Gardenig in Canada. Tips & Guides

We’re off to Canada today to visit Anne’s garden.

Common Reasons Why Cyclamen Fails to Bloom

How to Grow and Care For Linden Trees Tilia spp.

It’s probably no surprise that when it comes to cleaning, there are lots of items that the average homeowner doesn’t wash often enough. However, according to cleaning experts, there are some items that they find their clients actually wash too often. 

The holiday season is just around the corner, which means that, among other things, hosting season is too. Whether you are hosting a large holiday gathering, a formal dinner, a small get-together, or overnight guests, properly preparing your home for the event is a crucial first step. Here are seven ways that pro cleaners get ready for their own guests before the holidays. 

Many gardeners grow sweet peas – aromatic annual vines with lovely varied colored blooms, but there is also a perennial sweet pea vine. Also referred to as everlasting sweet pea, this perennial pea vine is an old fashioned bloomer that will continue to reward you with color year after year. Interested in growing your own everlasting pea vine? Read on to learn all about a sweet pea vine perennial.

Starting plants from seed opens a world of possibilities to gardeners of all skill levels. Many vegetables, annual flowers, and even perennial plants can be started from seed using a few basic supplies and easy-to-master techniques. This can be an economical way to fill garden space and enjoy a much wider variety of plants than you could find in any nursery. In this course, horticulturist Niki Jabbour will share tips and tricks from her decades of starting seeds. After covering the basics, she will delve into more advanced topics such as timing and stratification. Participants will learn about which tools and supplies the pros recommend to make seed-starting easier, and how to set up a simple DIY lighting system. Build your gardening skills and enjoy the satisfying feeling of growing plants from scratch with this fun, fast-paced course.

When my budding interests in horticulture started developing in junior high school, I came across Hortus Third, an encyclopedic tome of horticulture compiled in the 1970s. Learning about plants from my dad while working on landscape installations, and then looking them up in Hortus Third after hours, I developed a sense of wonder about plant diversity both in the natural world and in cultivation in our gardens and landscapes. How could a genus described in Hortus Third such as Michelia (later reclassified as Magnolia) have “about 50 species of evergreen trees and shrubs” but only eight listed? What about the other 42 species? Were they unworthy of cultivation, or had we simply not tried the other ones yet? With many genera, the latter often proves to be the case. It turns out that the world of horticulture often overlooks many worthy plants.

Today we’re off to Canada to visit with Bas Suharto.

When poked, tunicates will squirt water. Hence, their nickname: sea squirts. But as cute as that sounds, these slimy, gelatinous sea creatures are anything but cuddly.

Canadian houseplants offer more than just aesthetics—they’re a unique blend of hardiness and beauty that adapt seamlessly to indoor conditions.

It’s always a pleasure to speak with our neighbors in Canada, and it’s clear the community garden movement there is alive and thriving. Judy Stafford and Naomi Kulhawy are two of Kin Park Community Garden’s biggest supporters, with Judy as executive director and Naomi as the farm director.

How to Grow and Care for Japanese Spirea Spiraea japonica

ELMSDALE, NOVA SCOTIA — Elmsdale is in the East Hants Municipality District in gorgeous Nova Scotia, Canada. It is proud of a “rich history of shipbuilding, forestry, railway construction and preserved natural surroundings.” With a well educated population and over half of its residents aged 15 and up possessing a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, the region is proud of a “rich history of shipbuilding, forestry, railway construction and preserved natural surroundings.” Their community garden has no core funding, but is supported by multiple grants each year. Gardening Know How was pleased to support this great effort in Elmsdale through our 2022 garden grant program.

How to Grow ‘Polish Hardneck’ Garlic Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon ‘Polish Hardneck’

If you’ve ever wondered, “What is Pink Pineapple?” you’re in for a delightful journey into the world of these unique and captivating fruits. The Pink glow pineapple, is the perfect fusion of nature’s creativity and science’s innovation. In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the nuances of Pink pineapples, from their origin and taste to cultivation methods and environmental impact.

