Garden Design, Garden Makeover, Garden Coach
"Feed the soil and the soil will feed the plants." Plants don't eat like you and I, they don't have big gobs that scarf down every fat and carb molecule in sight (oh, sorry, that's just me). There's something called the soil food web--a symbiotic relationship among all the elements of the soil, including microorganisms,... Continue Reading →
So you've got this space, and you'd love to turn it into a sanctuary far from the madding crowd. A few keys to keep in mind when planning or renovating your garden are rest and roam: allow the eye to rest (i.e., not TOO busy, or pauses in the chaos), and provide a route for... Continue Reading →
Googled "Garden Solutions" (still haven't found RLGS after 17 pages :-(), and found a great Pinterest Board called "Garden Solutions". ...on which was this picture: Unfortunately the link was just to the picture instead of the article, so that's all you get here as well. But then you've also got my article, so you're all set!... Continue Reading →
Steve Whysall writes a garden column for The Vancouver Sun, and this week's column is on balcony gardens. I was just talking with my friend yesterday about using the Client Site Analysis for her own balcony space, so this column is timely.And apologies for so many LINKS!
I've been driving through Richmond BC lately and have been struck by how many disastrously pruned trees there are. Most of them are pruned the way they are because they are interfering with utility lines/poles in some way. So this post is a primer on how NOT to design with trees. My Neighbourhood This is... Continue Reading →
I posted on my Facebook page yesterday a comment about planting daylilies in drifts of similar or complimentary colours/sizes. Here's a happy accident of exactly that concept. These are my own hybrids, and since they ended up together, it's possible they were from the same parents. But again, just like your kids are all different,... Continue Reading →
Harvested my first new potatoes today. And yes, they really are this blue. Russian Blues I think.
Thanks to Sophie Cusson for the inspiration, and numerous youtube videos for the background of this post--Collecting Seeds Part II.About 4 years ago I read about hybridizing your own daylilies, which sounded like something I should try. I was only reading about it at the time, and couldn't quite figure out how this was going to happen, but I persisted,... Continue Reading →
There are some annuals in my garden that I just want more of, or I want to be able to give away to friends, so I make a point of collecting seeds as often as I can. But in many cases here in balmy Metro Vancouver, I don't have to do the work, the plants... Continue Reading →
So here's the 5 main things to understand when you buy plants: 1. Hardiness Zone 2. Average Mature Size 3. Sun Exposure 4. Watering Needs 5. Planting Instructions Hardiness zone. This can be unnecessarily complex: there are USDA Plant Hardiness Zones which includes Canada, and bases hardiness zones on average minimum winter temperatures; Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada,... Continue Reading →
Real Life Garden Solutions 