I’m not an expert dahlia grower, but I am an enthusiastic one. Every year, I try six or more different shapes and colours, ones I’ve never grown before. That’s your first clue that I’m not an expert — I don’t save tubers to replant the following year. Or maybe that speaks more to my lack of commitment in overwintering tender tubers and bulbs. What I do try to do every summer … [Read more...] about Dashing dahlias
Over the top with amaranthus
Even small gardens have room for big plants. Bold and dramatic, they can be conversation pieces that liven up the garden party. If you’re unconvinced, experiment with a tall annual one year to see if you like the effect. One recent summer, I grew a row of audacious amaranthus (A. caudatus) at the side of one of my raised beds. With sturdy stalks that barely needed staking, … [Read more...] about Over the top with amaranthus
Behold the beautiful beech tree
Nothing outshines a beech tree in autumn, although it is an imposing tree in all seasons. The leaves glow orange and russet, like the dying embers of a bonfire, before drying to a warm, burnished tan. They hang on throughout winter, rustling in the wind, a good foil for the steely blues and muted greens of conifers. In spring, the long, tightly furled new foliage pushes off … [Read more...] about Behold the beautiful beech tree
Sunny combo for your container gardening
The beauty of container gardening is trying new plant and colour combinations every year. Here a sunny container combo that I liked so much, I may recreate it again: 1 red-edged green New Zealand flax (Phormium cultivar) 1 golden box honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida ‘Baggesen’s Gold’) 1 weeping brown sedge (Carex flagellifera) 1 bronze-leaved sweet potato vine … [Read more...] about Sunny combo for your container gardening
Just say no to tree staking
Gardeners threw out their sticky cans of pruning paint after learning that sealing tree wounds with the paint increased the risk of insect and disease infestations, and the trees healed faster without it. When research showed that planting new trees in deep holes, backfilled with heavily enriched, amended soil actually hindered new roots from growing into the surrounding … [Read more...] about Just say no to tree staking
