Dear Helen: My masterworts (Astrantia), which are located in four different areas of the garden, all failed to bloom this year. Other perennials that have grown in their same places for several years produced no bloom, and a Therese Bugnet rose had one blossom before going on strike for the summer.
M.M.
Sometimes, plants do just decide to take a break. Apples, for example, can give a bumper crop one year and almost nothing the next.
In the case of perennials, a lack of bloom can often indicate that the clumps need dividing, which can be done in early fall or early spring. At this point, I’d wait until spring, ideally just as the first new sprouts begin to appear. Select for replanting the youngest parts of a clump from around the outside edge and compost the old clump centre.
Drought and soil depletion can also be involved in lack of bloom, though these also result in generally poor plant growth. It’s useful to cultivate lightly around perennials as they begin re-growing in late winter or early spring, and then lay a nourishing compost around the clump.
If your Therese Bugnet rose is a long established shrub, it may need renewal by pruning out some of the largest, oldest branches and cutting other stems back to shape the shrub. Thin to allow optimal circulation of air and sun exposure. These measures should promote new growth with a good potential for bloom.
Do this at the first signs of growth bud swelling in late winter or early spring. After pruning, clean under and around the shrub and mulch with compost.
Dear Helen: My food harvest was a disappointment this year. The fruit trees and bushes produced practically nothing. Critters and bugs were responsible for some of the losses. My plots are raised bed boxes, 120 by 240 cm, raised 60 cm above the surrounding ground level. Can you give me some guidance on refreshing the soil in the beds?
R.Q.
I am wondering about the ultimate soil depth and the spacing for the fruiting plants in your boxed beds. Most fruiting shrubs and trees need ample space and root room. I’d first check the plant spacing and possibly do some “editing” of the plants in your beds.
To refresh the soil, consider carefully removing some of the old soil from corners and edges of the beds and replacing it with a nourishing compost. Then cover the soil with a generous mulch layer of leaves, chopped straw, shredded newspaper or other suitable organic materials on hand. Keep the mulch away from the bases of trees.
In the spring, remove the protective mulch layer and consider gently raking away a top layer of the uncovered soil and replacing it with more high quality compost laid over a light scattering of a balanced, slow-release, natural-source fertilizer.
GARDEN EVENTS
View Royal meeting. The View Royal Garden Club will meet this evening (Wednesday, Oct. 23) at 7:30 p.m. in Wheeley Hall behind Esquimalt United Church, 500 Admirals Rd. Entrance off Lyall Street. Robb Bennett, research associate at the Royal BC Museum, will present information on spider species in the province. Non-member drop-in fee $5.
Floral Art. The Victoria Floral Artists Guild is celebrating 55 years of floral design with Floral Art Passion, a public show with floral demonstrations, vase and floral design sales and a tea garden on Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Our Lady of Fatima Parish Hall, 4635 Elk Lake Dr.
Walk and talks. Russell Nursery, 1370 Wain Rd. in North Saanich, has resumed its popular “Walk & Talks” sessions — brief (20 to 30 minutes), informal but informative talks that take place outdoors, around the nursery. On Saturday, Oct. 26, join Kat for a “Plan for Winter Interest” tour to inspire gardeners with plants that offer beautiful colour and form during winter. Attendance is free and drop-in. Meet under the big willow tree in the parking lot at 10 a.m.
Holiday wreath making classes. Registration is open now for wreath making classes at Russell Nursery. There are 21 classes between Nov. 16 and Dec. 10, with a Dec. 15 class for children 13 and under: Kid’s Table Arrangement. Proceeds from registration for this class go to the Saanich Lions Food Bank. Find more information and register, with payment by credit card, at .
