Just as many early to mid summer plants start to look a bit tired, the lavender bushes send up their beautiful blue spires with their unmistakable old-fashioned fragrance to lift the whole garden out of the doldrums. What a treat this plant is, easy care and totally reliable, it is also extremely drought tolerant which [...]
June In-Depth How-To:
Increase your vegetable production with Succession Planting
Many beginner gardeners plant their crops in the spring, harvest the vegetables, then clean up the garden and wait till next year to start all over again. It is very easy to get more enjoyment, not to mention more production out of your garden. Try succession planting [...]
It’s official - summer is here, although the rainy and cold weather that we’ve been having so far in Vancouver (and also in England if Chelsea coverage is anything to go by) wouldn’t let on to that fact…still, there is lots to do in the garden now, so out you go!
Start to sow quick maturing [...]
Even experienced gardeners can benefit by using some seedtapes - this is a super easy and fast way to sow seeds that are the perfect space apart every time (no more thinning, which is great for people like myself that can’t bear to remove perfectly healthy seedlings just because they are too close to another [...]
May and June are really the best months for many perennials, before the real heat of the summer cuts them short. Work in the garden takes on the familiar rhythm of seasons past, with some staking, potting up seedlings, preparing beds for annuals, planting out, etc etc. A busy time, but filled with promise and [...]
With all the Millenium hype and the lack of holidays during the first part of this Canadian year, winter has been drearily dragging on and on and on.. But, I know spring is really here when the huge magnolia trees are ready to burst.
Magnolia stellata (Zone 4-9) has already peaked, but M. kobus (Zone 4-8), [...]
Air layering is an easy technique to bring those too-tall houseplants back into a manageable size. This method basically causes the plant to produce roots high up on the stem, then the top part can be severed and replanted as a shorter, compact plant.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Choose the right candidate:
This works on many [...]
There are already many signs of the approaching spring season - make sure you take the time to notice them now, while you are out in the garden - early spring bulbs such as aconites, snowdrops, crocus, iris reticulata will already be peeking through, the lovely scented winter jasmine and witch hazel, and later this [...]
“Don’t be in a Hurry with your Seeds!” by David Tarrant
February is often the month when we get carried away and start to sow annual seeds too early for the season ahead. The key factor to think about when sowing seeds is to count how many weeks it will be before it is safe to [...]
January Garden Action Items:
As long as you aren’t buried under three feet of snow, there is always a lot of work to do in the garden, so bundle up warmly, put on your wellies and out you go…
1. Hardwood Cuttings
Take hardwood cuttings of your favourite shrubs to increase your stock - just think, they will [...]