Author: Dale Odorizzi, Master Gardeners of Lanark County; published with permission Few subjects in gardening are as confusing as the proper pruning of clematis. As Yogi Berra once said, “You can observe a lot by just watching”. The easiest way to determine the specific pruning needs of your clematis is to watch it grow through…
Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission As any gardener knows, gardening mistakes are as common as dandelions. Heaven knows, I’ve made a fair share of them myself during nearly four decades of gardening. As the old saying goes, everyone makes mistakes, but wise people learn from them. Here are a few…
Author: Rebecca Last, Gardening at Last, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission I really enjoy finding culinary uses for my plants. So, I was thrilled to learn that those lovely pinky-purple chive flowers make bottles of deliciously flavoured vinegar. It’s so easy that even a non-cook like me can make it. Making Vinegar from Chives Garden…
Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission The blue jay is notably recognizable by its shrieking, sharp calls and its beautiful blue, white, grey and black plumage. Considered to be an intelligent bird, it has a complex social system and tight family bonds. Where you can find Blue Jays These birds are…
Author: Nancy McDonald, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) are wonderful flowers for both our gardens and kitchens. This vibrant annual comes from South America, was brought to Europe in the 1550s and was found in Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, Virginia, garden in the late 1700s. Some nasturtiums grow as climbers (3…
Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission White-breasted nuthatches are sometimes called ‘upside down’ birds because of their unusual ability to perch and move upside down on trees. In any position, they can probe into bark furrows, cling to a tree, and move up and down to forage or hide food. It…
Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Frequent visitors to my backyard garden are the curious little black-capped chickadees. They are easily recognizable with their black cap and bib, white cheeks, and warm buff-tone flanks and sides. Usually they visit my garden in small flocks for safety. Sometimes they arrive with other…
Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Many different species of sparrows visit my backyard garden, no matter the season. Sparrow sightings in the Ottawa area include song sparrows, chipping sparrows, swamp sparrows, house sparrows, white-crowned sparrows, and white-throated sparrows, among others. Even the dark-eyed Junco is part of the North American…
Author: Penka Matanska, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Testing the boundaries of what can be grown in Ottawa, Canadian climate Zone 5a, brings a thrill of excitement – especially when the attempt is successful. I would like to share my experience with growing ginger plant (Zingiber officinale), while providing a few tips of…
Author: Rebecca Last, Gardening at Last and Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton. Published with permission This was an amazing year for tomatoes. My small garden has produced at least ten kilos so far, and we’re not done yet! But what to do with all that bounty? After all, one can only eat so many fresh tomatoes,…
Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission My bird feeders are a source of life in the stillness of winter. From my backyard window, I can watch the fluttering of wings at the edge of the garden. Northern cardinals perch on snow-covered evergreen branches. Woodpeckers hide black sunflower seeds in the crannies…
There are people who thoroughly wash their bulbs and tubers before storing them. I let mine dry with a small bit of dirt around them, lightly packed them in newspaper, and put them in a box in the basement on a shelf. Greetings fellow gardeners, So, we got rain, and rain, and a bit more…
The cool thing about these sculptures was that many of them would move with the wind. Lots of ideas for art in my own garden. In addition to the stand-alone sculptures, I loved all the colourful glasswork. Greetings fellow gardeners, Today it is warm and humid. This is great weather for mildew to form so…
In the garden, I never rush the spring. Be aware that all sorts of plant offerings will appear very soon and it is much too soon to start putting anything outside. Slow and steady wins the race.
Judith makes observations, including on bee and wasp diversity, as part of research done by a PhD student, as the bee hotel is dismantled for the season. While the weather is still incredibly mild, I am seeing many of the signs of autumn. Most of the trees have lost their leaves and the chickadees are…
Cubanelle pepper, beautiful, sweet, from the species Capsicum annuum, is almost ready to pick. It has gone through some tough times with chipmunks digging in the pot. The too-many cats and I are watching the rain through the front windows. The drops are dancing and splashing all over my thirsty plants. I was able to get…
Magnesium deficiency in plants can be identified most commonly by yellowing leaves while the veins remain green. The lower leaves usually turn yellow first. So much heat! I have been finding the heat and humidity to be nasty on my knees and on my plants. The heat is wonderful for some of our vegetables however…
Many of your houseplants would love a little summer vacation outside. I recommend that you avoid direct sunlight however because too much full sun is hard on delicate houseplants. Greetings fellow gardeners, Rain and sun and wind and heat and humidity and then something else. Ah, springtime weather is so special. I am making sure…
The spike mats worked to keep the chipmunks away. The areas where I had put spike mats were not touched, so that was encouraging. I placed more spike mats and put wooden barbecue skewers with the pointy end up everywhere else. Now my garden looks like a porcupine. Greetings fellow gardeners, Soon it will be…
I found a great recipe for rhubarb-orange jam, and it is truly delicious. I picked the rhubarb and checked the fridge and found some oranges. The orioles are not as serious about the oranges, so I have a couple of extras. Greetings fellow gardeners, I am listening to the light rain as it waters my thirsty…
Pea seeds are also placed in cardboard tubes, which keep them safe even after they’ve been planted out. Greetings fellow gardeners, Bee and Bee Cocoon Study This Saturday Lydia Wong, the PhD student who was conducting an experiment in my yard, returned with her two bee hotels and temperature gauge. Last year she collected…
A dog in your garden is a special balancing act. I loved having a dog in the garden. I would take time to talk to my dog or perhaps throw a ball or a stick. That got my body moving in a different way and helped to work out aches and pains. Greetings fellow gardeners,…
I would encourage you to start preparing yourself physically right now for the gardening season, to consider the importance of gardening exercises. Greetings fellow gardeners, It is foggy and mysterious this morning. Turkey gobbles are echoing around me, and I remind myself to stop watching so many scary movies. Soon we will be solidly…
Growing microgreens from seeds does not require a fancy set-up. A disposable plastic food tray will be fine as long as you poke drainage holes in the bottom and it has a see-through lid. Greetings fellow gardeners, Well, it has gone from raining with snow in the forecast to the temperature zooming down and…
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