Bastian Gardening

07/05/2026

Garden Notes from Almonte | Jul 5–11

🥕 In the veggie garden: Prioritize deep, infrequent watering over frequent shallow watering. Shallow roots increase heat stress vulnerability. Harvest frequently. Diseased or yellowing foliage goes in the garbage, not the compost. Most home compost piles don't get hot enough to kill pathogens.

🌸 In the perennial beds: Keep tall perennials staked as summer storms move through. If you haven't mulched around root zones yet, do it now. It makes a real difference in soil temperature and moisture during hot spells.

🌺 In the annuals: Same heat rules as the veggie garden. Consistent watering, deadheading, and watching for stress. If petunias are looking tired and straggly, cut them back by half. They'll recover and bloom again in a few weeks.

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06/30/2026

The ask: Keep the basement window mostly clear, low bee attraction near the pool, and something low-maintenance for this long, narrow poolside bed.

The delivery: Heucheras and blue sedges intermingled and ready to fill into a full, lush planting you want to run your hands over on the way to the pool. 😍

06/28/2026

Sometimes all you need is someone to design what's already working. The plants loved this spot. The eyes not as much. Love this little garden refresh!

06/28/2026

Garden Notes from Almonte | Jun 28–Jul 4

🥕 In the veggie garden: Harvest, water, w**d. Pick frequently. A plant that is regularly harvested keeps producing. A plant left to go to seed stops. Water deeply at the base, not the leaves. If you want fall root crops, get another round of carrots, beets, or beans sown now.

🌸 In the perennial beds: Deadhead where you want rebloom. Water in the morning so foliage dries before evening. Wet foliage overnight encourages fungal disease. Hold off on dividing perennials again until late August, early September. Keep taking notes on fall divisions.

🌺 In the annuals: Keep up with deadheading and watering during dry stretches. Annuals in containers need more water than those in the ground. If petunias or similar annuals become leggy, cutting back by ~1/3–1/2 will reset growth and rebloom potential.

Happy Canada Day. 🍁

📍 bastiangardening.com | 613-818-5453

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06/21/2026

Garden Notes from Almonte | Jun 21–27

🥕 In the veggie garden: Keep summer crops trained, staked, and mulched. Fill any gaps with succession sowings. When you remove spent spring plants, you can cut them at the base and leave the root entirely.

🌸 In the perennial beds: Cut back any spring plants that have fully finished. Keep w**ding and watering deeply. Walk the beds and note which clumps look crowded or are flowering poorly. Those are your fall division priorities. Write it down. You won't remember.

🌺 In the annuals: Keep cutting and deadheading. Zinnias and cosmos are peak cutting flowers right now. If impatiens are getting leggy, cut them back by a third. They'll branch and fill out.

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06/16/2026

Can't wait to see this little shade garden fill in! A few removals/relocations, new native additions, and reorganization of existing plants make all the difference.

06/16/2026

Garden Notes from Almonte | Jun 14–20

🥕 In the veggie garden: Early greens and peas should be ready to pick. As you clear finished cool crops, replace them right away. Empty beds grow w**ds. Watch for powdery mildew and insect pressure as the weather warms. Airflow between plants is your best prevention for both. Heat stress risk begins rising, so monitor watering more closely during dry spells.

🌸 In the perennial beds: Maintain mulch and begin light feeding only if plants are clearly underperforming (avoid routine fertilization in most garden soils). Keep deadheading repeat bloomers. It keeps them flowering. Pull weak self-sown seedlings so your established plants aren't competing for resources.

🌺 In the annuals: Midsummer annuals should be hitting their stride. Keep deadheading and water consistently. Irregular watering causes bud drop in some annuals. If anything looks sparse or has stopped blooming, cut it back hard. Many annuals will rebound and bloom again.

📍 bastiangardening.com | 613-818-5453

06/02/2026

So grateful for clients who trust me with their gardens and share moments like this one. Six blooms on this yellow lady slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum), a native wild orchid, rarely seen in cultivated spaces. What a privilege.

05/31/2026

Garden Notes from Almonte | May 31–Jun 6

🥕 In the veggie garden: Warm-season planting is now appropriate once night temperatures are consistently above ~10°C and soil is steadily warming. Do not rely on calendar timing alone. Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, cucumbers, and squash only once conditions are stable. Even brief cold nights can stall growth or cause long-term setback. Begin direct sowing beans when soil reaches ~15°C. If germination is slow or patchy, soil is still too cool. Continue mulching as beds fill in. Organic mulches stabilize moisture and reduce w**d pressure during rapid spring growth.

🌸 In the perennial beds: Deadhead roses and other repeat bloomers. If peonies are finishing, remove the spent flowers but leave all the foliage alone. It feeds the roots all summer. Stake anything tall before summer storms arrive. Division is still possible, but success depends on moisture and temperature stability. Avoid dividing during heat spikes or dry spells.

🌺 In the annuals: Everything should be in the ground by now or well on its way. Keep deadheading. It's the single most important thing you can do to keep annuals flowering. A plant that sets seed stops blooming. Water at the base, not the flowers.

📍 bastiangardening.com | 613-818-5453

05/24/2026

Garden Notes from Almonte | May 24–30

🥕 In the veggie garden: This is hardening-off week, not full planting week for warm-season crops. Tomatoes, peppers, basil, cucumbers, and squash can be moved outside during the day to harden off, but should not go into the ground until nights are consistently above ~10°C and frost risk has passed, typically late May to early June in this region. Beans should be sown directly in late May or early June, once soil reaches ~15°C. Cold soil will delay or prevent germination. Continue mulching as beds fill in. Straw, shredded leaves, and grass clippings (thin layer only) help stabilize moisture and soil temperature.

🌸 In the perennial beds: Spring bloom is peaking. Apply mulch (5–8 cm shredded leaves or wood chips) if not already done, but keep it away from crowns to prevent rot. You can continue dividing and moving perennials if needed, but expect reduced flowering or no bloom this season on disturbed plants. Water well after transplanting and avoid dividing anything under heat or drought stress.

🌺 In the annuals: Hardy annuals may be hardened off, but tender annuals should still be held until end of May unless nights are consistently warm. Direct sow zinnias, cosmos, and sunflowers as soil warms. They require heat for reliable germination.

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