"Discover my secrets and gardening
advice for the Kawartha Lakes area. "
Ton Van Nieuwkerk
and special tips I discovered for the Kawartha Lakes area. I was born and grew up in Holland. I worked in the family bulb business. Later I consulted in a variety of horticulture businesses and now have over 40 years experience in the horticulture industry.
When my wife and I moved to the Kawartha Lakes region 7 years ago and starting up our Plantscape design business, we thought it was going to be a breeze.
Now after 5 years of plant trials and errors, I learned the secrets to gardening in the Kawartha Lakes area.
Over time more garden tips will be added to this page.
Thank you for visiting.The plants I advise you are with their original names.
Tip 1 - Buy your gardening plants for the right zone.
After 7 years of living here in the Kawartha Lakes area, I learned how hardy the Kawartha Lakes zoning area is. The Kawartha Lakes winters can be very harsh and some years we may not get the snow coverage that would protect your plants from dying.
According to the gardening zoning map, the Kawartha Lakes gardening zone is 5a.
After many trials of gardening plants and material, my gardening advice to you is to purchase your garden plant material for zone 4.
Tip 2 - Purchase your gardening plants that are locally grown.
Because of our harsh zoning area, I suggest you purchase plant materials that are locally grown in the Kawartha Lakes zoning area.
CAUTION
Please be careful, not all growers here in the Kawartha Lakes have the best quality plants and I would not personally quarantee.Many garden plants are grown south. The plant growers begin their growing season early and by the time the plant arrives in our area, the plants are in shock.
Because of this shocked state, your purchased plants will not continue to grow for the rest of the growing season.
Your gardening plant will be weak and will not survive a bad Kawartha Lakes winter.
No matter how hard you try to follow the gardening instructions, your new plant will not survive.
Tip 3 - Plant the right gardening plants in those hot dry spots
Do you have a nasty dry area, where the water cannot reach or you've come back to the cottage and all your plants have dried out? Click here for more gardening advice and a list of plants that I suggest to use in your dry Kawartha garden.