If it’s not slugs, it’s aphids, apparently. The little buggers have arrived and are determined to shrivel up all the new growth on my Clematis jackmanii. It being in its third year (third year leap – check!) there is a lot of new growth at stake. I’ve always used a two-pronged approach to deal with […]
How To
How to: get your plants drunk
Now here’s a worthwhile study. A new Cornell University researcher has found a way to keep paperwhite narcissists from tipping over – by getting them tipsy. The study finds that a touch of booze keeps certain houseplants from getting too tall by stunting their growth. “Dilute solutions of alcohol — though not beer or wine […]
Moss Graffiti
I’ll just say it right off the bat: I love moss. I’ve always loved it. When I was a kid, there was a clearing in the forest I lived next to, and in the centre was a stone absolutely thick with the most beautiful emerald-green moss. I was convinced (and still secretly believe) that faeries […]
The Instructables
Heavy Petal readers, meet Instructables. It’s a website devoted to collaborative DIY: participants show (step-by-step!) what they make and how others can make it. The “what” varies widely: from how to make a marshmallow gun to how to sew your own bra to how to divine water. At the moment, I could only find one […]
How to: make an evergreen wreath
Perhaps the only thing better than the scent of fresh-cut evergreen boughs is having that scent come from a wreath you’ve made yourself. My mom and some friends did just that last weekend and I played photojournalist. And so, may I present: A step-by-step guide to wreath making You will need: A wreath frame (available […]
Bulb thieves
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!