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11/23/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
CUCUMBERS: Long, Straight and Clean
The secret is to grow them up, just off of the ground. While you can build a trellis and grow vines straight up, this simpler arrangement will yield good results. 1. Take a few garden stakes about 2 feet long and secure them upright about 2 feet apart in each direction. I...11/23/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/18/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
FAVA BEANS - Good for You, Good for the Soil
Fava beans are native to North Africa and Southeast Asia. They have a long history in world agriculture, being the most ancient plant in cultivation, and among the easiest to grow. Fava beans are not a bean, but a pea, or vetch. They are annuals that are high in protein. ...11/18/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/18/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
RAPINI - a favourite in Italian and Asian cuisines
Rapini originated in Southern Italy and Sicily, and is a favourite in Italian cuisine. It was also domesticated in China, and is a staple in Asian cooking. The small yellow flowers look like small, immature broccoli but it never forms the characteristic flower head, and...11/18/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/17/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
BUILDING A GARDEN OASIS
The pros of moving into a brand new, fully renovated garden suite in a beautiful old heritage house in one of Vancouver’s greatest neighbourhoods - Mt. Pleasant, or Pleasantville, as we like to call it - are numerous. The place is gorgeous, the location is unbeatable, the RAV...11/17/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/17/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
GARDENS AND BORDERS: WREST PARK, GIARDINO GIUSTI and Beyond
Like most of us when we travel, garden visits are part of the itinerary. This October for me was no exception and, on a visit to Europe, I had the chance to see two quite contrasting gardens which, as always, brought me back to thinking about my own small plot here. Wrest House...11/17/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/16/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
LETTUCE NOT FEED THE SLUGS: Blondes don’t have more fun
This year we managed to avoid buying lettuce from April to mid-November. I still have some under the Reemay but with snow in the forecast, perhaps I am pushing my luck. Every year, I try ten to fifteen different varieties of lettuce but still prefer the Batavia (French crisp...11/16/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/16/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
MUSINGS: MULCH THOSE TOMATOES
Tomatoes are one of my favourite crops, but this year after a miserable cold spring and non-existent summer, I almost gave up on growing them. Fortunately, we enjoyed a long, warm fall and even plagued by mildew, those twenty plants kept producing. Fruits are still ripening on...11/16/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/16/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
NEW PUPPY OR KITTEN? BEWARE THESE PLANTS
A new puppy or kitten? Plant lovers take note: a number of plants can be toxic, most especially to young animals at their most active and curious! Though most of us have had pets and rarely had problems, you’ll want to keep a close eye on a young animal who wants to chew...11/16/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/16/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION - BE KIND TO BEES
Nearly all types of bees are gentle creatures who have no interest in stinging. They are searching for pollen and nectar to feed themselves and bee babies. There are over 850 identified species of bees in Canada! Bees are attracted to flowers which contain nectar. As the bees...11/16/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/16/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
HYDRANGEAS: Beautiful Blooms for a Late Summer Garden
Most older gardening books will say that there are between seventy and ninety species of Hydrangeas. Now, the Royal Botanic gardens, Kew, (as the internationally recognized taxonomical authority) has published a new definitive list of all 16,167 plant genera and has categorized...11/16/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/13/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
PESTICIDE RESIDUE IN SOIL
Britain and the PNW- How do Gardeners’ Questions Differ? No surprise – British gardeners have many of the same concerns as do gardeners in the Pacific Northwest. I recently took a look at the questions most commonly asked of the Royal Horticultural Society, and the similarity...11/13/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/13/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
PLANTS OF SOUTHERN INTERIOR BRITISH COLUMBIA AND THE INLAND NORTHWEST
This book is a comprehensive field guide to about 700 species of plants found in the area between the Rockies and Coast mountains. It is presented in a compact 5”x 8” size making it easy to carry with you in the field. It has detailed descriptions of each species and is...11/13/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/12/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
KOHLRABI - a great Winter Veg
Kohlrabi, another valuable vegetable from the Brassica genus, is a biennial grown as an annual. Although it is often classified with the root vegetables, the above-ground bulb is actually the swollen base of the stem, which sits right at soil level. Its name is from old German...11/12/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/12/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
A QUICK PRIMER ON MULCH – the Gardener's Best Friend
Plants feed from the soil, and mulch develops the kind of soil that makes healthy plants. When we force our plants to rely on fertilizer rather than healthy soil for food, they become stressed from forced growing, incorrect balance of nutrients, and drought at the air-soil...11/12/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/12/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT....
