Mason Bees 101
Mason Bees 101 By Rob Sproule The Buzz about the Bee Do They Sting? How Much do They Pollinate? Housing Them “The men of experiment are like the ant; they only collect and use. But
Growing 101
Mason Bees 101 By Rob Sproule The Buzz about the Bee Do They Sting? How Much do They Pollinate? Housing Them “The men of experiment are like the ant; they only collect and use. But
The Art of Kokedama By Rob Sproule Wabi Sabi The Basics What You’ll Need Assembling It Basic Care “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” – Leonard Cohen Kokedama is
Tillandsia Xerographica By Rob Sproule The Xero Basic Care Designing “All we need, really, is a change from a near frigid to a tropical attitude of mind.” – Marjory Stoneman Douglas Let’s start with some
Grow Lights 101 By Rob Sproule Bulbs What’s on the Menu Our tomato plants are frozen solid 🙁 but that doesn’t mean the end of home grown veggies! Let’s talk about how to ripen tomatoes
Houseplants in the Winter By Rob Sproule Less Light = Less Water Dry Air Beware the Draft “Say aloe to my little friend.” – Scarface? Less Light = Less Water: Feeling sluggish? Light levels plummet
African Violets By Rob Sproule Where Do They Come From? African Violet Care 101 Watering & Fertilizing Getting Them to Flower Are African Violets Poisonous? “I perhaps owe having becoming a painter to flowers.” –
The Top 5 Trendiest Houseplants By Rob Sproule Fiddle-Leaf Fig Snake Plant Air Plants Zebra Plant Boston Fern “You know you’re a grownup when all your houseplants are alive and you can’t smoke any of
Dos and Don’ts for Freezing your Harvest By Rob Sproule Why Freeze the Excess Freezing 101 Blanching “Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments.” – Bethenny Frankel Why Freeze the
The Hidden Benefits of Evergreens by Rob Sproule Energy Conservation Privacy Wildlife Air Quality They’re big. They’re foolproof. They kill the grass. But what else do you know about evergreens? How about that they can
Heat Waves By Rob Sproule “¨When to Water, and When Not To Keeping Roots Cool Minimizing Heat Stress When a heat wave hits, it’s not just humans and pets who get uncomfortable. Prolonged high temperatures
Training Tomatoes: How to Run a Sugar Factory By Rob Sproule Before you cut Tomato Behaviour Rules of Thumb Troubleshooting “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a
The Fake News on Earwigs By Rob Sproule Earwigs & Fake News Spotting Them Controlling Them Protecting Your Home They look like tiny prehistoric nightmares with a stereotype to match. But as long as you
Heavy Rain By: Rob Sproule Assessing the Damage Rainy Seasons “The green reed that bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak that breaks in the storm.” – Confucius Weather happens. Our
Synthetic VS Organic Fertilizers: Who will Win? By: Rob Sproule To Organic or Not to Organic How Organic Fertilizers Work How Synthetic Fertilizers Work Most Effective Organic Fertilizers “If the grass on the other side
How to Grow the World’s Hottest Wild Pepper By Rob Sproule The Ghost How to Grow Them Why are they so HOT? “A good spicy challenge strikes a balance between flavour and fear.” –
Hygge: the Danish Are on to Something By Shirley Martin It would seem the Danish folks have it figured out. They have discovered an antidote for the rushed lives we lead. It’s called hygge. Pronounced
Cabbage Worm by Rob Sproule The Cabbage worms are out early this year! If you love to munch on broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and the crisp, broad leaves of kale, you’re not alone. While we wait
Where is Zone 3 Anyway? by Rob Sproule I don’t want to alarm you, but it gets cold in Alberta. It-hurts- when-I- breathe cold. On the plus side, we don’t have Zika, Ebola, or ants
Top 3 Gardening Trends For 2016 by Rob Sproule Gardening is self expression. It moves through trends like any creative paradigm, simultaneously a reflection of what’s happening in society and what’s happening inside the
The Mosquito Proof Yard By: Rob Sproulemosqutio Standing Water Changing the Habitat Defence Disease: Myths and Facts Nature is wondrous. While my bug articles are usually, inevitably, about getting rid of said bug, I normally
Native Plants in Alberta by Rob Sproule Gardening is as much work as you want to put into it. Savvy gardeners know that the secret to having a stunning yard without spending
Rooted in History: A Reflection on Gardening in Alberta by Rob Sproule This isn’t going to be my usual kind of column. I’m not going to tell you how best to prune an
Fall Tree Planting By Rob Sproule ҬThe Best Time to Plant Preparing the Ground Giving Your Tree the Best Start A yard without trees is like a home without walls. The floor and furnishings
Grow Your Own Citrus: Even in Alberta by Rob Sproule The Best Varieties to Grow Caring for Your Citrus Calamondin Oranges According to Feng Shui, a citrus plant wards off negative forces in the
Read through our Growing Guides for tips to enrich your garden!