Why October makes me think of the beauty of spring
When October comes around, I can't help thinking about spring. Yes, fall is fabulous with its magnificent colour changes and calm days, blue skies and mild temperatures. But October is the perfect time to plant a mix of beautiful spring-flowering bulbs.You push them into the ground - it's the easiest gardening you will ever do - and five months later,...
Words for a little boy from a dragonfly master
I was chatting wth my grandson, Jake, 8, the other day about dragonflies.“They land on you and they bite,” said Jake.I said I had never had a dragonfly land on me, not once in all my years on the planet, and I had never been bitten by one.Then, I mentioned to Jake that Rob Cannings, Canada’s top expert on...
I’ve always had a soft spot for well-clipped boxwood
I've always been partial to clipped boxwood. I'm English, but that is not the reason. You will find beautiful trimmed boxwood in many Dutch, French and Belgian gardens as well as Japanese and Italians garden. They all make bold use of boxwood and use it to great effect in their exquisite gardens.
Stories, photos of our 28 tours
Since 2009, we have led 28 garden tours to numerous countries, including the UK, Italy, France, U.S., Ireland, South Africa, Japan, China, Brazil, the Netherlands, India, Spain, Belgium, Morocco, Singapore, Myanmar, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia. Below, you'll find stories and photos about each tour. Tours are named and you have an option to "click here" to go to a complete...
We have the joy of spring . . . then comes summer.
If things were normal and we were not in the middle of this awful pandemic, I would be getting ready right now to go to Europe for a divine river cruise on the Danube, starting in Prague and ending up in Vienna. Sadly, that is not happening. I have cancelled. And 56 people, who were coming with me on...
In memory of my friend Umberto Garbuio
My friend Umberto (Bert) Garbuio died Friday, March 13 at his home on Cambridge Street in North Burnaby. He was 90.
Born in the Veneto region of Italy, he came to Canada on a ship with other young Italians in the 1950s. (You can see a photo of him below on that...
Never tire of doing this fun project with paperwhites
I’ve been growing paperwhites in glass vases for more than 20 years.
I remember buying a bag of these amazing little bulbs for the first time to do a project with my daughter Aimee when she was about 11.
This week, I...
In his 80s, Umberto’s still one of Canada’s great greenthumbs
It’s always a pleasure to visit my pal Umberto Garbuio at his home in Burnaby Heights and to see how his beautiful garden is doing.
The white wrought-iron entrance gate beyond the row of clerodendron trees still has its quaint, swivel wooden sign saying “Hi”on one side and “Bye” on the other...
We’re living in Camelot and my garden loves it
It feels like we are living in Camelot and my garden loves it.
The weather this summer could not have been more perfect. Sunny and bright during the day, a little light rain during the night, and back to moderate, temperate temperatures during the daytime.
I love it....
Two great plants for terrific summer colour
Two plants I am making bold use of this summer for striking colour are Cleome ‘Señorita Rosalita’ and Browallia ‘Illumination Blue.’
I've used both in emphatic plantings in containers and I’ve used the purple-pink flowered cleome to again create a serpentine drift through a perennial border. It worked so well last year,...
Erikson’s garden is a treat to visit with world-class collections
Pam and Tom Erikson, of Erikson’s Daylily Gardens and Perennials, will host their 18th annual Open House on July 6 and 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Erikson’s Daylily Gardens and Perennials
The gardens will be in bloom with over 2,500 varieties of daylilies, 650 varieties of...
Collecting seed: It’s child’s play and an easy way to get dozens of free plants
Grandson Jake, 7, collecting Welsh poppy seeds
Seed-collecting is a wonderful way to get more plants for your garden for free and the best way to make sure they are evenly distributed.
This week, we collected hundreds of aquilegia seeds as well as thousands of Welsh poppy seeds...
2020 European river cruise: CANCELLED DUE TO C19
THIS TOUR HAS BEEN CANCELLED AS OF APRIL 10 DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Today I'm excited to launch our first European River Cruise Tour, which will be 10 days with an optional three days extension, starting in Prague on May 15 and ending in Vienna on May 25, with...
Wonderful gift for Surrey’s Darts Hill Garden
Francisca Darts was a passionate plants-person who spent a lifetime building a beautiful garden called Darts Hill on 168th Street just outside White Rock, B.C.
In 1994, she gave the garden to the city of Surrey who have since turned it into a private park/garden.
Francisca died at...
Check out this lovely urban oasis in downtown Vancouver
It’s surprising how many people still don’t know about the peaceful Cloister Garden tucked away between towering Cathedral Place office block and Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Vancouver. It's a gem worth discovering.
This lovely, secluded enclosed space, with its formal architectural lines, neatly clipped boxwood hedging and simple flat expanse of...
Six new Clean ‘n’ Easy roses in my sunny April garden
Six years ago, I wrote with enthusiasm about Clean ’n’ Easy roses, saying how marvellous they are because of their vigorous growth, resistance to disease, impressive flower production, and the fact that many of the varieties in the series are super fragrant.
What’s changed?
Nothing. Except that...
European river cruise celebration for 2020
For 2020, we are planning a special celebration European River Cruise.
The idea is to bring together people for a unique celebration/adventure with special on-and-off boat events and activities as we cruise through some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe as well as visit towns, gardens and places of historic...
How my granddaughters did a pretty spring container
Emma and Julie start work on their container project
What to do with my granddaughters, Julie, 3, and Emma, 2, on a snowy day when it is really a little too slippery and messy to play outside: how about a fun gardening project.
We decided to make a...
Why my life in the garden is still an endless joy
Am I still having fun in the garden? Yes, gardening is still a wonderful pastime. And, hard to believe, I am still getting excited about new plant acquisitions and new planting ideas.
This week, for instance, I saw for the first time a Tasmanian blueberry vine (Billardiera longiflora) in the garden of a friend on Salt Spring Island.
This vine,...
Now’s the perfect time to plant new bulbs for spring
What bulbs should you plant for a beautiful display next spring?
You'll find hundreds of varieties on offer at your local garden centre, but I found all the ones I need - all the ones I find perform best - are available, for much less, in nice packages at Costco.
I popped into my local store this week and picked...
