Winter 2008

FEATURES
GREAT ENTRANCE
Decorate your doorway with boughs and buds, pots and props, greens 
and glitter.
By Carolyn Jones

YELLOW FEVER
More than a dozen brilliant ways to give your garden the golden touch.
By David Tarrant VISIT DAVID'S BLOG

CUPFUL OF CROCUSES
Make these fun holiday gifts for friends and neighbours – a perfect project for the whole family.
By Christina Symons

ZEN RETREAT
This award-winning North Vancouver garden is a perfect melding of Pacific Northwest grandeur and Japanese influence.
By Elaine Jones

COOL CONTAINERS
Whip up a winter wonder to add some dazzle and a dash of colour to your garden or gateway.
By Michael Lascelle

DEPARTMENTS
EDITOR’S MESSAGE
By Carol Pope VISIT CAROL'S BLOG

GARDEN POST
Province-wide feedback from our readers

OUT AND ABOUT
At Victoria’s Butchart Gardens, the holidays are about family fun, polish and sparkle, while at nearby Glendale, the winter scene unfolds au naturel
By Christina Symons

STEPPING STONES
Our garden calendar for winter, what to do about rootbound plants, some seasonal sensations, container-garden recipes, more on beneficial insects, plus some sage advice

NATUREWISE
There are more than 50 varieties of food crops that produce vegetables throughout the chilly season
By Carolyn Herriot VISIT CAROLYN'S BLOG

FRIENDLY NATIVES
Grow native mint as a groundcover, and savour it as a
delightful tea
By Richard Hebda

THE ORGANIC GARDENER
Plant these 21 berry beauties, our best berry mulch and how to plant up the ultimate berry pot
By Sheena Adams

NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Parents, teachers and students work together to bring new life to a Prince George school ground decimated by pine beetle
By Barbara Rayment

ASK THE PROFESSIONALS
Levelling a lumpy lawn, safe plant choices for cats, colourful complements for hostas, starting bachelor’s buttons, growing a garden from scratch, and how to fashion a holiday garland

WHAT’S UP
Gardening events across B.C. and beyond

EARTHWORDS
It was certain catastrophe when this ravening carnivore crashed to an abrupt end
By Des Kennedy

OUR 2008 GARDENWISE INDEX
Visit GardenWise Indexes for design tips, container recipes, organic-gardening advice, plant profiles, garden-event updates and directories that have appeared in the magazine and online over the past year!

Cover image of Skimmia japonica ‘Reevesiana’ by GAP Photos/Clive Nichols

Fall 2008

DEPARTMENTS

EDITOR’S MESSAGE

GARDEN POST
Province-wide feedback from our readers

STEPPING STONES
It’s time for turnips. Plus, fragrant gladiolus, dragonfly drama, our recipe for contained beauty, an inspiring makeover, seasonal sensations and our garden calendar for fall

NATUREWISE
While most food crops are annuals, there is a select group that comes back year after year – plant these edible perennials to contribute both food and beauty to your garden
By Carolyn Herriot

NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Many consider Jacob’s ladders to be miserable self-seeding thugs, but they are truly among the prettiest plants one can come across
By Barbara Rayment

THE ORGANIC GARDENER
Choose adaptable and beneficial viburnums as a single shrub or screen, make a living wind chime, pair parsley and honeysuckle, and plant a ‘Shamrock’ hydrangea to give a burst of bloom for bouquets or dried arrangements
By Sheena Adams

FRIENDLY NATIVES
Not just a source of a potent drug, the cascara tree is a delightful and refined addition to the landscape
By Richard Hebda

ASK THE PROFESSIONALS
How to recognize sunscald damage, when to harvest your squash, maintaining your soil’s balance, identifying a mystery fungus, and plantings that stand up to invading slugs and aphids

WHAT’S UP
Gardening events across B.C. and beyond

EARTHWORDS
Dexterous manipulation of the play of light within a garden can make all the difference between a simply ordinary or particularly fine effect
By Des Kennedy

FEATURES
GRASSES FOR CONTAINERS
When looking for a bold accent or some textural contrast in a container planting, ornamental grasses are a natural way to make an impact.
By Michael Lascelle

GREAT GARDENS FOR BEGINNERS
No matter if you have little experience – by following these few basic steps, you can enjoy the garden of your dreams.
By David Tarrant

