Tip of the Week

Plan ahead to save time

Sometime during the week, when you are driving or riding the bus or train or traveling for the holidays, think about how you are going to gather all the supplies (plants, soil, tools, fertilizer, compost and mulch) at the job site prior to starting the work to be done.  Planning is as important as the actual planting. If a garden bed is planned with care the bed will look better, take less time to plant and produce better and longer than one that is thrown together.

Jack McKinnon is a garden consultant and owner of The Garden Coach.

Don't Mess Up Your Mulch

While you're cleaning up under your roses and other shrubs, be careful not to disturb the lower levels of mulch!  Many critical beneficial insects overwinter in egg or larval form in leaf litter and mulch beneath your plants!
Annie Joseph is a 'green gardening' professional and her seminar will help you discover ways to keep balance in your own garden.

Build a trellis

What's the secret to building a sturdy bamboo trellis? Plastic zip ties. Use 14-inch plastic zip ties, rather than twine, to secure bamboo poles together. The zip ties cinch down tightly, and unlike twine, they never stretch or sag. For a traditional-looking trellis, simply wrap twine over the zip ties to disguise them.

Willi Galloway is the creator of digginfood.com.  She will be teaching the secrets of building trellises at the show.

Tips for succulent success

- Many succulents appreciate some shade or protection from intense sunlight. Most do well in as little as 2-3 hours of direct sun each day.  Succulents like soil that is well aerated and drains well. Coarse bark or crushed lava work well for this; sand does not. Succulents are very efficient at collecting, storing, and using water and also efficient in their use of nutrients.  So they are happy with smaller doses of fertilizer than most plants.
Robin Stockwell is the owner of Succulent Gardens Nursery and will be offering all his best tips for succulent success in his DIY Stage seminar at the show.