Pine Needle Mulch, Compost ~ Rhododendron Azalea Winter Preparations at Brueckner Garden

---

November 8 Monday: Volunteers to spread 20 tonnes of compost 

---

The countdown is on to the first snowfall of the winter: Will the compost get spread before winter sets in? Happily the weather forecast for the second week in November is for sunny and fairly mild days. With the weather cooperating, all that's needed is a bit of help from our Friends of the Garden to spread the 20 tonnes of compost coming November 8!

Pine Needle Mulch New Rhodo Beds East Garden Port Credit

This past week, volunteers David, Lynne and Karen (moi!) worked on several mornings adding pine needle mulch around the rhodos and azaleas in the East Garden. A few hardy azaleas rewarded us with mauve blossoms. These plants were new to the Garden this year, and all are looking very healthy and happy in their new location.

Wheelbarrows full of Pine Needle Mulch for Winterizing  Rhododendrons

Spreading pine needle mulch is one of the easier garden tasks: the mulch is light, and it smells wonderfully pine-y! Toss in a sunny fall day, and the work goes fast. Not only does mulch acidify the soil, among other things, it also helps keeps weeds at bay and conserve on water.

Landscape Fabric Rhododendron Azalea Bed Pre-Mulch

Volunteers also worked on this bed near the new benches overlooking Lake Ontario adding a patchwork of landscape fabric first to help keep weeds out, water in. New plantings were added to established rhodos and azaleas this season. Landscape fabric and mulch added this year will help in the goal to make the Garden beds lower maintenance in the years to come.

Re-Locating Iceberg Roses, Planting New Roses Fall Garden 

Volunteer and Garden stewardship committee member Terry demonstrates his hole-digging skills as the Iceberg roses from one bed were moved to another bed of Iceberg to fill it in. Then volunteers and staff planted several new rose varieties in the newly-emptied bed.

Head Gardener and Volunteers Get the Rose Garden Job Done!

Here's another view of the 'new' rose bed. Almost all the plantings, new and established, shrubs and perennials and trees, are looking very healthy and happy this fall. They promise to give a wonderful show of blooms next spring and summer.

What better way to say goodbye to a glorious Autumn that to spend time out of doors with a congenial group helping grow the Garden?

If you can help, call 311 and let us know. Or leave a comment below. Or just come by the Garden (Lakeshore and Shawnmarr) on Monday November 8 as close to 9 a.m. as you can. Bring gloves if you have them, a snack and a drink.

See 20 tonnes of compost unloaded, shifted and spread in record time by men, women and machines. Have a look at photos of compost spreading photos from last fall and fall garden prep and planting.