ELVES
2069 Cooper Rd V0R 1X7 Gabriola, BC, Canada

Mints ........ Yes some are invasive, so pot them they are yummy. Then there is the mint family ..... which in deer territory are our friends, as deer do not like the smell of the mint family. Many are not invasive at all and are beautiful.... You may be surprised at who's in the family tree. Here are some of them: They include basil, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, oregano, sweet marjoram, rosemary, sage, savory, summer savory, anise hyssop, and germander. Some surprising members of the mint family aren't considered herbs at all: ajuga (the ground cover known as carpet bugleweed), bee balm, coleus, lamium (another ground cover), obedient plant (Physotegia virginiana), and salvia. Then there are many Agastache 'Hummingbird Mints' (Yes they do attract hummingbirds)

On one of our job sites today: Forsythia in all her glory. Tough as nails drought and deer tolerant. Just choose her site wisely, once planted she's there to stay.... There are many varieites from small to large ones like below. Here's a link to the 'Gardner's Path website for some ideas. https://gardenerspath.com//ornam/best-forsythia-varieties/

Grasses - When to cut them back, if at all. DECIDUOUS GRASSES: As a professional gardener where time is money I give my clients the choice. If we cut them down now it's faster as we do not have to work around the new grass shoots coming up. Yes there may be a few already, but nothing to affect the overall look of the plant next year if they get cut off. Where as in spring there are so many new grass shoots that if you just cut them back the grass may not look as pretty. Some...times the grass is just so beautiful you want to leave it through all or part of the winter and that's totally fine. EVERGREEN GRASSES: Just deadhead the grass flowers right back into the leaves in the fall. Then in the spring give them a good comb with you had rake or your hands to get rid of dead leaves. PLANTS CALLED GRASSES that are not grasses: E.g. Black Mondo Grass is an evergreen lily which you do not cut back. ONE DECIDUOUS EXCEPTION: Mexican Feather Grass. The leaves are so fine that if you cut them back the next year you have from my perspective a really ugly look. A couple inches of tan coloured grass cut straight across and the very fine new leaves sprouting above. I like to not cut them back and then have the two tones tan and green in the grass the following year. SEDGES: Some you cut back, most are evergreen and you just cut back seed pods in fall and comb or cut dead leaves in spring

Going on to yet another property here on Gabe with tons of Daphne laureola (Spurge Laurel). So here are some pics to help with identification. I also get asked a lot why nurseries still sell it. Simply it is not the same Daphne. Daphne audora is early blooming and oh so sweet smelling. Coming in plain green leaves or a variegated variety. It is not invasive. For correct Daphne removal here's the GALTT page https://www.galtt.ca/invasives.html

Soooo there's this common misconception that professional gardeners are seasonal workers. In some climates that is true. However on glorious Gabriola we can work most of the time. Snow and below zero temps are all that stops us. What is also true is that come March we are usually into full on spring gardening. With more work than there are hours. Working 7 days a week is not conducive to productivity, so we do not do that. As so many of us know getting competent, reliable gar...dening help in the spring is often not even feasible here. So give us a call now. We can get your garden all ready for spring . Weeded, perennials cut back, appropriate pruning done and mulched. So that you can sit back and get excited about what you want to plant or transplant this coming season. No lengthy clean up needed. Lifting the skirt on a shrub or tree makes a huge difference. Veggie beds ready for spring. We also know how to deal with Gabriola invasive species like Daphne and Broom. That as well is a great winter project. More info on our invasive species here on the GALTT website. https://www.galtt.ca/invasives.html Help me keep my 'Elves' working, all season long.

One of the reasons I love working in gardens is for moments that stop you in your tracks and take your breath away with their beauty. Here is today's moment. I came around the corner of the house, and 'Oh...." left my lips. Everyone on the team today took a moment to just stand and be filled with wonder, by being in the presence of this glorious being as she changes her colours. The photo really can't do it justice, the leaves looked like they were glowing with an internal f...ire. Spectacular! Trees like these teach us that in death we can shine the brightest.

Miscanthus Huron Sunrise in all her glory, a sight to behold. Just took my breath away this morning.