For the next month or so, nearly everyone’s going to have gardening on the brain. We’ll hear a lot of “Why is my [whatsit] plant doing [whatever]?” “How can I …?” And tons of advice about burying banana peels, spraying milk on leaves and mixing up herbal concoctions to resist pests. Save your time and […]
Well, there aren’t exactly a heck of a lot of matters that need attention in the “Horticultural Matters” department these days other than tending to giant tropicals that are waiting for the warm spring day when they can escape to the great outdoors. So ever since the big freeze I have been entertaining myself by […]
We gardeners can feel très chic this year. Haven’t you heard, dahlings? The colour of the year, declared by the Pantone Color Institute, is Greenery. It’s described as “a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring…” Designers – of fabrics, fashions and interiors – often look to the colour of […]
Everyone oohs and ahhs when they see butterflies in their garden, but most of us probably don’t get too excited when we see bees there. That’s changing – and for good reason. Those little bees that buzz around the flowers are indispensable to human life. I talked with apiarist (a.k.a. beekeeper) extraordinaire Cathy Kozma recently […]
At this time of year, you often see creatures bottoms up, digging in the ground, frantically burying things. I’m talking about gardeners. (Hah! Bet you thought I was referring to squirrels – which do act in much the same way.) Fall, of course, is prime time for planting bulbs that will flower in the first […]
“Whoever loves and understands a garden will find contentment within.” ~ Chinese Proverb Thirteen per cent of Toronto’s land area is public parkland. We East Enders have our fair share, plus we can enjoy the sights of many beautiful front yards and retreat into our private back garden oases. Whether you are an avid or […]
It won’t be long before the gardening crowd will be dusting off their trowels and stampeding straight to plant sellers to stock up for the upcoming summer growing season. Unfortunately, with dedicated nurseries in short supply these days, most intrepid plant hunters will be headed to the big boxes where lumber stores, outlet malls and […]
These days it’s a generally accepted scientific fact that plant to plant communication actually does exist. They have the amazing ability to ‘talk’ to each other using hormones released into the air. They also use interconnected root systems and minute electrical signals and sounds to warn their neighbours of impending insect attacks, drought and other […]
“Look for the palm trees,” says Canada Blooms general manager Terry Caddo. We were talking about the upcoming garden show, running March 13 to 22 at the Direct Energy Centre in Exhibition Place. There’s been a lot of buzz about changes at Canada Blooms this year, so I tracked Terry down to get the scoop. […]
If you ask a horticulturist or serious gardener to identify a plant there is a good chance they will give you an earful of botanic nomenclature packed with a Linnean mashup of Latin, Greek, German and Anglo-Saxon words that will eventually make your eyes glass over. For botanists it’s a serious business full of rules […]
