Armchair Gardening

The concept of a lawn originated in medieval times, on the land outside European castles. The short grass enabled watchmen to see friends or foes approaching from afar.

When the snow is falling and time is available, think about researching the plants you would like in your garden in 2019. One idea is to think about the leaves that you would like in your garden. Leaves have shape, size, colour and texture. Leaves can be small, large, spiky, leathery, thick or coloured. They can be white-edged, yellow-edged, marbled, silver, pink, purple, variegated. Some leaves can even tell you what conditions the plant requires to grow. So how do you choose what plant you might want? The first step, before you visit the nursery or plant centre, is to assess your garden conditions. Regarding the soil, do you have clay, loam, sand or rock? Is your garden dry, average, well drained, wet or boggy? Will the garden be in full sun, partial sun (assess how many hours of sun an area will receive), shade or partial shade? Is the area windy or protected? How much time do you have to maintain a garden? Are you creating a new garden or just looking for one plant to fill an open spot? What height and width is required? Doing your plan or research first, before you buy, saves time, money and frustration for yourself and for those assisting you at the garden centre. Now you are ready to choose. Here are a few suggestions: Large Leaf

Every Garden has them - those spots where perennials go to die. If you’re on the verge of giving up gardening you’ll be relieved to learn that there are perennials that actually prefer shady locations, dry areas and those wet spots in your garden. There are even some that tolerate the dreaded dry shade, the nemesis of many a perennial. In the Dark: Here are a few tips and tricks that will help you and your plants cope with those areas of the garden where the sun never seems to shine: Look before you leap to conclusions. Observe the shady areas of your garden at all times of the day and during different seasons. You may be surprised at how much light there is. Maximize the light available by keeping trees and shrubs pruned. Plants with variegated foliage give the illusion that sun is touching their leaves, and plants with yellow/green leaves light up a flower bed, even in the shade. Don’t be tempted by overly aggressive plants. There are many well-behaved perennials that prefer part or full shade. Let’s take a look at some of them. If your shade is caused by deciduous trees, don’t forget spring flowering bulbs. There will be enough light before the trees leaf out for snowdrops, crocus, and other early small bulbs to flower. Hyacinths, daffodils and early tulips will also put on quite a show. 

Does this sound familiar? It’s one of the hottest days of a long hot summer and, to make matters worse, you had to work late. You’re finally home, dinner is over and the clearing up is done. It’s time to take a cold drink and sit on the deck to enjoy the garden and cool off. You settle back in a comfortable chair and look around at ... absolutely nothing! Oh sure, you can see a couple of dark lumps of something that are probably flowering plants but that’s about it. What a disappointment!