How To Grow

It may seem counter-intuitive for a gardener to actually plant what must be the world’s commonest weed. But dandelions have lots of culinary potential, they feed pollinators, and they cultivate the soil with their long taproots. Latin Tarataxacum officinale Family: Asteraceae Difficulty Easy We Recommend: The one and only: Common Dandelion. Timing Direct sow from early March to early September. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 10-25°C (50-75°F). Seeds take 14-21 days to germinate. The flowering process begins 56 to 105 from sowing, and continues for the life of the plant. Starting Sow short rows every two weeks for a constant...

How to grow Shiso from seed. Shiso is a strongly flavoured member of the mint family. Its leaves have a tangy flavour of cumin, mint, nutmeg, and anise combined. In stature it resembles a large basil plant, and the cultivation is very similar to growing basil. Latin Perilla frutescens var. crispa Family: Lamiaceae Difficulty Easy Season & Zone Season: Warm season Exposure: Full sun Zone: Not frost hardy. Timing Start indoors in early spring (mid-March on the coast), or direct sow outdoors in late spring, once night time temperatures are steadily above 8°C (45°F). Starting If starting indoors, use equal...

Lemongrass is a tropical grass that thrives in summer heat. It is well suited to container growing, and ideal for greenhouse cultivation. It can be grown as a perennial in our climate, but care must be taken to control moisture in the soil over winter, and to provide protection from frost. It is somewhat challenging to grow, but the reward is fresh, strongly aromatic stalks with very minimal carbon footprint. Hopefully these helpful tips will teach you how to grow lemongrass from seed. Latin Cymbopogon citratus Family: Poaceae Difficulty Somewhat challenging Season & Zone Season: Hot season Exposure: Full sun...

Pale Evening Primrose is an important BC wildflower that provides food for our native pollinators. Learn how to grow Oenothera in your garden to feed the bees and bring back this beautiful flower from endangered status. This flower is also known as Suncups and Sundrops. Latin Oenothera pallida Difficulty Easy Season & Zone Exposure: Full sun Zone: 4-9 Timing O. pallida is a short lived perennial plant that self sows, but is in no way invasive. In the right setting it may naturalize. Sow indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost in peat pots to prevent root disturbance. That’s the third...

This is a great place to start when you want to learn how to grow strawflowers from seed. Strawflowers are well known by crafters and florists for their unusually high quality as dried flowers. The petals on each strawflower are like stiff paper, and they unfold from the center to form concentric rings in bright colours. Officially a tender perennial, most gardeners treat them as annuals and simply sow fresh seed each year. Give them an early start indoors, or direct sowstrawflower seeds in places with long summers. Latin Xerochrysum bracteatum (also widely listed as Helichrysum bracteautum and even Bracteantha...