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To Water Or Not To Water

Nothing frustrates a new gardener more than the watering issue, largely due to the fact that the signs for over watering are very similar to those for under watering. •    Yellowing and/or wilted leaves •    Plants not thriving i.e. no new growth •    Brown needles in evergreens The best way to know if your plant …Read more

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3 Simple And Effective Ways To Get Better Results From Your Summertime Gardening

This time of year everyone has a different question for me. Here are 3 quick facts that everyone should know about summertime gardening, thanks to your questions. Q: Why are my plants nice and bushy but no flowers? A: Use a fertilizer with a high middle number, like 20-52-20. The middle number promotes flowering. Q: …Read more

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Facts Everyone Should Know About Plant Tags And Plant Info

Japanese Maple

Your plant tags and plant info from the internet may not be accurate. Let’s start with plant tags. The plants that are at our local nurseries are not all necessarily grown here in Ontario nor are the plant tags necessarily printed here or contain our Zone 5 growing information. Please keep that in mind and …Read more

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Gardening Inspiration From Canada Blooms 2013

Golden Thread Leaf Cypress

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:    

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Have You Heard? Artificial Grass Is Your Newest Option For A Green Lawn

Artificial Grass

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”?

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Fall In Love With These Gardens In Rosedale

Beautiful, calm focal point.

   

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A Peek Inside Rosedale Gardens

stone walkway and wall

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

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Techniques To Improve Lilac Pruning

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

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Stunning Examples Of Beautiful Vertical Gardening

A great way to hide an ugly fence.

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.  

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Thinking About Alternatives To A Lawn? Creative Ways You Can Go Lawn Free!

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!”