Growing Tips

Helpful hints on how to successfully plant your newly purchased nursery stock

We highly recommend Landscape Ontario’s article here.

Pruning is an essential part of gardening. Correctly pruned trees, shrubs and evergreens will be superior in appearance, vigour and in flowering to neglected plants.

We highly recommend Landscape Ontario’s article here.

Whether a plant is new to your garden and in need of some additional attention to ensure that it makes it through its first winter or you are pushing the zone limits and growing a variety that is only marginally hardy in your area, winter protection is something that you should be thinking about in the next few weeks. Wrapping, mulching and mounding are the three most common techniques for protecting plants.

We highly recommend Landscape Ontario’s article here.

Proper lawn care techniques, done at the right time, can make your lawn greener than it’s ever been!

We highly recommend Landscape Ontario’s article here.

We highly recommend Landscape Ontario’s article here.

Trees and Shrubs have a large variety of problems ranging from minute insects to large animals. Maintenance is required to keep ahead of these problems. You must learn to pick out signs of trouble and act upon them quickly. Try to avoid the stresses of drought or root damage to help reduce insect infestations. Plants that are well nourished, fertilized and watered regularly are more capable of withstanding disease and insect attacks.

Containers allow you to bring the garden to the deck, patio, steps, driveway or the front entranceway. By using hanging containers, colour can be added to sheds, garages — any place you can mount a bracket!

Thinking about updating your landscaping to up your curb appeal, or just looking for something new?

It’s a great idea to continue to improve and maintain your lawn and gardens. It increases your ability to sell quickly and perhaps even the value of your home, it improves the look of your neighbourhood, and it can even create a greater sense of pride in your home. Nowadays it’s so easy to find inspiration from Pinterest, lifestyle blogs, home and garden magazines and television shows, and even through a Google search. The only problem is that unless your source is local, there can easily be a discrepancy between what they are able to achieve and your ability to copy that look exactly. This isn’t the case with a lot of home renos, but the fact of the matter is that we are bound by our climate and what specifically can grow well here. Depending on where you live, a type of plant may either thrive or struggle due to the growing conditions.

We are here to help!

1. Figure out your ZONE.
   You first need to find out which plant hardiness zone you live in. This will help you figure out if certain plants will do well in your area. “Hardiness” refers to the ability of a certain plant to withstand the cold of winter in the open air. And as we know all too well, it can get cold here. To figure out the zone you live in, visit our Plant Hardiness Zone map (maps for Canada only available).
2. Determine your planting environment.
   In addition to your hardiness zone, you have to take careful note of the specific area of your property you are wanting to plant in. This is going to be comprised of the distinct characteristics of your soil type, sun exposure, other plants in the area, etc. Here are some questions to consider:
   • Is the area sunny or shady?
   • What type of soil is there? Is it sandy or clay?
   • How permeable is the soil?
   • What other plants are near your planting area? (Some plants do not grow well next to other specific plants!)

   These questions will help you determine what will grow best in your garden area. Every area is unique, and you will be happiest with your final results if you choose plants that will thrive with your elements.

3. Find your inspiration.
   This is where you get to be creative. Start searching for what you like and don’t like. Pin websites, rip pages out of magazines, snap pictures of other homes on your Sunday drive, etc. If you are really organized you can create a Pinterest board or file to collect your ideas. Or just keep a tally in the back of your mind of your likes and dislikes.
4. Plant search.
   From there, I recommend you try our PLANT SEARCH feature. This can help you out in a couple of ways. First, if you have the names of the plants you are interested in, you can type it into the search bar and quickly find out all sorts of information about the plant, including if it is available in your zone, and the environmental characteristics is will grow best in (like sun exposure, soil type, etc.)! If you don’t know the name of the plant (perhaps it is something you saw in a neighbours yard!), you can fill in as much information as you know about it, and it will make suggestions based on the characteristics you listed. Pretty great, right? You can then make a list to print off and bring to your local garden centre. Here’s another things I’ll mention: if the plant is in our plant search feature, we likely will have it in stock here at Paterno Nurseries!
5. Ask the experts.
   If you are just looking for a new rose bush or you need to replace a few cedars, you probably don’t need a lot of advice or direction (although we are always here to help!). However, if you are wanting to totally revamp your current landscaping gardens or if your thumb isn’t particularly green, I would recommend you come on in and utilize the knowledge and experience of our staff. They can help you make a decision on what plants grow well together, what will look great in your space, and how to put it all together. Also, give us a call before you come and ask about our free landscape planning. Yes, that’s right, FREE!
6. More is not more.
   If you decide to go it alone, without help from a professional, may I just make one suggestion: more is not more. The goal is not to fit as many plants into your space as possible. And instant gratification will often leave you with problems in the future. Here’s what I mean: to achieve the look you want with trees and shrubs it will often take a few years. They need to be spaced appropriately so that they will grow into a lush looking garden. Far too often homeowners get antsy and plant bushes too close together, and in a few years time their gardens look overgrown and the plants don’t thrive.
7. Substitute if necessary.
   Sometimes the exact plant you have on your inspiration board isn’t available in the climate you live in. Or perhaps it is, but it wouldn’t do well in the location you have imagined it to be in. The good news is that there are often other varieties of plants available that can get you the same look you are trying to achieve, even if the exact plant won’t work in your landscape situation. As you make your plans, just be aware that this could be the case, and be open to the possibility when plant shopping. Who knows – you may end up with something better that you had imagined!

Happy planting!