Passionate about peonies
There’s a reason bride’s love to have peonies in their bouquets and at wedding celebrations.
Next to roses, peonies are one of the most romantic flowers, unashamedly soft and delicate and extraordinarily pretty.
Pink and white peonies with...
Time to see great gardens in England, Wales and Ireland
Today I am heading to the UK to lead two garden tours in England, Wales and Ireland, starting in Manchester, then to the Lake District and North Wales, then over to Dublin and southern Ireland and...
Hot new perennials for my sunny border
First thing this morning, I found room for a bunch of new perennials in a sunny spot already home to some ornamental grasses and weigela and burgundy and lime green ninebark.
I put in six Coreopsis...
BC garden centres still hoping for big sales
It's been a crippling spring for garden centres in Metro Vancouver. Rain, rain and more rain has kept gardeners indoors.
And exceptionally cold weather has put flowering times behind, some say by as much as...
Fun first week of retirement
Moving tender plants
Moving such tender plants as pelargoniums, aeonium, fuchsia and cold-sensitive sedums out of their protected winter quarters into the garden for summer.
Birthday bounty
This lovely wateringcan from Ikea was my grandson Jake's gift to...
Quirky garden ideas outside the box
Just to get those creative juices flowing as you step into the garden this spring and think, hey, what can I do that is new and fun and different.
Here are a few silly, serious,...
Clematis: Queen of vines
Will Barron
Walter Pennel
Serenata
Ville de Lyon
Sea Breeze
Prince Philip
Ernest Markham
Pamiat Serdsta
Candida
Bees Jubilee
Your guide to clematis
Every garden should have a few clematis. I have at least five kinds in different parts of the garden.
I used to have...
Goodbye The Vancouver Sun
April 21 was my last day at The Vancouver Sun, after 38 years, 26 spent writing gardening stories. My last column was in the paper April 22.
Today I'm thinking back over the 26 years...
Hurrah for Garden Starters
I just received by shipment of "plug plants" packages from Garden Starters, the mail-out service provided by DeVry's Greenhouses, of Chilliwack.
This is a new service that allows you to select annuals, herbs and vegetables...
Exciting new plants for spring
Looking for some new plants to add to your garden this spring? Here are some new varieties being offered by Heritage Perennials, of Abbotsford, one of the prime suppliers of top notch perennials to...
Changing faces
During my 26 years as garden writer at The Vancouver Sun, I changed my logo quite a few times and also went through a number of different looks.
Here's a fun look over my many...
A little shocker for some summer fun
What’s the quirkiest plant on the shelves this spring?
It could well be the “electric daisy” (Acmella oleracea), possibly the hottest novelty plant of 2017 that also is known as the toothache plant. This also...
Check out these marvellous magnolias
We make a big fuss over cherry blossoms in Vancouver. But we ought to be making just as much fuss about magnolias since they are just as magnificent.
Some years ago, I planted a beautiful Yellow Bird magnolia...
Two perfect plants for Canada’s 150th
Want to do a special planting for Canada Day this year?
Here are a couple of plants that are being marketed this spring specifically to appeal to those gardeners who want to show their patriotism...
10 heavenly hostas
Hadspen Blue
Francee
Patriot
June
Sum and Substance
I love hostas. They look fantastic in the garden. But they also look terrific in containers. I grow too many of them. Scattered all over the garden. But I love seeing...
Upcoming England-Wales-Ireland Tour
Next month, I will be leading two back-to-back garden tours to England, North Wales, Ireland and then to the Chelsea Flower Show in London.
Each day of these tours I will be posting stories and...
10 great trees for your garden
Styrax japonicus (Japanese snowbell tree)
Looking for a superb, moderate-growing, small tree for your garden, you can do no better than to pick the graceful snowbell tree. This exceptionally handsome deciduous tree is an excellent...
My 10 favourite perennials
Alchemilla mollis
Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s mantle)
All the great cottage gardens of England have this old-fashioned favorite. It is loved for the way it displays raindrops like diamonds on its rough, hairy leaves. It is also...
Time to love those cherry blossoms
It's time to stop and notice the cherry blossoms. That's the message the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is trying to get across this month.
The month-long festival started March 30 and run to the end...
10 favourite shrubs
Buddleia davidii ‘Black Knight’ (butterfly bush)
Walk into any garden and most of the plants you see come from other parts of the world. Buddleia, the butterfly bush, originates from the Sichuan and Hubei areas...
