Hooray! My Hoya has Flowered!
By Karen Francis, Master Gardener In-Training, SCMG Finally, after 4+ years of waiting, my Hoya carnosa (HOY-ah kar-NO-su) finally flowered. It was well worth the wait! Not only were the star shaped clusters of…
Autumn Crocus
By Pat Cook, Master Gardener, SCMG Autumn Crocus Colchicum autumnale Colchicum autumnale, commonly called Autumn Crocus or Meadow Saffron, is a cormous perennial that blooms in early fall. An under-used fall bloomer, autumn crocus is a…
The Fight Against Japanese Beetles
By Linda Peacock, Master Gardener, SCMG I live in Clearview Township between Angus and New Lowell, Ontario (zone 5b) and up until last season I had hardly seen any Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica) in my…
SHEroes of Horticulture: Episode 1
By Christine March, Master Gardener, SCMG A semi-regular series celebrating women who made significant contributions to horticulture but whose stories have been lost in the dustbin of history. Lorrie Dunington-Grubb If you garden in southern…
Dividing Perennials
By Pat Cook, Master Gardener, SCMG Perennial Division In order to maintain vigor and health and ensure good performance year after year, it is important to divide perennials regularly (every two to three years). There…
What is All the Fuss About Cover Crops?
By Gail Cocker, Master Gardener, SCMG If you love growing vegetables and you want to protect and improve your soil, then incorporating cover crops into your garden growing plan is a great idea. Trifolium…
Enjoying Native Plants
By Anja Lowrence, Master Gardener, SCMG As many of us have been isolating at home this past year, we’ve read about how nature has taken over our towns, air quality improved with reduced manufacturing and…
Curbing Invasive Species
By Joan Neiman-Agapas, Master Gardener, SCMG According to COD (Canadian Oxford Dictionary) the definition of ‘invasive’ is as follows: ‘tending to spread, tending to encroach on privacy, rights etc to others’ So, when talking about ‘invasive…
How to Grow Your Own Microgreens
By Pat Cook, Master Gardener, SCMG Something I am really excited about this winter is growing microgreens. Microgreens are tiny vegetable plants, larger than sprouts, grown to just a few inches in height, then…
Composing Compost
By Joan Neiman-Agapas, Master Gardener, SCMG Why do gardeners call compost ‘Black Gold"? Because it is ALIVE with millions of beneficial organisms which improve the health of the soil – bacteria, fungi, & assorted micro-organisms.…