Joanne Young, Author at Niagara Now

Growing Together: With perennials, it’s time to divide and conquer

September is a great time of the year to step back and take inventory of your perennial gardens. Why do I say that? Well, it’s the time where you can see all the

Growing Together: Growing hardy mums that’ll survive the winter

As we start thinking of fall, the one flower that probably comes to mind first is the chrysanthemum, also known as mums. There are basically two categories of mums: greenhouse and hardy varieties.

Growing Together: Some crops can still thrive in the fall

Is your vegetable garden starting to have bare areas as the harvesting of some crops comes to an end? Time is running short, but why not fill in those empty spots with a

Growing Together: Tips to keep your garden in tip-top shape this fall

Let’s take a look at activities to do – or not do – in your garden at this time of the season. The first one is that now is the time to stop

Growing Together: Plants with beautiful fall berries

I don’t want to rush things, but fall will be here in just a few short weeks. I must admit that I love autumn. The beautiful fall colours of the leaves make everything

Growing Together: Myth-busting some common garden ‘wives’ tales’

This past week, I was reading through a gardening-type forum where you could ask your questions and other fellow gardeners could offer their advice. I love publications such as “The Farmer’s Almanac,” which

Growing Together: The world of heucheras

There are many plant species that have blossomed over the last decade. When I think about a genus of plants that have made one of the biggest impacts on our gardens, the first

Growing Together: Get an early start on vegetable harvesting

Gardening can be one of the most rewarding activities and at the same time, one of the most frustrating experiences – and that is just your tomato plants. It is so rewarding to

Growing Together: How to attract butterflies to your backyard

Brightly coloured butterflies are always a welcomed addition to anyone’s garden, not only because of their beauty but also because of their usefulness in pollinating flowers. Who doesn’t want to sit out in

Growing Together: The bold and the beautiful

I don’t know of too many places that have more lush-looking gardens than Niagara-on-the-Lake. Everywhere you look you are surrounded by large stunning flowers that just demand your attention. If your garden is

Growing Together: Let the deadheading begin

All these hot, humid days may be making you feel like a bit of a dead-head. And speaking of deadheads (see what I did there?), one way to keep your garden blooming throughout

Growing Together: Tips for summer planting, watering and mowing

Here are a few quick tips to keep your gardening flourishing over the summer months. Planting in the summer As I am writing this, we are getting some needed all-afternoon rain. Although it

Growing Together: How to prevent garden diseases

In last week’s article, I wrote about a couple of insect problems that I have been seeing in many gardens at this time. This week, I would like to write about a couple

Growing Together: What’s bugging your garden?

No one ever said that gardening is without its challenges. If it were all easy-peasy, well, where is the fun in that? It is the challenges that keep us invested in our gardens,

Growing Together: Using your garden to attract hummingbirds

Who isn’t amazed by the sight of a ruby-throated hummingbird? They are indeed a marvel of the natural world. To think, these little creatures can fly up to 25 miles per hour or

Growing Together: The importance of pollinators

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of helping to install a pollinator garden for the Newark Park Community Gardens on Niven Road, near Lakeshore Road and just outside Old Town. Last year

Growing Together: Why you should include foliage in planter of annuals

Over the last week or two, you have probably been busy putting together your containers with annuals. Do you find that you keep doing the same thing year after year? Hopefully, you have

Growing Together: Perennials bring that added something to your garden

We are just starting to enjoy the beautiful perennial blooms for the season – the carpets of creeping phlox, the huge peony flowers and stately delphiniums. As gorgeous as all these flowers are,

Growing Together: My bulbs have finished blooming – now what?

Haven’t the spring bulbs this year just been glorious? With the cooler weather, the flowers decided to extend their stay, making for a very colourful spring season. There is something about seeing those

Growing Together: Some mid-spring beauties blooming at home

I must make a confession: as soon as the spring starts to blossom, my driving skills come into question. I am forever turning my head this way and that, trying to get a

Growing Together: Four tips for a healthy lawn

Most homeowners like to take pride in their lawns. We love it when our lawns are full and lush green without a single weed disrupting it. Most of us struggle, however, when it

Growing Together: Multiply by dividing your perennials

By this time, hopefully you are well on your way to getting your garden beds all cleaned up. Once the initial clean-up is completed, it’s time to start inspecting your clumps of perennials

Growing Together: Warm spell means it’s time to start spring cleanup

With the incredibly warm temperatures last week it felt more like summer coming on than the beginning of spring. The star magnolias have quickly pushed out their buds, the forsythias are in bloom

Growing Together: Pruning deciduous shrubs to be a cut above the rest

To help understand pruning a bit better, last week we looked at some of the science about how a plant grows. This week, here are some tips on pruning deciduous shrubs. In general,

Growing Together: Understanding why and how to prune properly

I love to prune. I find it relaxing. One of the first chores we attack in our gardens each spring is pruning, but I find that most people are do not know how

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