General growing and maintenance guidelines. Your plants and how to care for them…
My seeds have arrived. Some are just in time for planting and some are kind-of late but manageable. Just to be clear I have done a first batch of seeds. This is a second, last-minute batch. They are all heirloom varieties purchased from Seed Savers. I’m very excited! I’ve already opened every packet and inspected …
Despite being trampled and mistreated flowers are blooming in the shade garden. Here are a few photos taken this afternoon. Bleeding Heart – People say they are old-fashioned and boring but I disagree. Its unfurled, reddish foliage is one of the first signs of spring and the flowers look like crazy fifties bouffant hairdos or …
Today I attended the annual Parkdale Horticultural Society Plant Sale. There seemed to be less selection this year. I bought less plants then last year but still managed to break the bank.
Guest post by Niki Jabbour Weeding is one of my least favourite activities and in terms of fun I would have to rate it somewhere between getting a root canal and beating my head repeatedly against a wall. That said, there is a certain amount of satisfaction derived from yanking on a dandelion and having …
I need to start thinking about what I’m going to grow this year so decided to check out Richters Herbs to see what’s new. I’m completely blown away by some of the unusual new selections and thought I would share.
Spring really, truly is finally here and I’ve been taking every opportunity to capture it on film. This photo of a crocus cluster was taken in my garden using a homemade pinhole camera I constructed from a broken camera and a pie tin. Check out these planty pinhole photos taken in a greenhouse by Andreas …
The first signs of spring are slowly making their way to the surface in my garden.
Guest post by miss gard(e)ner Inhabit Hardiness Zones 5 through 8? Ready to start your growing season? The much anticipated moment has arrived. Planning Keep the following in mind when planning your garden: Climate: What grows well in your region? Space limitations: How extensive will your garden be? Domestic habits: What would you like to …
Last Saturday I attended the Seedy Saturday event here in Toronto. The turnout seemed to have grown since last year and of course so did my purchases. Where I will be gardening this year is up in the air so I have tried to hold back on making any plans, decisions or purchases. But who …
Guest post by Jane Eaton Hamilton “Doesn’t anyone just take it easy anywhere at any time anymore? Pass me a beer. I never studied Latin. I just want to grow plants.” I’m that frustrated, really. I’m climbing a braid of tangled clematis like it’s Rapunzel’s hair. This one’s a Clematis montana (what’s the story with …
The reality of any kind of gardening is that at some point you WILL encounter pests. While there are hundreds of products lining the shelves of your local garden centre designed to erradicate bugs from the garden, you probably have ingredients in your own kitchen that will do an effective job without contaminating the foodchain …
Guest post by Beate Schwirtlich A round this time each year huge pumpkins, some as big as a thousand pounds, are loaded–using either a forklift or a bunch of strong people and a tarp–into vans and trucks and taken to contests. Growers have spent months tending to these pumpkins that by now have become lumpy, …