Garden Wisdom Blog — seeds

Please review the list below for the seeds that are included in our Southern Prairies wildflower blend. These flowers will thrive in most garden settings, but they have been selected due to their performance in the North American Plains. By that we mean from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains east to the Great Lakes. They will also grow perfectly well in coastal gardens. This is a beautiful and diverse mix of flowers both short and tall. Dotted Gayfeather (Liatris punctata) Greenthread (Thelesperma filifolium) Golden Crownbeard (Verbesina encelioides) Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) Narrow-Leaf Purple Coneflower (Echinacea...

About Amaranth: All Amaranths are annuals or short lived perennials with oval, pointed leaves of various colours, which are followed by minute flowers borne on (sometimes drooping), tassel-like spikes that last until the end of summer. These then give way to copious seeds. Originally spelled “amarant,” the derivation is from the Greek amarantos, meaning “unwilting.” Cultural and literary references to this plant are too many to name, but include an excerpt on everlasting beauty by Aesop from the 6th century BC: A Rose and an Amaranth blossomed side by side in a garden, and the Amaranth said to her neighbour,...

With Mom’s special day fast approaching, we put together a simple Mother’s Day gift bag you can print at home. Cut it out from the template and follow our instructions for folding and gluing (or taping) into its final shape. Add a ribbon for a touch of style. The gift bag is the perfect size for a handful of seed packs, or some other, small-sized garden gifts. Isn’t it too late to plant seeds? No! There are a host of flowers, herbs, and even vegetables that benefit from planting into the warm soil of May and June. We’ve included a...

These gastropods (Snails and Slugs) are a fact of life in damp coastal BC. Two factors, however, can be used to minimize their impact on your organic vegetable garden. First, they shun sunlight, and are mostly active at night. Second, they require ample moisture to thrive and breed. The organic gardener’s best control is to minimize the amount of water in the garden: Remove all unnecessary objects under which moisture can collect – all pots, bricks, boards, hoses, and tools should be removed from the garden. Water only in the morning, and take advantage of evaporation and drainage during the...

One of the amazing opportunities facing all gardeners and farmers is planting for wildlife — or, at least, growing food with biodiversity in mind. Organic gardeners understand that soil health is inherently dependent on robust biodiversity in the soil. Earthworms, invertebrates, fungi, bacteria, and many other organisms play different roles in the breaking down of organic matter into forms that are available to plants. But this concept carries on above the soil, too. The most obvious wildlife in most gardens are the legions of pollinators and other beneficial insects, not to mention the pest species many of them prey upon....