As a gardener, spring is the most inspirational time for me. But I have to admit, I truly love the fall. Despite today’s rain, fall in Victoria usually means bright, dry, crisp days. It’s always possible to don a warm sweater and find a little spot of sunshine to sit in and admire nature’s beauty.  There's still lots to admire in our gardens - rosy sedums, late roses, flowering viburnums.

Fall is the time when gardeners “put their gardens to bed”. We tidy, we putter, we clean and put away tools, we plan for spring blooms and we reflect on our successes and failures in the garden and make plans to improve next year.

And so the cycle continues: even as I harvest the last (still green!) tomatoes and cut back finished perennials, fall crocuses have come to bloom and the leaves of muscari are pushing up in my containers. No matter what the season or the weather, there is always something in a garden to soothe the soul.

Elizabeth Cull
Franchise President
 

Between now and the end of December, you can plant spring-flowering bulbs like tulips, daffodils, crocus, muscari, alliums and others. The sooner you shop for your bulbs, the better the selection will be.

Speaking of selection, this year we have selected some really interesting varieties for you. Check out the gorgeous double daffodils, like Narcissus ‘Delnashaugh’ shown here. Or the exotic Erythronium ‘Pagoda’ or Allium ‘Hair’ shown to the right.

Not all bulb varieties are in all Dig This stores, but each store will have something unique to tempt you.
 

As many of you already know, our Nanaimo store has relocated to Unit 2 - 6334 Metral Drive, right across from the Great Canadian Superstore. Now that we’re all moved in, we want to celebrate our bright new store with a Grand Opening.

Please drop by our store on Saturday, October 4th from 9 am to 5:30 pm and check us out. The first 100 customers will receive a free pair of gardening gloves.

Be sure to enter our draw. The first prize is a teak and all-weather rattan patio set (table and four chairs)! Other prizes include a great gift basket and gift certificates.

Besides the chance to win prizes, everything in the store will be 10% off the regular price on Saturday, plus 5% of the day’s sales will be donated to Variety Children’s Charity, which supports children in Nanaimo.

We love our new “digs” and we know you will too.

Peter & Christiane Kamerman, Owners
Dig This Nanaimo
 

In our growing area, November to February is the best time to plant fruit trees - unless the ground is frozen!  Planting in the fall or winter, gives the trees time to settle in before new growth starts in the spring. Plus, winter rains will help keep the plant watered.

You can choose between “bare root” trees, “balled and burlapped” trees, and trees in containers.

If you are planting a bare root tree, a good suggestion is to have a hole dug before you leave for the nursery for your tree selection. You do need to plant these on the day of purchase!

Balled and burlapped trees are field grown and have an easier adjustment to your garden soil. They are usually superior to those in a container – trees in containers may have been there for too long and have tightly wound root balls. When selecting the a balled and burlapped tree check that the root ball is firm and wrapped tightly.

When deciding on your fruit tree keep in mind that semi-dwarf varieties are great for a small area: they are easier to prune and it is also easier to pick the fruit. Some nurseries offer trees that have more than one variety grafted on to the same trunk. It’s like having two fruit trees in the space of one.

The perfect location for your fruit tree is your sunniest and warmest location that has good drainage. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep. The number-one cause of fruit-tree death is planting too deep. If you purchased your fruit tree bare root, look for the bud union scar and keep it about 2.5 cm (1 inch) above soil level. If you buy a newly potted tree, plant the tree only as deep as it was in the container. Plant the tree with lots of compost and peat moss to improve your soil, and add bone meal to give good root growth.

Next, give your newly planted tree a good deep watering. For the first two summers, provide deep watering two to three times per week. Once established, a weekly watering will do.  I like to use a transplant fertilizer when watering for about six months after planting shrubs and trees to avoid transplant shock and wilting leaves.

With fruit trees, during the first year do not allow fruit to develop. I know it’s hard to do, but this will make your tree stronger. Then in the second year, let a small crop mature (about 8 – 10 fruits). In the third year, you will have a healthy and productive tree and be the envy of all your neighbours!

For more information, see http://www.gardenwiseonline.ca/gw/sustainable-gardening/2005/04/01/grow-fruit-trees

Virginia Parkhurst, Owner
Dig This Broadmead
 

Fall is a great time to start a new compost pile or refresh an existing one. Don’t rake your leaves to the curb, gather them and mound them in an out-of-the-way spot where the wind won’t scatter them and let them break down to a marvelous organic soil amendment or mulch.

