Savvy Gardening

How to get rid of slugs in the garden: 8 organic control methods

by Jessica Walliser

Slugs are one of the most common garden pests, though unlike most other leaf-munching critters you find in your garden, they aren’t insects. Instead, slugs are land-dwelling mollusks that are more closely related to clams than beetles or caterpillars. Facing a slug infestation is serious business, filled with slime trails, damaged leaves, and missing seedlings. Figuring out how to get rid of slugs in the garden without turning to harsh synthetic chemical slug baits, is a task ripe with old wives’ tales and useless homemade remedies. But, the truth is that effective organic slug control is both manageable and affordable, when you’re armed with the following tips and information. Continue Reading
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Growing cucamelons in a garden

by Niki Jabbour

What’s the most popular crop in our vegetable garden? Easy! It’s cucamelon. The fruits, which look exactly like tiny watermelons, rarely make it into the kitchen; instead, we gobble them up by the handful, straight from the vines. The plant is a distant relative of cucumbers, and these inch-long fruits do have a cucumber-like flavor with a pleasing citrus tang. Growing cucamelons in garden beds and containers is an easy way to enjoy this unusual vegetable.

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Dwarf flowering shrubs for small gardens and landscapes

by Jessica Walliser

Gardens in suburbia seem to be shrinking. As houses grow bigger, yards grow smaller and there’s less and less room to garden. Combine that limited space with shrinking free time and narrowing gardening budgets, and you have the perfect recipe for an overgrown landscape. Smaller gardens quickly become overrun by full-size shrubs when the homeowner doesn’t have the time to be constantly pruning them to a suitable size. Thankfully, plant breeders are coming to the rescue by selecting and developing many new varieties of dwarf flowering shrubs for small gardens that stay naturally petite without a lot of fuss. Continue Reading
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Tips for pruning lilacs

by Tara Nolan

A few years ago, when I went to grab the hose, I noticed a ton of branches had been torn off my lilac bush. I accused my poor husband of getting overzealous with the pruners. However, I soon discovered that the hack job was the work of a mother squirrel that was meticulously building her nest. She’d rip off a branch or two and then run to my chimney (that’s a whole other story). I was worried about the lilac coming back the following spring, but it has been flourishing. Lilac is among my favourite spring scents—when I work outside on my deck, I take deep breaths when they’re in bloom, as they sway in the breeze. When those fragrant blooms fade, it’s a good time for pruning lilacs. So I thought I’d share a few tips!

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Shrubs for pollinators: 5 bloom-filled choices for bees and butterflies

by Jessica Walliser

Pollinator gardening is powerful stuff. While natural pollinator habitat diminishes and the effects of pesticide exposure take their toll on many species of bees and butterflies, backyard gardeners are making a positive difference in the lives of these insects. Pollinator gardens, both large and small, are collectively helping to fill the void by providing nectar forage, caterpillar food, and nesting and overwintering habitat for a broad diversity of pollinating insects. Today, we’ve teamed up with First Editions® Plants to tell you about five beautiful flowering shrubs for pollinators. These pollinator-friendly shrubs are sure to add even more pollinator power to your yard and garden. Continue Reading
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Shade-loving perennial flowers: 15 beautiful choices

by Jessica Walliser

While shade may feel like a limiting factor when it comes to colorful garden plants, it simply isn’t. Yes, your plant palette may not be quite as full as it is in a sunny garden, but there are scores of excellent shade-loving perennial flowers that produce bright blooms all season long. Shade gardeners are often told they need to focus on variegated or colorful foliage plants if they really want to have a lot of color in their gardens. But, while having various textures and hues of foliage can certainly add a lot of pizzazz to a shady garden, foliage plants aren’t the only option. Case in point: the 15 blooming shade perennials featured below. Continue Reading
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