A summary of advice excerpted from Master Gardener emails and chat groups. Start Dates Check seed packets for information on start dates, lighting requirements, sowing depth, and optimal germination and growing temperatures. Internet sites and books will help with this…
Plants for a shady garden
Shady places in the garden may seem problematic but they can provide welcome relief from the hot summer sun, reduce home cooling costs and open a world of opportunity to use plants you may not have previously considered. They also…
Early blooming hellebores are a sign of spring
A true harbinger of spring in Ontario are the hardy and ethereal hellebores, often found in full bloom underneath a blanket of snow in early spring, even before the snowdrops and crocus and daffodils begin to emerge. In almost dreamlike…
Garden design ideas for a small yard
Do you want to make the most of your small yard by turning it into a lovely garden that’s interesting, well put together and thoughtful? Whether large or small, it’s time to start planning your garden. It isn’t that the…
Tips for Gardening Under Trees
Gardening constantly presents us with interesting challenges. Fifteen years ago I moved to a small property completely covered by a canopy of trees: Norway maple, birch, staghorn sumac, Eastern white pine and star magnolia. Below the trees were sparse, patches…
Beyond Tulips and Daffodils: Different and Unusual Spring Bulbs
Tulips and daffodils have come a long way over the past years – each fall there seems to be an abundance of new varieties to plant. However, if you’re looking to shake things up in your spring flower display, there…
Putting the Garden to Bed for Winter
Not necessarily a set routine but just the term most used to refer to all the odds and ends to take care of as we wrap up another harvest season. Clearing out the vegetable garden before the winter is an…
The Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
The Eastern Redbud (Cercis ) tree provides a delicate supplemental beauty to early spring gardens in southern Ontario. It welcomes spring with clouds of deep magenta blossoms that cover its branches before leaf buds start unfurling. During summer it has…
Get Crackin’: How to Grow Seedlings in Eggshells
Save your eggshells & egg cartons as perfect containers for your seedlings! Wash in hot water, and keep large darning needle by sink to punch drainage hole in bottom (it is easier to punch thru from the inside/out). Put back…
Electrify Your Garden: Grow Artichokes and Cardoon!
I have always been attracted to gigantic perennials to add both structure and architectural interest to our garden. This is true of both the borders and kitchen garden on our property. Two plants that I have constantly returned to when…