Shredded leaves break down to usable compost more quickly than unshredded leaves, so run your lawn mower over them or better yet – try our Leaf Mulcher. This mulcher shreds leaves in seconds and turns 11 bags of leaves into 1 bag of fine mulch which you can add to your compost pile or spread over your beds as a great fall dressing.
 

We spotted this imaginative use of small pumpkins as containers in the October issue of Garden, Deck & Landscape. It’s so fun, we just had to share it.  When you're finished with the pumpkin containers, just plant them directly into the garden!
 

Fall is a perfect time to get a greenhouse – not only because we’re having a sale and you can save some money – but because you’ll be able to over-winter tender plants and get a head start on next spring by starting plants and cuttings in your greenhouse. Besides, like I tell everyone, it’s also a wonderful spot to relax when it’s too cool to sit outside.

Until September 30th, the Supreme 8' by 6' greenhouse is on sale for $1099, plus you get a free automatic vent opener worth $90.
 

When I first posed this question, my immediate answer was “find a warm spot in the sunshine and enjoy the beautiful colours of the fall garden!” However, in a more practical vein, here are some fall gardening tips:

• Plant garlic and spring bulbs.
   
• Divide crowded perennials like peonies, Siberian irises, astilbes and other spring-flowering plants. When a perennial blooms less than in previous years, it’s time to dig, divide and replant.
   
• Apply compost to planting beds. Although most plants’ nutrient needs decline as the weather cools, your garden will benefit from a fall application of compost. The compost’s slow-release nutrients will feed plants gently without encouraging late-season growth.
   
• Replant container gardens. We are lucky to be able to grow beautiful container gardens year round. Renew your summer plantings with cool-season annuals like winter pansies, chrysanthemums, flowering kale, sedum, heuchera and grasses.
   
• Do a soil test – find out whether you need to replenish nutrients in your garden beds before next spring.
   
• Propagate tender perennials by taking stem cuttings of geraniums and coleus before they are nipped by frost. Rot them in small pots of moist potting soil. Cover the pot with a plastic bag to maintain humidity while the cuttings take root.
   
• Plant a cover crop. If you have a vegetable bed, sow a winter cover crop to protect the soil and add organic matter. Try winter ryegrass, red clover or crimson clover.
   
• Clear away debris from the base of rosebushes. Fallen leaves can hold diseases that might overwinter.
   
• Water, water, water. Give all of your plants a good drink, especially your trees. Their roots need plenty of moisture to make it through the upcoming months.
   
• Plant fruit trees, ornamental trees, shrubs and evergreens. Early fall planting gives new plants enough time to get their roots established before winter.

Everyone loves our all-weather wicker glider benches. But this year, we have a few left that really need to go to a good home, where their owners can enjoy them in the peace and quiet of their gardens, porches or sun rooms.

These gliders are regularly $525, but the last 5 gliders are on special now at $350. Cushions are extra.

Also, if you purchased a club chair from any of our Dig This stores this season, you might like to check if we still have a matching ottoman for your chair. All remaining “orphan” ottomans are on sale at 50% off.

The restaurant at Abkhazi Garden Starting is open from Monday to Friday from 11am to 3pm for coffee, lunch or afternoon tea, starting October 2nd. There is no admission charge to the garden from October to March 1st -- though donations are always appreciated.

And don’t miss the Abkhazi Fall Lectures which are held every Wednesday night in October:

Wednesday, October 1 – 7:30 pm
Richard Layritz - Victoria's Remarkable Nurseryman
A slide presentation by Leslie Drew

Wednesday, October 8 – 7:30 pm
Capturing the New - The Architectural Photographs of Selwyn Pullan
& Hubert Norbury, 1950 – 1970
Presented by Allan Collier

Wednesday, October 15 – 7:30 pm
Preserving the Modern with heritage consultant Don Luxton

Wednesday, October 22 – 7:30 pm
Rare birds: The Art of Fen Lansdowne
A slide presentation by Nick Tuele

Wednesday, October 29 – 7:30 pm
In Search of Soul, Art in Architecture
A short film will be shown with commentary by
architects Terry Williams and Alan Hodgson

The cost is still $8 and $32 for the series of 5.
 

Thanks to all our great customers and friends who came out to Dig This Sidney’s Grand Opening on September 13th.

We had a great time welcoming you to our new store. The lucky winners of our gift baskets were: 1st Prize, Ruth Gunning; 2nd Prize, Trudi Jones; and 3rd Prize, Sylvia Gill.  Congratulations.

Ann Watley, Owner Dig This Sidney