A noun. A verb. A blog.
A kind reader pointed out that my troubled, leaf dropping rubber tree, Ficus Elastica Sylvia, is notoriously difficult in indoor homes. He eventually found a good home with a greenhouse for his. Researching my rubber tree online, I just discovered that the rubber tree is one of the best plants for reducing indoor pollution. They […]
UPDATE: A kind reader pointed out that my troubled, leaf dropping rubber tree, the variegated Ficus Elastica Sylvia, is notoriously difficult in our dry indoor homes. Leaf droppage is typical behaviour. They need a great deal of humidity to be happy. He eventually found a good home with a greenhouse for his. One way to […]
Sad looking, pale green, leggy, soft, and weak growth. This is the worst time of all for houseplants. They look like how we feel. Only one more week of this winter sunshine ebb, and then the sun will start on its way back. We can start counting down the extra minutes on the 21st. Then […]
I have a split-leaved “Monstera” Philodendron, those shapley 50s style climbers that have such an architectural presence. They’re beautiful house plants. The leaves, when mature, are quite thick and leathery – just the kind of plant, for some reason, that scale insects love. Here’s a photo of a Monstera. These armour covered insects are […]
As the days started to shorten a couple of weeks ago I went to Home Depot to get some little household hardware-y style item, something light-bulby I think it was. I can never go there without making a stop in their massive garden supply area. Their outdoor section was rolled up for the season, […]
A trip to the island is always a joy when you are enduring a summer in the city. As soon as I get on the ferry all I can think is, “Why don’t I do this more often?” It is so beautiful and green there, and it’s so close for us inner-city types. A quick […]
We’re blessed in this city to have such a plethora of local shops willing to feed our garden fever. In our east-end neighbourhood alone, there are half a dozen within walking distance. Here are some of my favourites. The little one above, f’rinstance. My kids have grown up spending their not-so-hard-earned allowance on sour gummies […]
On Sunday, I picked up a little seedless watermelon from my local No Frills and gave it what I thought was an authoritative tap to test for ripeness. Little did I know that what I purchased, after the thunk, was not a watermelon. It was a festering cesspool. Until late last evening, without warning, it […]
There’s no two ways about it. The most beneficial bugs for your garden are often the least, well, good-looking. Spiders, centipedes; it’s all those legs! All that unpredictable scurrying! All those alien body parts. Nevertheless, I repress my instinctive shudder when they appear because I know they really do provide a useful service: pest control. […]
This little paean to one of Toronto’s hidden garden gems is long overdue. Set at the edge of the Bluffs near where Kingston Road merges with Danforth Avenue, Rosetta McClain Gardens [link updated 11/21/15] is a beautifully manicured space, or should I say: series of spaces. All of them are worth a visit. At the centre […]
With Apologies to my garden… (and Elizabeth Barrett Browning) How do I neglect thee? Let me count the ways. I neglect thee to the depths of summer’s day and night My garden hose can’t reach, it’s actually out of sight For the ends of Growing and ideal Placement. I neglect thee to the level of […]
What great flowers for late summer and early fall the Rudbeckias are. They’re like sunshine on a stick! This lowly little Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) is one of the earlier ones. Right now, the city is alight with constellations of Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ which, in 1999, was rightly chosen by the Perennial Plant Association as its […]