Wild foragers may be aware of a hidden gem that grows wild in North America. It is staghorn sumac. Is staghorn sumac poisonous? This plant is often confused with another sumac that’s in a different genus and can cause topical rashes on contact. Staghorn sumac’s edible red berries are a source of Vitamin C and other nutrients, and make a delicious seasoning or refreshing beverage.

When Neil Patterson Jr. was about 7 or 8 years old, he saw a painting called “Gathering Chestnuts,” by Tonawanda Seneca artist Ernest Smith. Patterson didn’t realize that the painting showed a grove of American chestnuts, a tree that had been all but extinct since his great-grandparents’ time. Instead, what struck Patterson was the family in the foreground: As a man throws a wooden club to knock chestnuts from the branches above, a child shells the nuts and a woman gathers them in a basket. Even the dog seems engrossed in the process, watching with head cocked as the club sails through the air.

One of my favorite plants in my garden is a variety of Delosperma called ‘Fire Spinner’. This ground cover has spread around an otherwise exposed area of my front garden and features vibrant fuchsia and orange flowers. A succulent ground cover is a great option for a sunny, dry area of the garden. In this article, I’m going to share why succulents make good ground covers, some favorites, as well as some ideas on where to plant them and why.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced gardener, this Sugar Maple Tree Growing Guide will provide you with essential information and tips for successfully growing and caring forSugar Maple Tree. Explore the rich history, propagation methods, care requirements, and more to nurture these iconic trees in your landscape.

As my collection of native plants grows, I’m developing various favorites. One of them is Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica), a sweet, compact native perennial that offers a wispy texture to a garden, is a host plant for butterflies and moths, and can be used to replace a traditional lawn. In this article, I’m going to share some growing tips, as well as ideas on where to plant Pennsylvania sedge.

Keith Irvine, in chilly Zone 3 in Canada, shared his gorgeous vegetable garden with us last week (Keith’s Vegetable Garden), and today we’re visiting a different section of the garden.

We all know that pineapples are green from the outside with yellow flesh inside. But What is Pink Pineapple? Well, let’s find out!

Header image: Three sisters (winter squash, maize and climbing beans) summer garden at the University of Guelph. (Hannah Tait Neufeld), Author provided

On 4th June 2012 I received an email from Niki Jabbour, a garden writer in Nova Scotia in Canada. She said that she was working on a book of edible garden plans and would like me to contribute a design for a composter’s garden. Niki continued on her quest to collect interesting plans for food gardens from writers and bloggers around the world, including Amy Stewart, Roger Doiron, Amanda Thomsen and our very own VP.

Michael Dixon, University of Guelph

Header image: Anastasiya (left) and myself working on the Haughton crater rim. Mars Society, Author provided.

Welcome to Gardeners Off World, your weekly round-up of all that’s fresh in space gardening. 

Matt Damon as astronaut and exobotanist Mark Watney in the film The Martian grows crops on Mars. (20th Century Fox/Handout)

Allyson Brady, McMaster University

Christopher Gaffney, Lancaster University and Bethan Phillips, University of Nottingham

Join Emma the Space Gardener as she explores gardening on Earth… and beyond! There’s some great news for space gardeners this week, involving space to grow in, bricks to build with and… hibernating squirrels. And you can discover how many plants it would take to provide your own personal oxygen supply, and what would make a good houseplant in space. Oh, and there’s still time to enter the chilli seed giveaway!

Header image credit: China Manned Space Engineering Office

…a team of researchers led by Dr Mike Dixon, director of the Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility (CESRF) at the University of Guelph, sent several thousand barley seeds to the International Space Station (ISS). 

In January 1992, Space Shuttle Discovery took the first-ever British plant experiment in microgravity into space.

Header image: The Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a flyby of the Moon. NASA