BLOG.SWEETPEABLOOMS.CA

Great news for gardeners this tax season!

sweetpeablooms — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:54:00 GMT

This year, money really does grow on trees! Yes, all those guilty little pleasures you bought from the nurseries and plant centres could actually save you money this tax season!

The Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) applies to eligible home renovation expenditures for work performed, or goods acquired, after January 27, 2009 and before February 1, 2010. The HRTC can be claimed for renovations and enduring alterations to a dwelling, or the land on which it sits. This includes landscape services and products! A 15% credit may be claimed on the portion of eligible expenditures exceeding $1,000, but not more than $10,000, meaning that the maximum tax credit is $1,350.

Renovation costs for landscape related projects are eligible for the credit, along with associated expenses such as building permits, professional services, equipment rentals and incidental expenses (like plants, trees, and shrubs).

Properties eligible for the HRTC include houses, cottages and condominium units that are owned for personal use. Expenses such as labour, building permits, equipment rentals, professional services and incidentals are also eligible. Do-it-yourself labour is not eligible for the tax credit, but many of the building supplies and plant material you have put into your garden could be! Receipts will be needed, but consumers are not required to submit the receipts with their income tax file to Revenue Canada. The receipts will be needed if Revenue Canada requires confirmation of those projects.

What Can I Claim?

· purchasing trees, shrubs, perennials

· decks, retaining walls, pathways

· irrigation and lighting systems

· ponds and waterfalls

· garden sheds

· laying new sod

· professional landscape design services

· professional landscape contractor services

Listed as not eligible: annuals, lawn and garden maintenance, tree maintenance, snow removal, hanging baskets, containers and planters.

Who Can Claim?

About 4.6 million families in Canada are expected to benefit from the credit. Taxpayers can claim the HRTC when filing their 2009 tax return. Eligibility for the HRTC is family based. For the purpose of the credit, a family is generally considered to consist of an individual, and where applicable, the individual’s spouse or common-law partner. Family members will be able to share the credit.

For more information, please visit www.cra-arc.gc.ca/hrtc/

*Disclaimer: The information provided is a compilation of articles found through the Government of Canada website and other service providers. Sweetpea's highly recommends that you speak with your accountant regarding the HRTC and how it can be applied to your specific project and tax filings.

How to Make Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

sweetpeablooms — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:53:00 GMT

If there is one thing my husband knows will always melt my heart, it is chocolate dipped strawberries. These little pieces of joy are the one thing he knows are a guaranteed hit with me. Usually I am surprised with them a few times a year, hopefully I get a delicious fridge full for Valentine's Day this year.

This is a simple receipe that even I have been able to help with (and for anyone who knows me, I can't cook to save my life).

Ingredients:

1/2 pound milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 pound white chocolate (or another 1/2 pound milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate), coarsely chopped

12 medium-sized ripe but firm strawberries, preferably with stems still attached

Directions:

If using 2 different kinds of chocolate, put them into separate metal bowls large enough to rest inside the rim of a medium saucepan; if using all of a single kind of chocolate, put it in a single metal bowl.

Add a couple of inches of water to the saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and, resting a bowl of chocolate on top of the rim while making sure that its bottom doesn't touch the water in the pan (creating a double-broiler), melt the chocolate, stirring frequently. Repeat with the other bowl, if using more then one type of chocolate.

Hold a strawberry by its stem and dip into a chocolate of choice, turning to coat about two-thirds of the berry, leaving only the broad stem end uncoated. Place on a sheet of waxed paper to cool and set. Meanwhile, repeat with the remaining strawberries.

When all the chocolate has set on the dipped strawberries, transfer them to individual candy cups or onto a doily-lined platter. Store in a cool place until serving.

Sweetpea's is pleased to offer chocolate-dipped strawberries to our customers when pre-ordered before Wednesday, February 10th, 2010. Call or email today!

