So spring is finally upon us and it’s time to get back to the garden. My wife’s obsession, worthy of A&E’s Intervention, results in endless hours of computer research and countless visits to local nurseries selling what I coin ‘her lastest victims’. Unfortunately her love of gardening hasn’t always borne the fruits of her efforts!
If you love to garden you probably already know all the great local nurseries and garden supply stores in your neighbourhood. If you are a gardening novice then there are a plethora of places that you can go to find beautiful plants for your home and even more importantly some pretty helpful advice on how to fix your garden woes! Take the time and do a little research on what’s near you.
Typically our spring is finally under way when we make our first visit trip to Sheridan Nurseries. This was one of the first places that we visited when starting into the process of changing our backyard hay field into something a little more refined. Without the fine people there and their understanding of soil, lighting and how these factors relate to different species I’m not sure any of the successes that we have enjoyed would have been realized.
Following our annual adventure to the Sheridan family we commence the endless visits to the local Home Depot (where we’ve discovered mulch to be had at the cheapest price in the city) and many Loblaws gardening centres (her favourites are the ones at Leaside and Lakeshore/Leslie). If you live in the east end of downtown there is a great little store at the corner of Gerrard and Boulton that she visits frequently for the basics of our garden, hostas and lilies.
There are a million designs that you can choose when designing your dream garden. Ours is a shade loving, drought loving, lawn mower hating version. After the first couple of years it was obvious that neither of us had the discipline to keep on top of mowing the lawn and watering it so we ousted the lawn and went for low maintenance ground cover and plants that could survive in conditions most commonly seen in Las Vegas.
Condo gardening has become more and more popular these days. If you’d like to start in on this adventure, the first thing you need to do is to check with your condo board to find out the rules and regulations of your building, they most likely will have some restrictions for your garden. Check out this article for some great advice. (http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/05/06/here%E2%80%99s-how-to-grow-some-green-on-the-balcony/).
The outside appeal of your home is certainly a contributing factor to getting the most value out of your property when it comes time to sell. It’s not necessary to try and plant the Royal Botanical Gardens in your yard to realize these returns. In fact the most important advice that I can you give is to be realistic. A little realistic planning, patience and perseverance can supply you with not only a garden to enjoy but certainly with better bang for your buck.