Published in the Toronto Star October 15, 2016 “The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity.” ~Attributed to George Carlin While the decline of the honey bee is high on our radar right now, butterflies are coming in a close second.  And so they should.  In case you have not…

Published in the Toronto Star October 8, 2016 “Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can’t taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie.” ~Terri Guillemets Where do you buy groceries?  A growing number of us are visiting our local farmers market to…

Published in the Toronto Star October 1, 2016 “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”  ~G.K. Chesterton Thanksgiving Day is 10 days away.  What are you going to give thanks for?  Many readers need only look out their back window at their bounty…

Published in the Toronto Star September 24, 2016 “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” ~Rogers Hornsby [I could say the same thing about gardening.  Mark] Are you a planner? Then what I am about…

Published in the Toronto Star September 17, 2016 The kids are safely ensconced in school.  The yard and garden is looking a bit neglected.  It is early September and you have a wonderful opportunity to bring new life to the late summer garden. I am here to help, with one of my now-famous ‘to-do’ lists…

Published in the Toronto Star September 10, 2016 If you are a gardener, there are many reasons why you would want to raise your plants in a raised bed. Why would you want to build a raised bed in your yard?  There are many answers to this question and most of them can be found in…

Published in the Toronto Star September 3, 2016 “Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar.”  ~Bradley Millar The bees are changing everything. Time was “a garden” consisted of a lawn, framed by sweeping beds of perennials, evergreens and flowers – oh…

Published in the Toronto Star August 27, 2016 “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ~Confucius You may want to kill me for saying this, but I say, “Bring on the critters”. If you happen to be fortunate enough to find yourself in Invermere B.C. any time soon you will notice that every…

Published in the Toronto Star August 20, 2016 “Someone has to stand up and say the answer isn’t another pill. The answer is spinach.” ~Bill Maher, 2007 Hopefully you are enjoying some ‘hammock time’ and have entered a special zone that is reserved for late summer.  A time when you can think more freely: a…

Published in the Toronto Star August 13, 2016   It is a new day in the rose garden.  Just as social media is changing the way that we communicate with one another, new rose varieties are changing the ways that we use and appreciate them. A browse through the current Sheridan Nurseries catalogue reveals a…

Published in the Toronto Star August 6, 2016 Take a moment to think of your property, even your condo balcony, as something much greater than the boundaries indicated on a survey.  Think of the piece of real estate that you live on as a pearl in a necklace that extends down your street, around the…

Published in the Toronto Star July 30, 2016 “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”  ~Native American Proverb I recently completed my annual tour of the country and I have much to report.  While Canadians are gradually become aware of climate change and the impact that it is…

Published in the Toronto Star July 23, 2016 It is now officially mid-summer and time to treat yourself to a break.  Who says?  This guy.   The guy who knows how you have nurtured the lawn, planted your garden, kept the weeds under control, mulched, pruned and watered all season.  I know these things because I am…

Published in the Toronto Star July 16, 2016 I have a 10 year old kiwi vine at the front of my house that has strangled my downspout.  This vine, known for producing the most delicious sweet, green fruit about the size of a large grape is quite aggressive.  But I love it. It surprises many people…

Published in the Toronto Star July 9, 2016 There is something primal about water.  When the animals on the Serengeti Plain have finished a busy day of chasing each other or being chased, they generally meet at the local watering hole for refreshment.  There you will often find antelope and lion sipping fresh water from the…

Published in the Toronto Star July 2, 2016 You live with a balcony, patio or yard and you are thinking about how you can do something interesting with it.  The decline of the honey bee and monarch butterfly population has your attention.  “What if I planted something that helped to attract and nurture the beneficial insects…

Published in the Toronto Star June 25, 2016 Can you imagine yourself picking a wonderful harvest of food this summer and fall?  If so, this weekend would be a very good time to act.  We are venturing into that time of year when our days are longer and day time temperatures are higher: perfect for growing…

Published in the Toronto Star, June 18, 2016 Everyone knows this person.  They attend all of the family gatherings, play golf or sail or fish and play bridge.  They have time to cook and travel and yet, in spite of all of their busyness, they have a great looking lawn and garden.  How do they…

Published in the Toronto Star, June 11, 2016   You see them early in the morning traveling in herds, like baboons in the mist.  Usually driving a club-cab pick up truck full of bright vested, coffee toting professionals, a trailer in tow loaded with plants, equipment and dirt.  They are the implementers of the plan…

Published in the Toronto Star, June 4, 2016 Everyone loves to see colourful blossoms in the garden, but we forget why Nature created flowers in the first place: to attract pollinators.  Most of the activity in your garden, associated with the web of nature, hinges on sex and reproduction.  Keep that in mind this summer…