Published in the Toronto Star, May 28, 2016 “He shoots, he scoooorrrres!”  What Canadian cannot relate to these words on some level?  Like you, I enjoy sports, some sports more than others.  I am a hockey fan (but not a player) and a golf player (but not a fan) and there was a time when…

Published in the Toronto Star, May 21, 2016 Twenty years ago, 60% of all annual flowers sold in Canada were impatiens.  Now they are near 0% (the ‘walleriana’ type).  My, how things have changed in the gardening landscape.  We have witnessed a huge shift in the flowering plant market, due in part to the downy…

Published in the Toronto Star, May 14, 2016 I am no cook.  But I can grow stuff!  I happen to be married to an excellent cook who not only possesses amazing natural talent in this department but cooking is her #2 passion (after knitting).  With a little coaching from the cook in the family, I…

Published in the Toronto Star, April 30, 2016 You have a dream of an amazing garden. Perhaps, in your mind’s eye, you can see plants loaded with colour galore, others hanging with fruit and vegetables in abundance.  You see songbirds, butterflies and hummingbirds calling in to your place, choosing it as their home this summer….

Published in the Toronto Star, April 23, 2016 It’s time to get growing. As you contemplate your options in the yard, allow me to help you get organised.  It is always more effective to approach a project with a plan. This is one of my now famous ‘fridge’ stories.  Read it, post it.  Reading electronically?…

Published in the Toronto Star, April 16, 2016   I love to garden.  Maybe you love to garden too. All of us know some people who loves to garden. So, is there anything about gardening that gardeners really don’t like?  Yes. Weeding. Weeding is to gardening, what changing diapers is to parenting.  I love my…

Published in the Toronto Star, April 9, 2016    The United Nations have deemed this the Year of Pulses.  For most readers the idea of focusing on an obscure agricultural crop like this is likely of little interest. I am here to change that.  Fact is, pulses are huge right now and you do know…

Published in the Toronto Star, March 26th 2016 Of all the newsletters that I receive David Cohlmeyer produces one of the best.  He bills himself as a ‘Sustainable Good Foods Consultant’ [not be to confused with the bad foods variety]. In a recent publication David talks about the micro biome in our gut, where billions…

Published in the Toronto Star, March 26, 2016 Our relationship with Americans is complex, but we are influenced by them and close to them in more ways than one. That is why I was fascinated to learn that among the original pack of Revolutionaries, the first four Presidents of the United States enjoyed a relationship…

Published in the Toronto Star, March 12, 2016   Some said that it could never be done. Others believed that it could. No one thought that it would grow and thrive for 20 years! Such are the sentiments around this years’ edition of the venerable Flower and Garden Festival, Canada Blooms. When the idea of a…

Published in the Toronto Star, March 5, 2016 It is late winter and the gardening season can seem a long way off, unless you are connected with a network of like-minded people. People who share your interest (perhaps ‘passion’!) for the outdoors: plants, song birds, butterflies and a mix of community involvement and friendship. If this…

Published in the Toronto Star, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016   In exactly two weeks the opening of the premier flower and garden festival on the continent occurs here in Toronto.  Canada Blooms is, indeed, the largest event of its kind in North America, with an expected attendance of more than 200,000 over the 10 days…

Published in the Toronto Star Looking out my office window right now I would never have guessed that some species of birds are in steep decline.  I have 12 feeders and every one of them is well populated on this cold winter morning.  My supply of quality seed is depleting quickly but it is a…

There is a world of scientific (and some not-so scientific) research that illuminates many of the notions that we have about the gardening experience. For instance, we know that we feel better when we spend time in the natural environment of a conservation area, urban park or in our back yard: but why?

Valentines Day is just around the corner and if I was a betting man (which I am not), I would wager that the vast majority of men will stagger into their local flower retailer and order up some roses for their sweetheart. Why am I so confident? A few years in the flower business taught me a thing or two. As sure as the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, men will not take the risk of buying their sweetheart anything but a sure thing come Valentine’s Day.

The idea of creating a relationship by exposing a shared interest is not a new one. For the last seven years the good people at The Stop Community Food Centre, here in Toronto, have offered a free match-making service for people who wish to garden but do not have access to a piece of property and property owners who don’t have the time or physical ability to put their soil to work for them. The idea brings soil and gardeners together, not necessarily people.

Take a moment to examine your life: is this a time for change? I am speaking strictly on a professional level, so don’t get nervous. For many of us there is a time when we examine the work that we do day to day and realise, perhaps, there may be something more meaningful that we could do with the majority of our waking hours. Maybe it is time to consider a change in your career path.

This past Christmas I made several insect hotels in my wood working shop for some of the special people on my gift list. They were received graciously and at the same time with the common query: “What IS it?”

I think that Canadian gardeners are world-class dreamers as we have a very long season to do it. With this in mind, I want to help direct the discussion about your travel plans for this year with a few suggestions of my own.

This year I have a new set of resolutions that are designed to squeeze more out of my gardening experience.