1. PLANNING & DESIGN To begin, think about how you would like to use your property and what features it could have. For example, would you like a patio, a big shade tree, a butterfly garden, or a vegetable garden? Where do you need pathways? How much sun is there in different areas? Are there […]
THE THIRTEEN DEADLY SYNDROMES by Owen E. Dell 1. THE SATURDAY MORNING SYNDROME SYMPTOMS: The urge to venture forth on weekends to the local nursery, to seek out new, mysterious and cheap plants, to bring them home and to look for a place to put them. This leads to a mish-mosh of plants that has […]
DRIP IRRIGATIONS SYSTEMS by Owen E. Dell WHAT’S A DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM?A drip irrigation system applies water slowly to the specific root zone of plants. This is accomplished with emitters that are placed at each plant and apply water drop by drop, allowing it to soak in to the soil rather than running off or […]
A Water Smart soil is a living soil. In a typical suburban lot, good quality living topsoil contains approximately 90 pounds of earthworms, 240 pounds of fungi, 150 pounds of bacteria, 13 pounds of protozoa and 89 pounds of arthropods and algae. This soil life and its food web cultivate and aerate the soil, improve […]
Why Xeriscape? If you want your garden to give you the maximum enjoyment and value for your expenditure of time and money, xeriscaping is the answer! Xeri (rhymes with terra) is the Greek word for dry. Xeriscaping is gardening with your natural environmental conditions rather than fighting against them.
WHAT TO DO DURING A DROUGHT for your plants in Kelowna • Doing nothing is sometimes best • Avoid fertilizer – it can burn root hairs, cause drying out of the tissue • Avoid pruning – it stimulates new growth, which uses water reserves • Avoid pesticides – they can injure drought-stressed foliage • Avoid watering, obviously • Turn off your controller or […]
Some of the solutions being developed are: Reduction of storm water run-off through the use of bio-swales, rain gardens and green roofs and walls. Reduction of water use in landscapes through design of water-wise garden techniques (sometimes known as xeriscaping) Bio-filtering of wastes through constructed wetlands Landscape irrigation using water from showers and sinks, known […]
Soil Preparation and Maintenance The soil is the basic raw material of the gardener’s art. It should never be dismissed as a mere collection of mineral particles used to anchor roots or, worse still, as “dirt.” It is much more than that.
Benefits of Trees in the Okanagan Most trees and shrubs in cities or communities are planted to provide beauty or shade. These are two excellent reasons for their use. Woody plants also serve many other purposes, and it often is helpful to consider these other functions when selecting a tree or shrub for the landscape. […]