It’s a jungle out there. The rain and floods we’ve endured this spring have been a two-edged sword – or rather, digging knife. Some flowers are blooming profusely: hellebores, forsythia, columbine/aquilegia, roses, clematis, heuchera. Weeds, however, are growing like… well, weeds. And because it rains ever other day, I’ve found it really, really hard to […]
For the next month or so, nearly everyone’s going to have gardening on the brain. We’ll hear a lot of “Why is my [whatsit] plant doing [whatever]?” “How can I …?” And tons of advice about burying banana peels, spraying milk on leaves and mixing up herbal concoctions to resist pests. Save your time and […]
Add fun and flair to your spring and summer entertaining this year by bringing edible flowers to the table. But don’t limit them to pretty centrepieces – add them to your favourite warm-weather dishes. We’ll all be trooping off to garden centres this month to choose new things for our gardens, so put some pretty, […]
Right around now I start hearing a lot of questions like, “How do I start seeds indoors?” or “What kind of soil should I use?” or even “Help, my seedlings are falling over. What should I do?” Before I answer those – and more – full disclosure: I don’t like to start plants from seed […]
It’s cold today. There’s snow on the ground. Some idiot on Facebook keeps posting things like “32 days until spring.” I’m just trying to hang on until March 10, when Canada Blooms begins its 10-day run. This is my March break: a shot of flowers and scent just when I need it. Canada’s 150th This […]
We gardeners can feel très chic this year. Haven’t you heard, dahlings? The colour of the year, declared by the Pantone Color Institute, is Greenery. It’s described as “a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring…” Designers – of fabrics, fashions and interiors – often look to the colour of […]
When you think about it, it’s kind of weird how many plants we haul indoors at this time of year. Christmas trees, holly, mistletoe…. Do you know the stories behind our familiar holiday greens and flowers? Sit down with a cup of cocoa and see how you score in this trivia quiz.
Well, haven’t we been the lucky ones this year. The leaves are still green, the flowers are still blooming and the Blue Jays made the division play-offs. (At least they were still in the game when I wrote this.) Thanksgiving is done, and we Beachers still have good enough weather to get out and garden. […]
We’re teetering on the edge of fall right now, and the usual fall routines come to mind. Clean the tools, rake the leaves, madly plant spring-blooming bulbs, blah, blah, blah. This year, though, there’s something new and fun for Canadian gardeners to indulge in. It’s the Canada 150 tulip, chosen by the federal National Capital […]
Say it slowly: “Sssuu-cu-lent.” Sounds so juicy and luscious, it immediately brings to mind foods like roast turkey, strawberries and crème caramel. But not if you’re a gardener. In that case it calls up visions of fat, fleshy plants in a palette of blues, greens, browns and purples, usually displayed in a neat, geometric leaf […]
