Garden Blog
I enjoy hearing from beginner gardeners because, believe it or not, I started out "there" once a upon a time (more than a few years ago now) and this is my way of paying back all those who helped me become a gardener.
I hope you enjoy the articles. Do sign up for the newsletters (there's 2 of them and you can unsub any time) and join me on my quest for that perfect garden.
Doug
All the new articles fit to print.
Nov 16, 2009, What grass in no light, too much water
What type of grass seed grows best where drainage is poor, sunlight is limited, and there is too much natural water from slope drainage and rain.
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Nov 10, 2009, honeysuckle vine blooms are deformed
my honeysuckle vine is growing beautifully but lately the flowers are not opening up, and some of the leaves are curling. It gets plenty of sun and
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Nov 8, 2009, I just bought bulbs and now we are going to move...
I just received bulbs from Holland about a week ago. When I purchased them this spring from Brecks, I didn't know we would be moving. We will probably
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Nov 2, 2009, post blight garden care
I lost all of my tomatoes this summer to blight...I pulled all the plants out of my garden and plan to turn the soil over for the winter..anything
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Nov 2, 2009, Earth Worms
How can I get rid of earth worms that are under my lawn and are destroying it. The lawn has lumps all over and is difficult to walk on without shoes,
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Nov 2, 2009, When to plant garlic?
I live in Toronto and I'd like to grow garlic. What varieties do you recommend and when do I plant them? Doug says that garlic is planted in the late
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Oct 30, 2009, Compost thoughts
My neighbor won't use compost, says it can make the soil too acidic. I disagree, told him the plants take what nutrients they need - when they need it
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Oct 30, 2009, Black Walnut thuggery
Hi, We have two old, beautiful black walnuts at the back of our yard. Our compost heap is somewhat close to them-about 15 feet. If I use the compost
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Oct 28, 2009, Burgandy plant with brush-like flowers
This flower came up in a flower bed in which I had planted an old packet of old-fashion mixture. It was not there last year. The plant stands
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Oct 23, 2009, When can I relocate the Dianthus Firewitch?
I live in the area of zone 5. I need to move my dianthus plant to a new location. When can I do it? Doug says I prefer to move Dianthus in the spring
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Oct 23, 2009, Storing Lily Bulbs Over Winter
I have 50 mixed hybrid lillies that I ordered from a catalog. We may be moving this winter so I'd like to wait until spring to plant them. How do I
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Oct 22, 2009, Rotating planting locations
In your article about tomato blight you said, Do not plant any crop in the same place more than one year (etc.) Which raises the questions (1) How
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Oct 22, 2009, Green Spiky Plant with purple and white flower
Green Spiky Plant with purple and white flower
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Oct 22, 2009, Succulent with fuzzy leaves
I'd like to know what kind of plant this is so that I can care for it properly. The tag was labeled Succulant. I am wondering about how big it will
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Oct 13, 2009, getting rid of raspberries
The previous owner grew an unbounded raspberry patch in our backyard, and I pulled out all the roots from the patch, but it spread underground and the
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Oct 13, 2009, tomato blight
Is there anything that can be put on the garden in the fall after late blight that can help the garden in the next year Doug says not really. It's
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Oct 13, 2009, Can dirt from containers go onto garden soil
Due to many trees and poor garden space, we grow tomatos in large pots. Can the used dirt from tomato plant be used in flower garden? Doug says I
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Oct 13, 2009, Lawn alternative
A couple of us in Maine are using white clover instead of grass as a lawn cover. It mows really well, is soft when walking barefoot on it and looks
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Oct 5, 2009, soil and tomato blight
I've suffered Tomato Blight and lost about half my crop. I normally use the gro-bag compost in the garden. Would the compost be contaminated and is
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Oct 5, 2009, eating tomatoes with late blight
Is it okay to eat the tomatoes from plants that are infected with late blight? Doug says that if you have late blight - the tomatoes will be
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Oct 5, 2009, Supposed to be a plum
I purchased this bush about 5 years ago when it was about a foot tall. The insert said it was a Oregon plum. It is now about four foot tall, growing
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Sep 29, 2009, Stunning Colour
This flower was the most stunning I saw at the Halifax (Nova Scotia) Public Gardens. The photo was taken Sept. 20, 2009. It was in full sun amid
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Sep 18, 2009, Orange all the way
Another old-time favorite, a real beautiful flower, which tends to often get
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Sep 18, 2009, On the vertical
Could not resist snapping a shot of this lusious blossom growing in nephews front yard this past spring.
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Sep 18, 2009, Butterfly habitate
Better known as simply butterfly weeds, these bright beauties add sparkle to most any flower garden or bed.
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