Just when it seemed like the warm weather would never arrive, it did! My garden has taken off: everything seems to double in size overnight, especially the weeds!

Never mind, now I can spend an hour or two after work digging in my garden, puttering in my greenhouse or just soaking up the sunshine in my brightly painted Adirondack chairs. Summer is here at last.

At Dig This, summer means lots of new products for your garden.  Every day we receive something new, from unique garden statues to colourful gardening hats to new and interesting tools. 

Summer also means "Sales" at Dig This.  Read on for more details. 

Elizabeth Cull, Franchise President

Dig This Nanaimo is relocating September 1st to a new and better location.  Our new store, still under construction, is in the new Metral Station Shopping Centre across from the Great Canadian Superstore at the corner of Metral Drive and Enterprise Way. Look for us on the Metral Drive side of the Mark’s Work Wearhouse building.

Christiane is pregnant (Congratulations, Peter & Christiane!) and can't move anything so Peter says most of it has to go.  In the coming weeks, we’ll be clearing out many items at huge savings.

In addition to in-store sales every week, there will be a Garage Sale clear-out every Saturday in July starting July 12th. Don’t miss these opportunities to get great things for your garden at terrific prices.

When we're in our new space, we'll have a Grand Re-Opening Event.  We're looking forward to serving  all our great Nanaimo customers - and those from many other places too - in our new space.

Peter & Christiane, Dig This Nanaimo

This is the event many of you have been waiting for:  our Summer Furniture Sale.

Starting Saturday, July 12th, all our IN-STOCK garden furniture is on sale at 15% off the regular price. We still have a good inventory of many items like glider benches and dining sets, but once these are gone that is it for this season.

This year, like always, we are carrying excellent quality “all-weather wicker" furniture – all with aluminum frames which won’t rust. This furniture is truly maintenance free: when it gets dirty, you just hose it down. Really!

We also have a line of elegant teak furniture for those who prefer the classic look of hardwood.
 

So little time, so much garden! Something we, at Dig This, hear all the time. Yes, we love our gardens but somehow, they are often just beyond our control. If you’re like me, you want to enjoy your garden, not be a slave to it. So here are some strategies I’ve used over the years to keep my garden looking good, and still have time left over to sit and enjoy it.

1. Focus on what you see. Consider how you look at and use your garden. Do you view it from your livingroom windows? Do you have a favourite spot where you like to sit to enjoy the sun? Do you eat outdoors? The areas of your garden where you spend the most time are the areas to concentrate on. Leave the rest to later.

I have a large garden on four levels. The parts of my garden that I view most often are between the parking area and the front door, and around my greenhouse. So, I devote most of my time to keeping these areas looking good. The rest of the garden is, shall we say, a little bit wilder! By cleaning up the areas I see most often, I get more satisfaction from my garden. The fact that the path to the compost pile is almost over-grown matters less because I don’t see it as often.

2. Clean up the obvious problems: pull large weeds, cut back dead branches, dead-head spent flowers, take the cuttings to the municipal yard or compost them, edge and mow the lawn. You’ll be surprised how even a little clean up will make everything look right.

3. Add some instant colour. Containers are great for adding colour where you need it. Visit a nursery and buy plants just coming into bloom. Pot them up and tuck them into the borders, or place them in groupings on your deck or patio. If you feel really inspired, purchase a number of plants to create container groupings. See our May 2007 Newsletter for ideas on how to build stunning containers: http://suburbiaadvertising.createsend.com/viewEmail.aspx?cID=95428D4DFE7210A9&dID=5CB9CB5A1CE688CE 

4. Add a focal point, or some whimsy to the garden. I had two rustic birdhouses that were missing their bottoms, so couldn’t function as birdhouses any longer. I placed them on the stairs leading from my front door and a "so-so" garden scene was transformed into something quite pretty. A gazing globe, bird bath or small concrete statue can have a remarkable effect in an otherwise “just ok” garden.

5. Mulch around your plants. Fresh mulch creates a finished look to set off your plants. Plus, it suppresses weeds and keeps moisture in the soil.

6. Gather some garden furniture into a cosy grouping. A couple of easy chairs, a hammock or garden bench invite you to sit and relax. Which after all, is what this is all about: having a beautiful garden to enjoy.

Elizabeth Cull, Franchise President
 

The wet spring has made roses particularly susceptible to black spot and powdery mildew. We're always being asked by customers how to combat these unsightly diseases.  Here's an easy organic recipe:

Mix 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp soap flakes in one litre of water. Spray roses thoroughly every 3-4 days, making sure you spray the underside of the leaves too for best results.

No, we're not talking about babies ... we're talking about hydrangeas!

