Honeysuckle (Photo by Brendan Adam-Zwelling)

Favourite honeysuckle vines

Winter windows near my desk provide a close view of a birdbath. Just outside each window are honeysuckle vines outlined in snow.

Browsing the seed catalogues for new finds

Seed catalogues are arriving and they provide the impetus for every kind of wish fulfillment. For fancy pelargoniums (geraniums), order seed right away.

Orchid Phalaenopsis hybrid (Photo by Arad Mojtahedi of Montreal via Creative Commons.)

A growing medium for orchids should help anchor the roots and be free draining, allowing water to run through the pot. The mix materials must also absorb enough moisture and nutrients to feed the roots and hydrate the orchids.

The garden delivers carrots. (Photo by woodleywonderworks [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

Why are some of my carrots rotting?

Bob in Creston, B.C., asks why are his carrots rotting when he stores them in a cool basement. We ask author Niki Jabbour for advice on storing root crops.