Many fellow gardeners enjoy a “natural” Chr istmas and endeavour to use plant material as opposed to decorations made from man-made materials. We are also always looking for ideas to create Christmas décor using plant material, and one idea that I have tried successfully is making a Christmas swag out of evergreen boughs to hang
Make An Outdoor Swag
Why Not Designer Poinsettias?
Designer clothes. Designer gardens. Designer jewelry. The word “designer” has been added to many product lines during the last decade or so, and that is certainly true in the gardening/plant world as well. New and exotic varieties are constantly being developed by plant breeders to satisfy the insatiable appetite that consumers have for unique plants
Windowsill Herb Garden
Indoor gardening reduces the withdrawal symptoms that we avid gardeners suffer as autumn comes to an end and winter begins. We can tend our potted plants indoors and give our green thumbs a bit of exercise at least. One thing that indoor gardening cannot do, however, is supply the fresh produce that we become accustomed
Streptocarpella — Not Just For Outdoors
Some of the most attractive potted plants to grace the north-facing deck of our home in the summertime are the pots of streptocarpella that I use every year. These delightful plants are relatives of both the larger streptocarpus houseplants that many gardeners have in their houseplant collections, and the African violet, which many people also
“Bright Lights” Swiss Chard
After the first killing frosts of the fall have occurred, our choice of vegetables from the garden becomes rather limited. Gone is the abundance of the late-summer produce, and we must be content with the root vegetables which can endure some early-fall frost. One above-ground vegetable that is an exception is Swiss chard. I always
Moving And Dividing Perennials
Digging up perennials is a rather simple task, although it does require a bit of “muscle.” September is a great time to do some planning in the garden, to rearrange plants and garden structures, perhaps even to completely redo a flower border. Many of these fall endeavours involve digging up and moving perennials, and in
Bringing Plants Indoors For The Winter
Many gardeners who have sunrooms, light gardens or wide windowsills in their houses overwinter plants which are used outdoors during the summer growing season. One reason for doing this is to save money by not having to purchase so many plants in the spring, although this doesn’t seem to work for me as I rationalize
Time To Think About Drying Herbs
As late summer advances and autumn appears on the horizon, gardeners who have grown herbs will have lots of large plants from which to harvest material for drying. As herbs are best picked before they flower, since that is when there is the highest oil content in the leaves, plants from which material has been
Parks Rose — Perfect For The Prairies
Like all hardy roses, Winnipeg Parks will die back to the snow line but new growth soon emerges in the spring. Many gardeners admire the exquisite form and beauty of the rose, but few are prepared to put in the considerable effort and expense of growing hybrid tea roses as they are not easy plants
Battling Garden Slugs
As summer advances many gardeners begin to notice more and more slug damage. Holes begin to appear in hosta and lettuce leaves, dahlias and other plants begin to look tattered, and slugs may even be found in produce as it is harvested from the garden. There are measures that can be taken to minimize slug
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
