When I was in Scotland a few weeks ago, I made a video of my brother Bruce showing me how to create instant colour in his front garden (although he made me do most of the work!) If you haven’t seen the video, have a look at it now here, and then check out these [...]

[Read more →]

Barbara has some lovely heirloom plants in her garden, including this peony. However, this year it has developed mildew. Barbara talks about what to do about it — if anything.

[Read more →]

Like many gardeners, Bruce actually gets most enjoyment out of the space behind his house. The back garden is where he likes to relax and enjoy his surroundings. This video shows how he has made the most of his space by dividing the back garden into zones.

[Read more →]

What a mouthful!  And yet, what a wonderful vine.  This lovely climbing woody vine takes sun and some shade, but unlike climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) that can take years to bloom, it will bloom practically from the first year you transplant it from the pot into your garden.  However, one attribute it does share with climbing [...]

[Read more →]

Doronicum needs to be cut back when its season is over, or its seeds will spread like wildfire.

[Read more →]

Some plants inexplicably decide to lie on the ground instead of standing up. In this video, Barbara provides a “chair” for one plant, and illustrates how she has helped an Echium plant stand tall in the garden.

[Read more →]

Here, Bruce shows Helen how to revive a flagging flowerbed by removing old plants and replacing them with new ones he has started in his greenhouse. We also talk about a special pest issue around marigolds and how to deal with it.
Sorry about the noise on parts of this video — it’s the wind blowing [...]

[Read more →]

This a.m. I discovered there were far too many Japanese Beetles in the garden doing what Japanese Beetles are here to do:  Making more Japanese Beetles; and eating my leaves.  So it was time for the “Bucket of Death” - a safe and effective way to rid the garden of these dastardly creatures.
I assembled my [...]

[Read more →]

Yesterday I discovered the Monarchs have started to return to the garden and unfortunately, so have the Japanese Beetles.  It seems that their plant of choice is a milkweed plant that found its way into my garden three years ago. 
While I’m over the moon at the return of the butterflies, I’m not as pleased about [...]

[Read more →]

Here is a container of pansies I started in April.  As you can see, while it is still blooming, it has become overgrown and the centre of the pot is bare.  Pansies are really a cool weather plant.  When it becomes too hot, the pansies become long and leggy.  So, when your pot looks like [...]

[Read more →]