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...
My garden tours are a big hit
Over the past eight years, I have led 20 garden tours around the world. My first tour was a cruise around Italy and to Croatia, starting in Rome and visiting Florence and Sicily and...
Golden memories of great Welsh garden Powis Castle
In May, I will be taking a group to North Wales to see some of the loveliest gardens there.
One of them is Powis Castle garden, just outside Welshpool.
I have been there twice before. The...
Hedges damaged by heavy snows get the chop
We knew this would be the outcome. The heavy snow of winter crushed many plants, especially hedges throughout Metro Vancouver. We could see the damage right away. The snow came so fast overnight and...
Chelsea Flower Show 2017
Chelsea Flower Show, the classiest garden show in the world, will be held this year from May 23-27 on the famous Chelsea Hospital site next to the River Thames in London.
You can find out...
Protected: Longwood introduces another winning clivia
Longwood Gardens, the magnificent 1,077-acre garden estate built by Pierre du Pont, is a wonderful place to visit any time of year.
When I visited in March, the conservatory contained thrilling displays of orchids, echium,...
Philadelphia Flower Show was again a knockout
Philadelphia Flower Show, the world's oldest and biggest garden show, was again a huge success this year with the theme, Holland: Flowering the World, a homage to Dutch horticultural expertise.
It was the third time...
David Austin introduces more beautiful roses
Austin roses has introduced several new varieties over the past few years, including Sir Walter Scott, Desdemona, Roald Dahl, Bathsheba, The Ancient Mariner, Olivia Rose, The Lady of the Lake, Poet’s Wife and Imogen. To...
Six for success: Smart rules for gardeners.
Remember plants are living things.
If you neglect them, don’t feed them, don’t care for them, force them to live in the dark when they need light or in the hot sun when they...
Lovely gardens of Lawrence Johnston
What few people know about Lawrence Johnston, the great British garden maker, is that he was almost left for dead on the battlefield during the First World War.
A friend just happened to spot his...
A visit to Holland’s gorgeous Keukenhof garden
I have been to the Keukenhof garden in Lisse outside Amsterdam a couple of times. The first time was in early April when the giant blocks of colour created by mass plantings of tulips...
Bestselling gardening books
In 1997, Daphne Gray-Grant, an executive working for Pacific Press, came to me and asked if I had considered writing a book. I had been writing garden stories for The Vancouver Sun for about...
