil nor promote healthy plants or food crops, you could try the following alternatives:

Leaving a half empty bottle or can of beer in your garden will have slugs climbing in it, and after a taste they will not be able to climb back out.

I have also been successful with eggshells scattered around plants like Hostas and leafy greens in my veggie garden. The eggshells will need to be rinsed or they will attract critters. After cleaning them, crush them and apply at the base of plants. The process is most effective when the shells are reapplied on a regular basis.

Another process that is quite effective, although gruesome, is to come out after dark with a pair of scissors and a flashlight as they are lurking in your garden in search of food and snip them.

Living Canvas is providing sustainable human powered gardening practices, and pesticides alternative, keeping you and your neighborhood at peace naturally. Living Canvas believes in enriching the soil which in turn feeds the plants.

Every year we add soil amender to your flower beds and lawn. This process provides nutrition plants require for a healthy growing season. All the organic matter when breaking down continues to nourish and equalizes the soil PH. Liming is no longer required for lawns. The organic matter in the soil also enhances moisture retention which reduces water consumption. We also support earth friendly, biological pest control methods for the benefit of your health as well as the health of your entire yard ecosystem.

Kindest regards,
Roberto Gaudet
mylivingcanvas.com
604-809-9115

Winter Garden Check-Up

Living Canvas believes in feeding the soil rather than feeding the plants. Every year before new growth erupts we replenish your flower beds and lawn with soil amender (composted materials). This process provides all the nutrition plants require for a healthy growing season. All the organic matter when breaking down continues to nourish, equalize the soil PH. Liming and fertilizing is no longer required. The organic matter in the soil also enhances moisture retention.

Winters in Vancouver are usually a perfect opportunity to observe and make notes of how your naked garden has sustained itself during the seasons. Notice the amount of soil present; are any roots showing? Are there any plants, shrubs or trees that are struggling, are searching for light, or are simply not happy in their location? Are there any signs of disease?

Doing some research to find out what plants you have and under which growing condition they grow best will allow you plan your next gardening season.

Do you like the current look your garden offers? Start thinking about changes such as extending existing beds and creating new ones.

Winter pruning will promote tree and shrub health. It is a very good time to guide and establish their shape. Proper pruning promotes good air flow, which will reduce disease causing organism infiltration in the spring. You may also see that an area of grass is dying due to the shade provided by the trees and may a good reason to enlarge an existing flower bed and to thin the tree canopy.

I recommend amending your soil every year. Is there enough soil? The soil is what feeds the plant material and 4”-5” (7cm-10cm) is a good amount of soil to provide your plants for a healthy growing season.

Living Canvas is dedicated to having gardens look their very best. In addition to providing helpful, knowledgeable advice and highly reliable service, we offer pesticide-free landscaping and silent maintenance. We use human-powered gardening tools (no gasoline-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers, or trimmers).

We also support earth friendly, biological pest control methods for the benefit of your health as well as the health of your entire yard ecosystem.

Call us so we can schedule an appointment to get your yard looking its healthiest for the 2009 growing season.

Kindest regards, Roberto Gaudet
mylivingcanvas.com
604-809-9115

Leaves - A Gardener's Best Friend

For many generations, leaves have been one of the most abundant organic resources available to gardeners.

Leaves are 100% organic matter with excellent moisture holding capacity. Using this, they equalize the soil temperature. They also provide excellent nutrient holding capacity, nitrogen fixing bacteria and mycorrhyzal fungi. Leaves provide a wide range of natural 'fertilizers' as they continue to decay into the existing soil.

By gathering the leaves in the Fall and bringing them to your garden, you will increase the fertility, biodiversity and structure of your soil.

Can one overdo it? Hardly. However, your plant material uses up much of this organic matter as nutrients for their own growth, so we need to replenish it regularly. Fortunately, and as Mother Nature would have it, there is a rich abundance of leaves every fall and, best of all, they are free for the taking.

So bring them home, spread them over your garden beds as mulch, or cover empty beds, and let them decay into your soil. In the spring, you can add compost right over top or you can add the leaves to the compost pile.

You may also notice that certain leaves will not decay as rapidly as others. Those will be the thicker waxy leaves. We have found it best to not use those leaves for mulch as a result. Examples of slow decaying leaves are those from Holly plants, Rhododendrons, Viburnum trees, etc.

There may come a day when urban gardeners can eliminate the expense of having the city collect and dispose of the leaves, and we will all reap the rewards of using the richness of leaves as nature intended.

My Living Canvas: We are providing sustainable human powered gardening practices, keeping you and your neighbors at peace naturally. My Living Canvas believes in feeding the soil rather than feeding the plant. Every year before new growth erupts from the ground we add compost to flower beds and lawns. This process provides all the nutrition plants require for a healthy growing season. When breaking down, all the organic matter continues to nourish the soil as well as retain moisture in the ground.

Roberto Gaudet
My Living Canvas Organic Gardening
mylivingcanvas.com