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Canada Blooms 2013 was the best show I had seen in years. A lot of nice display gardens and the hardscaping booths were all creatively done. Here are some highlights:    

This is becoming a reasonable option for residential yards even here in Southern Ontario. Is this going to be the solution… …to keeping our “green lawns”?

I had the opportunity to attend a Toronto Botanical Garden tour in the Rosedale neighborhood. What an opportunity it was to see some mature and well established gardens and to see some newer and updated gardens in the area as well. Also some interesting hardscaping.  As many people ooh’d and aah’d at some of the …Read more About “A Peek Inside Rosedale Gardens”

Lilacs can have lovely long seasons depending on the weather. Here is picture of how to trim off the old blooms without damaging next years flower.                       I do recommend pruning off 1/3 of the shrub, like mentioned in previous posts, once the lilac has …Read more About “Techniques To Improve Lilac Pruning”

A hot trend that seems to be growing in popularity with the help from other trends, growing your own herbs and veggies, small backyard sizes and the convenience of container gardening. Vertical garden ideas and examples are everywhere. Here are a few that I have found on Pinterest.  

After reading an article in Garden Making magazine* regarding Ontario’s 2009 ban on cosmetic pesticides, it’s obvious the debate between pro-pesticide and anti-pesticides will continue for awhile. As will the concern, not only for our personal lawns but for the many parks and public lawns that we have grown used to being beautifully green, manicured …Read more About “Do You Really Need A Lawn? This Will Help You Decide!”

Alternatives to a lawn…   Read more about lawn free spaces and see more of my designs in my blog post:  “Do You Really Need A Lawn? This Will Help You Decide!”  

I often say a great garden is about the right plant in the right spot. Nowhere is this more true than in my own garden. My house faces east and I put some favourite long blooming perennials flanking each side of my front steps.  Three years later, it was clear that the right side (south) …Read more About “A Great Garden Is About The Right Plant In The Right Spot”

Spring is the time to trim your ornamental grasses.                 It is still a little wet to divide the perennial grasses.  As soon as the soil dries up a bit, it will be a good time to divide your clump(s) if you feel they are getting too large. …Read more About “Trimming and Dividing Ornamental Grasses Is Easy If You Follow These Steps”