DESIGN YOUR LANDSCAPE
How do you translate your garden wish list into an organized landscape plan? Garden designer Ruth Olde walks us through the development of a stunning small-space urban retreat.
By Andrea Bellamy

MAKE A ROTATING COMPOSTER
With just a few easy turns, rotating composters provide your garden with rich organic fertilizer in weeks. Here’s how to build your own – on a budget and in just hours.
By Christina Symons

GREENHOUSES FOR YOUR GROWING NEEDS
Add a greenhouse to your garden to stretch your growing season, start your own bedding plants, and give yourself a place to soak up the sun even on cooler days.
By Roy Jonsson

Cover Photo: GAP Photos/Juliette Wade

Summer 2008

EDITOR’S MESSAGE

GARDEN POST
Province-wide feedback from our readers

STEPPING STONES
Fantastic foliage containers, the buzz on bees, the world of grasses and our garden makeover

NATUREWISE
Enjoy a bounty through the entire year
By Carolyn Herriot

THE ORGANIC GARDENER
Make a scented-geranium moss globe, garden peppers, ornamental elderberries, and those three-sisters veggies
By Sheena Adams

FRIENDLY NATIVES
Add a little sunshine with golden marsh-marigold
By Richard Hebda

NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Dwarf conifers are a perfect fit for small-size gardens
By Barbara Rayment

FARMERS' MARKET DIRECTORY
By Amanda Ryan

ASK THE PROFESSIONALS
Safeguard summer succulents, go lawn-less, vegetables for shade and how to fight spider-mite infestations

WHAT’S UP
Gardening events across B.C.

EARTHWORDS
A contemporary ivy pull involving lethal force
By Des Kennedy

FEATURES

POWERHOUSE PURPLE
Pack a punch in your garden with these best picks for purple plants.
By David Tarrant

URBAN RENEWAL
This North Vancouver garden fits a busy couple on the go.
By Lia Van Baalen

GREEN TOMATOES
Unripe tomatoes need not trouble you – relish (or fry) every last one.
By Christina Symons

ITALIAN TRAIL
The sweet life is flourishing in this vibrant community, where the town’s rich Italian heritage thrives.
By Christina Symons

LIVING ART
As stunning as sculpture, these easy-care succulents are the ultimate container plants.
By Sharon Hanna

ALL DECKED OUT!
Even the most nondescript patio spaces can be transformed with the right elements.
By Carol Crenna

TIME TRAVEL
Every aspect of VanDusen’s heirloom-vegetable bed is as it was 100 years ago.
By Neelam Sharma

PINT-SIZED PONDS
Less can be more when it comes to water gardens.
By Michael Lascelle

Cover image of Clematis ‘Etoile Violette’, Strobilanthes dyerianus and Lobelia erinus. PHOTO: Marion Brenner/Jupiter Images

Early Summer 2008

DEPARTMENTS

Editor’s Message

Garden Post
Province-wide feedback from our readers

OUT & ABOUT
Grab your shadiest hat as we explore Kelowna’s hot garden trail!
By Christina Symons

STEPPING STONES
What to do in the early-summer garden, beneficial bugs, long-lasting lilacs, eco plant pots, colour dream schemes and a front-entrance makeover

NATUREWISE
Relish real food and the irreplaceable experience of growing your own by taking 52 steps toward self-sufficiency
By Carolyn Herriot
Follow Carolyn's progress online here.

THE ORGANIC GARDENER
Enjoy grape expectations with these growing tips, create a rose, clematis and lavender topiary, mix up lilac and lavender mulch
By Sheena Adams

Friendly Natives
This hardy heather substitute is an ideal
groundcover for coastal and cool interior gardens
By Richard Hebda

NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Zonal denial afflicts at every altitude and latitude – zone-3 plant addicts just have a longer list of longings
By Barbara Rayment

ASK THE PROFESSIONALS
Combatting European chafer, planting a north-facing balcony, clematis for a tough spot, pruning honeysuckle, livening lilies, a companion for tomatoes, and making a bouquet garni

What’s Up
Gardening events across B.C.

