March is the Time for Lawns... If You Must

False Lily-of-the-Valley (Maianthemum dilatum)
Now Blooming in a forest near you.

Gardening work started early this year in Vancouver; we were full time back to work February 1 instead of easing into it part time. When spring comes early, the early tasks all seem to need doing at the same time. Perhaps going away in January was a mistake this year? The fruit trees usually get pruned at a leisurely pace in February; it's usually a couple weeks work at best and pleasant because of that. In the city we try to get the fruit trees sprayed at least once with a dormant oil/lime/sulphur combination that gets at the overwintering pests without being nasty to the environment. One needs a sunny day in February before the flower buds open for this so it's always pleasant being out on a sunny day in February, climbing and pruning fruit trees. Could we have a nicer job? But this year, we had to race to get the trees sprayed and pruned before the blossoms opened, and then the lawns and weeds started growing too! So all of a sudden it was spring lawn care, first garden weed and fruit trees all at the same time.

Lawns are a beast that we seem to have grown attached to in Vancouver that actually require quite a bit of care to keep healthy without chemicals (and we don't like chemicals, do we?). I have heard that of all the plants in existence in the world, grass is the newest (I think horsetail may be one of the oldest, which doesn't surprise me. I have clients with prehistoric horsetail, I am sure of it). We get a lot of rain in Vancouver, so in shady spots, growing grass can be a challenge, where moss is the indigenous ground over. People go to great lengths to maintain that expanse of green lawn, including spring aerating, mowing weekly to within a centimetre of its life (whether it needs it or not), twice annual applications of lime (to combat our naturally acidic soil), chemical fertilizer, moss killer, broadleaf weed killer (legally applied only by licensed professionals now), replacing lawn torn up by crows and raccoons, application of nematodes to combat the European Chafer Beetle now rampant in our city and regular edging and trimming. Yikes. It's a wonder anything lives. We have a different approach to lawns and I am pleased my clients respect and favour this. The first question of any new client is usually "Can we do away with some or all of this lawn?". It is a growing trend for residents to replace lawn areas with other ground cover that can take some foot traffic. There are a lot of options out there that bloom, smell nice, don't need mowing and chemical warfare, and won't have chafer beetles. If someone really wants to keep a lawn, our prescribed spring treatment involves aerating, power raking out the moss and physically removing it, top dressing the lawn with rich sandy compost soil and seeding new grass in bare spots. We weed by hand (sometimes accepting weeds) and cut the lawn less frequently and leave it longer to promote health. This year, we will also be spraying nematodes on those lawns affected by the chafer beetle in July. Next year I'll ask the question again "Can we do away with some or all of this lawn?".

We're eliminating lawn slowly but surely. More flower beds or vegetable gardens anyone?

The Abundance of the Season

I experienced a mean based primarily on the bounty of early spring on BC's West Coast this year - in February! - and I need to share. We are lucky to live in the Pacific Northwest where it does rain a lot of the time but the rain spurs the growth. We don't ever experience extreme heat or cold, even in the depths of summer and winter, but out ocean-infused, temperate climate means that we have almost year round gardening. And almost year round food production. My amazing meal took place on Hornby Island, a gulf island between BC's mainland and Vancouver Island and a place close to my heart. If Vancouver is a year round food and gardening centre, Hornby Island is Mecca.

I thought to escape the hordes of tourists by taking a week at Hornby Island during the recent Winter Olympics. As it turns out, even small islanders were into the Olympics, a large TV brought into the community hall, nightly sports screenings and a two week liquor license. So I was never far from the action. Meanwhile, it was bursting out spring so friends and I went forth to forage and gather for dinner. Appetizer: stinging nettle soup. Main course: breaded oysters from the beach 100 metres from our house accompanied by latkes with potatoes stored from my neighbour's farm (Savoie Farm). Pretty amazing and what a powerful feeling. I urge you all to try to eat locally and experience what that feels like. If you need a little motivation you can start by reading Barbara Kingsolver's lovely book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle". All round wow.

Stinging Nettle - Urtica Dioica

It's now April and it's rainy and a bit miserable. But it hasn't dampened the growth of the nettle, the garlic, the broccoli rabe, the overwintering kale, the young seedlings poking their heads out of the ground. April is the time of year when the rest of Canada catches up to us, horticulturally, but February is when we realize we can actually exist from the land. Cool.

Thanks for reading.
Liz

Earliest Salmonberry Blossom Ever!

No one will be surprised to learn that this was the earliest spring I have ever witnessed in my 30 years in Vancouver. It was great for Olympic tourists, great for visitors from any other part of Canada and fabulous for early spring blooms. I have always wanted to keep a plant diary that compares gardens from year to year and season to season but have never done so until now. But one thing I always take mental note of is when the salmonberry blossoms start to open. Salmonberry is a native fruit, mild, juicy and delicious, whose blossoms indicate that spring is definitely in the air. This year was the earliest I've ever seen - February 6. This bodes well for future berries of 2010!

First blossom of rubus spectabilis in 2010 - the earliest ever, seen at Pacific Spirit Park, 6 February 2010.

Here's hoping this blog will not only help me track the bloom times of favourite plants and seasonal changes, but aid me in my lifelong desire to write. Plants, writing, perhaps a bit of cooking thrown in there - what's not to like? I know I will succeed because my 22 year old technically adept daughter is helping me along the way - thanks Alex. More to follow.

Thanks for reading.

Liz