Growing Together: Setting your lawn up for success
As we approach the start of autumn, cooler temperatures mean that it is the ideal time to tackle a lawn renovation, writes Joanne Young.
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Growing Together: If at first you don’t succeed … change your plan
“We all have places in our gardens that prove to be difficult spots,” writes Joanne Young. “So, instead of ‘try, try again,’ it is time to stop, take a step back and look at your situation differently.”
Growing Together: Up your harvest by giving pollinators a hand
“With a little effort and dabbling in some science, you can have more produce than you know what to do with,” writes Joanne Young.
Growing Together: Add movement with ornamental grasses
“What can be more relaxing on a warm summer day then chilling out on your favourite lounge chair or hammock and watching the grasses sway and rustle in the breeze? ” asks Joanne Young.
Growing Together: Help your summer plants stay cool
“When the hottest days of summer hit, many container garden plants slow down on making flowers and fresh foliage — even if you keep up with watering,” writes Joanne Young.
Growing Together: Time to think big about tropical gardens
“There is just something to be said about a more tropical look in the summer,” writes Joanne Young, sharing her four favourite summer beauties that will add some “wow” to your garden.
Growing Together: More from the world of hydrangeas
“Every year, growers are coming out with more and more varieties of hydrangeas,” writes Joanne Young. “Just when you think that they can’t possibly come up with something different, they do.”
Growing Together: The power of pollinators
“If we each add a couple pollinator-loving plants, it will make a positive difference. If we feed a pollinator, they will in turn provide us with the food we need to survive,” writes Joanne Young.
Growing Together: Daisy, daisy, give me your answer true
Can there be any happier flower than a daisy flower? There is just something about them that makes you smile and want to start humming a tune. They can brighten any summer garden.
Growing Together: Japanese beetle season is upon us
If you have been gardening for any length of time, you have probably come across these colourful insects at some point or another. If you haven’t seen them yet in your garden this summer, you will see them in the next couple of weeks.
Growing Together: Hedge your bet with these helpful tips
It may be true that nothing makes a good neighbour like a good fence, but a living wall or green screen of sorts is much more pleasing on the eyes. There are several reasons why you may want to consider planting a hedge of some type.
Growing Together: How to nip powdery mildew in the bud
As we move into summer, we sometimes start to see more diseases pop up in our gardens. Some plants are more prone to certain diseases than others, but even so, you can take some precautions to limit the amount of damage that the disease will inflict on the plants.
Growing Together: These new plants are made for shade
There is one thing that I can say with certainty about plants is that there will always be new varieties being released each year. Just when you think that you know all the
Growing Together: Summer roses deserve the best care
Can you believe that it is already the middle of June? All the spring beauties have finished showing off and it is time for the summer blooming plants to display their beautiful flowers.
Growing Together: The true beauty of a garden
You may have picked up on it over the last few years of writing this column, but I just love to garden. I love every part of it (though, maybe not so much
Growing Together: Pruning evergreens, the smart way
Pruning plants properly seems to be one the most frustrating and misunderstood areas of gardening. The longevity of a plant is partially determined by how well a plant has been pruned over the
Growing Together: A twist of lime makes your summer garden pop
It is that time of year when we start to move out onto our patios to enjoy the great outdoors. Our minds turn to hosting barbeques with friends and family with great-tasting food.
Growing Together: Spring white flowering plants
We live in such a beautiful area. Spring in Niagara has to be one of the most amazing places to be. There just seems to be an explosion of colour as the
Growing Together: How to plant your annuals with the best care
It is soon time to start planting your annuals. I say soon, because the most important thing to know is that you should not be putting out your annuals until after the last
Growing Together: Time for tulips and other bulbs
We are now in prime bulb-blooming time. With the cooler weather, the flowers are lasting a bit longer. All those bright colours sure catch the eyes and let you know that spring is
Growing Together: Understanding fertilizers — what does it all mean?
Now that spring is here, and the plants are beginning to send out new growth, it is a good idea to start thinking about applying fertilizers. But what kind of fertilizer do you
Growing Together: Let’s explore the world of magnolias
What would spring be without seeing the first of the magnolias bursting forth into bloom? The magnolia tree has captivated imaginations across time and cultures with its beautiful, large waxy leaves and plush
Growing Together: Spring has sprung – let’s get your lawn in shape
This past Sunday I spotted the first ones of the season … that’s right: the first dandelions of the year. I know most of us dread to see them coming up in our
Growing Together: A rose by any other name should be pruned
How may of you just can’t wait to get out in your garden every spring and prune your roses? It probably isn’t on the top of your list of things to do. Knowing
Growing Together: Pruning shrubs to stay a cut above the rest
In last week’s article, I explained why it is that we prune deciduous shrubs from late winter to early spring, which I have summarized in the next paragraph. In this week’s article, I
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