Chocolate. Plants. Put ’em together and you’ve got one of the hottest trends in gardening. If it weren’t enough that there are a number of plants with “chocolate” in their name, (Heuchera ‘Chocolate Ruffles’ and Eupatorium rugosa ‘Chocolate,’ for example), there are several plants that smell like chocolate as well. Here are a few of […]
The Hundred Mile Diet
Never thought I’d say it, but I’ve found a diet I can fully endorse. Fellow Vancouverites Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon are halfway through their one-year committment to the Hundred-mile Diet. No, it has nothing to do with the town named for the hundredth mile on the gold rush trail (my mom, whose parents dragged […]
Annual Annihilation
Upon arriving at work this morning, I was incensed to see the landscapers ripping out the annuals from the beds at the main entrance. Those hapless marigolds. Those wretched salvia. Snuffed out in their (late) prime. “Totally unprovoked,” I cried. “I mean, we haven’t even had our first frost!” My carpool buddy was, at this […]
Guernsey Lily
Phoenix Perennials, a Vancouver nursery specializing in “Distinct Perennials, Fragrant Shrubs, Hardy Subtropicals and the Botanically Intriguing” sent this grey-day-defying Nerine bowdenii (Guernsey Lily) to my inbox. According to their e-newsletter, Nerine bowdenii is perhaps one of the most colourful flowers for the late September and October garden. Nerine bowdenii is the only semi-hardy variety […]
Fall container no. 2
It’s not as exciting as the other planter I made up at the same time, but I like the simplicity of this one (also with 50% off perennials from David Hunter Garden Centre ). Clockwise from left: Hebe glaucophylla ‘Variegata,’ Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ (Dwarf Fountain Grass), Chrysanthemum Showmaker™ grandiflora amor, Brassica oleracea acephala (ornamental kale), […]
Zoned out
The Canadian Forest Service has initiated something called Going Beyond the Zones, a new look at the old plant hardiness zone maps. Their website states: It should be apparent to anyone who digs into the matter that both the old, and new, zone maps have limits and have not been calibrated to the wide number […]
Master Gardener course
So, I’m thinking about studying to become a Master Gardener. There’s an information session this coming Monday, October 17, at Van Dusen Botanical Garden, during which I will have to complete “a multiple-choice test on general gardening situations.” Alternatively, I could apply to the UBC garden design program for significantly more money. Thoughts? Advice? Anyone […]
Thomas Hobbs’ garden
Arguably Vancouver’s most famous gardener and garden personality, Thomas Hobbs owns Southlands Nursery and has published two books; The Jewel Box Garden and Shocking Beauty. I was lucky enough to visit his garden this summer on a Vancouver Hardy Plant Group tour and saw first hand the “jewels” that his latest book describes. His is […]