Is your Alberta garden plagued with slugs? Are unsightly holes disheartening your hostas?
In this blog, we will talk about the life cycle of slugs, where slugs typically live, how slugs damage plants and share some simple and effective ways to get rid of slugs in your garden.
Scarlet lily beetles (lilioceris lilii) – also known as red lily beetles or simply lily beetles – are pesky little offenders that can wreak some serious havoc on your garden. Today, we’re explaining the life cycle of lily beetles as well as our foolproof way to get rid of lily beetles naturally.
A cute little trumpet shaped flower called Calibrachoa (pronounced Cal-i-brack-O-a), or Million Bells has taken gardens by storm. They have become immensely popular and they make great, easy to care for hanging baskets. Million Bells look like miniature petunias but they come without the baggage of sticky stems and they don’t have to be deadheaded!
Have you ever set out to do anything without having a strategy? And how did that work for you? Just how many trips did you take back to the store to get supplies?
Strategizing for anything you’d like to accomplish is always a good idea. In this blog we will talk about why planning a garden is a good idea and talk about steps in planning a garden.
Join us as we dialogue about when to plant a dahlia tuber, how to plant a dahlia tuber, how to care for a dahlia as it comes out of dormancy, and how to care for dahlias during the summer.
For plants, light is life. Light is the crucial element for their growth – if we didn’t have light, we wouldn’t have plants. In the north where we live, adequate lighting from natural sources for growing plants can be hard to come by.
In this blog we will talk about photosynthesis, why supplemental lighting for plants is necessary and new trends in LED lighting for horticulture.
![How To Easily Overwinter Dahlias Indoors [Canada]](_ccLib/image/blog/THUM-44.jpg "How To Easily Overwinter Dahlias Indoors [Canada]")
Wondering how to overwinter your treasured dahlia flowers? Today, we’re sharing two simple methods for overwintering your dahlia tubers indoors during Canada’s cold winter – both for those grown in pots and those grown in the ground.
Fertilizer can be confusing. The sheer quantity of brands and mathematical combinations can be dizzying. Let’s spend some time unwinding fertilizer and hopefully, the numbers will begin to make sense.
EEEKK! Hanging Basket Care can be overwhelming! In this short video we want to show you that caring for your hanging baskets is simple and easy. We cover a quick system for tending your hanging baskets using the word CARE.
Explore the history of horticultural zones, what horticultural zone Alberta is, what growing zone Edmonton is, how horticultural zones benefit the home gardener, and some hardy perennials for Edmonton’s horticultural zone with us in this blog.
It’s frustrating. Perennials die over the winter and they’re really not supposed to, right?
Tomatoes are probably the strongest draw for the non-gardener to venture into trying to grow something because there really is nothing like a fresh tomato. Tomatoes are originally native to the tropics, producing smaller berry-like fruit than we know today. Here are a few tips on the environment of their choice and care.
We all seem to be looking for a way to simplify our lives from sorting through and clearing out gadgets we no longer need to whittling down our clothing collections to capsule wardrobes – all with the intent of spending less time on stuff and more time on the things we love to do with the people we love to do them with.
Plants are amazing in their complexity and habit. Within all of their wonder, there is an intriguing collection of plants that close up at night – a phenomenon called nyctinasty.
Sam Llewelyn said “In gardens, beauty is a by-product. The main business is sex and death.”
Mixed Sun and Petunia hanging baskets come in a large variety of colors and are simple to care for. They thrive in warm sunny locations. The label ‘mixed’ means that different combinations of petunias have been paired with basket stuffers and vines that love the sun too. They need a minimum of 6 hours of sunshine, but prefer at least 8. If they are grown in the shade, they tend to stretch because they are searching for more light and they bloom less profusely.
The words ‘Sun’ & ‘Impatiens’ seem not to work together but a new breed of Impatiens is out!
We carry a fabulous sun-tolerant Impatiens series and they are easy to care for. Sunpatiens bloom profusely and are available in bright colors. Sun Impatiens like the sun, although it’s a good idea to not put them in the blistering hot sun. They do best in a northeast, east, southeast, south (if it’s not crazy hot) and northwest sun exposure location. If they are placed in a hot south, southwest or direct west location they can get stressed and burn.
‘Sophisticated’ is the perfect adjective to describe Fuchsias. Fuchsias have delicate suspended flowers that look like ballerinas in the most intricate costumes. They come in a huge selection of gorgeous ruffled blossoms. Fuchsias like to grow in sheltered shady areas, so a full north, northwest and northeast location is best. Fuchsias are fragile and will sustain damage by tearing or breaking in a windy area. Some people prefer to keep them in screened porches.
Before speaking specifically about Begonia hanging baskets, let’s talk about the environment Begonias prefer. Begonias – like Nonstop, Illumination, and Bossa Nova – like to grow in sheltered shady areas; so a full north, northwest and a north northwest location is best. Begonias need a sheltered area because are a bit fragile and will get damaged or break in a windy area.
Once the basic features of annuals and perennials are understood – check out this link to The Differences Between Annuals and Perennials – you can go forward with a strategy for building your garden. Annuals and Perennials pair extremely well together.
Mixed Geranium hanging baskets come in a large variety of colors and are very hardy. All Geraniums thrive in warm sunny locations. The label ‘mixed’ means that they have been paired with basket stuffers and vines that love sun too. They need a minimum of 6 hours of sunshine, but prefer at least 8. If they are grown in the shade, they tend to stretch because they are searching for more light and they will bloom poorly. Of all the hanging basket types we grow, Geraniums are the easiest to care for.
What?? A Begonia for the sun??
Yes. It is true – we carry a fabulous sun tolerant Begonia series called ‘Solenia’ Begonias that grow well in the sun. These floriferous Begonias are available in a number of colors. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that these Begonias are sun tolerant – they are not intended for the blistering hot sun. They do best in a northeast, east, southeast and northwest sun exposure location. If they are placed in a hot south, southwest or direct west location they can get stressed from too much and burn.
For the beginning gardener, putting the different pieces of the gardening puzzle together can be confusing. This blog will highlight the basic differences between annuals & perennials.
![The Ultimate Guide To Pruning Raspberries [Alberta]](_ccLib/image/blog/THUM-46.jpg "The Ultimate Guide To Pruning Raspberries [Alberta]")
As the growing season winds down, that prickly patch of raspberries is screaming for attention. To be able to prune raspberries correctly, understanding their life cycle makes the task so much more bearable. Here are a few tips on raspberry pruning.
Below is a list we have compiled of zone 3 and 4 perennials that day in and day out, season in and season out have proven to be good performers for our locale here in the greater Edmonton area.
There Is Life After Shade…
Shade is one of the gardening areas that people struggle with the most, and we receive the most questions about it in our retail sales greenhouse. The shade garden is a unique garden and can happen in unexpected places, like under a heavily foliage tree in the middle of a sunny yard or next to a building or under a pergola. We have a few ideas with how to tackle this area, starting with the structure of a perennial garden, filling it in with annuals, and we also a few tips on care.