Garden Wisdom Blog

Our Butterfly Blend wildflower ingredients include the following species. These were chosen specifically for their nectar rich flowers to which butterflies are drawn. The type of butterfly attracted to your flower patch will depend on where you live, but this mix includes flowers that are attractive to Monarch butterflies, swallow-tails, skippers, admirals, and many more. This blend is also attractive to hummingbirds and wild pollinators like bumblebees, hoverflies, and other beneficial insects. Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta),  Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata),  Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa),  California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica),  Candytuft (Iberis umbellata),  China Aster (Callistephus chinensis),  Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus),  Dwarf Godetia...

It’s early July, and squash plants of all types are beginning to bloom on farms, in gardens, and even in balcony containers. Every year at this time we start hearing from would-be squash growers with a mysterious complaint: The plants appear healthy, the leaves are bright green, plenty of flowers are opening, but the fruits seem to wither from the blossom end. Instead of producing nice, plump fruits, they turn from green to pale yellow. Some just fall off the plants. This is the result of incomplete squash pollination. Let’s look at how squash pollination works. Male squash blossoms, borne...

About Cucumbers Cucumbers originated in India where they have been in cultivation for at least 3,000 years. The English word “cucumber” is a derivation of the Indian word kachumbar, which is still used today to describe an Indian salad made from cucumber, tomato, onion, and yoghurt. Cucumbers are mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh and twice in the Bible, and came to be one of the most ubiquitous ingredients of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. The Romans loved them, Charlemagne grew them in France in the 9th century, and Columbus introduced them to Haiti in 1494. The 17th century saw...

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) This evergreen perennial herb is native to the Mediterranean region, where it still grows wild as well as domesticated. Its Latin generic name refers to the dew (ros) of the sea (marinus). For thousands of years, this attractive, intensely aromatic plant has captivated our senses as well as our folklore. The references about rosemary in both history and legend are abundant. In ancient Greece, the herb was burnt to cleanse the air and to ward off evil spirits. This tradition lasted well into the middle ages, when it was burnt in areas affected by plague. It was...

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,...