Welcome to The Fabulous Garden!
My name is Jennifer Arnott and I created this site to be a resource for people who want a garden they can be proud of.
Please scroll down this page to see my most recent posts, use the search box if you're looking for something specific, or select one of the following topics:
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…
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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…
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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’)…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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How to Grow Cat Grass Economically and Easily
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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How to Grow Zucchini
Zucchini, also known by its French name, courgette, is reputed to be an incredibly easy plant to grow, and a prolific producer as well. During…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Magic of Mulch
Mulch can instantly transform the look of your garden and provides real benefits in terms of maintenance and moisture retention. I am a big believer…
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How to Get Your Tulips to Bloom Again Next Year
Tulips are the tempermental stars of the spring garden. They put on a gorgeous show but then, if you don’t treat them just right, they…
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