Savvy Gardening

My favourite tip for keeping paperwhites upright

by Tara Nolan

Do your paperwhite flowers flop? One of my favourite pieces of indoor plant advice that I like to dust off around the holidays concerns preventing your elegant pot of paperwhites from unceremoniously flopping over. I’ve seen a few recommendations over the years, but it seems as though the concept originated from the Flowerbulb Research Program at Cornell University.

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Deck your halls with boughs of boxwood and other nature finds

by The Savvy Experts

Once the fall gardening season winds down, grocery stores and garden centres tend to really pull out all the stops for the holidays. You’ll find tables of greenery – pine, cedar, spruce, magnolia, and more! – and other accessories to adorn containers, garlands, wreaths, and other holiday décor. But don’t be afraid to experiment with the diversity of materials you can find in your own yard and garden. You never know what amazing beauty awaits! Here you will find some ideas from Tara, Jessica, Amy, and Niki that will hopefully inspire you to head out to your garden and gather some gorgeous natural materials for your holiday embellishments. Continue Reading
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Edible sunflower microgreens

by Jessica Walliser

Looking for something to satisfy your green thumb AND fill your belly with fresh veggies this winter? Look no further than sunflower microgreens! Graced with a nutty flavor and a crunchy texture, sunflower microgreens are nothing short of awesome in sandwiches, soups, salads, scrambled eggs, and wraps. Both the leaves and the stems are edible. In this gardener’s opinion, sunflower shoots are the finest of all the microgreens. I’ll be starting a batch of my own later this week and continue growing them all winter long. It’s easy, fun, and a great project for kids. Continue Reading
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A simple winter mulch = easy winter harvesting

by Niki Jabbour

Protecting root and stem crops with a thick, insulating blanket of winter mulch is the easiest – and cheapest – way to stretch your homegrown harvest into January and February. You don’t need to buy or build any structures like cold frames or mini hoop tunnels, and you can typically source your mulching material for free by using chopped leaves or straw. It’s a technique I talk about in my books, The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener and Growing Under Cover: Techniques for a More Productive, Weather-Resistant, Pest-Free Vegetable Garden. Continue Reading
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Cherry tomato round-up

by Jessica Walliser

Every year I grow several different varieties of cherry tomatoes in my garden, and at the end of the growing season, I compare each cherry tomato variety for production and disease resistance. I take careful notes on which varieties are most prolific, which seem to out-grow the blight, and which withstand summer droughts with nary a wilted leaf. Then I decide which ones make the grade and earn a spot on my “favorites” list. Here’s the skinny on a few of this year’s superstar cherry tomatoes from my garden. Continue Reading
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Asters: Perennials with a late-season punch

by Jessica Walliser

Asters are hands-down my favorite fall-blooming plants. These colorful, pest-resistant, and late-flowering perennials are perfect for gardens in areas where winter temperatures dip as low as -30 degrees F. There are about ninety species of aster native to North America, many with dozens of named cultivars, varieties, and subspecies. They range from one to four feet in height and vary in color from pink and purple, to red, white, lavender, and blue. The choices are dizzying! Continue Reading
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