Although the summer is far from over (I keep telling myself), I’m already looking at what plantings worked and what didn’t. It’s educational to keep at least a mental note of these successes and failures so the next time I’m tempted to buy, say, another fabulous rose bush, I’ll just slap my hand. In a...
Category: Gardening
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Weeding Therapy
If you were to ask me what my favourite part of gardening is, I might not mention weeding, but it really is a therapeutic practice. While I’m pulling out unwelcome guests, I know I’m also making room for the plants I want to encourage, and making the garden look neat, tidy and beautiful. Also, when I...
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Mid-Summer Beauties
A fellow gardener and I were talking today about how there is often a slump in the middle of the summer where there isn’t much blooming. There’s no problem in the spring and early summer because so many perennials, bushes and trees get there blooming periods over early, but somewhere around now (end of July),...
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These are the Bees’ Needs…
I suppose most people have heard about the plight of the bees. How they are suffering from “colony collapse” and have been for several years. The reasons for this syndrome are not fully understood and may be numerous. However, one culprit that is being blamed, at least in part, is a type of pesticide in...
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Deadheading 101
I’ve had quite a few novice gardeners ask me about deadheading lately. Even experienced gardeners are not always sure when to leave the faded blooms alone and when to chop them off, so I thought I’d offer some basic advice on deadheading, a somewhat tedious, although some find it zen-like, gardening chore. Deadheading refers...
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Plant Life Cycles
Every once in awhile I notice that a plant that was previously doing well has disappeared or is a shadow of its former self. This happened to a ‘bleeding heart’ (Lamprocapnos) this year. In the last few years it has been a star of my spring garden, but this year it was about half its...
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Back from Italy!
Just returned from a lovely two weeks in Italy. For the second year in a row my husband and I stayed at the same Agriturismo in the Emilia Romagna region in central Italy. It’s called “Podere Prasiano” and it’s run by a lovely couple called Emanuela and Massimo. I’m mentioning it because, besides having fantastic...
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Wonderful Shade Gardens
I was over at a friend’s newly purchased home the other day helping her decide what to do with her neglected, shady backyard. I started suggesting plants, starting with hosta and ferns (of course), and she said, “It just sounds so boring!” I sympathize with my friend, because there are a lot of plants you must...
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Creating a Deck Water Garden
Yesterday I set up my container “pond” on my deck so I thought I’d say a few words about the joys of water gardening. For years I thought longingly of having a pond in my garden but was put off by the work it takes to dig it, line it, set up the pump, plus...
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Thoughts and Plans on a Rainy Day
We’ve had a few rainy days lately, as my local readers can attest. Whenever there’s an hour or two of sunshine I feel compelled to race outside and pull some weeds or plant containers. The nice thing about rain is that it gives you a break from gardening (guilt-free!) and, of course, it’s good for...