Visions of strolling under arching branches cloaked in pink blooms. That’s why I winter sowed a tray of redbud seeds in the winter of 2021-2022. The results weren’t what I expected.

Who doesn’t love a low cost, low maintenance way to start a garden. Winter sowing is taking off in popularity across Ontario for these reasons and more! But can you utilize winter sowing if your goals are to grow a cut flower garden?

In southern Ontario (zone 5-7) columbine flowers are putting out seed pods that are ready to collect at end of June, beginning of July. They are prolific seeders and make for a fun seed collection activity with kids.

You’ve picked a beautiful native tree with great four season interest, one of the main features being it’s spring flowers. Hot pink buds dotting the bare branches. The flowers showcase beautifully against the lime green of the new leaf growth in surrounding trees. Yet, your tree isn’t blooming!

Many misused terms get thrown around in gardening forums, Facebook groups and general conversations when discussing plants. This occurs even more when native plants are concerned. We get to the bottom of common terms such as invasive and aggressive, which will allow you to garden more confidently, when selecting plants for your space.

Naming the beings around us creates a sense of familiarity, comfort and community. We are far from alone in this world but we are currently out of touch. Greeting our fellow beings by name is a simple way to rebuild that relationship.

“This plant makes me happy! I must have it!!” But at what expense? Let’s do a little case study! Three early-spring plants that all bloom around the same time. Three very different effects on the environment around them.

Strawberries are a ‘gateway plant’ for getting kids to garden. If you plant them, they will come, and snack, and snack and snack. So having just a basket of strawberry plants is not enough. How can you avoid the ‘dirty dozen’ woes of supermarket strawberries and get your own harvestable crop fast, cheap and easily?

Landscape companies make decisions that weigh out income, time and resources. The window of opportunity to do a spring clean up, late enough to not be disrupting pollinators, early enough to maximize our growing season, is small. Home gardeners who choose to do it themselves have the opportunity to make a greater, positive impact on our ecosystem.

Mimicking the seasons with simple garden tasks is an easy way to hand your children superhero-esque powers while teaching them key facts about the world around us. This will give them a sense of control and leave them with awe, instilling respect for nature through the process.

It is a no equipment method of seed starting that doubles as a cold moist stratification. The reasons I rely on it year after year: Limited indoor space and once you try it, you will to!

Whenever we step into the role of gardener, we are either directly or indirectly mimicking nature. If seed starting fails to, start… we can look to how that seed would be grown in natural settings to find the answers.

No evergreens allowed! They are lovely but often a touch dominating in small urban gardens so here we’ll be focusing on native deciduous options for winter interest in Southern Ontario.

Local governments have a lot to learn when it comes to the viability of foraging and it’s ability to assist in resolving food deserts. Residents stripping our natural areas without addressing the larger issues is not the solution though.