EarthWords
There are a herd of animal rights and wrongs in the garden
By Des Kennedy

FEATURES

TOSSING THE TURF
Pest plagues, moss onslaughts, and withering water resources are all incentives to lose the lawn.
By Michael Lascelle

TIME FOR ROMANCE
Botanical beauties that set the scene for summer romance in the garden.
By David Tarrant

TOMATO TASTES
Grow heritage tomatoes for old-world flavour and preserve a piece of the past.
By Sharon Hanna

PATIO PANACHE
Design inspiration from some of B.C.’s top landscape stylists.
By Elaine Jones

EDGE WAYS
Transforming a rocky bluff overlooking Howe Sound into a resort-style setting.
By Andrea Bellamy

ALL DECKED OUT
Let these small-space patios inspire your own al fresco escape.
By Sharon Hanna

BALCONY BLISS
Yes, you can go for a lush “jungle look” on your deck!
By Peter Symcox

SUCCULENT ART
Create a vertical planter perfect for an outside wall.
By Christina Symons

HUMMINGBIRD HEAVEN
The right plant choices for ongoing avian enchantment.
By Elizabeth Rowlands

Cover photo: DEREK LEPPER

Spring 2008

DEPARTMENTS

• Editor’s Message
• Garden Post: Province-wide feedback from our readers

Stepping stones
What to do in the spring garden, green walls and squares with flair, seedling sense, high-powered arugula, our garden makeover, more on beneficial bugs, plant posts, a misty monochrome container recipe, and the goods on the garden event of the season

The Organic Gardener
Rise to the challenge of growing your own gourmet food with these 20 incredible climbing edibles, plant a salad garden in a recycled plastic bucket, and the latest on three new water-wise wizards and a new drought- and deer-hardy showpiece
By Sheena Adams

Friendly Natives
Add a charming note to your garden with B.C.’s own mountain daisies
By Richard Hebda

Northen Exposure
Following months of winter white, the resolute gardeners of Mackenzie coddle seedlings and shuffle containers in a bid for a burst of blossom
By Barbara Rayment

Ask the professionals
How to combat aphid angst and vole vexation, protect your peonies, rev up your rhodo, enliven your magnolia tree and make a checkerboard path or herbal carpet
What's Up
Gardening events across B.C. and beyond

EarthWords
This time of year, it’s in the greenhouse that the gardener longs to be – preferably with a pair of comfortable chairs, a reading light and perhaps a little bistro-style table
By Des Kennedy

FEATURES

Old favourites
From climbing roses to peonies to forget-me-nots, here are 20-plus captivating picks from the gardens of yesteryear.
By David Tarrant

A gardener’s path
Victoria’s organic sage Carolyn Herriot has spent close to a decade growing a four-season feast of edibles as beautiful as it is bountiful.
By Carolyn Herriot

Bed time
Portable and perfect for small spots, raised beds make planting, tending and harvesting a breeze – and here’s how you can whip one up in no time flat.
By Christina Symons

Super Structure
From uniform pavers for walls and patios, to zigzag pebble paths, adding hardscape to your garden enables you to articulate edges and define space.
By Sharon Hanna

Black Beauty
Since “tulipomania” – the bulb buying-and-selling frenzy of 400 years ago – there has been a passionate pursuit of the perfect black tulip.
By Helena Zukowski

Remembering Rhubarb
Tough against the cold and deer, this garden legend is a cinch to grow, a breeze to freeze and a classic in the kitchen.
By Sharon Hanna

Waterlily Reflections
The sheer elegance of waterlilies defies description – yet unlike most refined things in life, they are not hard to care for.
By Michael Lascelle

Cover photo: Janet Seaton/photolibrary
Our cover features Scilla siberica ‘Spring Beauty’, an early-spring bloomer hardy to zone 4.
Below the urn is Myosotis sylvatica (forget-me-not), hardy to zone 3.

