While I’m not an entomologist, I have a deep and abiding love for many insects and their relatives, and plant my gardens with their welfare in mind. When I first began my new Wolfville, N.S., garden, one of the most important perennials I had to have was rosy milkweed (Asclepias incarnate, Zone 3) and several of its relatives. Why? Because I’m fond of monarch butterflies … [Read more...] about For the love of monarchs
Summer
Rio portulaca for hot spots
I’ve been gardening for more than 30 years, but it’s still a new day when I trip over a problem and discover growing insights. First, the happy solution. A beautiful pot of annual Rio Series yellow portulaca (Portulaca oleracea) was the key to understanding unexpected problems on my front walk gallery of ornamental plants and tomatoes in containers. It was a few years since I … [Read more...] about Rio portulaca for hot spots
The joys of sharing plants
Close to 15 years ago, I stopped at a roadside plant sale in Upper Granville, not far from Annapolis Royal, N.S. The affable gardener, Jim Smith, sold me an interesting rose that he called the Dominion Day rose, as its red-and-white striped buds normally open on Canada Day, formerly Dominion Day. I have never conclusively identified the rose, other than to determine it’s … [Read more...] about The joys of sharing plants
