Melanie Mathieson – Gardening Guru

By Melanie Mathieson The Gardening Guru Have you ever noticed that our food does not have the same flavour intensity as it did about a decade ago? Food today does not seem to have that taste bud-popping flavour we remember. And the reason is that much of our food has […]

By Melanie Mathieson The Gardening Guru Recently, I was contacted by a client to do a garden design for their front flowerbed. This client was interested in a makeover to the current garden, with low maintenance as the ultimate goal. As I started the interview, it quickly came to light […]

By Melanie Mathieson The Gardening Guru Many people do not like to garden because of the work involved keeping the weeds at bay. Ask any gardener what the most negative aspect of gardening is and they almost always reply, “Weeds.” It’s true that weeds and unwanted plants are present in […]

By Melanie Mathieson The Gardening Guru Many gardeners often are confused between the terms annuals and perennials, and which plants belong in each category. The classification of plants is determined by its life cycle. The life cycle of an annual, for instance, is complete in one growing season—starting from a […]

By Melanie Mathieson The Gardening Guru If you are looking for an evergreen tree to add beauty to your landscape, then consider a spruce. There are many spruce species that are well-suited for growing well and surviving the winters in our zone. Spruce trees should be planted in a full […]

By Melanie MathiesonThe Gardening Guru

With the unusual warm weather, all of the snow gone, and the lake ice starting to break up, many people are itching to get outside and start gardening. I also share the enthusiasm for the extraordinary weather, but you have to be careful not to get ahead of yourself with […]

When people hear the word peony, they most often think back to the garden of their grandmother or great-grandmother. Peonies have been around for generations because they are reliable, winter-hardy, quick-growing perennials with one of the most favoured flowers. These easy care perennials provide a garden with a sweet scented […]

Have you ever thought about adding a vine to your landscape or garden? Vines—whether annual or perennial—may be just what you need to add a focal point with some height, cover an unsightly object, grow fruit, or just add a special plant to your landscape. The first step is to […]

Fungus gnats are those little hopping bugs you see when you water your indoor plants. They are small, with black or gray bodies and clear wings, and look like a cross between a black fly and a fruit fly. Although not very strong fliers, they do fly around the house […]

Is the daylily the perfect perennial? They can grow in a wide range of soil and light conditions, have few insect problems, can tolerate drier conditions, and come in hundreds of varieties. Daylilies can be planted in a variety of landscape settings—positioned to make wonderful background plantings, naturalized in ditches, […]

The radish is a cool-season, fast-maturing, easy-to-grow vegetable and one of the first crops from the vegetable garden each year. Radishes grow well in almost any soil that is prepared well, fertilized before planting, and has adequate moisture maintained throughout the growing season. Slow development, usually caused by hot, dry […]