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Jennifer in a mask, pole beans, hand holding a dahlia flower

Lessons From The Garden of 2020

The one real blessing of the last year was being home enough to spend at least a little bit of time in my garden every…

Plant bulbs now; you’ll thank yourself next spring

This fall, more than any other, I urge you to plant some spring blooming bulbs. Most of us are looking ahead to what is likely…

Deadhead Cosmos for More Blooms

I grew an orange variety of Cosmos flowers, called ‘Bright Lights’, and I’ve been loving their vibrant blooms! I had only grown the white ones…

Making a Coco Liner Fit an Oblong Planter Basket

I have a long rectangular planter basket on the side of my house. Pre-shaped liners (like these ones*) don’t seem to come in the right…

Is It Ok to Braid Daffodil Leaves?

About this time of year I start getting questions along the line of “My daffodils are finished blooming. Is it ok if I braid the…

How to Easily Remove the Hangers From a Plastic Hanging Basket

I’ve purchased many beautiful plants that came in those ubiquitous plastic planters with the plastic hangers on them. I’m not fond of the look of…

How to Grow Tomatoes From Seed – Part 3

So, you’ve planted tomato seeds (Part 1) and are nurturing them along with appropriate levels of light and water (Part 2). If you followed my…

How to Grow Tomatoes From Seed – Part 2

If you’ve followed all of the steps in part one of this tutorial, you will now have baby tomato plants, each with two little leaves:…

How to Grow Tomatoes From Seed – Part 1

I don’t believe that growing tomato plants from seeds is the best way for new gardeners to get into gardening (read my plea for new…

How Much Soil Should You Put in a Pot?

Everyone knows that plants need soil to survive and thrive, but I’ve recently realized that some people have questions about how far up the side…

Notes on Pruning Climbing Roses

With gardening, there is always more to learn. I’ve written previously about spring pruning roses, and I stand by the tips and techniques in that…

How to Prepare a Large Planter Pot for Planting

Large planters provide room for lots of creativity, and add more impact to a garden than you can achieve through a collection of small pots,…

Plant Profile: Monarda

Monarda is also known as Bee Balm, Oswego Tea and Bergamot. Rubbing the leaves releases a scent reminsent of Earl Grey Tea, and until very…

How to Make a Winter Planter Arrangement (2019)

I was really looking forward to decorating my new giant planter pot for Christmas this year, but hadn’t reckoned on needing to do it in…

The Flower Arranger’s Secret for Professional Looking Winter Arrangements and Urns

When you create arrangements with evergreens and twigs you inevitably need to cut some of the pieces shorter, This leaves a fresh, often bright white,…

How to Attach a Stick to a Pine Cone

I love using pine cones in my winter planter arrangements. They’re a nice decorative touch. You can buy pine cones with sticks already attached*…

What do you do with hostas in the fall?

That’s the question a new homeowner asked me last week. “I just bought a house and the yard is full of hostas. What do I…

How to get your small pond ready for winter

How to Get A Small Pond Ready for Winter

I’ve written previously about how I created my little pond (aka my pond-in-a-bucket) out of a hard sided pond liner. Because it’s made out of…

Gardening Is Paying Attention

While I was driving to work this morning I noticed that someone had wrapped all of the young deciduous trees and small shrubs in their…

Plant Profile: Night Sky Petunia

While out shopping for annual plants for my containers this spring I was stopped in my tracks by a petunia unlike any other I’d ever…

Do I Really Need to Clean the Mud Off My Tools?

I understand the temptation to just stash your tools away, mud and all, after a hard day’s work of gardening. Why bother to clean them…

How to Repair a Leak in Your Small Pond

I built a very small water feature in my back garden several years ago. It is essentially a pond in a black plastic bucket. Retailers…

How to build a small pond or water feature

Build a Simple Pond or Water Feature

In my garden I have what I not so gracefully call a pond-in-a-bucket. It is more elegantly referred to as a water feature. I installed…

Plant profile: Winter Aconite

The earliest bulb to bloom in my garden each spring is Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis). It’s bright yellow buds poke up through the soil as…

Long Branch Garden Tour 2019

The Long Branch Garden Tour took place on Saturday, June 22nd. This year’s tour, the third ever, was listed as the largest free garden tour…

Plant Shopping – August 2019

One of my favourite garden centres is closing in September, after more than 130 years of operation. Plant World is just 2 kilometres (less than…

How to Divide Hostas

Hostas are problem solver plants–they tolerate a lot of shade so perform well in areas where other plants often don’t, they emerge from the earth…

How to Have Full, Lush Garden Beds

For the style of gardening I like most and try to maintain, the goal is to have garden beds that are packed full of plants…

How to Have More Big Begonia Blooms

Begonias have amazing flowers. Vibrant colours and so many petals; each one is a little masterpiece! But have you noticed that some flowers…

How to Tell When a Hanging Basket Needs Watering

I believe that watering is the most important factor in determining whether or not you’ll have success growing plants in a hanging basket. Water them…

How to Fix a Weld Without Welding

The weld attaching the handle to my watering can broke a few weeks ago. This set me off on a quest to buy a…

How to Harvest Rhubarb

One of the first edible things you can pick in the garden each year is rhubarb. I usually start harvesting mine in late May or…

How to Rescue a Root Bound Seedling

The scene repeats itself again and again, in gardens around the world, every year. The story goes like this; you’ve purchased your seedlings and you’re…

What I Look For When Shopping For a Watering Can

Really, anything that holds water and can be carried can function as a watering can. But if you use your watering can a lot, it’s…

Plant Profile: Catmint

Catmint is a compact plant with small green leaves and small purple flowers that looks nice as an edging plant. Catmint is often confused with…

How to Prune Barberry (Berberis)

Berberis thunbergii, known as Japanese Barberry, has become a very common shrub in my area. Cultivars with dark burgundy leaves (like Berberis thunbergii ‘Royal Burgundy’)…

How to Prune Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are a fabulous shrub for the garden. Plant breeders have done some great work over the last decade or so to improve some of…

How to divide and multiply spring blooming primula

How to Divide and Multiply Primulas

Primula, commonly called primroses, are among the earliest perennial flowers to bloom in my garden. Their leaves are almost evergreen, although by spring they’re looking…

Compost for the garden: how savvy urban gardeners feed their gardens

Compost for the Garden (for Urban Gardeners)

If I lived on a larger property, I’d have a proper compost pile, or rather piles. Compost needs to be turned (stirred) periodically, and the…

How to multiply your patch of Alpine Strawberries (Fragaria vesca)

Dividing Alpine Strawberries

Strawberries are a great plant to grow, as there’s nothing quite like a truly ripe (not picked sort of ripe so they ship well) strawberry…