What are the gardening challenges you face in your part of the country?
Sunday on Cross Country Checkup: gardening nation. We'll have expert green thumb, Ed Lawrence standing by to take your questions,about Canada's number one past time. What are the gardening challenges you face in your part of the country? What is your best gardening tip to share? Is there a plant that thrives particularly well in your region? With guest host Susan McReynolds.
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INTRODUCTION
Gardening is Canada's number one past time. And today we'd love to hear about the things that are growing well in your garden - as well as those that could do with a bit of help. Maybe it's a particular plant that is giving you grief? Or perhaps it's a more general problem that you are having with pests or soil or the hundreds of other hurdles to a gorgeous garden. Or perhaps you have a tip to pass on. Or a favourite shrub or tree or perennial that you think others might like to grow.
One of the things that's great about this program is the opportunity to hear from so many of you across the country. We`d like to know about any particular challenge that your geographic location is giving you. Maybe the soil or the wind makes it hard to grow certain kinds of plants while others are thriving. We'd love to hear how you are trying to overcome the challenges and what you are managing to make grow.
While you may have rolling acres to work with, some of us have to make do with much tinier spaces. I live high in the sky. My only outdoor space is a small balcony. So I have had to get very creative. This year I think I have cracked the problem. When you live in a vertical neighbourhood, best to go with as vertical a garden as you can. So stacked pots and containers, an upside down garden and even using a small barbeque to hold plant pots when its not been used for cooking. Even in a four by eight foot space I can grow tomatoes and peppers, strawberries and herbs, flowers and lettuces. But there are plenty of challenges, including how windy it can get sometimes. So if you, like many Canadians, live with a balcony as your outdoors, how do you get around that and maintain a little green patch? We'd like to hear from you too.
I am very happy to have gardening guru Ed Lawrence with me for the whole program today to hear your stories and answer your questions. Ed is the author of a book called "Gardening: Grief and Glory" and today we want to hear about your stories of gardening grief and glory.
Our questions: What's giving you grief in your garden? And is there something that's growing gloriously?
I'm Susan McReynolds ...on CBC Radio One ...and on Sirius XM, satellite radio channel 169 ...this is Cross Country Checkup.
GUESTS
Ed Lawrence
Gardening expert, longtime chief horticultural specialist at Rideau Hall, Ontario Today regular and author of Gardening Greif and Glory.
Tim Walsh
Horticulturist and Nursery Manager at the Memorial University Botanical Garden in St. John's, Newfoundland.
Linda Gilkeson
Gardening Instructor and author of Backyard Bounty: The Complete Guide to Year-Round Organic Gardening in the Pacific Northwest.