Remembering with a rose

Whether your country is part of the Commonwealth as mine is (Canada) or not, you may have joined me in having some quiet thoughts about the remarkable woman everyone knew as Queen Elizabeth II. Even if you’re not into monarchies, you have to give her credit for her steadfastness and grace under pressure throughout a…

6 easy shortcuts to an English country garden

I read an article recently about some gardeners in North America (ok, the U.S.) who’d designed lust-worthy gardens evocative of an English country garden and it occurred to me that, despite the fact that the gardens did indeed have that distinctive English Country Garden vibe about them, there wasn’t any information about why exactly they…

Rose success from bed to table

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…

An impatient gardener’s wish list

Dear Santa, All I really want for Christmas won’t fit in a box or under a tree. And, I’ll warn you, they’re not easy to wrap up with a ribbon and top with a bow. Yes, I am demanding. But I thought I’d give you the benefit of the doubt. So here’s my list of 15…

Avoiding premature bloom buys

Is that beautiful rose calling your name? Are you thinking about splashing out on that gorgeous shrub with the deep discount price? Garden centres are good at selling plants. And if you’ve fallen in lust with a luscious rose dripping with blooms, then the store has done its job. But keep this in mind: some…