The Final Straw - Insulating the Garden for the Winter

sweetpeablooms — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:42:00 GMT

I know my neighbours thought I had finally lost it in the Fall when I brought 15 bales of straw home in September only to store them haphazardly on the side yard for the past three months. At one time they served as autumn decor for our Fall Bulb Sales, then they seemed to create a "little house" for the motorcycle as we piled them like a fort beside our Suzuki M50. Once they started to actually sprout they created a "chia pet" effect, making me the hit of the neighbourhood with all the kids coming home from school - "Look mom, now it is growing grass". Ahhh, but now my plan will finally come into effect. For the first year ever, I am attempting to insulate the garden for the winter.

Over the last week we have seen temperatures fluxuate as much as 20 degrees, going from above freezing to "oh my god it is *$%^#! cold out". Living on a long corner lot, my garden seems to take the ravages of the city's salt. Plus, moving from the Caledon area I lost the precious mountain of snow that protected many of my more delicate plants from the thawing and freezing that seems to happen with Toronto's fluctuating winter temperatures. Last year I lost several precious plants, including my Amber Waves (which I had proudly saved year after year while my mother lost in the first season). So this year, I have had it. This is The Final Straw!

This afternoon, on what seems to be the coldest day on record (well not really, but it is bloody-well freezing out there), I will suit up with long-johns and my husband's ear-flap toque for my final gardening adventure of the year. I am breaking into those bales (hoping they have not frozen together completely) and placing them over the now frozen ground. Now, I have to admit, this is an experiment so I can't give you a 100% guarantee that it will work, but if it does, I will have spared many of my favourite plants from the harsh reality of winter in the city.

If you plan to try the same method, you should wait until the ground is completely frozen before applying the straw. I have chosen straw over other options, like pine boughs or fall leafs, just out of convenience. I had them handy, so I figured, reduce, reuse, recycle and give this method a shot.

The whole process is pretty straight-forward. Apply a thick layer of straw over frozen ground. Leave it alone for the winter and remove once the Spring thaw has begun and before bulbs start poking through the ground.

During my research into mulching with straw, I was told to be watchful of the grain going to seed in the garden resulting in enough weeds to feed a cow for the season. Here's a great tip . . . store the bales uncovered outdoors over winter. The bales get wet, causing the grain to germinate in autumn's warmth, then winter cold kills them off. Presto! Come spring, you've got problem-free mulch (at least I hope so).

THE DOWN AND DIRTY . . .

Winter Mulch

Mulching for the winter protects plants from drastic temperature changes in the soil, insulating plants against extreme cold, and also prevents soil erosion. Don’t mulch too early, though, as it may encourage disease and pests. It is best to wait until after the first frost when the ground starts to freeze. In general, 4 to 6 inches of mulch, such as dried leaves, pine needles, shredded bark, or pine boughs, will provide an adequate layer of protection for your softer plants.

The Garden at Westminster :: Backyard Planning

sweetpeablooms — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:29:00 GMT

This month we are sinking deep into the couch and escaping from the fridgid cold outside. With all the rushing around from one client to another in the peak season, I rarely get a chance to catch my breath and take a break.

I am a workaholic through and through. This is the first year I have experienced "down time" over the winter months. Usually I have a bustling graphic design business that keeps me busy. This year, I have chosen to take a break and focus on creating a business plan for Sweetpea's, going to florist school, maybe taking some workshops on landscape architecture and green roofs.

Sean and I are planning the back garden this year, along with our garage. For the past year and a half the renovations inside the house have taken top priority. The backyard became a junkyard, literally. I am sure my neighbours looked over the fence and shook their heads with a disapproving look. What can I say? We had a choice, a kitchen and furnance or a beautiful backyard with raised beds, a pondless waterfall and brick garage with green roof. To me the choice was simple, but alas, Sean preferred not to cook on a hot plate in the basement for another six-eight months. Oh well, I guess we all have our own priorities.

With all the design and consultation work I do for other people, I have learned a lot about what I would like to see in my own garden. I need to put a lot of thought into creating a versitile space that will keep an avid gardener happy, without a lot of maintenance required. That is a tall order.

