Last Friday I shared some wildflowers I spotted on my travels through Ontario last summer, but the trip did not stop there. As I continued my way across Canada I finally reached the next province, Manitoba. The scorching summer temperatures in early August meant I couldn’t stay for long and had to rush through to get to higher elevations and cooler temperatures in the west. However, I made time to visit one landmark in Winnipeg that was a must-see: Assiniboine Park.
A sprawling 1,100-acre park, Assiniboine features a zoo, outdoor theatre, conservatory, and more. I came to view the many different gardens. Though it was a sweltering, sunny day with little shade relief, it was absolutely worth the stop. Below are some of the highlights, but keep your eyes out for a part two because this park had so many gorgeous garden spaces there is much more I want to share.
Assiniboine Park might be the first public gardens I visited that featured a truly impressive kitchen garden. I’ve seen small sections in other parks dedicated to edibles, but often herbs and absolutely nothing of this magnitude. Of course, the vegetable garden’s favorite flower, the marigold, was on full display here.
Another fabulous companion plant spotted in these stunning pots, nasturtiums. Actually a tasty edible flower itself, this flower is often grown for its ability to attract bugs like aphids, which keeps the pesky pests away from your precious crops. Though the most common varieties don’t have the flashiest flowers, I think their circular leaves are very interesting and a great contrast to the bold red banana tree (Ensete ventricosum, annual) and spiky ornamental millet (Pennisetum glaucum, annual).
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NOBODY WANTS to get the IRS notice in the mail that they’re being audited, heaven forbid. But when it comes to gardens, Rodney Eason believes that the occasional audit is a very positive process, and encourages us to perform one on our own landscape.
When one thinks about a production garden designed to yield copious amounts of vegetables and flowers, it’s not often one with perfectly manicured rows overflowing with color and paired with thoughtfully organized spaces for gathering. Practicality and function are usually the focus, not a dedication to stunning surroundings. This is where the team behind Oakland-based Pine House Edible Gardens stands out with their impeccable layout and design philosophies, showcasing the ability to implement important functional garden systems with incredible style.
It’s official, the UK is a nation of gardeners! With recent Census figures showing that 87% of UK households have a garden, many Brits are now beginning to embrace their green thumbs.
My fondest memory of childhood summers is picking red raspberries from my family’s small patch. The wonderful flavor and fragrance of these berries led me up and down the rows until I reached my saturation point. Now that I’m an adult, my own garden holds a prominent place for raspberries. In fact, for 10 years I grew raspberries commercially and sold them to area restaurants.
Happy Monday GPODers! Today we’re visiting Heidi’s beautiful garden in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Her yard ranges from full sun to part shade, and (from the looks of these pictures) she has absolutely filled every corner possible with sensational blooms. A feast for the senses, a kaleidoscope of color can be found from annuals and perennials.
As many of us know by now, there are lots of great ways to repurpose and reuse old items at home. Rather than tossing things in the trash, reusing can be an ideal option to be more sustainable—and it's a great way to save money.
WHAT’S ONE of the best sources of inspiration and information about gardening you can get outside of a classroom, and that is also wonderfully entertaining? By making time to go visit other people’s gardens, we can open ourselves up to lots of learning. And on the flip side of that equation, opening our own gardens to visitors can be a pretty educational experience, too.