Girls in the Garden has emerged a changed entity this season!

My mom and I lose ourselves in our work of joining people with nature, finding simplistic beauty in our surroundings and giving blessings and appreciation to the earth around us. Our greatest pleasure is constructing a small piece of ecstasy that speaks an ethereal secret to those living within, and in that is where we find ourselves.

I sadly announce our letting go of our maintenance program and proudly welcome our full concentration to our continued landscape design and build program. We are thrilled to expand our client base with our great love of developing new and creative ways of garden design. We have loved every minute of maintaining our loyal clients, we have learned and grown throughout our time in your gardens and will be forever grateful for the support we have received.

We welcome you to continue checking back with us here and viewing our garden designs as they are completed!

 

 

Gardening is a way to show you believe in tomorrow.

-         Thomas Jefferson

Hope everyone has survived the heat of the summer with their plants still smiling!

Although it’s nice to have a decrease in weed growth during the hot season, it’s also hard on your heart to see your beloved plants wilting under the strong sunlight and extreme drought. Now is a great time to help rejuvenate their energy with a hardy dose of fertilizer, but remember to only feed vegetables and annuals, after this point in the summer your perrennials don't need an extra boost or it'll promote new growth too late in the season.

Currently in my yard I have three gorgeous Hydrangeas blooming, I’m one of those gardeners that love their blooms all season long and will leave them until Spring so my front beds have a different texture during the cold, snowy months. If you prefer the clean manicured look, I suggest you clip a few blooms off when you see they’re at their best, and bring them into the house for some bright cheer. Pair these with tall spikes of Sage (Salvia) for a striking colour comparison.

As most readers know, I work alongside my mother, who every year finds a different plant species to fall madly in love with, last year’s plant was the Clethra alnifolia, also known as Summersweet or Sweet Pepper Bush.

This 5’ tall close forming shrub is a perfect addition to a garden, with its end of season tall pink blooms that smell like Heaven, it stands high on our list of preferences. The cultivar ‘Hummingbird’ comes even higher recommended since it stands shorter and produces spikes of white clove scented flowers. So aside from the gorgeous habit of these plants and their colourful spikes of colour at the end of the season, they also turn a yellow red late in the season for some Fall colour.

Below I have included some pictures of my Clethra with its flowers beginning to open, enjoy!

Recently a new Farmers Market has opened near us and they offered an ample amount of fresh cherries, my favourite! Having your kids help with adding fruits to different foods is a good way for them to be involved in healthy eating! Below are a few ideas to do that;

-          Party Mix, instead of deep fried ingredients add cherries, Cheerios, Shreddies, almonds, cheese bits and bake in oven with a light covering of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

-          Cherry Pecan Energy Bars

-          Ingredients:
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup canola oil
1 large egg, beaten to mix
1 large egg white
3/4 cup chopped dried cherries
½ cup finely chopped pecans
Cooking spray
¼ cup “fruit only” apricot preserves

-          Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the honey, applesauce, oil, egg and egg white until well combined. Stir in the oatmeal mixture until well combined. Add the dried cherries and pecans.

Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out
clean, 30-35 minutes. Put the preserves in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the bars come out of the oven, brush with the preserves. Cool completely and cut into 12 bars, about 4 x 1 ½ inches each. Makes 12 servings

-        Cherry Lime Slush                                                                                       

4 cups of washed cherries, 12 ounces frozen limeade, 1 tray of ice cubes, 1 cup sparkling water. You and your child(ren) can then have some fun stemming and pitting cherries! In a blender, puree the cherries with limeade and ice cubes until smooth, transfer to a bowl and stir in sparkling water. Spoon mixture into 5 ounce paper cups and freeze (2 hours), until firm, not solid.

Use your imagination with fruit, kids have more ideas than you think when it comes to what food should go with what!

"Weather means more when you have a garden.  There's nothing like listening to a shower and thinking how it is soaking in around your green beans."

~ Marcelene Cox

EARTH DAY!

Girls in the Garden wants to help you be green!

We have spent a large amount of our time in the outdoors, and from those experiences we have gathered many different activities to do ourselves, or with children. Since Earth Day is upon us we thought it would be a great time to share some of our ideas with you!

- Everyone can do their part by limiting waste by composting, recycling, and reusing.  Also by turning out lights, hanging your laundry outside to dry, and using fans in the summer, all of these things help the environment while saving you money.

