Stuart Robertson was my garden guru long before I met him. I remember calling into the CBC’s Radio Noon phone-in to ask a question about how to divide spider plants and to offer my solution to slugs. … more
In several Montreal neighborhoods, people have begun to plant flowers around the street trees. Looks very nice, and probably is good for the tree, since a wilting flower is often more successful in crying … more
The squirrels have already begun to eat the pears in our backyard, even though the fruit are only about two inches long and hard as rocks.Last year we had a bumper crop from our two trees at the back … more
To step outside one morning this summer was to step into cloud of warm air and the smell of Russian olives in bloom. Too bad there’s no scratch-and-sniff feature on the Internet so far, because … more
It's amazing what people will do to bring a little green and garden into their lives. The photo of the second floor patio was taken last week in the center of Montreal. It faces south west, which means … more
The value of permeable paving became clear over the weekend when we had a series of intense thunderstorms. Out walking yesterday I saw several good sized ponds on asphalted driveways, as well as deltas … more
As the summer advances and the flowers bloom, my thoughts are never far from gardening, even when sitting and relaxing. That's when it's nice to have a stack of good books about gardens and nature … more
So far no field tomatoes from Quebec have showed up in Montreal stores or at the Jean Talon Market. Usually it’s August before the crop comes in, and this year it may be even later because of the … more
One of the basic types of housing in the center of Montreal is what's called a triplex here: buildings three stories tall with a flat on each floor. They're big apartments with six to eight rooms. When … more