Gardening Magazines Reviews – Part I

January 31st, 2010

After you have been gardening for awhile, you get picky about which gardening magazines you read. You learn which ones offer the best advice and/or the most inspiration. Here are a couple of my favourites.

 

THE ENGLISH GARDEN  – What can I say? Being raised with “English gardens”, for myself, this magazine epitomizes gardening as it should be. It is chock full of fabulous photos that will leave you practically drooling. And not just over the gardens, but the beautiful character homes, country manors and yes, castles.  While most of the gardens featured are well beyond the financial reach of the average person, The English Garden is an excellent inspirational tool. It is not too heavy in the how-to’s of gardening. Plant profiles are standard in every issue, however it often features plants that are only a fantasy for many North American gardeners. That said, with a bit of research and a willingness to substitute, you can tweak the elements you would like to recreate and grow a garden every bit as beautiful as the ones in the magazine that inspired you.  The English Garden is published six times a year. Visit their website via the link provided on our website under Worth Looking Into.

 

 

GARDEN GATE MAGAZINE – Now this is a magazine that seems to do it all! It inspires, it profiles plants, it teaches you how to garden, how to landscape, how to grow plants, and it offers tips from its readers and its experts. It is full of fantastic photos that make you think “I want that”. All of its articles are well written and directions are easy to understand. Experienced gardeners as well as new ones will find Garden Gate Magazine interesting and helpful. If I have one complaint about Garden Gate Magazine it’s that it features gardens and landscaping that most people can only dream of affording.   However, it often shows you how to do some of the work yourself, making the landscaping projects more affordable. Garden Gate Magazine is a definite read! It is published six times a year and has one of the best websites. Visit their site by clicking on the link under Worth Looking Into.

Posted in HOW TO GARDEN, In Our Opinion | Comments (0)

Harvesting Christmas Greenery

November 18th, 2009

Harevested greenery in waiting

Harevested greenery in waiting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to begin decorating. At our house the Christmas decorating begins outside around the middle of November. I like to use fresh evergreens and grapevines outdoors. Because I’m rather “thrifty” shall we say, I refuse to purchase evergreen boughs. Instead, I harvest my own.

I start by making note of which evergreens are looking well enough to harvest, and which can be pruned without affecting the appearance and future shape of the evergreen.
 
Using a variety of evergreens provides more depth, texture and interest to an arrangement than using one or two varieties.

Tools needed are: hand pruners, loppers and a pail of water.

Harvest with an eye to shaping the tree and/or shrub rather than cutting willy nilly.
 
A straight cut is made to remove the branch from the plant.

Next cut the stem you’ve just harvested at a sharp angle.

Place the stem of the harvested branch into the pail of water.

Continue harvesting until you have enough materials to make your wreath, swag or planters.

When you do have enough materials, change the water in the pail, and add Christmas tree preservative.

Re-cut each of the stems (angled cut) and put them in the fresh water.

Set the pail in a cool, shaded location (garage or unheated shed) until you are ready to begin creating your decorations.

Suggested evergreens:
 

Boxwood

Cedar

Euonymus (variegated for colour)

Juniper (be sure to get stems with berries on them!)

Spruce

Yew (berries don’t last long on cut stems)

 

Suggested deciduous:

 

Redtwig dogwood

Yellow dogwood

Curly willow

Grape vine

Tree branches with interesting shapes

NOTE: do not place these stems in water

 
Accents:
 

Evergreen cones

Rose hips

Teasel

*Hydrangea blooms

*Silver dollar seed casings

NOTE: do not place these in water

* Use only where arrangement will be protected from wind, rain and snow.

Posted in Christmas Plants, Container Gardens, Crafts, Garden Decorating | Comments (0)

Greenhouse Facelift

November 14th, 2009

New cover is on!

New cover is on!

The impossible has happened – we have finally managed to recover our greenhouse! This momentous feat occurred last weekend, about eighteen months later than it should have. And, for the first time, it went without incident and nary a cross word spoken! The planets must have been perfectly aligned that day. Or maybe we have just perfected the technique? Either way, the cover is on and next spring, I can begin growing from seed once again.

 

        As my dotage approaches, the decision to scale back my hobby of greenhouse growing has been made for me. So, what better time to extend my other hobby of re-arranging furniture, to the greenhouse? The main growing bench will stay where and as is. The other benches will be morphed into work and storage space. I might even find room for a small table and chair, a place to sip a cuppa amongst the plants and dream of the gardens that are germinating in the greenhouse. But first, I have to finish re-arranging the living room.

Posted in Greenhouses | Comments (0)

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