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WINTER VEGETABLES - A Wealth of Information

Jo-Ann Canning, a long time Vancouver Master Gardener, has provided several Overviews for Winter Vegetables categories: 1) Greens, 2) Brassicas, and 3) Roots.  In addition, there are a number of specific winter vegetable Resource pages provided by both Jo-Ann, as well as...

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 - 08:25 in MGABC | Read more
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WINTER PROTECTION FOR TROPICALS

There is a trend these days to plant trees, shrubs, and flowers that remind us of either 'the Old Country' or our recent vacation in the tropics.  Some of these plants will survive (emphasis on SURVIVE!) our basic BC / Lower Mainland winter relatively untouched.  Most, however,...

Saturday, November 26, 2011 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
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SHUTTERBUG ALERT - Winter Photography 101

In the November/December 2011 issue of Garden Design, Becca Bergman Bull profiles Photographer Karen Bell.  Capturing a garden's vitality through a camera's lens can pose a challenge. Trying to do so in winter is even harder. Karen Bell has led seasonal photography workshops at...

Wednesday, November 23, 2011 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
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OH THOSE WASTE WATCHERS!

Katie Mendelson, in the Garden Design November/December 2011 issue, introduces us to Robert Reed of Recology.  For many gardeners who diligently save and compost leaves and other discarded plant material, the idea of keeping food scraps hanging around in the kitchen is fairly...

Wednesday, November 23, 2011 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
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TIMELY ADVICE

Late planting your Spring bulbs?   If you know in advance you won't be able to plant Spring Bulbs until very late, throw small tarps or leaf piles over proposed planting areas to keep the soil warm and workable until you are ready to dig.  (GardenWise, Fall 2011) Winter Proof...

Monday, November 21, 2011 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
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TIPS TO GROW A NON-INVASIVE GARDEN

Gardeners in BC enjoy some of the best growing conditions in Canada, allowing for a spectacular display of attractive exotic and native trees, shrubs, and flowers.  As a result, horticulture is a vibrant and growing industry, but also a key pathway for invasive or 'unwanted'...

Sunday, November 13, 2011 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
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NEW BOOKS AT VANDUSEN

Here's a NEW book list from the VanDusen Josef Wosk Library and Resource Centre: QK98.5 .U6 B47 2011  Benoliel, Doug.  Northwest foraging: The classic guide to edible plants of the Pacific Northwest.  Fully revised and updated.  Seattle, Wash.: Skipstone, 2011.  1 copy ref; 1...

Sunday, November 13, 2011 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
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THE TRUE VALUE OF LOCAL FOOD

We're just wrapping up our first growing season here and as autumn takes hold, I'm finding myself with some much needed time for reflection on the past year.  A recurring theme for us, and other new farmers has been determining and communicating the value of the food we produce...

Saturday, November 12, 2011 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
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WONDERFUL NATIVE PLANT WINTER GREENERY

Mention the word evergreen, and most people conjure images of trees, usually cone-bearing trees.  But more than trees can be evergreen; shrubs, vines and herbaceous plants can also be green year round.  And there are some gorgeous native evergreen plants that can be used to keep...

Saturday, November 12, 2011 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
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FALL MESSAGE from VanDusen Botanical Gardens

Gardens in coastal California are lovely at most times of the year, especially to an envious northerner.  Writing this article in a San Francisco coffee shop (husbands must amuse themselves as wives shop), I am filled with delight at the sights, sounds and tastes of the past...

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - 16:00 in MGABC | Read more
Resources

Growing Your Own Garlic - it's time!

It's that time of the year to be planting garlic cloves to harvest big bulbs next summer.  Click on the attached pdf for complete instructions. A little note: Garlic is good for what ails you! Did you know that the longer garlic is cooked, the milder the flavour? So for the...

Monday, October 31, 2011 - 08:54 in MGABC | Read more
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THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT!

The September/October 2011 Garden Design Magazine has referenced a 'bumper crop of mobile apps for the gardener'.  Their favourites, each indispensible in its own way, make for a handy trifeca for design, diagnosis, or just about anything you'll encounter in your backyard...

Monday, October 24, 2011 - 17:00 in MGABC | Read more

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