Basil is among the most popular of the culinary herbs, prized for its complex clove-like flavor that is both sweet and peppery. I grow many types of basil, in both garden beds and containers, but for ease of cultivation and flavor, it’s hard to beat sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). Growing basil is easy when you give it plenty of sun and well-drained soil. And, there’s no better way to elevate your summer salads and pastas than with handfuls of fresh, chopped basil.
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Growing great basil
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Air plant care: Tending, fertilizing, and watering Tillandsia
Air plants have stepped into the houseplant spotlight for both their ease of care and the many creative ways they can be displayed. Head to your favorite local nursery and you’re sure to find sea shells, glass globes, and wooden frames filled with air plants on display. These free-living plants are fairly unique in the plant world, but just because they don’t need to be planted in a pot of soil, doesn’t mean they don’t have care requirements. Though it isn’t difficult, air plant care is surprisingly specific. Continue Reading
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Deer-resistant bulbs for spring color in the garden
It can be challenging to grow a beautiful, color-filled garden when you live where there’s a large population of deer. While fencing your yard or religiously spraying deer deterrents are effective ways to keep the herd from decimating your garden, there is another way. For many gardeners, the most important step in gardening with deer is to include as many deer-resistant plants as possible. When it comes to spring-blooming bulbs, this is not just important — it’s essential. Deer are especially hungry in the spring, and their palates seem to be far less discerning. Today, we’re teaming up with bulb.com, a website for information about flower bulbs, to tell you about six of our favorite deer-resistant bulbs. They’ll add a pop of color to your spring garden, without losing their heads to a browsing Bambi. Continue Reading
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Unique vegetables to grow in your garden
Our vegetable garden is a flavorful mixture of traditional crops like carrots, tomatoes, and beans with unusual vegetables like snake gourds, cucamelons, and burr gherkins. I’m always encouraging gardeners to try something new in their veggie patch as there are so many unique vegetables to grow in raised beds, in-ground gardens, and containers.
In my new digital series, Get Growing with Niki Jabbour, we celebrate all types of food gardening and hope to get you growing no matter where you live or how much growing space you have. In our premiere episode, we focus on some of the fun and unique vegetables I grow in my garden.
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Bulb-planting design tips and inspiration from the Keukenhof gardens
After our long Canadian winters, early spring usually sees me heading outside in the yard every day to see which spring bulbs have bloomed since the day before. They’re among my favourite flowers because they are harbingers of the growing season. In Lisse, a town in the Netherlands, about seven million flower bulbs bloom each spring throughout the 32 hectares (about 79 acres) of gardens at the Keukenhof. Resplendent colour combinations and creative display ideas are planted to inspire gardeners from all over the world. They’re also living business cards for the Dutch growers who supply the bulbs. I’ve had the good fortune to visit the Keukenhof twice now and if I lived closer, I would go every year. Here is some inspiration that I brought home from my most recent visit to the Keukenhof gardens.
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Evergreen groundcover plants: 20 choices for year-round interest
Groundcovers are low-growing plants that serve many different purposes in the landscape. They limit weed growth, stabilize slopes, and add interest and texture to your yard. Plus, unlike lawn, groundcover plants don’t have to be mowed. However, in colder climates, many groundcovers die back and go dormant during the winter months. This leaves the ground bare and exposed, opening it up to potential weed issues and soil erosion. If you’d like to provide year-round cover for a particular garden area, turn to evergreen groundcover varieties for the job. These beautiful, hard-working plants have so much to offer.
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