Worth the Wait I read recently that patience is a dying virtue. In our modern world everything is available almost instantaneously at the push of a button, from movies to music to toilet paper delivered to your door. According to expert sources we need to incorporate ways to foster patience into our daily life, we […]
The New Cozier, Healthier Normal I have a friend, who I probably shouldn’t name, because… well, she has a new man in her life. But the good news is her husband doesn’t seem to mind. It’s my fault because I was the one who introduced her, his name is Frank and he’s a fiddle-leaf fig. […]
Throwing Shade Shade, it has become a bad word. Throwing shade is a disparaging term in the common vernacular, but in the heat of summer I can’t think of anything better than finding an excuse to retreat into the shade. I am a shade person; I seek it out. When my friends are looking for a sunny spot […]
Xeriscaping Xeriscaping? My friends give me a hard time because I use the Latin names for plants! I’ll likely be teased unmercifully for using the word Xeriscaping, which quite simply refers to landscaping or gardening practices that reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation. Despite the fact that we live in a Rainforest here on […]
Growing and Caring for Hydrangeas “You gotta love a hydrangea.” A stalwart of the garden, they can be found everywhere. Perhaps it’s their “vintage charm,” evocative of an English country garden. Or perhaps it’s because they are just so dead easy to grow and reward you yearly with flowers that can range from big, bold and colourful, to […]
Grow big in small spaces I have a degree in Agriculture and a paved yard… the irony is not lost on me. I live an urban life and so my wide-open spaces are parks and my tiny little paved patio is my garden. But within my garden I have two apple trees, a blueberry bush, a cluster […]
Although they are commonplace in our gardens now it was only three decades ago that ornamental grasses first started to appear on garden centre shelves. One of the very first varieties was Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum,’ also known as Purple Fountain Grass. I distinctly remember receiving the first pots of these from a nursery in California […]
The Butterflies and the Bees (and a few Hummingbirds) Who doesn’t love a pollinator? Some people with allergies might not at first share my sentiment but we owe them a lot. It’s estimated that one in every three bites of food you eat are made possible because of pollination. There are no tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, pumpkins (the list could […]
Roses, there is nothing more iconic in a garden. And it’s no secret why, they are pure colour and fragrance. But what does surprise me time and time again is how some people consider them difficult and fussy. That couldn’t be further from the truth. To the new gardener, roses could seem overwhelming. They have inspired passionate study […]
Marvelous Mint Mint to most people is a flavour of gum or toothpaste. Don’t be one of these people, they are missing out. Mint is both a herb and an attractive low-maintenance plant, everyone should grow at least one. As a herb, its versatility is amazing. You can slice it up and toss it in fruit salad to immediately add zing. A green salad gets a […]
