For gardeners who love the “why” as well as the “how”, ideas and pro tips covering everything from growing moss to lowering your garden’s temperature and untangling the issues around invasive plants.
Less than a week has gone by and I’m raring to stuff all the Christmas decor back into their various boxes, bins and tins and shlump the lot to the basement for storage. But, instead, we’ll keep everything up and twinkling for at least another few days. All the (step) kids and their kids are…
Funny how sometimes the most taken-for-granted things can suddenly change the way you look at life. Take electricity, for example. Yes, it makes random stuff go like my computer, the dishwasher and my battery-powered wine bottle opener. But, up until recently, I wasn’t thinking of it in terms of powering anything living such as plants…
Earlier this year I dived into the whole snail seedlings debate. That was the thing about whether starting seeds in a snail-like wrap of paper towel (which makes for a terrific imitation of a giant sushi roll BTW) was actually a better way of growing seedlings. I’m pretty sure the debate is still raging. Allow…
We know that plants communicate. Childhood fairy tales taught us this way back in the day. And, in the last four or so decades, hard core, just-the-facts-ma’am researchers have proven that plants of all sorts, from weeds to willows, have means of transmitting chemical signals in order to attract pollinators or defend against predators. But…
Last week, the temperature dipped to -51C, the lowest I’ve ever experienced. And that was in the morning. Mind you, wind chill was factored in but even still it was frigging cold. We’re in the small, fabulous town of Fernie, British Columbia–our home for half the year every winter. Fernie is a ski town. We…
I can’t think of a better way to close the year than to share with you a remarkable book I’ve been reading. The Forest Unseen by David George Haskell is nothing short of breathtaking in scope and style, remarkably so given that the entire book focuses on one small patch of forest floor just a…
There’s a lot of talk about nativars–cultivars of native plants (read: cultivars of plants native to your region.) Ultimately, are these plants a good thing or a bad thing? Unfortunately, nativars can be more colourful, larger, taller, sturdier, hardier, etc., etc., but at the cost of being sterile, blooming in colours that insects don’t recognize…
If you’re a big fan of mushrooms, like me, you might have enjoyed that video on how mushrooms can save the world six different ways that I mentioned in my last post. If that’s the case, then you’ll be just as excited as me to learn that, in addition to mushrooms potentially cleaning polluted soil…
I so rarely see news headlines that speak directly to the deeply geekoid gardener in me that I had to share these two stories that recently popped up in my media feeds. And, really, who doesn’t love a good story about lichen or, um, martinis? 1. The mini-universes of inland British Columbia One of my…
I drew a maple leaf the other day. Just a doodle, really. I wanted to try out some newfangled coloured pencils. The pencil lines turn into watercolours if you trace over them with a wet brush. I got half way through my drawing when I realized something wasn’t quite right. I’d drawn the veins without…
Hello, there. It’s been awhile, I know. What prompted me to dive back into blogging’s depthless waters was a long wait at the post office. On the wall was a poster displaying Canada Post’s recent issue of its annual flower stamps. The lush colours were as seductive to my snow-weary eyes as an oasis to a…
Ever wonder how plants know when to start growing again in the spring? We know that temperature and light have something to do with it. Well, scientists led by the University of Cambridge have discovered the real mechanics behind what stimulates plant growth: a ‘thermometer’ molecule. Science Daily reported October, 2016, that: ” Researchers have revealed…
You’ll never experience a walk in the forest the same way again after viewing this eighteen minute TED Talks lecture (June, 2016) by professor of ecology Suzanne Simard who explains how she used hard science (while out-running grizzlies) to discover trees talk to each other. From identifying “mother trees”, the hubs of vast symbiotic mycorrhizal…
Please check one or more of the following: ___ Do you have a yard or land near you under invasion? ___ Is it possible that you have an alien invader living in your front or backyard and you don’t know it? ___ Are you in cahoots with an invasive plant and happily providing it with…
When it comes to growing a cooler backyard, for once I’m not talking about edgy, eco garden design trends. As southwestern Ontario continues its record-breaking heat wave, gardening is now all about the temperature. And since last month (July, 2016) was the hottest month around the world in recorded history, I don’t think we’re alone in…
Horticulturist, Arborist and Garden Columnist
Celebrating gardens, photography and a creative life
Garden of Flowers, Beads, and Yarns
ruminate vb. to chew (the cud)
Reflections On A Life in Exile
Saint Andrews Forest Farm Blog
a chat over the garden fence
There's always room for one more plant.
a little garden near Gawler
.....and nurturing my soul
Ministry of the fence 