Guest post by Beate Schwirtlich Want to turf your lawn and put in a garden instead? It’s easy. Fall is the perfect time to create a new garden, but summer is the time to get started. You may already know what you’d like your garden to grow. But if you’re planning on changing a lawn …
Guest post by Arzeena Hamir Predatory Mite The predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis, is a welcome insect in the garden and greenhouse. It is a fast moving insect with an orange teardrop-shaped body. The species is a specialized predator of the two-spotted spider mite and feeds on all stages of its prey, from egg to adult. …
Round 1: Lady Bugs Known by many names, ladybird, ladybug or lady beetle, ladybugs are most welcome in the garden. They are recognized as one of the most beneficial garden insects. Aphids are one of the major foods of all four thousand species of this metamorphosing insect. Ladybugs eat aphids whole as adults, and one …
Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) and violas (Viola v wittrockiana) & are plants I often associate with the Victorian Era; lace and tea in the parlor, and turn-of-the-century advertising illustrations of pansy posies with a child’s head in the centre. A strange juxtaposition between eerie beauty, bizarre old-time artwork, and Victorian formality attracts me to planting …
Although there are many plants that are forced to bloom indoors during the winter holiday season, the popularity of the amaryllis (Hippeastrum) lies in its ease of care and its large, lily-like blooms that are so reminiscent of the flowers of summer. Flower colour ranges from red as the most popular, to pink, white, yellow …
Guest post by Beate Schwirtlich More than any other, these tough and lovely plants signal the true ending of winter. They couldn’t be hardier, surviving frost and late snowfalls, unwiltingly waiting to open on a sunny day. But you’d never know it to look at their delicate blooms. These are no hothouse beauties. That’s why …
The last time I forgot to water my outdoor potted plants and discovered them completely wilted and hanging on the cusp of near death, I decided it was time to take action. Some of the plants on my deck receive a full, searing sun all day long during the hottest mid summer days. While these …
Guest post by Claire Pfeiffer Cats are so lucky. It takes just a sniff of catnip to get them feeling wonderful, whereas we humans must rely on more invasive and costly contraband materials to receive the same effects. And catnip is so cheap; if I gave my cats an allowance, they’d become total dope addicts. …
Why use rain barrels? Water that comes to city dwellers in the form of rain is hurried—into storm sewer systems and away by asphalt, concrete, or the roof of your apartment, surfaces that don’t absorb water. Sewer systems in many cities combine household sewage with storm water in the same pipes. Because of population growth …
Guest post by Claire Pfeiffer Yes! A worm can be your friend, especially when it consumes your vegetable waste and turns it into yummy rich soil. Never mind that this wonderful black earth is actually worm poo, it can enrich your plants’ lives immeasurably, and keep them happy, not to mention your garden, too. Wouldn’t …
Create Online–Sites Recommended by Professional Designers Craig Robinson of FlipFlopFlyin’ “It’s a gardening site with a difference – instead of overpaid experts, it’s been lovingly set up by some green-fingered enthusiasts. The look and feel hasn’t suffered though. “It’s just been beautifully designed, with a nice use of type,” says Craig. “It’s so not Alan …