For the Love of Hostas
For the Love of Hostas by Rob Sproule I’ve come to learn that those who love hostas, love them a lot, and those who don’t love hostas.. still like them quite a bit. They’re one
Growing 101
For the Love of Hostas by Rob Sproule I’ve come to learn that those who love hostas, love them a lot, and those who don’t love hostas.. still like them quite a bit. They’re one
Raspberries 101 by Rob Sproule Fresh raspberries and ice cream is one of summer’s sweetest delights. For the number of people who adore raspberries, it’s surprising that more aren’t growing them. Granted, they have a
Permaculture 101 by Rob Sproule The term is derived from the idea of “permanent agriculture.” The idea being that while modern agriculture often imposes our artificial techniques onto nature, permaculture emphasizes using nature’s patterns
Training Your Tomato by Rob Sproule Tomatoes embody the best of summer. From the nostalgic smell of the leaves to the juice running down your chin, they’re Canadian’s far-and-away favourite edible to grow, and for
Growing Strawberries by Rob Sproule Eating strawberries right off the runner is the sweetest way to spend a summer afternoon. A slightly tarter, but still delicious way to wile away the hours is to munch
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
Gardening As An Antidepressant by Rob Sproule If you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance that gardening makes you happy. Growing plants is an uplifting, life-affirming contrast with our often frustratingly repetitive daily routine.
How To Plant A Container Garden by Rob Sproule So you wanna plant a container garden? It can be intimidating, especially if you’ve been surfing the net looking for inspiration on professional gardening sites. Stop
Top 3 New Annuals Of 2016 by Rob Sproule Gardening is as timeless as hobbies get. But while we’ve been growing daisies and pansies for hundreds of years, and will be hundreds of years from
Avoiding Potato Scab by Rob Sproule If you’ve ever grown an Alberta spud, you’ve probably encountered potato scab. As common as a cold, scab is a bacterial infection that results in nasty scabs across the
Gardening With Succulents by Rob Sproule Have you noticed that Succulents are everywhere? From wedding magazines and home decorating magazines to sustainable gardening sites, they’ve become a versatile, alluring, easy-to-care-for wonder plant. Increasingly, savvy gardeners
Men In The Garden by Rob Sproule As both a garden writer and a Garden Centre owner, I pay a lot of attention to who is gardening. Even as I write this, I know (sorry,
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
Cut And Come Again by Rob Sproule How we grow food is changing. The traditional method of planting long rows and waiting, weeding and waiting and weeding, then harvesting once they mature, is optional now.
Pruning in April By Rob Sproule April is the gardeners’ pacing month. The snow has melted, the sun warms us and the brown, bare garden taunts us. When it’s too warm to be inside but
A Short History of Palm Leaves by Rob Sproule Few plants are more recognizable than the mighty palm. They rise triumphant, heedless of what’s around them, confident in their thick trunked foundation. Humanity
The Frugal Gardener: Top 5 Money Saving Edibles to Grow by Rob Sproule Are you getting sticker shocked at the grocery store lately? Prices for fresh produce seem to keep going up while heavily
Epiphytes: Survival Ninjas by Rob Sproule In 2004 I spent a bewildering month submerged in the deep Choco rainforest, about 30km from the northern Ecuadorian coast. The Choco, cut off from the Amazon by the
Re-Imagining Poinsettias by Rob Sproule Every December the world turns red. Everywhere we look it’s a cacophony of Christmas bows, lights, inflatable Santas and, of course, poinsettias on every shelf. The humble red flower plucked
Winterizing Made Easy by Rob Sproule Months ago I read something that stuck in my brain like old gum. While young people (under 40 in this case) love gardening more than standard “hell-in-a-handbasket” hype
History of Holiday Greens by Rob Sproule If there is any truth in the expression “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” it may help to explain the intensity of the love affair that we Albertans
Fall Lawn Care by Rob Sproule Few things are better than walking through a cool fall day, crunching leaves at your feet and crisp dry air at your nose. While our heads
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
Read through our Growing Guides for tips to enrich your garden!