- I’ve found you can have a garden anywhere from garden beds at your house, to pots on a balcony or windowsill, to a mural on a wall!  Planting herbs and vegetables also cuts down on grocery bills while making your property more aesthetically pleasing.

Exploring the outdoors with children is a great way to learn new things about nature and each other. Below are a few ideas to do with your children this summer!

* A great way to have an outdoor adventure is using a discovery kit! Kids can put these together themselves by collecting small rulers, magnifying glasses, bug jars (old jam jars, pasta sauce jars, etc) nets, journals and any other objects you will find useful on your nature trek!  As you explore the outdoors keep your eyes open for different insects like grasshoppers, mosquitos, lady bugs and more!

*A great game to play with older children is to have a scavenger hunt! Make up lists with pictures of insects, small animals, or different sorts of plants! This keeps kids active in the outdoors, while learning about their environment.

*A great way to add some variety to your child’s garden beds is to have themes! One of my favourites is a baby bed, fill your pots or garden with plants like; baby beets, silver dollar sized patty pan squash, sweet farmex carrots, cherry tomatoes, baby lettuce, bambino eggplant, and batwing pumpkins! These are all very small vegetables that the kids will eat right from the plant!

Gentle Giant beds can also be prize worthy with plants like; long pole beans, cucuzza squash, Dill’s Giant pumpkins, and walking stick cabbage.

** The biggest part of being environmentally aware is being conscious of what you’re doing, and how you’re doing it! Don’t throw away those old boots or haggard pots, let your kids paint them, plant them and love them! Almost anything can be reused in the garden and landscape. Use your imagination and let your yard come alive!

Being green is all in how you perceive it, simply be aware of your environment and what you put into it, for your kids and your grandkids will be left to care for what you haven’t. Make a positive change in your life today, and you could change more than you imagine!

"Man - despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments - owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains."



Spring!

Spring has made its arrival!

Keep your eyes out for Robins to be feeding on your lawn, bulbs to be peeking out into the sunshine, and buds appearing brightly on our well rested plants. This is a time for new beginnings!

Jump into this new season with eyes wide open, for there are tons of new varieties calling your name; from the new ‘Arizona apricot’ Blanketflower, with its bright yellow face, to the ‘Shockwave’ Phlox and its vibrant yellow/ green foliage, you can find almost any colour out there to suit your taste.

The favourite plant of my boss, and mother for this upcoming season is the ‘Big Blue’ Sea Holly, it’s a vibrant silvery blue with prickly foliage, making it a good pick for areas with deer and rabbits. These stand out very well planted with Golden or Concorde Barberries, Golden Junipers, and Angelina Sedum around their feet, which creates a drought tolerant garden!

Remember when picking plants, to take a good survey of your garden space, take into account how much sun is received, how strong winds are, soil quality, animal or human traffic, and so on. If a garden is to be close to a driveway or sidewalk, choose plants that are more tolerant to salt damage in the winter months. When planting a bed near a window choose plants that are aromatic like Clethra, Lavender, and ‘Blue Fortune’ Agastache.   The choices are endless so keep your eyes open for what suits you best, after all, it is your garden, you are the designer!



Welcome!

Welcome to the Girls in the Garden blog!

On this page you will find tips, techniques, and reminders for your garden throughout the seasons! Our hope is to offer you as many helpful hints and fun garden activities as possible so you can gain the full enjoyment that your landscape offers.

As your blogger, Alyssa, I am diving into a new area of horticulture that now includes therapeutic principles. As we all know, gardening itself in either a solitary or group structure, holds immense therapeutic values. What I am interested in is gaining a deeper insight into the horticultural world in the minds of our children.  Throughout my blogs you will see many activities geared to getting your children into the garden, learning, exploring, and loving.

Winter Arrangements

To create a winter display for your door, front urns, or for a dinner table centerpiece, collect evergreen boughs from Pine, Spruce or whatever your favourite may be, along with some Red twig Dogwood branches, Sumac berry clusters, and any seed heads left in your garden. When perusing the Christmas aisles, look for any red, gold, or silver decorations that could add some sparkle to your arrangements.

Twine these together with Grapevine, string, or simply push branches into soil, and lay decorations in whatever fashion you like. There are many different colour sprays to add character as well. Use your imagination, it’s your house, you’re the designer!

“As the winter sun rises, the snow lays a gentle blanket on all it sees, protecting plants, and giving it solstice as the winter months prevail. “                                 - Alyssa Tozer