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.
Early this morning, Justine, my stepson’s girlfriend, a prolific and inspiring Facebook-posting person, posted an image of a hand-drawn note entitled “Advice From A Tree”. Once again, Justine has inspired me. I can’t resist adding 7 more thoughts I think a tree might want to share: • STAY CONNECTED TO LOVED ONES. There are scientists actually…
Growing moss is an art that demands patience and diligence I discovered during a recent talk at the Toronto Botanical Gardens given by Frank Kershaw, one of my favourite speakers and a gardening guru par excellence. But there are shortcuts. Frank let us in on some fascinating information and unexpected tips for creating a velvety green…
“Every garden has a desert and a swamp,” he declared. OK. He had our attention. Finding the right plants for those unlovely spots—that’s the challenge. So when someone comes along and offers a tried and true list of plants recommended for your personal garden hell, well, hello! At the recent Landscape Ontario Congress, a huge trade…
We’re getting close to bulb planting time. We’re not there quite yet but that hasn’t stopped garden centres from busting out with heaving displays of flowers in every colour, shape and height. Once I finally get around to buying some (always way more than I need), I like to get them into the ground as…
Roses are fabulous flowers to have in a garden and, I’m discovering, not nearly as finicky a plant as you might think. Just give them a nice, sunny bed with a little elbow room and a banana. I’ll back up. I read once that the head rose gardener for New York City’s Central Park swore…
Last year at about this time, I had a tray full of seedlings–the promise of long twining, gloriously blooming morning glories. What I didn’t realize at the time was that they were doomed. Among other things, my kitchen window, sunny and inviting as it is, just didn’t offer enough solar power for my little green…
Grabbing hold of a fabulous new designer bag could put a little zing in my spring but, as the earth finally warms up, my heart usually beats faster for a shiny new weapon of weed destruction. This season, the must-have is a hori-hori–and not just because of its cool name. “Hori” is Japanese for “to dig” and,…
Pruning is one of those divisive words that can inspire fear, joy or annoyance but I think we can all agree that a shrub or tree, when in need of a trim and correctly pruned, looks the better and is healthier for it. But that’s the problem. How do you know what needs to be…
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 