Five Steps to Garden Meditation

By Elizabeth Spence with Alexandria Nunn At this time of year, midwinter, we are cozily settled in by our firesides with the cat on our lap or the dog at our feet, a lovely cup of tea on the side, and a gardening book (or perhaps this website) in our hands Gardening in Winter! Bathed […]

Five Minutes to Winter Garden Bliss

By Jennifer Langille While it’s tempting to cozy up under a blanket on the sofa during winter, stepping outside for some fresh air and sunshine can do wonders for your mood, energy, and overall well-being. I spend time in my garden every day in the winter – without fail. But what is there to do […]

Six Easy Flowers to Grow from Seed

By Elizabeth Spence I suppose the easiest way to plant a flower bed is to buy the plants from a garden centre and pop them in the ground. But think what you’re missing if you don’t sow the seeds directly in the ground yourself:  the joy and thrill of seeing those little shoots emerging from […]

Happy Poinsettia Day!

By Elizabeth Spence Yes indeed!  Since 2002, December 12th has been National Poinsettia Day.  In the States, anyway.  Has anyone heard of us celebrating this in Canada? Not that we don’t know what a poinsettia is, of course.  Almost everyone has had one of these lovely plants for Christmas at one time or another.  They […]

Sweet Amaryllis Forever

Photo by George Klass By Elizabeth Spence Funny how things seem to dovetail, isn’t it? A couple of weeks ago I was listening to a song written in 1598 by an English composer, John Wilbye, called “Adieu, Sweet Amaryllis” in which the lovely maiden, Amaryllis, is gently rejecting her lover, and all he can do […]

Magnolias love Beetles! Old Ones!

By Elizabeth Spence Here’s a piece of garden trivia! Did you know that gorgeous magnolias are thought to be 95 million years old? They existed before bees did and they were pollinated by ancient beetles haplessly crawling around. Today, they are recognized as having typical “beetle” flowers – they are bowl-shaped to provide shelter for the beetles, although […]

New Clipping Library in Tatamagouche!

Introducing the Tatamagouche Public Library Houseplant Clipping Library! Jennifer has been heavily involved in creating a new houseplant cutting exchange at the Tatamagouche Library. Bring your clipping(s) in water in a jar, and keep your new clipping fresh in the same jar for the journey home. The idea is to share.  Bring one, take one. Ask staff […]

Marriage in the Vegetable Garden

by Jennifer Langille All gardeners have their own vision of what a vegetable garden should be. Some need them to be neat, tidy and always ready for Instagram-worthy photos. For others, it’s about embracing the wild, letting the garden grow unruly and free. So neat and tidy! There are vegetables in there! The purely practical […]

Jennifer’s Vegetable Report: July 2024

By Jennifer Langille Some days in July it was quite a challenge to keep up with garden chores because of the intense heat we had. While the sun baked the earth and the plants were photosynthesizing like mad, the weeds were growing on, the tomatoes needed pruning and supports for tall plants needed to be […]

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