In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d tell you about one of my very favorite summer-blooming annuals: Bells of Ireland. Turns out that growing Bells of Ireland from seed is very easy. They make a great addition to the summer garden!
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Growing gourds is fun!
Plain and simple, gourds are fun to grow and if you are growing gourds next year, it’s time to start planning. We grow about six different types of gourds each summer, starting the seed indoors in mid-spring and moving the plants to the garden once the risk of frost has passed in May.
Peony plant supports: Prevent your flowers from flopping
It can be incredibly frustrating to head out to the garden after a spring rainstorm, only to discover that your newly bloomed peonies have fallen over. Peony plant supports can help prevent that dreaded flop that will decimate those beautiful flowers. The bloom period is already fleeting, so why not try to enjoy peony flowers for longer?
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Attracting hummingbirds to the garden
Though summer may seem a long way off, now is the perfect time to be thinking about what kind of visitors you’d like to welcome to your garden. While human friends and family are a sure bet, wildlife is not. But by selecting and planting the “right” plants, you can influence what creatures will make a home in your garden over the coming months. Attracting hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, toads, salamanders, songbirds, and other fascinating garden guests doesn’t mean putting out a welcome mat; what they need instead is the appropriate habitat and a diversity of plants capable of supporting them.
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Create a moss-covered pot for spring blooms
In 2012, my mom and I went to Floriade, a horticultural expo that used to happen once every 10 years in the Netherlands. We stayed in the town of Venlo and one afternoon, as we were exploring all the little shops, we came across these cute little moss-covered pots.
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Hellebores offer a welcome hint of spring
Anticipating spring can be a long, tedious wait. Often the cherry blossoms are blooming in Vancouver, while here in Southern Ontario, we are still contemplating whether we should put our parkas away for good. As you patiently bide your time until you can head outdoors into the garden, consider the spring-blooming plants you may want to add to your must-have list, such as hellebores.
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