Over at Takoma Gardener, Susan reveals her secret to detering squirrels from stealing her bulbs: she scatters red pepper flakes over her bulb plantings. Brilliant!
Archives for November 2005
The child-friendly garden
Often, just a quick glimpse at a house reveals whether its residents include children. Kids have a tendency to make their mark: vagrant toys and boisterous games have a deleterious effect on perennial borders, while the brightly hued durable plastic that is typical of children’s play structures doesn’t make for the most elegant of garden […]
To do: Coax Paperwhites
There’s something untoward about the term, “forcing bulbs.” I always feel for the poor mistreated bulb: was it bullied? Terrorized? Coerced? That’s why I prefer coaxing. Whatever you choose to call it, forcing bulbs refers to the act of creating conditions that mimic nature’s springtime, confusing the bulb in winter. My favourite bulb to coax […]
Preparing for winter
Today, a milestone. The first of many mornings with ice on the windshield. Joy. In the garden, winter preparations are well underway. The bulbs are planted, the beds are tidied. It may be too late to plant a cover crop (also known as green manure) but according to Garden Organic, where you’ll find a good […]
Galiano weekend
Please excuse my absence: I’ve been without a computer – gasp! – for two whole days. Ben and I spent the weekend on lovely Galiano Island. Galiano is part of the Gulf Islands, which lie between Vancouver Island and the Mainland. Home to artists and artisans, farmers and small business people, they run on “island […]
A different approach to flowers on the grave
The Human Flower Project, a collaborative, international photo album and discussion of how people live through flowers, wrote yesterday about the Bolivian Fiesta de las Natitas, or, Day of the Skulls. It’s a modern ceremony with ancient roots. Think Mexico’s Day of the Dead, but more, um, earthy. I found this just fascinating: According to […]
Meet peat
Since the 1950s peat has been used by gardeners as one of the finest soil amendments for ericaceous plants (including heathers, azaleas and rhododendrons), as a mulch, and as a growing medium. But peat is collected from wetlands, which harbour many rare and endangered species, and can take centuries to regenerate. “In the past half […]
Guerilla Gardeners
I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of guerilla gardening. Of resisting the concrete sprawl and challenging the ownership of vacant lots. It’s not a new idea; the movement started in New York’s Bowery district in the 70s with a landscape painter named Liz Christy. She spearheaded the reclaimation of the streets by turning vacant […]