Colourful dahlias, native to Mexico, make a superb cut flower. They thrive in hot, sunny weather and rich, fertile soil, but they won’t survive freezing temperatures. This means you’ll need to store dahlia tubers over winter if you wish to plant them again next year. But before learning how to divide and store dahlias, first decide if it’s worth the effort. Unless your … [Read more...] about How to divide and store dahlia tubers
How to
How to store calla and canna lilies
In the fall, you can store calla and canna plants for next year. Both are easy to overwinter; here’s how: Overwintering calla lilies These wonderfully colourful plants are from South Africa. In their natural habitat, they grow and flower during the wet season, going dormant during the following dry season. Fortunately, these bulbs are super easy to store over the … [Read more...] about How to store calla and canna lilies
How to store tuberous begonias for the winter
It seems a shame, but tuberous begonias are often flowering at their best in late summer, just when it’s time to bring them indoors. Like most bulbs, tuberous begonias need a period of dormancy – several months where it’s dry, dark and cool. My bulbs spend the winter in a dark corner of our basement. I discovered my storage trick by trial and error over the many, many … [Read more...] about How to store tuberous begonias for the winter
How and when to plant peonies
Whether you’re planting bulbs, trees or perennials, the best time to do so is when they’re dormant – before they begin their active growth. The optimal planting time depends on what you’re planting. Perennial plants are best planted in spring, but it’s better to plant peonies in the fall. Why it’s best to plant peonies in the fall Peonies are available as growing, … [Read more...] about How and when to plant peonies
Building a raised garden bed
We finished our raised garden bed last week and learned a few things along the way, mainly that making one isn’t that difficult. There are several advantages to a raised garden bed, but the two that convinced me that it was the best option for my new veggie garden are 1) the chance to improve the soil and control its makeup better than an in-ground bed and 2) the soil warms up … [Read more...] about Building a raised garden bed