Being on the corner lot, across from the park, I use my side garden as a testing ground for products and techniques as well as a display hoping to entice new clients. The back garden needs to be a retreat. A space where Sean and I can sit down at the end of the day and hide from the world. We have started scratching out ideas on how to make the most from this space. We want to ensure privacy from the park, while still providing a beautiful green space for those passing by on the street. After numourous trips to city hall, the committee of adjustments and by-law offices, we have permission to move the fenceline out to the sidewalk, essentially doubling the size of the backyard. Several compromises had to be met, including fence height restrictions, providing green space facing the park and keeping the garage's final size to a minimum. Attached is our first real kick at the can. We are on a budget, so we need to plan carefully as we'll be doing most of the work ourselves.

Stay tuned over the next year to see as our dreams become a reality . . .

Winter Container :: Design & Installation

sweetpeablooms — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:48:00 GMT

Sweetpea's is proud to offer Winter Containers to new and exisiting clients. We can use containers you already have, building custom arrangements to fit, or source out new containers to suit your home decor.

Call for your custom arrangement today!

No Scorched Earth Here! :: Fall Clean-up for Winter Interest

sweetpeablooms — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:50:00 GMT

GUEST WRITER :: Char Montgomery

Now that the gardening season is over and winter is on its way, some people think they must strip their flower beds back ruthlessly - uprooting annuals, cutting back perennials and sweeping away every wayward leaf.

The result - a clear stretch of brown soil to look out at all winter. How boring! Hopefully, you will have planted some shrubs in your garden to provide winter interest, but perennials can also provide visual impact through those bleak wintery months. Ornamental grasses can be left at full height, as well as perennials such as astilbe. The feathery plumage will give a distinctive touch to the winter landscape. Even some annuals, like Dusty Millar or Ornamental Cabbage will keep their colour for a long time after freeze-up.

Cutting down all your perennials to ground level may also be hazardous to their health. If we don't get sufficient snow coverage (which is quite possible here in Toronto), perennials may suffer from the variations in temperature which cause thawing and then a killer frost. To help in this regard, we recommend insulating your tender plants (see "The Final Straw").

While you can leave some remnants of your garden in place of the winter, the one spot you should clear is your lawn. While raking leaves is no joy (especially on chilly November days), leaving them on the lawn can cause problems in the Spring as they mat down and smother the grass underneath. Some people try to time their raking just right - when the last leaves have fallen, but the first snowfall hasn't arrived. Of course, that doesn't always work, but it can be worth a try!

While the city suggests that you rake your leaves and put them out for yard waste pick-up, why give up that fantastic organic matter? Instead, create your own rich compost for the garden! Bag fallen leaves (with the exception of oak leaves) in plastic bags with some airholes poked through the sides. Throw in a handful of fertilizer and a shovel-full of soil and store them in an out-of-the-way place over the winter. In the Spring, the bags will be half the size and the contents will be well on their way to first-rate compost!

DID YOU KNOW? :: Tulip-Mania

sweetpeablooms — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:35:00 GMT

While the world is slowly recovering from the economic meltdown of last year, it's interesting to know that it's happened before, and the commodity of financial ruin was tulips! In the early 17th century, the introduction of the tulip bulb from Turkey to the Netherlands created a frenzy of interest in this new flower. The original red, yellow and white colours were increased by exotic varieties created by a tulip virus, which resulted in vibrant flame-like petals. These became status symbols and drove the price of bulbs through the roof. Because the bulbs wouldn't bloom until the following year, trading became a "futures market", with all the trappings of our current financial exchanges (short selling, margins etc.). At one point, a single bulb could cost more than a year's salary for a skilled artisan. Of course, this volatile situation couldn't last forever, and in February 1637, the market collapsed and tulips were no longer viewed as a monetary investment.

Luckily, today, we can buy lovely varieties at a reasonable price and have a beautiful spring garden to fit any budget.

Layering Bulbs :: How to get more bulbs into your urban garden

sweetpeablooms — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:20:00 GMT

It is late Fall and my husband, Sean (wonderful man that he is) is outside planting bulbs while I plan out layering of bulbs on the dining room floor. From outside the window I hear him yell out . . . "Not all these bulbs will fit in the hole."

"Then dig a bigger hole", I yell back and go back to my boxes of bulbs, trying to figure out the best way to get the five boxes of bulbs into my very small corner garden.

