Did you know that growing houseplants will help clean the air inside your home? Houseplants are very beneficial in the air we breathe. They purify and renew our indoor air by filtering out the toxins and carbon dioxide we exhale, and then replace it with clean oxygen!  It is proven that some plants do an excellent job of cleaning [...]

Starting Seeds indoors Winter has been holding on and most of us die hard gardeners are trying to push the season! One nice day seems to herald the onset of spring, but is quickly followed by a week of rain, or the forecast of snow in higher elevations. Thank goodness for the opportunity to start flower and vegetable seed indoors! It’s [...]

  Growing Garlic for Summer Harvest   Summer has finally come to a close, but there are still lots of things to do and grow in the garden. Fall veggies such as broccoli, beets, kale, onions and some lettuces/spinach are all great to be planting now, along with all your bulbs for spring, including Garlic. Planting garlic now, will ensure [...]

Common Summer Garden Problems   This time of year, the summer planting season is winding down and we are now into weeding and maintenance mode.  The big push to get plants in for summer colour is done. Now it’s time for filling in empty spots and popping in fresh colour. Vegetables are flourishing and it’s time for fall planting of [...]

Summer Pots Summer is finally here and we are inundated with anything and everything we could possibly want for our pots…only problem? What goes where? What’s best for sun? Partial sun? Shade? Here are just a few ideas of plants and possibilities for your pots. Anything that says full sun should have at least 6 hours of direct sun to [...]

Herbs, Edibles & Successive Planting Now is a great time to start planting herbs in your garden. The temperatures at night are still cool, but thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, chives, mint, tarragon and fennel are all hardy enough to deal with our spring nights. As for vegetables; beets, broccoli, cabbage, peas, potatoes, strawberries, spinach and lettuce are ready to go [...]

installing hose bib

Planting Spring Bulbs   Here we are about to go into winter and all thoughts are on what we can plant now for the spring. As gardeners we are always dreaming about what we can plant now for the coming season. In the fall it’s all about bulbs! Daffodils, Tulips, Crocus, Scilla, Snowdrops, Alliums, Garlic and more. These beauties can [...]

Earthquake Preparedness   After our little earthquake during the Christmas/New Year’s holiday, I thought a short little earthquake preparedness check list might be in order. Most of us have the majority of these items ready in case we have a winter storm, but a few more items would not be a bad idea in your emergency kit. Drinking water for [...]