How to attract screech owls to your woodland wildlife gardens
Screech owls are popular visitors to suburban woodland gardens and are beginning to increase their numbers in Canada, in part, because more homeowners are installing nesting boxes on their properties. Screech owls are among the smallest in North America but they eat more than their share of mice and rats making them a favourite for woodland gardeners.
A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee: Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators
A Garden for the Rusty-patched Bumblebee is a bible for native gardens in the Great Lakes region.
Pentax Q and Mount Shield Lens: A lomographers’ dream?
Combining the diminutive Pentax Q and the 07 Shield Mount Lens makes for an interesting lomography camera and lens combination.
Best flowering native ground covers for a woodland garden
Groundcovers are vital to any woodland and a key to creating a thriving garden with lots of interest.
From Woodlands to meadows: gardening in the Great Lakes region
Using native wildflowers, trees and shrubs in the woodland garden in the focus of the final chapter of Lorraine Johnson’s outstanding book Grow Wild.
Why we need Possums in our garden
Having a possum in your garden is a blessing not only because they are sweet little animals but they are North America’s only marsupial and, most importantly, they eat more ticks than you could ever imagine.
Flower photography: How to stay sharp when winter hits
Flower photography does not have to end with the first snowfall. Winter is the perfect time to practise staying sharp when it comes to your closeup and macro photography. Setting up a mini indoor studio can not only reward you with great images, it also lets you experiment with your various lenses and camera settings.
Grow Wild: Favourite native grasses and plants for the Prairie garden
In her book Grow Wild, Lorraine Johnson tackles three main garden zones in Canada and the United States. Prairie gardens take up the second chapter and offer an insightful and informative look at this popular garden style that turns its focus
on tough plants and hardy grasses.
Lorraine Johnson’s Grow Wild!: An early pioneer for using natives in the garden
Lorraine Johnson’s book Grow Wild was an early inspiration for me to explore native plant gardening.
How to attract the Hummingbird Clearwing and Hawk Moths to your garden
Hummingbird moths are fascinating creatures that mimic both the look and flight patterns of our native hummingbirds.
Dogwood tree leaves shine spring, summer and fall
Dogwood leaves can be a beautiful addition to the garden both in spring when they emerge through to fall when they introduce an incredible variety of color to the garden.
Tips to attract Cardinals to your gardens
Cardinals are one of our favourite birds to have around the garden. It’s no surprise considering their beautiful colors and their cheery songs.
Hanging baskets: Simple designs ensure success with Supertunias
If you have never tried Supertunias in your hanging baskets, there’s a good chance you don’t know what you are missing. These Proven Winners plants are bred to perform in containers as well as in the landscape.
Front and backyard landscaping with rocks, gravel and mulch
Rocks, whether they are massive boulders, smaller rocks, river rock or pea gravel, all have their place in a natural woodland garden. Placing them properly can be tricky. Here are some tips to help gardeners feel confident using them as a landscape feature.
Dogwoods: Find the perfect dogwood(s) for your woodland
Dogwoods are an integral part of any woodland garden. From the tiny ground cover known as Cornus canadensis or bunchberry, to the ever popular Flowering Dogwood tree.
Five of the best backyard birding books
Winter is approaching an time for woodland gardeners to change focus from their gardens to backyard birds and wildlife. Here are five outstanding books that will help birders get the most out of their backyard feeders by attracting the greatest number and variety of birds to their backyard.
Three Top Woodland garden books
Three of the best woodland gardening books to help you create the garden of your dreams. The Wild Garden, The Living Landscape and the Ken Druse’s exceptional book The New Shade Garden are all books that will open a new world for gardeners looking for solutions and landscape ideas.
Why Blue Jays and Cardinals go bald
Both Blue Jays and Cardinals are often seen with bald heads in late spring or early summer when the birds are molting their feathers.
Get a jump on Holiday shopping with these Black Friday deals
Great gift ideas for gardeners, birders and photographers
Garden Assistants: Don’t be afraid to hire some help
Creating a backyard escape has never been more important than it is today. Hiring unemployed students or part-time gardeners could be incredibly rewarding both for homeowners as well as students and small business people who learn new skills and appreciation for the importance of gardens.