Tomato Sauce Recipe
The tomatoes seem early this year? In fact I can’t ever recall making sauce this early in August, yet here I am with bushels of tomatoes that need to be turned into delicious homemade sauce and salsa. There’s been a couple of different recipes for sauce over the...
Bringing butterflies to your garden
With Monarch butterflies nearing the endangered species list it’s so important to help these valuable pollinators find a safe haven. Besides their obvious beauty butterflies hold an important place in our ecosystem so let’s discuss some great ways to bring...
Step by Step Tree Planting Guide
1. Now that you have purchased and brought your new tree home, keep the tree watered until you are ready to plant. (On average potted trees are watered every two days, more often in the heat of the summer) 2. When you are ready to plant the tree, dig a hole that is...
Low Maintenance Gardening
We’ve all made the excuses, not enough time, not enough space or “I just don’t have a green thumb”. Whatever the reason for not building the garden of your dreams we’ve all said it at one time or another. But the reality is that gardening does not have to be a labour...
How to plant a Good Vegetable Garden
There are so many different varieties of vegetables and so many different growing techniques it is hard to know where to start. We’ve got a quick list of fail-safe rules to ensure that when you bring those young plants home from our Garden Centre you are assured they...
Proper Care of Roses
Roses, the poetic muse of many can be a delightful long flowering staple in any sunny garden bed. There are countless varieties of roses and depending on your type of soil and purpose in adding them to your garden there will be one that is just right. It’s best to...
5 Care Tips for a Fresh Cut Tree!
Make a fresh cut. Before you bring the tree into your home and place it in a stand, re-cut the trunk at least one inch from the bottom just before putting it in the stand. This re-opens the tree stem which will have dried from the previous cut. Choose a spot away from...
Fall Lawn Care
Here are our tips to ensure a greener, less labour-intensive lawn next Spring. Clean Up Rotten leaves wasting away on the surface of your lawn are going to cause a few problems. Not only will the grass underneath die due to suffocation, but infected leaves left on the...
Why fall is a great time to plant
As Canadians we get really excited come spring time. After a long cold winter we want to get our hands in the ground and start planting like mad people, filling our gardens with any colour we can get our hands on. Oddly this could be considered counterproductive as...
Canning and the Home Garden
If you’ve ever had a vegetable garden you know that harvest does not happen in nice meal sized bunches. Instead you are often left with a massive bounty that no one family could ever consume and your neighbours start to hide for fear of being given another bushel of...
Butterfly vs Moth – The Showdown
First of all let’s start with the primary differences between moths & butterflies and then we can chat about why we heavily favour the latter. Anatomy Butterfly wings fold vertically up over their backs, moths make a little ten to cover their bellies. Colour is...
How Aphids are Causing your Wasp Problem
I must admit there aren’t many pests I hate more than wasps. Frankly they are the jerks of the animal kingdom. Unlike their peace loving, pollinating friends the honey bees, wasps seem to want to invade your personal space get up in your grill and instigate until you...
Landscape Fabric Best Practice
We are often asked about the appropriate use of landscape fabric. This is not surprising considering the counter-intuitive nature of something to prevent growth being added to a garden. Typically landscape fabric use should be limited to: Garden borders / near edging...
Father’s Day Origin and Attention
Do you ever wonder where a day like Mother’s or Father’s Day comes from? For Father’s Day thanks can be directed to Sonora Smart Dodd, the woman who founded Father’s Day in the early 1900’s. As a widower he raised her and her four siblings alone after their mother’s...
Planting Native Species Trees
It’s a growing trend among gardeners and landscapers to plant native species. There are many reasons for this, it could be considered part of the larger “green” movement and be the product of a desire to sustain local biodiversity, reducing human impact on the natural...
Make your neighbours Green with Envy
Tip #1 Start with a Strong Foundation Most lawns are already established but its not to late to add valuable soil and seed to the surface through overseeding. Rake thoroughly and aerate the lawn. Spread a thin layer of quality soil such as Scotts Lawn Soil and then a...