This December will mark 10 years since my spouse Davin and I travelled to the Caribbean for one month (staying in Barbados, Dominica, and St. Lucia) so that I could be in the lands of my maternal ancestors and trace my roots. For context, there’s a post here that I wrote before the trip that …
A small infestation of mealybug was recently found on this variegated pothos (Epipremnum). I check my houseplants regularly, but they were camouflaged well against the white variegation. Of the many pests that can plague houseplants, mealybug are the one I’ve come up against most. This may be because I keep a lot of succulent plants, …
I recently joined the legions and brought home a Monstera deliciosa aka Swiss cheese plant. I wrote off the idea of getting one long ago due to a lack of space with appropriate growing conditions. However, we removed the living room TV this summer and that has opened up space around a south-facing window that …
The truth is, I don’t really know why I started a website about growing things. I’m sure there were reasons, but I wasn’t entirely conscious of what they were. I have always made things and this was a thing that I wanted to make. I didn’t want to be a writer, except that I also, …
I spotted this gorgeous, burgundy and olive-leaved bromeliad, Neoregelia ‘Fireball’* is my best guess since there was no tag, while walking out of a corner shop last week (having just purchased a plant, of course). I loved that there were already pups underneath and a long arm extending out with a forth, larger baby attached. …
Last week I was in a therapy session and the topic of what I know about plants came up. The therapist asked me where I carry knowledge about plants in my body. Where I feel it. My “body of knowledge,” so to speak. While I understand that our bodies hold experiences, I’d never thought about …
Several creatures dropped into my bowl as I was harvesting black currants last night. First a jumping spider. Then, soon after, this bumble bee. Later, a yellow fuzzy caterpillar insisted on inching toward my hand even as I pulled away, repeatedly. Attempting to work around them. You’ve got to be mindful of where you reach …
It’s been hot here and difficult to get into the garden during the daytime, so in the interim, I’ve been repotting, refreshing, and propagating houseplants. I’m determined to give every single one their time this month, but they are legion. The process is laborious, but necessary as ill health over the last 4 years has …
On this day, June 26, 2015, I climbed a tree. I was out in the neighbourhood with friends, foraging cherries from a favourite spot behind an abandoned house. I noted that day that I felt physically strong, which hadn’t been the case for awhile. But I’d been working on it and it felt like I …
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 …
Small, but meaningful shifts are taking place in the garden. Over the weekend (April 13), I made my first, small leafy greens harvest of the season. It included: Radicchio, dandelion, stinging nettle, garlic, ‘Egyptian Walking’ onion, bloody dock, and strawberry leaves, as well as some chickweed, kale, and dandelion (including a flower) that are further …
“Welcome back, friends.” Lately, these words keep popping up in my mind as I slowly walk the garden looking for signs of growth and change. Sometimes I say them out loud, too, greeting each plant as they emerge. I feel so happy to see them again. Grateful that we are here, in spring. Back at …