"I dug the hole where you said, but there are already bulbs in here" calls out Sean.   I drop my spade and wander down the garden path to survey the situation. Yup, he has dug up a pile of my precious lilies while trying to pack fifty bulbs into a spot that should really only hold fifteen.   "$*#!, ok, well, move over a foot and try there instead".   What choice do we have? It is the last week of October and the frost is ready to hit any day. I have run out of "I'll do it tomorrow" days and now, I have one afternoon to plant all the bulbs that didn't sell. I stare at the five large boxes in the dining room and wonder if my supplier has anymore stock available . . . I know I can get more into the garden. Bulbs are an addiction. I just can't seem to get enough.

Have I lost my mind? Probably. But I love Fall bulbs. They are a gardener's gift to themselves. We do all the work of planting them in the Fall, and then after the drudgery of the cold, grey, winter months, we are overwhelmed with a colourful display of blooms that lasts for weeks with next to no work involved. What more can you ask for from your garden?

On final count, we planted, wait for it, 1677 bulbs this year.    Yup, that's right. 1677.   What's even scarier, we already had over 3000 bulbs from the previous year. Keep in mind, if you have seen our garden, it isn't a big space (approximately 15' x 40').   How do we do it? Quite simply, we make less work for ourselves. No, seriously. With some careful planning, we planted all those bulbs in just one day. How? We layered our bulbs. We packed more bulbs into less holes.

"Bulb Lasanga" as my mum happily calls it, is a simple way to fit a lot of bulbs into our small Toronto gardens.   Rather than planting a few bulbs here and a few bulbs there and then complaining you've run out of room, try layering your bulbs this year. Layering bulbs is a great way to get bang for your buck in a small garden. A little planning will help create a display of blooms lasting from March through to August.

Step One :: PLANNING

First, we take all the packages we have purchased and lay them out into piles, noting the blooming season on the package (ie. early Spring, Mid-Spring, Late Spring and Summer). We then start our planning indoors with a warm cup of tea in our hands. We look at the bulbs and start to lay them out into small piles based on colours that compliment each other, adding in a package of bulbs from each of the blooming seasons.

For example, in one pile we would include . . .

· Dwarf Iris (Late Feb - Early March)

· Giant Crocus (Mid - Late March)

· Species Tulips (Early April)

· Mini-Daffodils (Mid-late April)

· Mid-Season Tulips (Early May)

· Darwin or Parrot Tulips (Mid - Late May)

· Lilies (June - Early July)

· Allium (Mid June - July)

Sounds like a lot to fit into one hole - well, it is. And that's the point.

Step Two :: PLACING

Bring your piles of bulbs outside and place them into the garden. The colourful packages when lying in a heap in the garden will help you invision what the display of colours will look like. Move the piles around in the garden until you have a good balance of colour.

Step Three :: PLANTING

One hole, dug approximately 12-14" deep and 24" wide can fit over 40 bulbs when planted in layers.

Place the largest, late blooming giant Allium bulbs into the bottom of the hole. Add an inch or soil on top of them. Add the next layer (in this case lilies), then more soil. The tulips come next. Add more soil. Eventually you will work your way up to the top of the hole with your dwarf iris' and crocus planted only a few small inches from the top of the soil.

See the diagram below to see how this method can work for you.

Step Four :: SQUIRREL PROOFING

Now I make no guarantees on this, but the best method I have discovered is probably the easiest one. Simply stomp the ground as hard as you can over your freshly planted bulbs. The squirrels look for disturbed earth. If the ground is packed tightly they will figure none of the other squirrels have buried something there and will move onto another location, hopefully leaving your bulbs alone. I lose less then a quarter of my bulbs a year to squirrels. My biggest loss is actually to people who pick my flowers for their own enjoyment.

** Side note, last year I lost over half my tulips in one morning after a man came by and picked my place clean. It was only thanks to my neighbour across the street who chased him off was I able to save the rest of my precious blooms. Please respect the time, money and effort that goes into other people's gardens. Don't pick flowers that don't belong to you. If you see someone doing this, speak up. The homeowner will thank you.**

Step Five :: ENJOY

In the Spring, as one flower finishes off, the next series is already coming up in its place. This means you get continuous blooms for weeks. Just cut back the old foliage after it has yellowed, but before it goes to seed so the bulbs have the nutrients to start the whole process over again next year.