In the past I’ve just nipped off Hellebore blossoms and floated them in a bowl. Pretty, but today I went foraging in my garden. (Can I call it “foraging” if I’m not collecting food?)
First of the Year
Winter Projects Part 1
Winter Projects Part 1 Those pictures are from a few years ago. I want to see the garden looking like above, but this is what it looks like now: I’ve written about pruning your Hellebores several times before, so now I just want to amend the suggestions. Specifically, leave the foliage if you don’t need… Continue Reading →
Dull Day in Feb
It’s almost always a dull day in Feb, but unlike many “northern” places, and unlike last year, this dull Monday is mild, as has been the whole winter season. Hence, spring-ish garden pics–same plants I show you most years!: You can imagine how adaptable Sarcococca is: it’s growing in never-amended soil, between concrete and asphalt,… Continue Reading →
Mid-Winter Blooms
On the infrequent dry winter days here on the Wet Coast, I have to go outside to see what’s new in the garden. When you’re planning your garden makeover, be sure to include winter-interest items.
Winter Blooms
Winter Blooms For the last few days I’ve had a surprise every time I step out the front door or return to the front door. An unexpected fragrance wafts up from somewhere, and I look around to see what it is. In fact the first day I smelled it–probably one week ago– it didn’t even… Continue Reading →
The Do’s and Don’t’s of Groundcovers
Lots of plants are designated as “ground cover”, because they do in fact cover the ground. If the whole object is to prevent weeds from falling on the soil and germinating, almost anything dense will do. But my own definition is limited to plants that are essentially living mulch (and you all know how much I… Continue Reading →
Window Boxes–A Recipe
I was at a garden clinic on Saturday, where a couple asked about what they might plant in their window boxes. As I think more about it, I’d give them different advice now than I did on Saturday. Not that my advice was necessarily wrong, just not the best for what they actually wanted. Their window boxes… Continue Reading →
Planning Your Wildlife Garden (cont’d.)
Last month I covered the basics of planning your wildlife garden: Water. Food. Shelter. Don’t use pesticides. Do plant some natives (NatureScapeBC.ca is a great resource)–here’s a short list of natives for various garden sites. Include a wide variety of plants–flowers, deciduous and evergreen shrubs, ornamental grasses, but enough of all to actually make a statement…. Continue Reading →
More Tips for Container Gardens
When I posted 6 Tips for Container Gardens, I neglected to mention one of the most important considerations: Annuals or Perennials. For some reason, many people are intimidated by perennials. Do they seem to be more work? Is there a fear they won’t come back? Are they too expensive? Is there not enough all-season flowering? Here’s… Continue Reading →
6 Tips for Container Gardens
My garden is my test ground. Most of what I know I learned by screwing up at least once. So here’s some tips I’ve learned through trial and error. 1. PLAN! Typically I’ve combined plants that I have rather than plants that I’ve designed to go together. I was given the little Buxus (boxwood), so… Continue Reading →
Real Life Garden Solutions 