As autumn settles in here in Zone 5, my garden becomes a rich tapestry of color. Trees and shrubs take center stage, their leaves turning to brilliant red, orange, and gold shades. With their striking scarlet hues, maples are the showstoppers, while the burning bush and sumac add vibrant crimson

Registering new cultivars with scientific authorities and securing patents or trademarks are essential steps in bringing new plant varieties to market. In a previous post, I clarified the distinction between botanical varieties and cultivars. For this first horticultural chronicle, I’ll explore the process of cultivar registration and its significance for

While perusing an online plant catalog recently, I stumbled upon a section featuring “Novelty lilies.” This piqued my curiosity: what exactly did this term signify? Was it a category of lilies I was not aware of, or simply a label intended to intrigue customers? Although I was already familiar with

Dahlias, dahlias, in testimony of the hundreds of dahlias, painstakingly planted every spring, cared for during summer, dug in the fall, stored in winter… Such beauty they bring and the more you cut their flowers, the more they bloom. Here is a retrospective, in no particular order, of 30 of

A retrospective gallery about my garden We acquired our nearly 6-acres, semi-wooded property in equestrian country West of Montréal, Québec, 7 years ago. Since then, in the respect of the existing landscape punctuated by magnificent specimens of mature trees, we are creating a country-style garden, while pursuing our respective passions:

2021 was a consolidating year in my garden with many new projects 1. The peony borders More is better  I am beginning my review the same way I did last year: My love for peonies grew much more again this Summer! I started the Spring by enlarging (twice) 2 of

5 tips that will help extend the dahlia blooming season 1. Deadheading Pruning spent flowers will boost more flowering. Your dahlia should use its energy to produce floral buds instead of seeds How to: Spent flowers have a pointy shape while the coming floral buds are round and somewhat leaning

2020 was a buzzy year in my garden with many new projects 1. The peony borders My love for peonies grew a lot more this Summer! In the Fall of 2019 I designed a new, larger peony/mixed border to complement the border dating from 2018. In early Summer, I finished

9 steps for digging dahlia tubers and storing them through the Winter Dahlias are not perennial where I live in Southern Quebec which is USDA plant hardiness zone 5. If your climate is zone 7 or warmer, you may consider leaving them in the soil. For me, it is either

Here are the most frequent questions I’ve been asked about dahlias on Instagram How and when do you start and plant your dahlias? I live near Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which is USDA hardiness zone 5 [to know your hardiness zones in the United States, click here]. In mid-April, I start