by Mark Evans
August is named in honour of Caesar Augustus, Rome’s first emperor. The Latin root augere means ‘to increase’ or ‘to make great’, which are fitting terms for both the emperor and this month’s garden tasks. August is a time for quiet, powerful, behind-the-scenes work that prepares your patch for the vibrant season ahead. While the garden might seem dormant, there is a lot happening under the surface and plenty that you … Read more »
by Mark Evans
Surely it’s no coincidence that most citrus ripen just as winter chills set in, right when our bodies most need a vitamin C boost. Limes, oranges, lemons and mandarins all flourish in our area, and few sights are as cheerful in the winter garden as glossy green leaves dotted with sun-kissed ripe citrus. So don’t be a scurvy sailor, get out there and plant one.
To grow … Read more »
by Mark Evans
As winter arrives and the days grow shorter and darker, your garden doesn’t have to fade with the sun. You can overcome seasonal dreariness in the short term by adding colour with annuals such as calendula, pansies, primroses, violas or Iceland poppies. But, like a sugar rush, this colour burst is fleeting. To truly satisfy your craving for winter colour, think long-term. Plant perennials that bring lasting … Read more »
by Mark Evans
Whether you subscribe to the meteorological view that it begins on the first day of the month or to the astronomical view that it begins on the vernal equinox on the twenty-third day of the month, September brings us into the season that many consider the beginning of the gardening year – … Read more »
by Mark Evans
As we move into August and pass the cross-quarter day, halfway between the winter solstice and the coming vernal equinox, the days are getting longer and brighter and the first signs of spring are beginning to appear in the garden – a reminder that it is time for some green spring cleaning.
Although we usually associate spring cleaning with housework, the same concept can be applied to the … Read more »
by Mark Evans
Garden Tetris is a lot like the video game, but instead of trying to arrange falling coloured blocks, it’s plants you are trying to fit together efficiently within a limited space. Like the game it can take some practice. That supposedly short plant you stuck in on the edge turns out much taller than you expected, the one you put in the shade needs more sun (or vice versa), … Read more »