GardenWise Winter 2007
^{Click cover for all past issues}

In the WINTER 2007 issue of GardenWise:

EDITOR'S Message

GARDEN POST
Province-wide feedback from our readers


STEPPING STONES
How to enjoy repeat blooms on this year’s poinsettia, cool cabbages, allium adventures, a deer-resistant container display, plant pet alerts, converting lawn to garden, attracting the perfect predator, planning for pollination and great greenhouse tips


NATUREWISE

Create cold frames from pallets, rose arbours from rebar, garden chimes from old pots, and more – 10 ways to reuse and recycle in the garden
By Carolyn Herriot


NORTHERN EXPOSURE

Amid endless open spaces, gardens of beauty and bounty flourish in the zone-2 setting of Mackenzie
By Barbara Rayment


THE ORGANIC GARDENER

Incredible edibles for the cool season, how to mix up a moisturizing hand scrub, what to plant for some extra spice in your life, the perfect plant pal for your lawn, and garden recipes to liven up your lilacs
By Sheena Adams


FRIENDLY NATIVES

Among B.C.’s rich fern flora, the maidenhair’s exceptional form is delightful in a moist and shady corner of the garden
By Richard Hebda


ASK THE PROFESSIONALS

Planting an “unplantable” spot, an ideal winter-blooming groundcover, starting citrus trees from cuttings and pampering houseplants through the chilly season


WHAT'S UP

Gardening events across B.C. and beyond


EARTH WORDS

Like a seed, the midwinter gardener is a capsule of explosive energy awaiting the moment of emergence
By Des Kennedy


HOLIDAY SENSATIONS

Use mistletoe and other greens to fashion an Edwardian-looking kissing ball, as well as novel napkin rings and table trimmings for a festive feast.
By Sharon Hanna


MISTLETOE MYSTIQUE

These plant parasites have been the stuff of legends for thousands of years.
By Rachel Goldsworthy


BRANCHING OUT

This season, use cuttings available right from your garden to deck out your hibernating planters in holiday finery.
By Lia Van Baalen


ODE TO ORCHIDS

Exotic though it may seem, the elegant orchid is tougher than you might think – with many native to B.C. and some hardy even to zone 2.
By David Tarrant


COMPLETE RETREAT

A Victoria couple’s transformation of a dark and dowdy pie-shaped lot into a park-like paradise.
By Betty Campbell


GREAT GUMBOOTS!

Kick up your heels and go wild – paint up some gorgeous waders to pull on for wet-season wanders or plant up for front-porch pizzazz.
By Christina Symons

Cover photo: Terry Guscott

To order this or other past issues of GardenWise Magazine please call 1800 663 0518 or 604 299 1023. Or email us at gwsubscriptions@canadawide.com

GardenWise Fall 2007
^{Click cover for all past issues}

In the Fall 2007 issue of GardenWise:

EDITOR'S MESSAGE

GARDEN POST

Province-wide feedback from our readers


STEPPING STONES

What to do in the garden this fall, a planting primer for bulbs, our garden makeover, container ideas, beneficial bugs to look for and how to make the perfect pickle


NATUREWISE

Everything you need to know about growing heritage tomatoes, including how to save seeds, tying and transplanting, and the ultimate tip on how to increase your harvest tenfold!


THE ORGANIC GARDENER

Planting kiwi, magical mulch recipes, five fantastic herbal vinegars, control for European lawn chafer, good plant companions and another incredible edible
By Sheena Adams


NORTHERN EXPOSURE

Go for gold with these best and brightest picks for unfailing fall colour
By Barbara Rayment



FRIENDLY NATIVES

Deer resistant and drought hardy, woolly sunflower is ideal for the rock garden, shoreline plantings and containers
By Richard Hebda



ASK THE PROFESSIONALS

Testing your clay soil, the lowdown on leggy lavender, advice on broken branches, what shrubs to move and when, dealing with deer droppings, going ga-ga over ginkgo, and fine-tuning your fall pruning


WHAT'S UP

Gardening events across B.C. and beyond


EARTHWORDS

Developed over 3,000 years, the gardens of China use techniques we would all do well to study
By Des Kennedy



SECRETS OF THE ENGLISH GARDEN

While the quintessential English garden isn't quite the thoroughbred we might have thought it to be, it has nevertheless managed to charm gardeners for centuries on end.
By Michael Lascelle



HEAL AND GROW

Help to preserve the history and lore of medicinal plants in the Westersn world -- and enjoy the benefits to body and soul.
By David Tarrant



AMUSEMENT ART

Use statuary, sculpture and household castoffs to add fun and fancy to your landscape.
By Christina Symons



STYLE & GRACE

Here's the ultimate in an easy-care, waterwise and ultra-elegant landscape solution.
By Lia Van Baalen



