Be inspired by beautiful botanical artwork, writing, and crafts. here you will also find instruction and help related to building projects, photography, personal garden writing projects, and more.
When I was working on my book, Grow Curious, I decided that I would include a pressed leaf or flower from my garden in random copies of the book. If you bought a print copy, please turn to page 87 to see if you got one. Pressed hosta leaf from my garden. I’ve pressed many …
Saturday was dark and rainy, the sort of day that you spend indoors huddled up, moving slowly, drinking warm liquids, binging on movies or a series, and making stuff. Just the day before, I discovered the Craft in America documentary series, which is probably how I came to the conclusion that it was a good …
Here’s a simple Grow Curious project for you to do in celebration of May Day and the growing season ahead. Collect flowers* from your garden. Choose one of each kind if you can. Assemble them in an arrangement, either laid down flat (aka a flat lay), together in a single vase, or as I have …
I’ve just launched a new endeavour producing small-batch distilled, preservative-free, all-natural hydrosols. All are distilled in very small, slow batches by me using plant materials that I have sourced from local, organic farmers, or grew myself using “moreganic” (no chemicals or sprays whatsoever, including the “safe” stuff) methods in my own garden. See All Hydrosols …
I chose TASTE as my prompt for the first day. My original plan was to choose a handful of different basil varieties and make comparisons between the flavours of the different flowers as a way to get to know them better. However, once I was out in the garden I found myself tempted by several …
With the garden season winding down or gearing up depending on your location, now is a time when many of us are getting back into the garden after some time off. I thought it would be fun to take advantage of the seasonal shift and start a community Grow Curious project that anyone can do, …
A few weeks ago I wrote about an illness that had me unable to garden through the height of the growing season. This experience in being disconnected from the little piece of earth that nurtures me as I nurture it has me thinking again about what it means to be a gardener when you can’t …
Three years ago the sustainable living company Eartheasy sent me the Jora JK125 Tumbling Composter to try out in my garden. This weekend we emptied and moved the contraption from a shady corner against the house to a newly cleared spot beside a composting bin that we built from an old futon frame. I posted …
Speaking of books… Over the Holiday break I registered for the first public library card that I have had in over 15 years. For some time, a friend had been encouraging me to sign up again, since here in Toronto, a library card enables you to get a free family pass to a range of …
I have found it! I have found an almost perfect seed storage container. I recently went into Target to pick up replacement filters for my humidifier, and while searching for them happened upon the storage container aisle. I’ve been on the lookout for something to replace a bunch of my current seed storage bins that …
Winter is the season for reading. When spring comes I’ll put every spare moment into the garden, often staying out after dark. As the days grow longer and the feeling of new life permeates the air, I experience a renewed energy and I am less apt to sit still for any length of time. But …
As always I have put together a gift guide that I hope appeals to a wide range of interests and budgets. I never repeat myself, so please check out older gift guides if you’re looking for a tool, company, or item that is missing here. Please also see my guide to things that you can …