Growing balloon flowers from seed

I have successfully grown very small balloon flowers from seed and wonder if I bring them in during the winter or leave them outside…,they are in a flower box with a good depth of earth…

Dying Olive plant

I inherited this young olive tree plant from a friend in September 2022. For 6 months it sat in a Southeast facing window. For a while it did okay, but then started to wilt. I think I was over watering…

Preparing new garden bed

I am planning to create a new garden bed near the foundation of my house. Should I remove the existing soil and if so, to what depth? I think I should lay down landscaping paper and would like to know…

Emerald Cedar Trees and Compost

We live in Scarborough, zone 5. We are trying to prepare to plant 16 emerald cedar trees (4-5 feet in height) in our backyard facing west. We have ordered some bulk ‘triple mix’ but we think that they might have…

Amending poor soil

I have tested my garden clay soil and find it has neutral PH and low phosphorous, and potash and very low nitrogen. What kind of fertilizer should I use to improver the quality and want can I use to make…

Preparing neglected “flower bed” for spring

I’m so glad I discover this group because you’re local experts! We bought a house recently with a yard that’s overgrown and not well cared for. I’d like to prepare the long strip of soil for planting a variety of…

Clematis spotty yellow leaves

I planted two Clematises ‘Jackmanii Superba’ this spring. They started growing well and more than a meter high now and it seems that they will bloom, but both show some yellow spotty leaves on the bottom of the plant. One…

Composted Manure

Hello! I attended Through the Garden Gate in Wychwood last weekend. I met a lovely master gardener at one of the houses who advised me that commercial composted manure these days is of poor quality – that it is often…

Beginner Gardener

Hi We recently moved from a condo to a house with a front and back lawn and deck. I would like to grow a beautiful garden but I dont know anything about gardening. Where do I start? Is it too…

Mulch versus soil

Hello Looking for an answer to question of whether it is better to top off flower beds with soil or with mulch. see that many of the $$ homes in the neighbourhood use soil instead of mulch, so wondering if…