Gardening
Daylilies for every day
They may only bloom for a day but their colorful flowers are a must in any garden. Daylilies, also known under their scientific name Hemerocallis, are some of the most interesting plants to include in a perennial garden. In general, they are resilient and easy-to-grow while bringing gracious foliage and
Daisies for days
I choose “Love Me” in “Love-me / Love-me-not”! As a child, my favorite flower was the common daisy of the uncultivated fields. Resilient even in the streets and alleys of urban Montreal where I grew up, the oxeye daisy _ or marguerite in French_ originating from Europe and Asia has
Plant labeling
Think about solutions including plastic strips and DIY metal markers and printed labels. Every fall and spring it happens again. Raking leaves from the gardens, I find them, the little plastic tags with pretty pictures or not, half broken and sometimes faded. They are the precious common and scientific names
Setting the garden asleep for Winter
Why and when preparing your garden for the Winter months This Fall has been glorious for gardening. Not only was it mostly sunny, it was also unbelievably warm, hitting quite a few temperature records. Nonetheless, I am always behind yard work, so many things to do before our long and
Peonies & company
The best companion plants for a peony border Is peony season too short for you and you are worried to dedicate a border to peonies only? First, plan to buy peonies that are early to late season bloomers. And then carefully add bulbs, annuals and perennials to your design. If
My garden year in review
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
Summer 2021 Garden Tour: Shade Garden and Peony Borders
At the invitation of gardening guru Linda Vater, I realized a little mid-June tour on YouTube. In this 7 minutes long video, I present the borders of hostas under the shade of mature maple trees and then talk about the different types of peonies I grow in the sun. I
My garden year in review
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
Using Pinterest as a plant database
Tired of losing the plant names in your borders or drawers? Build your own customized visual plant catalog with Pinterest. Plant names may not be as important for the lay-gardener in you. But visitors in your garden may ask you “What’s that plant?” It happens to me all the time
Moving or dividing peonies
Early Fall is the best time to change the location of your Spring-flowering herbaceous peony plant, divide an out-of-grown plant or rejuvenate an old specimen Follow these 6 steps to move a small to medium-size healthy herbaceous peony plant at least 4 weeks before the ground freezes: Prepare the new
Why is my peony not blooming?
8 questions that will help you find the cause (and solution) for the lack of blooms on your herbaceous peony Is the plant too young? It may take up to 3 years for a plant to mature and produce blooms. Solution: Be patient. Is your plant in the right location?
Peonies for days
Know the 3 categories of peonies: Herbaceous (or garden) peonies, the most common type found in borders. Their leaves generally die to the ground during the Winter and the plant survives thanks to its root system and the buds (or “eyes”) at the surface level from a plateau (called the