A noun. A verb. A blog.
Here’s what I was going to write: Don’t toss your banana peels into the Green Bin (or even the compost pile). Instead, chop them up and sprinkle them around your roses, to give the roses a good, organic snack of potassium. I cut mine into bite-sized pieces and apply directly to the soil. The peels […]
As it’s growing in challenging conditions, the round boxwood (Buxus) planted by my front door has always been plagued by boxwood psyllids (Psylla buxi). They’re the tiny sucking insects that cause the tips of boxwood leaves to deform into cups. Unless you looked closely at your box foliage, you might not even realize that this […]
My name is Helen, and I am a composter. In fact, I was once the Compost Queen, the kind of girl who stole grass clippings — that had been bagged and left on curbs for the garbage truck. Few things heat up and speed up a compost pile quite like a layer of grass clippings. […]
[Edited update: Mystery solved. According to someone who grows this, accosted as I passed their garden while I was out on a walk, this is ‘Rare Edition.’ Thanks to everyone who contributed their guess. Helen] For the iris experts out there: What is the name of this lovely little plicata iris growing on a neighbour’s […]
The miracle of digital SLR photography isn’t only that it helps me become a better photographer, through a 1,001 disposable mistakes. It is helping me become a better gardener, acting as a zoom lens for the mind, as well as the eye. The camera lets you get intimate with flowers and foliage and bark and […]
Okay, the picture exaggerates. But today we’ll get a taste of it, and tomorrow’s forecast is 30˚C and full sunshine. Sudden summer, indeed. Expect your new plants to go into mild to moderate shock till they acclimatize. Bye bye, last of the tulips. Oops, there go the apple blossoms. Many spring flowers will move into […]
Some people get 15 minutes of fame. Some trees get what feels like 15 minutes of flower. In early May, it was the Magnolias. Now, it’s the flowering crabapples (Malus sp.). No May in Toronto would be complete without their fleeting blaze of glory. Certain areas of the city are positively bowered with their white […]
Clematis and I have a thing. It isn’t always good. It isn’t always long. But, you know, I just can’t quit them. This time of year, the love affair begins, when the garden arch in the back is decked with the blue wings of Clematis alpina ‘Pamela Jackman’ (above). It’s a lovely little clematis that […]
Gardeners might not think twice about running out in their pyjamas (as I did last night) to protect their tender annuals from a possible frost. But would they take the same degree of precaution for their own safety – when it comes to sun exposure? I know I didn’t, until recently. This year, I noticed […]
Looks like I’m talking magic again. No smoke, just mirrors. Mirrors are a way to fool the eye, making a small space seem larger, even outdoors. Here is my latest. Not some expensive glass globe. It’s an oversized plastic Christmas ornament snagged last season at Canadian Tire for $1.99. I’ve been saving it for the […]
I’m new to this “tradition” (if the term applies to something so young) initiated by Indiana blogger Carol of May Dreams Gardens. On the 15th of every month, she asks all bloggers to show what’s growing in their gardens. Here’s what’s happening in (and around) my Zone 6 Toronto garden, starting with the top picture, […]
If your garden is small, here’s a technique to keep certain plants from overgrowing it. If your garden is shady, it keeps plants from becoming leggy and floppy as they reach for the light. If your garden is both, listen up. And, by the way, this technique also increases the number of flowers and can […]