Dear Helen: Since my two small apple trees began blooming last month, I’ve been concerned over the lack of bees, except for a few bumblebees. A neighbour suggested fertilizing by hand with a paintbrush. How would I do this?
K.M.
Though honey bees are considered the main fruit tree pollinators, other insects like moths, butterflies, wasps and flies also play a role. I noticed flies visiting the flowers of my plum tree last month.
You can gather pollen from one tree’s flowers on a soft paint brush and shake it into a small, dry container. Then brush the pollen onto the blooms of the other tree. I’m presuming that they pollinate each other.
Dear Helen: I’ve been given the advice to wait for night temperatures to remain consistently above 10 C for a week before cleaning up the garden and planting, to ensure the soil has warmed sufficiently. I waited, but night temperatures where I live on the Island remained below 10 C throughout April.
J.F.
The general guideline of waiting to plant until overnight temperatures stay above 10 C applies to cold-sensitive transplants like tomatoes and peppers. Cold April nights did delay many plantings, but not all. Optimal soil and air temperatures for planting vary widely among the many different plants we grow.
How soon you remove winter mulching materials to prepare the soil and plant depends on what you are seeding or transplanting. A simple soil thermometer is a useful guiding tool.
For outdoor seedings, cucumbers need a minimum soil temperature of 15 C, while peas, radish, carrots and beets need only a minimum of 5 C.
Because of high temperatures arriving suddenly in early May in recent years, I tend to push for the earliest possible sowings of all but the most heat-loving plants. The peas, carrots, beets and bok choy I seeded at the beginning of April are all up and growing. My hope was to get these plantings to a sturdy enough stage to stand up to high heat if it comes again this spring. As well, I have shade cloth on hand to protect heat sensitive plantings.
You’ll find charts of minimum and optimum soil temperatures for various seedings on the internet. The Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service site is one source.
GARDEN EVENTS
Floral arts. The Mid Island Floral Art Club will meet on Thursday, May 9, at 2 p.m. in St. Stephen’s Church Hall, 150 Village Way in Qualicum Beach. Members will build a vignette. [email protected]
Plant a hanging basket. Dinter Nursery, 2205 Phipps Rd. in Duncan, is hosting a Build a Basket for Mother’s Day event on Friday, May 10, between 3 and 5 p.m. Drop in to participate. Details at .
Plant Sales on Saturday, May 11
Victoria Horticultural Society. Garth Homer Centre, 813 Darwin Ave., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Annuals, perennials, native plants, fruits, vegetable transplants. Details at .
Victoria Rhododendron Society. Show and Sale at Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Specialty rhododendrons.
Compost Education Centre. Haegert Park, 1202 Yukon St., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Over eight organic plant vendors, parent and child gardening, music.
Garden Babies for Birthright. Peggy’s greenhouse, 550 Langvista Dr. in Langford, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Perennials, flowering shrubs, over 30 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. Cairnsmore Hospice Volunteer Gardeners. Cairnsmore Place, end of Cairnsmore St. in Duncan. Starts at 9 a.m. Large selection, arranged alphabetically by Latin name. Ladysmith Saltair Garden Club. Aggie Hall, corner Symonds St. and 1st Ave., Ladysmith, 9 a.m. until sold out. Perennials, annuals, shrubs, herbs, house plants, vegetable transplants, Mother’s Day gift plantings.
Alpine Gardeners of Central Vancouver Island. Nanoose Place, 2925 Northwest Bay Rd. in Nanoose, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Co-hosted by Eswyn’s Alpine & Rock Garden caretakers and celebrating the 15th anniversary of Eswyn’s Garden. Large selection.
Musical garden tour. The Victoria Conservatory of Music Mother’s Day Musical Garden tour of 10 springtime gardens will be on Saturday and Sunday, May 11 and 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Two-day pass $45. For details and ticket sources go to
Mother’s Day tea. Abkhazi Garden, 1964 Fairfield Rd. in Victoria, is hosting a Mother’s Day Tea on Saturday, May 11, and Sunday, May 12, with three sittings: 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. each day. By reservation only at 778-265-6466.
