Featured Homes
Growing Things: Don't discount the health benefits of gardening
GROWING THINGS: Coaxing tulip blooms
Q I have three pots of tulip bulbs and I’ve planted 16 bulbs in total. They were very beautiful flowers and I would like to save and plant the bulbs in my garden in the fall. What is the procedure from here? The blooms have faded and ...
Restore clematis vines with extreme pruning
Q . My spring-flowering clematis vines, which I believe are Clematis montana, have in recent years produced fewer and fewer of their lovely pink blooms. The stems are quite woody. Is there a way of bringing the vines back to full bloom or ...
GROWING THINGS: Everyone can grow great basil
Q One of my favourite things is adding basil to tomato salads or other dishes. I have tried growing basil in the garden for the past several years and every year it starts out looking promising and ends up a huge disappointment. It just seems to ...
Is it time to bring begonia tubers in from cold storage?
Q. Last autumn I removed my begonia tubers from their hanging baskets and stored them in a frost-free place for the winter. I’d not grown these flowers before last year and I’m wondering when and how I should start them back into growth. ...
GROWING THINGS: Concern about chokecherry gashes from a truck
Q We have a six-year-old Schubert chokecherry that was damaged last month when a truck backed into it. The tree now has several small gashes where only the bark appears damaged. However, there is one large gash about 15 cm wide that seems to be ...
Ways to lighten heavy clay soil for a more productive garden
Q. How can I lighten my heavy clay soil and improve its drainage? A. For faster draining of excess moisture, and earlier warming in spring, raised beds are a help. Regular additions of organic matter like compost and aged ...
GROWING THINGS: How to set Christmas cactus buds
Q I have a hard time getting my Christmas cactus to rebloom. Do you have any tips? A Every year I get loads of questions on Christmas cactus but this year seems to have broken all records. Encouraging bud formation is ...
Caring for potted tomatoes in hot weather
Q. In the past two summers my potted greenhouse tomatoes grew and flowered well but set very little fruit. The greenhouse becomes over-heated in hot weather despite shade cloth, open vents and misting several times a day. I’ve also never been ...
GROWING THINGS: Saving Edmonton's prized elm trees
The grand trees lining many Edmonton’s streets are Dutch elms. With an estimate of 80,000 trees, we have one of, if not the largest concentration of healthy elms in the world, which is why Dutch elm disease (DED) is talked about. I’ve ...
Bigleaf hydrangeas: Best approach to winter pruning
Q. My hydrangea bushes are overgrown and badly in need of pruning. They are the kind with big mophead type flowers. I believe they are called “bigleaf” hydrangeas. When, and how, should they be pruned? A. Bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea ...
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Potted cyclamen will flower again with these simple tips
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GROWING THINGS: Dress up your yard with plants for Christmas
Kitchen features your next reno needs
Caring for house plants during the winter
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