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 […]
This mosaic of botanical tiles caught my eye in a panel beside the elevator in the upstairs mezzanine of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. They look like fired clay, with the imprint of actual leaves and flowers. Please excuse the fuzziness of the images, taken in dim light with a hand-held camera. Hope […]
Some inspiration for front door décor from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. Their display of 100 decorated doors continues till December 10th. The RBG is only about an hour’s drive from Toronto, and if you haven’t visited in a while (I hadn’t till a Garden Writers’ Association conference took me there on Friday) you’ll […]
“Timelines, Strata and Ephemera” – See further info on this installation below. Québec City was born in 1608, and in 2008 it had a big party to mark its 400th. The Ephemeral Gardens were among the events and happenings that unfolded all through the year-long celebration – and which included a free concert by Céline […]
British garden blogger VP of Veg Plotting invites other GBs to get OOTS: Out on the streets to report on gardens close to home. Her inspiration, I think, is to look for ideas in public gardens. However, there are great ideas to be stolen, I mean had, from commercial gardens, too. At top and left […]
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, […]
The miracle of digital SLR photography isn’t only that it helps me become a better photographer, through a 1,001 disposable mistakes. It is helping me become a better gardener, acting as a zoom lens for the mind, as well as the eye. The camera lets you get intimate with flowers and foliage and bark and […]
Looks like I’m talking magic again. No smoke, just mirrors. Mirrors are a way to fool the eye, making a small space seem larger, even outdoors. Here is my latest. Not some expensive glass globe. It’s an oversized plastic Christmas ornament snagged last season at Canadian Tire for $1.99. I’ve been saving it for the […]
You probably know of What Not To Wear, where some poor schmuck has her (or his) wardrobe made over from scratch. I just realized that one of WNTW’s tenets applies to gardening. More on that in a sec. My revelation came about because Sarah and I recently joined Blotanical, a great online directory of garden […]
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 […]
We’re in that in-between stage in our Toronto gardens: not quite winter; doesn’t feel like spring. If yours is like mine, the garden’s disheartening brown drabness feels like the morning after a big party. The fun part seems too long ago; all you can see is what needs tidying. But it’s the perfect time of […]
What a simple idea for preventing your monkshood from toppling: large open baskets composed of twigs and string. Rather than the unsightly stake, or the rigid rings, create something organic that almost disappears in the foliage. This one works, regardless of your continent or zone. It’s a keeper.