APPLE HIGH

We travel to Salt Spring Island to sample the annual Apple Festival and learn how to grow an orchard the wild way - plus, best apple picks for the home grower.
By Christina Symons

To order this or other past issues of GardenWise Magazine please call 1800 663 0518 or 604 299 1023. Or email us at gwsubscriptions@canadawide.com

Garden Wise Summer 2007

In GardenWise Summer 2007:

DEPARTMENTS


OUT AND ABOUT

This summer, set out to enjoy some Mayne attractions – from olive-tree groves to a tranquil Japanese garden to earthy architecture
By Christina Symons



STEPPING STONES

Add some spice to your life with this luscious lily, a red-letter day for asparagus, how to make the most of your greenhouse, an easy-care container combo, the latest in our beneficial-bug series and what to do in the garden this summer


NATUREWISE

As gardeners, we can take the load off the planet by growing more food – starting with these top-10 ornamental edibles
By Carolyn Herriot


THE ORGANIC GARDENER
How to build a summer topiary, give your berry bushes a boost, use borax for big sunflower seeds, and grow your own loofa – ideal as a skin scrubber or natural kitchen brush. Also learn about Walla Walla Onions.
By Sheena Adams



NORTHERN EXPOSURE

When growing in a cold climate or simply preparing for another blast of unpredictable winter winds, here are some tough choices for the garden
By Barbara Rayment


FRIENDLY NATIVES

Protect our natural environment by planting native falsebox for bouquet foliage and formal hedging
By Richard Hebda


ASK THE PROFESSIONALS

A cure for sickly cedars, horsetail horrors, when to prune your rhodos, making magical lavender wands and stabilizing your slope with some great plant picks



WHAT'S UP

Gardening events across B.C. and beyond



EARTH WORDS

While pushing an unwieldy wheelbarrow uphill can bring a dismaying sense of losing momentum, the downhill slide is frequently a thing of terrifying beauty
By Des Kennedy


FEATURES

SUCCULENT SPREAD

With a truly spectacular range of colours and textures, succulents can be the perfect answer for a drought-tolerant, low-maintenance garden.
By David Tarrant



URBAN DECK RENEWAL

Here’s how to transform even the tiniest patio into a relaxing retreat.
By Sharon Hanna


ABOUT TIME

For those refurbishing an old house, adding a low-maintenance heritage garden with plants common to its era is easier than you would think.
By Michael Lascelle


MUM'S THE WORD

From large and cheerful disbuds to exotic-looking spiders, the ever-reliable chrysanthemum provides interest long after other plants have peaked.
By Tiffany Sloan


BIG IMPACT

With its riot of hues and wild mix of vegetables and flowers, the garden at Hollyhock always leaves a lasting impression.
By Christina Symons


TOUGH-LOVE TRIO

Consider this trusty threesome – absolutely unbeatable for fabulous food, beautiful blooms, great border foliage, disease resistance and pest control.
By Christina Symons


ENTICING ELECAMPANE

Add architectural stature and legendary lore to your garden with this ancient and elegant perennial herb.
By Therese D’Monte


SIDE EFFECTS

Take an easy-care and environmentally friendly approach to make the most of those strips bordering your home.
By Sharon Hanna


FARMERS’ MARKETS

Shop locally and enjoy the true flavours and healthy produce found at B.C.’s many farmers’ markets.

To order this or other past issues of GardenWise Magazine please call 1 800 663 0518 or 604 299 1023 or email us at gwsubscriptions@canadawide.com

Gardenwise Magazine
Early Summer 2007

Content

DEPARTMENTS


Editor’s Message

Garden Post

Province-wide feedback from our readers

OUT AND ABOUT


Visit the Sunshine Coast to savour its unique garden destinations, dry climate, relaxed attitude and spectacular seaside scenery

By Christina Symons

STEPPING STONES


What to do in the garden this busy time of year, plus container vegetables, flowers with flair, a shrub to love, an inspirational garden stop and our landscape makeover

NATUREWISE


Here’s how to grow roses without the ravages of black spot, powdery mildew, whitefly and rust

By Carolyn Herriot

THE ORGANIC GARDENER


Enjoy a savory summer with Italian herbs from your own kitchen garden, plus grow tomatoes upside-down to decrease disease, and enhance pollination and pest control

