I help gardeners grow
& beginners blossom.
No seed left behind,
no soil unturned.
Together we can have lots of fun growing
great gardens using simple practical tips.
Start saving & storing your garden seeds for a more more sustainable future
SIGN UP to get the FREE Seed packet PDF
X CLOSE

A Few Quick Notes on Clematis
There are so many kinds and they seem to be in endless rotation so I don’t even put clematis names on my consulting lists any more. Instead, I suggest you choose the ones you like when you find them. If it is early colour you need try the ones that bloom on old wood (Type #1) and never ever cut them back in fall. Instead cut them as soon as they finish blooming in the spring.

Shrubs With Blooms: Attract Pollinators
Yes we all love early blooming alpine flowers and summer-long showy annuals. But sometimes it is the humble shrub that wins praise with its fantastic blooms and ability to welcome the world of pollinators. When I walked outside and saw my ninebark ( Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Tiny Wine’) in bloom I was surprised by the range and number of bees attracted to the flowers.

Protect plants from wind and water
There is no easy answer to keeping plants moist and if they dry out from lack of water or too much wind, they do get stressed and stressed plants get diseased. Sometimes they even die.

Did You Have a Dream? More Potato Growing Tips
Obvioulsy I had to try potatoes in shallow water because I love potatoes and am always looking for better or different ways to grow them. If you follow this blog you know I have grown red potatoes and blue potatoes. I have grown them in both bags and pots and in wire fencing. I have even grown them in the ground like everyone else! But I had never ever done this before I heard about Al’s friend’s dream.

Like a Farmer on a Budget: Multiply Grape, Figs and Blackberries from Cuttings
This spring we are expanding into the “back 40” as my dad used to call the back pasture on the farm. This is an area we recently had to fence because we joined the lot behind us with our main house lot. In doing that we had to clear out the branches and brambles and big stumps that were in the way. And so we were left with a field. A new planting opportunity. This post looks at edible shrubs and will be of special interest to green-thumb gardeners or farmers on a budget.

Brides on a Budget: Multiplying Echeveria
This post looks at growing the beautiful succulent Echeveria from individual leaves and it will be of special interest to green-thumb brides on a budget.