Garden Diary

June 2022 – Week 3

Double digging a new vegetable garden. Garden Tasks: Digging to one spade length; Forking manure and compost into sub-soil; The lower layer of forked soil When creating a new border, there are two main methods: dig and no-dig. In recent years, the no-dig method has become increasingly popular due to its ease of set-up and
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June 2022 – Week 2

Pinching and planting out dahlias. Garden Tasks: Pinched Dahlia ‘Karma Choc’; Dahlia planted in the ground; Canna planted in the front garden. As Spring ends, it is time to pinch and plant out the Dahlias (and Cannas) that I’ve started in pots at the end of April. Although I already pinched out most of my
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June 2022 – Week 1

Native woodland wildflowers of Ontario. This week, I went camping in Mikisew Provincial Park, near Algonquin, about a three-hour drive north of Toronto. Because most of the week was spent away from the garden, I thought it would be appropriate to showcase a few of the special native woodland wildflowers seen on my trip in
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May 2022 – Week 4

Pricking out seedlings; Late spring blooms. Garden Tasks: Pricking out Sidalcea; Using a chopstick to prepare cells; Seedlings in the new seed tray In the blog two weeks ago, I discussed my approach to sowing perennials and biennials into pots and cells. This week, most of the seeds sown into the seed trays have germinated,
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May 2022 – Week 3

Trillium and wildflower hike. The heat, and then rain, that characterized this week postponed many gardening tasks until next week’s post. In spite of this, the warmth that welcomed the week was ideal for walking and hiking around local trails. Observing wild populations of gardening favourites like Trillium grandiflorum, Podophyllum peltatum and Erythronium americanum, can
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May 2022 – Week 2

Walk in Niagara Botanical Gardens; Sowing biennials and perennials. All gardeners have plants they can grow well, and others they struggle with. Siting plants in favourable (and harmonious) conditions is a common endeavour among us gardeners, but visiting other gardens often provides insight into the necessary conditions required for improved plant performance. While I visited
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May 2022 – Week 1

Cherry blossoms in downtown Toronto; Spring growth in the garden. This week, to celebrate the first diary entry on this new website, I’ve visited Toronto’s very own cherry blossom trees in High Park. Although in past years I’ve been able to time my visit with peak blossom season, this year, the weather was especially cold
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