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Building a Mini-wetland
As a native plant gardener in a small southwestern Ontario town, I am blessed to have a half-acre property with a variety of growing conditions. These range from dry, full sun to dry, full shade and...
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On Buying Native Plants
When I started growing native plants back in 2005/2006, native plant specialty nurseries were few and far between, poorly advertised, and the selection of plants was quite limited. And unfortunately,...
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The Importance of Growing Native Plants
Native plant gardening is one of the fastest growing sectors of horticulture in North America today. I started growing native plants 20 years ago, but I was not really an early adopter; there were...
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Native Plant Gardens: Naturalized or Formal – Which is Better?
We all garden to our own aesthetic. For some, green, sterile lawns of shortly mown grass is a beautiful sight. Others see beauty in lush beds of exotic (and often invasive) flowers, shrubs and vines....
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Hate mowing lawns? Get rid of the grass!
Most people reading this article will have, at one time or another, faced the prospect of removing a section of lawn in order to create a new garden – whether that be specifically for a native flower...
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Keeping an Edge
Last month I wrote about preparing your lawn for a new garden. In that article I discussed some of the strategies I’ve tried (and a few I haven’t) for removing the sod. This month I’m going to look at...
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The dirt on dirt (aka soil) – Part 1 – Soil Texture
Let me preface this piece with the caveat that I am not trained as a soil scientist (though I did take a couple of university soils courses many years ago). Nevertheless, as a gardener I am always...
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The dirt on dirt (aka soil) – Part 2
Beyond Sand, Silt and Clay – Organic Matter, Loam, Soil pH and other magic Last month I wrote about how to determine your soil texture. This month I’d like to discuss some of the other components of...
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The Dirt on Dirt – Part 3: Water and Nutrients
So far in this series on garden soil, I have looked at soil texture, pH, and organic matter in your soil and their impact on plants. In this, the final article in the series, I will discuss soil...
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Of Curves and Optical Illusions
A few weeks ago I posted on social media that I was going to slow down in the number of articles I posted to my website. This was due to some ongoing health problems and because my schedule has become...
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