Penny makes herself at home under the tree If, like mine, your Christmas tree is looking a little worse for wear (why do cats try to climb them when they never attempt tree-climbing outdoors?), it’s time to get rid of it. Many cities allow you to put your tree, divested of trimmings, at the curb […]
Resources
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 […]
Fun with Plant Finder
As a garden writer, I rely on the RHS Plant Finder to double check the spelling and “accepted names” of the plants I mention. But it doesn’t have to be purely pragmatic in use. It’s fun to see what comes up when you type in certain words (no, there aren’t any cultivars with “sex” in […]
Under the influence
Well, I’ve finally decided to apply to the UBC Garden Design program. As part of the application process, they ask that you list five books, journals, and/or magazines that you have found influential. I’m kind of struggling with it, because at different points during my life and growth as a gardener, I’ve required different information. […]
Come again some other day
It’s definitely autumn in Vancouver. I can tell because my biceps are becoming nicely toned from constantly carrying an umbrella, the bottom of my pant legs are always damp, and all I feel like doing is staying inside, curled up by the fire with a book. We’ve entered monsoon season, and while I hate it […]
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 […]
Adventure: UBC Botanical Garden
One of Vancouver’s garden treasures is the UBC Botanical Garden, which makes for a fabulous day of adventure. Originally created as a research centre focused on the native flora of British Columbia, the mission of UBC Botanical Garden has broadened to include research, conservation, teaching and public display of temperate plants from around the world, […]
Communities in Bloom
Vancouver’s boulevards and traffic circles, in recent years, have just exploded with greenery and blossoms. Ever wonder who plants and maintains these public gardens? It’s people like you and me. Gardeners who’ve recently divided perennials. Who see a bare patch of dirt and think, “I have just the plant for that spot!” It doesn’t take […]