A noun. A verb. A blog.
Here’s a cute idea to toast with your wassail cup. These orange slice curtains were tucked into a little corner of one of the Allan Gardens Conservatory greenhouses, and might be easy to miss flanking a doorway on the north side of one of the tropical houses. The late sun doesn’t show these off to […]
In my other life as a designer I’m involved in a project involving Alchemy as a symbol. This got me thinking as I was looking at the little – er, increasingly massive – pile of eggshells and tea bags I’d set aside to add to my worm composter. (The city isn’t getting this good stuff, […]
Small gardens like mine offer scant room for tool storage. That’s why constantly look for tools that are compact, easy to store and hard-working in the garden. Here are two I’ve had good results with – both time-tested as well as bankrolled by yours truly. The first – and the rust says it’s been around […]
Commenting on my Leaf Eater review, wise Pomona Belvedere of Tulips in the Woods reminded me to wear ear protection. She’s quite right. As someone who has a severe-to-profound hearing loss, I should know. And know better. Called presbycusis – a great word to file away for Scrabble or crossword clues – my type of […]
How quick come the reasons for approving what we like. – Jane Austen Today, I used my new purchase for the first time, and have to say the Flowtron Electric Leaf Eater pretty much (or pretty mulch) lived up to its billing: it shredded mountains of leaves, wet and dry, quickly and conveniently. The worst […]
Toronto Gardens isn’t the only blog about gardening in Toronto. Or about Toronto gardens. Here are a few we follow – and we’d love to hear about others that are missing. YouGrowGirl We can’t begin such a post without mentioning Gayla Trail, who has set and raised the bar in garden blogging since 2000. We […]
Many plants are easily propagated by cuttings. And the process is far from complex. The most important step is, of course, to do it… and not be daunted by rules or regulations. I own rooting hormone (#1 for softwood cuttings) which would have been an essential tool in the right way to take these […]
For all you Mac users: behold my success at fooling iPhoto into creating a photo collage, something it doesn’t profess to do. There are a number of third-party software choices available to let you do this… but I found a quick, easy and no-cost solution. Just pour your photos into a page template for a […]
I’ve always been frustrated with the little teeny packets of flower preserver that you get when you buy cut flowers. Seems you can never buy this mysterious stuff in bulk for use in home-grown bouquets. No idea what it even contains. So I’ve always wanted to find a home recipe for flower bouquet longevity. I’ve […]
I am not impressed with the Ontario Government’s public information efforts regarding the new sweeping pesticide ban that went into effect on Earth Day. Their website is a labyrinth of links, beaurocrat-ese, and PDF downloads. After spending over an hour on their and various other sites, I couldn’t find one easy-to-understand list of all the […]
I was always a bare knuckle gardener, at least I was for years. I liked the direct connection to the soil, the feel of the the plant stem; it was the only way I knew I was doing it right – by feel. But somewhere I got a bit fed up with perpetually dirty fingernails, […]
Quick tip from the idea file: photograph your plant tags; both sides. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Use your cell phone, if it has a camera. The great thing is, it will be time- and date-stamped, so you’ll always know when you made your purchase. You could then create a photo file exclusively of […]