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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…

Plant Profile: Giant Scabiosa

Cephalaria gigantea, commonly called Giant Scabiosa, is a tall, cheery perennial plant for a sunny spot. Scabiosas are sometimes called pincushion flowers, as their…

How to Grow Cat Grass

We welcomed three new cats into our house over the past few months. I thought I would grow some “cat grass” for them as a…

How to change the blade on a pair of secateurs

First off, why would you need to change the blade on your secateurs? And the answer is if the blade has been damaged to the…

How to clean your secateurs in order to make them last and work better

How to clean secateurs

I’ve written several posts about secateurs (sometimes called pruners, even though technically a pruner is a person who is pruning–the tool used to prune is…

Plant profile: Baptisia

Baptisia australis is one of those perennial plants that bursts forth from the ground in spring with a lot of energy, unfurling fully developed leaves…

Two Ways to Prune Cedars

I have lots of cedars and a pretty small plot of land, so I’ve had to learn how to prune them. I have so many…

How to Grow Zucchini

Zucchini, also known by their French name courgette, is reputed to be an incredibly easy plant to grow, and a prolific producer as well. During…

Another Fire Hydrant Story

I’ve written previously on the blog about the time, in 2015, when workers from the city replaced the fire hydrant that sits in my front…

How to Choose the Best Garden Trowel

A trowel is a small shovel that fits in your hand. It’s one of my most reached for tools. The only other tools I use…

Top 5 Filler Plants for Containers in Full Sun

Top 5 Filler Plants for Sunny Containers

The basic recipe when selecting plants to combine in a planter is to select at least one from each of the categories of thriller, filler…

Plant Profile: Globe Thistle

Echinops, commonly called Globe Thistle, is a spikey-leaved plant with perfectly round blue or white flowers. Actually, to be correct, what we think of…

Garden Lessons Learned in 2018

Tomato “Madame Marmande”Isn’t Worth Growing Again I like to try one or two different varieties of tomatoes every year. In 2017 I had a short…

How to make a holiday planter arrangement

How to make a winter planter arrangement

Filling planters with holiday arrangements marks the start of the Christmas season for me. I’ve been busy doing just that for the past couple weekends,…

How to Paint a Cast Iron Urn

My friends bought a new house last year and asked me for some help with their garden in the spring. The previous owners had left…

Have birdfeeders? Do this in fall to make spring clean-up quick and easy!

Have birdfeeders? Do this now to make clean-up easier in spring!

I love to watch birds eating at our birdfeeders every winter. We put our feeders out in November and keep them filled until there are…

How to avoid the most common mistakes when making winter planter arrangements

Winter Decorating Mistakes To Avoid

Creating an attractive arrangement of greenery and accessories in your outdoor planters isn’t difficult. But there are a few common mistakes I see, and a…

Do you really need to rake the leaves off your lawn? Find out...

To Rake or Not to Rake – The Truth About Leaves and Lawns

Raking leaves is as much a part of our collective idea of “fall” as drinking hot chocolate is part of our idea of what’s supposed…

Fall is the time to move peony plants--learn how in this post

Fall is the time to move peonies in the garden

I like to move and/or divide most perennial plants in early spring, as close to when they emerge from the ground as possible, as I…

How to multiply succulent plants by rooting pieces of them

How to root succulents

Succulent plants, especially members of the echeveria family, have become hugely popular the last few years, as well they should. They grow with next to…

How to save plants from your containers over the winter

Container plants come in for the winter

I’ve been checking the weather forecast several times a day lately as I’m on the lookout for frost. I have my old sheets and burlap…

How to tie back ornamental grasses without ruining the look of them

I love the look of ornamental grasses, especially in late summer and into fall when the plumes develop. When the sun hits them the right…

Petunias are a great annual flower for planters, baskets and gardens

Plant profile: Petunias

I thought about titling this post “In praise of petunias” because what you’re about to read is my strong endorsement of a plant that’s sometimes…

Planting for Privacy

I’ve had several questions lately along the lines of “What do I plant to block out my neighbours?” “What do I plant to cover a…

Cedar Trees Create Privacy and Erase Ugly Views

One of the few regrets I have about my garden is that I didn’t plant cedars (thuja) along the back fence years earlier. Instead, I…

How to save seeds from Oenothera flava, Night Blooming Primrose

Saving the Seeds of Night Blooming Primrose

One of the most popular posts on my blog has been the profile I wrote of Night Blooming Primrose (latin: Oenothera flava). It seems like…

What to do with a leaking hose

My friend’s garden hose sprung a leak just before I was to house sit for her. No problem, I thought, I’ll fix it for her…

How to keep cabbage worms from eating your kale

Not So Ornamental Kale

I don’t like the taste of kale very much, but I do like it as an ornamental plant in my garden. Some of my friends…

Highlights of Long Branch by the Lake Garden Tour 2018

Highlights from Long Branch by the Lake Garden Tour 2018

We had a wet weekend for the Long Branch Garden Tour. Very. Very. Wet. But that didn’t seem to dampen the spirit of the intrepid…

Plant profile: Heuchera

I have a problem with Heuchera (aka Coral Bells). My problem is that plant breeders keep coming out with amazing new varieties in a stunning…

Alliums and why you need to snip the seedheads off

Plant profile: Alliums

If you’ve ever wondered at the purple lollipop-like flowers, blooming amongst roses and peonies, you’re not alone. Every time I see someone encountering these flowers…

Learn about the 2018 Long Branch by the Lake Garden Tour

Tips for Enjoying Garden Tours

June is a popular month for garden tours in my area. It’s late enough that the garden has progressed beyond tulips, but early enough that…