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Planting Bulbs for Spring Colour

Today we enjoyed a reasonably nice day and I was able to get outside and do a few chores.  Planting bulbs was on the top of my list, and I’ve managed to get most of them into the ground.  For …...

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Liberty Apple

BC is renowned apple growing country, but here on the coast we have our challenges.  This is why my favourite apple is a variety called Liberty. In the interior of BC the climate is excellent for...

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Tomato Soup

The other day I found a recipe online for Garlicky Tomato Soup that looked like it would be really tasty.  So I adapted it to the ingredients I had on hand, and came up with this version of Tomato...

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Natural Pest Control

Although I wouldn’t say that I’m an absolutely strictly organic gardener (I have been known to use synthetic products on occasion, sparingly) I’m certainly very conscientious about what I use, and...

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Enkianthus Campanulatus ‘Red Bells’

Enkianthus campanulatus ‘Red Bells’ lives in my shade garden between a pair of sturdy rhododendrons.  I hope that one day it will provide them some shade, because here on the wet coast it can tolerate...

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Raspberries in November

I’m pretty sure this is a personal best.  I went out to prune my raspberries the other day (the 5thto be exact) and found a small treasure…a few raspberries…in November! There were some red ones too in...

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Roses in November

This lovely fall weather has done more than give late raspberries for us to eat; we`re still admiring roses…in November! Even with a serious case of frostbite, the rose ‘Frau Dagmar Hastrupp’ manages...

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Cornus alternifolia – Pagoda Dogwood

In my back yard between the compost box and the wisteria arbour stands a Pagoda Dogwood, Cornus alternifolia.  This small tree is one of my favourite plants because it offers an understated beauty...

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Guerrilla Gardening…kinda

Guerrilla gardening is defined as gardening on land that doesn’t belong to you, whether public or private.  Some people do it to reclaim land from perceived neglect or misuse, some to provoke debate...

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Pumpkin Puree

Lots of people grow pumpkins for Hallowe’en jack-o-lanterns, tasty seeds, or to enter in pumpkin contests, but you’ll get the best value out of your pumpkins if you make some homemade pumpkin purée....

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Rats in the Henhouse!

I thought that my pretty little henhouse was secure, but I was wrong.  Yesterday when I went out to gather eggs I noticed a couple of tunnels inside the run, and the chickens certainly didn’t dig them!...

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For my sister…

This is for my sister, who is tired of being greeted with a dead rat every time she opens my blog on her Ipad! This is my homemade Christmas wreath, made from greens  I collected after a big windstorm...

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Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Profusion’

Against the back fence, right beside the chicken run is an inelegant, rather twiggy shrub that overcomes its spring and summer shabbiness with an amazing show of almost artificial looking berries...

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Winter Vegetables…a Dog’s Breakfast (Lunch and Dinner)

This year I vowed to grow a nice crop of winter veg, something to supplement the peaked (and expensive) produce that I find at my local supermarkets during the cold months.  So  around the third week...

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Cotoneaster dammeri ‘Streib’s Findling’

One of the stars of my front garden in winter is this amazing groundcover; Cotoneaster dammeri ‘Streib’s Findling’.  Hardy to -20F and native to central China, this evergreen shrub hugs the ground like...

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Primula bulleesiana

Here at the beginning of what has been predicted to be a very cold winter (although we haven’t seen any really cold weather yet), is a little spring…One of my favourite plants; Primula bulleesiana is a...

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Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans’

Rather than pining and whining for a spring that’s not yet come, let’s try and appreciate those plants that provide beauty and form during winter, shall we?  The ferny, soft foliage of the conifer;...

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Vegetable Garden Plans for 2012

Here we go again; it’s time to make our vegetable garden plans for 2012.  Here’s hoping for a fantastic growing season that begins early and stretches far into the autumn.  Something along the lines of...

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Crop Rotation – It’s Only Common Sense!

Crop rotation is a fancy phrase for a simple concept, but many gardeners just don’t get it.  It’s not rocket surgery, just shift your veggie garden around each year so that you avoid growing the same...

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The Mystery of the Disappearing Eggs

My little flock of hens bring me much joy and sustenance. In fact, I am enjoying my adventures in chicken-keeping so much that I’m even considering adding to my flock.  However, last week I developed a...

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