With all the open houses and cocktail parties to attend at this time of year, think twice before you buy flowers for your host or hostess. An increasing number of the roses and other cut flowers we buy have been imported from large flower plantations in Latin America and Asia, where workers, primarily women and […]
Archives for November 2005
Upside down Christmas tree
Honestly, what is the deal with these upside-down Christmas trees I’m seeing everywhere? More room for presents? A way to differentiate oneself from the neighbours? I suppose I can’t argue against them on the basis of being contrary to nature – your basic Christmas tree does that already – but really: an upside-down tree. I […]
Heronswood
It’s kind of lame that I’ve never visited Heronswood, Dan Hinkley and Robert Jones’ Kitsap Penninsula, Washington nursery, especially since we’re only a couple hours away. I heard Dan speak at a Vancouver Rose Society talk a few years ago – he’s a delightful speaker. And from what I’ve heard and seen in photographs, the […]
Pyramidal European Hornbeam
The garden in our new townhouse comes “fully landscaped;” I tried to see if they’d just leave it unplanted, but apparently it’s not an option they’ve ever heard of. Anyway, the tree that the landscape designer chose for our yard is a Pyramidal European Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’). It wouldn’t be my first choice of […]
Christmas-season houseplants
Around this time of year, the number of plants inside my house nearly doubles. Succulent planters come indoors for the winter, as do the houseplants that live outdoors during the summers. Then there are the seasonal plants: amaryllis, paperwhites, poinsettia. I’m more of an outdoor-plant person, so I get kind of nervous when I’m charged […]
163 Things to Compost
Just when you think you know everything there is to know about composting, someone says, “hey you, why aren’t you throwing that freezer-burned fish on the compost?” Huh? Marion Owen, creator of PlanTea, has a list of 163 things you can compost in her latest issue of the UpBeet Gardener newsletter. Hair clippings, wood ashes, […]
Solar powered fountain
This solar-powered fountain makes so much sense. Not only is it eco-friendly, it’s also practical. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has faced a lack of electrical outlets in the garden! Not to mention the Problem of Cords. This particular design isn’t really my style so doesn’t make it to my wish list, […]
Japanese garden style
One of these days, our new townhome will be finished (it’s currently six weeks behind). Although you can’t tell from this floorplan, in addition to the deck on the third floor, there’s a small front garden and a slightly larger back garden. By larger, I’m talking approximately 13′ x 13′ (3.96m x 3.96m). Acreage this […]