By Sheena Adams

NORTHERN EXPOSURE


If you are trying to plant in heavy clay soil, there are several options – and a gorgeous garden is indeed possible

By Barbara Rayment

FRIENDLY NATIVES


The delightful B.C. herb bitterroot thrives in winter cold and summer heat

By Richard Hebda

ASK THE PROFESSIONALS

Achieving sweet results with cucumbers, how to relocate a large tree, taming an overgrown orchard, dealing with dogwood distress, and the perfect plant complement for ornamental grasses

WHAT'S UP


Gardening events across B.C. and beyond

EARTHWORDS


Unfurling blossoms and emerging butterflies form such a joysome panorama we almost forget the other side of the garden – that dark corner where disaster lurks

By Des Kennedy

FEATURES

HOT POTS


Use these recipes to plant up gorgeous container gardens that will meet tough demands and add a spectacular touch to your landscape, porch or patio.

By Kelly Schroeder

HIP HEBES


For patio pots filled with fabulous foliage or as a handsome addition to coastal-garden hot spots, try growing this New Zealand favourite.

By David Tarrant

SUMMER ROMANCE


Life is a bed of roses at Killara Farm where old-fashioned ramblers, gallicas, albas and damasks mingle with classic cottage flowers, hostas and a sea of lavender.

By Christine Allen

WHITE DELIGHT


Brighten up the darkest of garden nooks with an elegant dash of white.

By Bernice Fielding

PATIO DESIGN INSPIRATION


Advice from three top landscape designers on how to create the perfect patio retreat.

By Linda Shulman

SUCCULENT SCULPTURE


For some creative recycling, transform an old wire lampshade into a succulent work of art.

By Christina Symons

GardenWise Magazine
Spring 2007

Contents

DEPARTMENTS

Editor’s Message

Garden Post
Province-wide feedback from our readers

OUT AND ABOUT

Tiptoe through the tulips and explore the historic town of La Conner, Washington, during the Skagit Valley’s spring fling
By Christina Symons

STEPPING STONES

A calendar for this coming season, how to support the mason bee, a rare plant event, sweet pea ideas, container inspiration, art for the garden and our landscape makeover

NATUREWISE

A list of dos and don’ts to master the delicate art of pruning
By Carolyn Herriot

THE ORGANIC GARDENER

What better way to support the local-food movement than growing a few of your own root crops – and here’s an easy way to get going
By Sheena Adams

FRIENDLY NATIVES

Hardy, drought resistant, slow growing and distinctive, limber pine is a perfect pick for city and suburban settings
By Richard Hebda

NORTHERN EXPOSURE

Our recommendations for rhodos robust enough to withstand cold and rough conditions
By Barbara Rayment

BY DESIGN

Use the earthy elements of stone and wood to create pathways and patios, arbours and decks
By Ron Rule

ASK THE PROFESSIONALS

What to do about stubborn seedlings, how to move a maple, mulching container plantings, when to put your garlic and favas in, and reviving faded shrubs

WHAT'S UP

Gardening events across B.C. and beyond

EARTH WORDS

Volunteerism among plants brings vitality and a welcome insouciance into the garden, and most particularly into the vegetable patch
By Des Kennedy

FEATURES

NATIVE PLANTS BEST PICKS

It’s only natural that native plants support our wildlife and are perfectly suited to B.C.’s growing conditions – the bonus is that they are stunning, too.
By David Tarrant

ON THE WILD SIDE

Concerned about the fading Garry oak meadows, a Victoria gardener engages in a rescue mission and transforms her lawn into a shelter for native flora and fauna.
By Rachel Goldsworthy

DESIGN A DROUGHT-HARDY LANDSCAPE

Follow these simple steps to plant a luxuriant explosion of shrubs, perennials and Self-sown annuals – impervious to summer’s endless heat.
By Peter Symcox

A CLASSIC CHINESE GARDEN

Designed with the principles of yin and yang in mind, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden maintains a harmonious balance of soft and hard materials.
By Michael Lascelle

UNFORGETTABLE ENTRANCE

Use fabulous fencing, slabs of stone, winding walkways and picturesque plantings to create a gorgeous gateway to your garden.
By Sharon Hanna