Discovering new gardening ideas or helpful information tools on the internet can assist a gardener immensely. Here are some interesting ones – please email your personal favourites to: NewsblogEditorMGABC@gmail.com MGABC DISCLAIMER Information provided on MGABC GROWING is...11/12/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/10/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
FALL GARDEN Q & A
Q: Can I prune the Lavendula stoechas on my deck now? It is in a pot on my deck and is 2’ tall which too large for the spot. A: In the fall you can only trim off old flower stalks but don’t cut into the plant stems themselves which can encourage new growth which...11/10/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/10/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
FABULOUS FASCIATED LILY
One lily stem produces 100 flowers! Gwen Gore, MG, Vancouver Chapter, shares some stunning photos of this 'bouquet in a vase'. Note the interesting woven, quilted pattern of the wide fasciated stem. Unfortunately, the stem can't support the lilies alone, but make a stunning...11/10/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/10/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
WINTER ARUGULA - Everything you Need to Know, and a Recipe too!
Arugula is an herbaceous annual, found wild in temperate regions on every continent, and has been collected in its wild form for its leaves and seeds since ancient times. Garden arugula is recognized by its jagged, deep lobed oak-like leaves, similar in appearance and flavor...11/10/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/09/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
CELEBRATING COLOUR
Beauty is to be shared! Enjoy several Fall photos from Jo Canning, Vancouver Chapter Member11/09/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/09/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
HOW TO FEED YOUR BULBS
Bulbs evolved on the fertile margins of harsh climates, and represent a unique botanical niche in our gardens. The whole group – whether true bulbs, corms, rhizomes, tubers or tuberous roots – evolved a double reproductive system as well as duplicate systems for storage and...11/09/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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11/09/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
COLD WEATHER TIP FOR TENDER PLANTS
One little thought now that frost is appearing... Brown paper leaf bags make great and inexpensive plant protectors for cold snaps, particularly for those plants in pots. Tender plants can be grouped under one bag at night. For larger plants, rip 2 brown bags down the side and...11/09/2011 - 16:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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08/23/2011 - 17:00 in Vancouver | Read more
THOUGHTS ON CHANGE
Change, the one constant of life, is certainly true of the dynamic orchestra of plants that makeup our gardens. It can be very easy at the planning stage and beyond not to give sufficient consideration to this all important factor. Change can come in many forms from macro, as in...08/23/2011 - 17:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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08/23/2011 - 17:00 in Vancouver | Read more
NATURE COLLABORATIONS
Justin Stephenson is a Master Gardener in Training, Vancouver Chapter. He has chosen to live on Galiano Island with his family and "commute" for his real job. He has shared some of his most precious moments caught through his camera lens, of Mother Nature's world, where plants...08/23/2011 - 17:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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08/23/2011 - 17:00 in Vancouver | Read more
POPPIES AND ME
The poppy, in all its varieties, is a quite wonderful flower. Huge and soft as a landmark blossom, or delicate and small and scattered through a field of cornflowers and daisies, even among the crosses in Flanders’ fields - the poppy gives me intense pleasure. Many things do,...08/23/2011 - 17:00 in Vancouver | Read more
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08/23/2011 - 17:00 in Vancouver | Read more
GARDENING FROM THE HEART
A Tribute to Margaret Church. In 1987, a most remarkable woman became my next door neighbour. My first introduction to this inspiring lady was when 4 cubic feet of compost was deposited in her laneway and the neighbourhood witnessed her single-handedly carrying it to her...08/23/2011 - 17:00 in Vancouver | Read more