The flowers of bigleaf hydrangeas are blue in very acidic soil and pink in slightly acidic soil. Check you pH. A pH level of 5.0 to 5.5 is ideal to keep your hydrangea flowers blue. If your soil is alkaline or only slightly acidic, ad sulfur or aluminum sulfate to turn the flowers blue. If you want pink hydrangeas but have very acidic soil (common here on the coast), add limestone to bring the pH up to 6.5 or 7.0.

Dig This had a store in Sidney for many years and ever since it closed, people have been asking when are we coming back.  Now we have an answer.

Dig This will be opening a store in Sidney in September at 2387 Beacon Avenue, right next to Muffet & Louisa.

If you are interested in this franchise opportunity, please visit our website at www.digthis.com/franchise

If you want perfection in the garden, there are some things you just have to own. A Haws watering can is one of them. You might say that it’s only a watering can but it is beautiful and very stylish. They are the kind of cans you just have to own if you're in any way serious about gardening.

I love my Haws long reach watering can which comes with a fine brass rose, plus a “downspout” that puts the water flow right where you want it. With the downspout attached, it’s the perfect way to water my containers and hanging baskets as it directs the water to the center of the pot.....no waste or spillage. A Haws watering can is always balanced when full of water, so It is much easier to hold and carry around than other watering cans.

It’s best to water in the evening when evaporation will be the least. If you have a lot of watering to do, save your back and use two smaller watering cans at the same time.

Virginia Parkhurst, Dig This Broadmead
 

• After the first flush of flowers, fertilize roses. Doing this will help your roses produce a good second flush in late summer. Remember to keep removing faded flowers.
   
• Don’t cut your lawn too short, it will take the hot dry weather much better if it is a little longer.
   
• Lift and divide bearded iris using the vigorous ends of the rhizomes. Discard the old center portion. Cut the leaves back to about six inches. Check out the BBC Gardener Iris fact sheet for more information: http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growflowers_liftiris1.shtml
   
• Tall flowers should be staked to prevent damage by wind. Use stakes which are large enough to support the plant but are not too conspicuous. Use soft twine or twist ties to secure. Better yet, come into Dig This and have a look at the Pin-ups Plant Support System. This modular system can adapt to meet all your plant support needs throughout the year.
   
• Pinch out the growing tips of basket and container plants to encourage them to produce bushy even growth and lots of flowers.
   
• Continue sowing lettuce and other salad greens, beans, beets, cilantro, kale, oriental vegetables, peas, rutabagas, spinach, swiss chard and turnips.  There's still time to plant veggies for winter and early spring harvesting.
   
• Check the soil moisture of container grown vegetables and flowers daily. As the temperature rises, some plants may need water twice a day.
   
• Harvest beets and other crops while they are still young and tender. Early potatoes will be ready to harvest soon. Check one plant first to assess the crop size. Leave them to develop further if the potatoes are too small, and water the rows every week.
   
• Harvest garlic when 1/3 of the leaves are brown.
   
• Never let onions go short of water or their yield will be severely reduced. Water plants thoroughly once or twice a week if conditions are dry, and keep down weed competition by hand or using a hoe.
   
• Attract insect-eating birds to the garden area by providing them with a fresh water source.
   
• Control mosquitoes by eliminating all sources of stagnant water.
  
   

International Heather Show.  The Vancouver Island Heather Society, in conjunction with the North American Heather Society, is hosting the 3rd Annual International Heather Conference in Victoria on July 31 to August 4th.  For more information, contact Norma Dirom at 250 746 1994, or nd2_nndirom@shaw.ca

The Land Conservancy of British Columbia is offering another conservation holiday later this month at Duck Creek Farm, Wednesday, July 23 to Friday, July 25, 2008

Conservation holidays are a new concept to many Canadians but they are quickly gaining popularity as an affordable and inspirational way to vacation. If you want to learn about organic agriculture in B.C., John Wilcox from Duck Creek is your man. He’s a fixture in the local farming community and his energy and passion for local food is inspiring. The principles of bio-dynamic agriculture are practiced here, emphasizing ecological diversity, optimum soil health and plant vitality.

Activities on this farm will include: the great garlic harvest, stream habitat work, transplanting starts, harvesting produce for market and planting seed for a winter vegetable garden. There will also be plenty of time to go for a dip in nearby St Mary’s lake.
For more information or to book this holiday: Call 1-888-738-0533 or visit www.conservationholidays.ca
 

The Peninsula Garden Club meets at 7:30 pm on the second Monday of every month at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney.  For more information, contact Judy Vosburgh at j.vosburgh@shaw.ca

Many of our downtown customers have asked where Birdie, the "old girl" who used to sit on a bench outside the store, has gone.

After many years working at Dig This, greeting customers and being the perfect prop for pictures, Birdie has retired.  She's now tending her own garden and enjoying a tranquil retirement.

Best wishes, Birdie!