Kolkwitzia amabilis is commonly called Beauty Bush, and you can sure see why. This is probably my favourite flowering shrub in the garden right now. With arching branches amassed with pink flowers in June (about the same time as the peonies start to bloom), Kolkwitzia needs a lot of room to show off. I have… Read more »

The focus of my landscaping over the past few years has been to develop most of the garden structure and fill in the beds with the bones and highlights. That has meant that most of my planting activities have been around trees, shrubs and some perennials for colour. In the back of my mind has… Read more »

I’ve worked at planting a lot of trees and shrubs native to the Ontario Carolinian forest in my gardens over the past few years. Some have been more successful than others, begging the question as to whether our not our changed habitat and environment can easily support what were once in abundance in our area.… Read more »

While I am very happy with my overall garden plan, I am forever tweaking spots that, despite good planning, just don’t work. In 2006 I planned and planted my Kitchen Garden Patio. Part of the plan called for some Little Henry Sweetspire (Itea Virginica) to surround part of the Kitchen Patio. I was attracted by… Read more »

Well, I’m part way through my spring vegetable garden planning. I know what I am going to plant and I’ve prepared a garden layout based on my crop rotation schedule. The next step was to determine my planting schedule. There is a lot of information out there on seed starting schedules. A nice one is… Read more »

We all know that crop rotation is critical to a healthy vegetable garden. Crop rotation helps reduce the risk of insects and diseases as well as manages the fertility of your garden soil. While the concepts are not challenging, actually sitting down and planning out a rotation schedule can be a bit frustrating. Everywhere I… Read more »

It’s time to order my seeds for the vegetable garden again this year. While I enjoy browsing through the many seed catalogues that come in the mail, I tend to order most of my seeds on-line and this year is no exception. I was even able to place my order on-line for the more unusual… Read more »

I went to a garden seminar today where a guest speaker introduced the ‘newest’ and ‘hottest’ perennials to be introduced this year. Each one was touted to be better than a previous cultivar, which amazingly to me, was the hottest new cultivar on the market just a few years ago. Breeders have basically, in large… Read more »

After ordering my vegetable garden seeds last week, I spent this past weekend planning our vegetable garden. We have a large fenced in garden about 35 feet by 35 feet and use my ornamental gardens as overflow. The plan for our vegetable garden is based on the principal of crop rotation. Crop rotation ensures that… Read more »