Dear Helen: A very old, broad clump of garden phlox has gone bare at the middle. How can I renew the plant? There are fresh, young clumps of new growth around the edges.
S.D.
Select the best, youngest clumps of new growth from around the perimeter for replanting. Prepare their new sites well with a sprinkling of bone meal and compost or some other soil amendment. Then lift out the selected young plants and install them into their prepared locations.
A minimum-labour alternative: Use a root knife or other sharp, serrated knife, or a sharp-edged digging shovel, to cut and lift out the old centre and some of the soil around it. Fill the emptied space with a high quality topsoil or rich compost and mix in some fertilizer. Leave a few of the best clumps of new growth in place to form a fresh planting and dig out the rest. Cultivate lightly and mulch around the outer edges of the young plant pieces with a nourishing, moisture retaining compost.
Dear Helen: I’m becoming increasingly alarmed at the rising cost of fresh vegetables, especially the prices on lettuce. I think it’s time to grow more of my own. What lettuces are the easiest to grow and which are the most space saving?
M.W.
I’ve been following the news recently about the price increases you have noticed. The cost of fresh vegetables went up 14 per cent between February 2018 and February 2019, and in the same time period prices on lettuce rose 20 per cent.
Leaf lettuces are probably the easiest to grow. I’m particularly fond of oakleaf lettuce. So far, Baby Oakleaf from Seed Savers Exchange (seedsavers.org) is my favourite. Its compact form gives it space efficiency and the plants are dense, attractive rosettes of flavourful leaves.
You’ll find a broad range of other leaf lettuce choices on local seed racks. Or, buy small flats of lettuce transplants. They are inexpensive, but look for transplants that are young and robust.
Two miniature lettuces, Tom Thumb butterhead and Little Gem romaine, are absolute winners that I grow every year. These little lettuces are both densely packed with succulent leaves. They produce more food in the space they occupy than most lettuces.
Tom Thumb is an heirloom variety with soft, crumpled leaves that form tight, fully packed little heads around a creamy heart. Little Gem has long been popular in Europe as a gourmet lettuce. These small heads of romaine also form around a nicely blanched, sweet heart.
Little Gem’s leaves have a more crisp texture than those of Tom Thumb, making these two lettuces an appropriate pairing. Both are easy to grow and fast to form heads. West Coast Seeds has both.
Plumped soils kept moist grow plump, juicy lettuces. Mix generous amounts of a rich soil amendment into the soil before seeding or transplanting. Most soils will need at least a light liming. If extra moisture retention is desirable, add also some coconut fibre (sold in bags at some garden centres and supply stores).
Send your gardening questions to Helen Chesnut at hchesnut@bcsupernet.com and she will try to incorporate them into a column whenever possible.
GARDEN EVENTS
Lily meeting. The Victoria Lily Society will meet this evening at 7:30 in the Salvation Army Citadel, 4030 Douglas St. James Miskelly, co-owner of Saanich Native Plants, will present Native Lilies and other Geophytes of Garry Oak Ecosystems.
Nanaimo meeting. The Nanaimo Horticultural Society will meet this evening at 7 in the First Unitarian Fellowship Hall, 595 Townsite Rd. Jamie Wallace will present Soil and Regenerative Landscaping. Information at 250-758-6783.
Floral art. The Mid Island Floral Art Club will meet on Thursday at 2 p.m. in St. Stephen’s United Church Hall, 150 Village Way in Qualicum Beach. The theme will be Spring Tulip Design. Information at 250-752-1858.
Dahlia sale. The Victoria Dahlia Society will hold its annual Tuber and Plant Sale on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Knox Presbyterian Church, 2964 Richmond Rd. This sale will include rare and exclusive varieties.
Peninsula sale. The Peninsula Garden Club will host a Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, 9 to 11 a.m. in the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney.
Mill Bay sale. The annual Mill Bay Plantaholics Plant Sale will be on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2836 Oceanside Lane in Mill Bay. Members of the Victoria Master Gardener Association will be on hand to answer questions. Pay by cash or cheque only. Proceeds from the sale are divided between support for a young Malawian woman’s education and Somenos Transition House — a program of the Cowichan Women Against Violence Society.
