Here’s what you can grow in Ottawa this spring

Colin Matassa is here from Robert Plante Greenhouses to answer all of your questions.

Spring is here and summer is around the corner, which means it’s the perfect time to start planting your favourite flowers, trees and shrubs.

Perennials, shrubs, berries and even kiwi plants can grow in Ottawa, Colin Matassa from Robert Plante Greenhouses told CTV Morning Live Friday.

He says that the kiwi plant is a vine that can grow on the fence. He says it’s a plant that likes the sun.

“And it’ll actually produce fruit. It’s self-pollinating. So, you would only need one. If you plant more than one, you’ll get even more fruits. That goes for all the berries,” he said.

The vine can stay in the ground in winter, he says.

The time is also now to plant the hellebores, which are the first perennial flowers to bloom, he notes.

An open house is taking place Saturday at Robert Plante Greenhouses, where people can find a variety of trees, perennials and shrubs to grow this spring, he adds.

How do you give a boost to your trees and prevent insects?

“In the springtime, you want to make sure that you give a good application of tree fertilizer. This is going to give a good boost to your trees and shrubs. It’s just a granular fertilizer, so you just sprinkle it around the base of your trees and shrubs,” Matassa said.

To help prevent insects from taking over your fruit trees, he recommends using a dormant oil spray.

“And this is a spray that you spray on your fruit trees or rose bushes,” he said. “You want to do it before your buds have opened on the tree, so that’s why they call it the dormant spray.”

Mulching garden beds

Matassa recommends mulching garden beds, citing multiple benefits.

“It helps to supress all the weed in your garden. Nobody likes having weeds. I recommend putting a nice-thick layer, you want it about three inches thick to help keep the weed all the way down. The other thing is it helps to retain moisture in the soil, especially on those hot summer days,” he said.

“Over time, the mulch decomposes and breaks down in the soil and adds more nutrients to the soil.”