Ingrid Janssen | March Speaker Q&A
3. Hosta leaf removal – Spring or Fall
Answer: There is no right or wrong answer to this question, it really depends. Hosta leaves tend to go mushy after a good frost and many gardeners prefer to clean them up in the fall and also to control the eggs of slugs and snails who like to dine on the leaves. I have started leaving the Hosta leaves in my garden to allow the leaves to decompose naturally. And the slugs and snails are food for the toads. It really is your choice.
4. My purple smoke tree doesn’t smoke. When should I prune it?
Answer: Purple smoke bushes benefit from good pruning in late winter or early spring to help maintain shape but if your tree is not blooming it may be that it is not getting enough sun. Smoke trees need full hot sun to encourage blooming which will lead to the ‘smoke’ from the spent blooms.
5. What garden shows do you recommend that would be most helpful with our zone.
Answer: There are a number of gardeners with YouTube channels that provide information relevant to our climate zone. Here are a couple that I follow:
1) Julia Dimakos Gardening Girl lives in Mono Ontario and does a great garden blog and YouTube videos that focus mainly on vegetable gardening —> https://www.juliadimakos.com;
2) Erin Schanen The Impatient Gardener is a master gardener and blogger in Wisconsin with a climate zone much like ours. She covers ornamental as well as vegetable gardening —> https://www.theimpatientgardener.com;
3) Jeff and Marjorie Mason have relaunched their Rogers TV show Let’s Get Growing via their Facebook page which contains lots of seasonal garden tips —> https://www.facebook.com/masonhousegardens
4) Mark and Ben Cullen publish a regular newsletter and have YouTube videos as well —> http://markcullen.com
Continue on Tab 3