Bad start Renkl and I got off to a bad start after she destroyed backpack blowers in her writing. When I read her work I dismissed her as cranky southern USA witch. My landscaping work relies on blowers, especially in the fall. But more on blowers later: yes, you guessed it, she mentions them in her latest book, “The Comfort of Crows“. I listened to this book on Audible while working in the landscape and it runs for 7 hours and 47 minutes. One bonus was hearing Renkl’s southern voice for the first time. I stand corrected I stand corrected. Renkl is a good writer worth following, especially if ..read more

Oops! Today, when I dropped off my wife at her friend’s place, I couldn’t help myself. I opened up the back gate and checked on her rhododendrons, making steps in the snow like a criminal. Three seasons ago the lady had asked me to prune her rhododendrons. No problem. They were getting out of hand. I reduced three of her rhododendrons gently and they came back nicely. They are covered in buds, set for next year’s bloom time. I can’t complain because everything worked out well. Giant spider Unfortunately, there was a fourth rhododendron where there weren’t any obvious cuts to make. It was a hug ..read more

A nice example Micro-management sucks in all industries but my example comes straight from the landscape. And I’ll be honest, I’ve had my own run-ins with the micro-manager who will not be identified in any way. Not even a fake name. I don’t need extra headaches. Now, picture two landscapers sent to a high-profile entrance area to kill some time. This isn’t unusual; sometimes you have to get ahead of the crew so they have clippings to pick up. I had no idea what they were told to do. Triggered by a weed I know it will sound crazy but my trigger was a weed. Once I arrived at the entrance I coul ..read more

Ideas This year marks my 25th season in the landscape industry! And I’ve been trying to generate ideas on how to best celebrate this milestone since late 2023. One idea is to publish and share more original content in the form of blog posts, new and edited e-books, one new online course and more YouTube videos. Another idea is to create T-shirts and other stuff to give away to clients, supporters and friends. More ideas If you happen to be in the same situation or will soon be, consider some of the points below for your own celebration. Reflect on Achievements: Take some time to reflect on y ..read more

Progress! If you know me well or if you read this blog regularly, you will know that I love to leave ornamental grasses standing in the fall. As long as they are upright and beautiful I let them ornament the landscape until late winter. Why the rush to turn the grasses into low mounds of nothing? Once they’re gone, there’s no more drama, nothing swaying in the breeze, no resting place for the frost that would have made the flowers stand out. And yet, I’m happy to report some signs of progress. I’ve seen some landscapes recently where the grasses are still standing, ornamenting the landscape th ..read more

What a treat Christopher Lloyd was a famous English gardener and I love his book “The well-tempered garden“. It’s by my bed and I’m constantly running out of highlighters and pencils because there is so much to underline. When I reached the section on weeding I was super happy because here was a famous gardener telling me how he weeds. A nightmare from years ago Picture a large planted bed with big open spots where weeds thrive. There was maybe seven of us weeding what were essentially mats of weeds. Not big trophies or the occasional clump of weeds: I’m talking about a mat of green weeds. Now ..read more

A great idea! Memorial trees are a great idea. When I die, I’d love to get a tree planted somewhere with my name on it. But sometimes the technical aspect can be troubling, which explains my love and hate relationship with memorial trees. Scott’s tree I have no idea who Scott was. I discovered this memorial tree while installing twenty yards of soil amender in the same courtyard. It took me four days to complete the project and every time I wheeled my wheelbarrow by Scott’s tree I counted my blessings. I’m older than Scott and I’m celebrating twenty-five seasons in the landscape industry this ..read more

Desperate for colour Every winter I find myself longing for spring and for some colour in the garden. January seems to drag on and on. And today, with the first real cold and snow hitting the entire province, it was easy to notice the colour red. Let’s take a look. Pyracantha This prickly firethorn shrub (Pyracantha) is a great choice if you’re trying to keep pedophiles from your backyard. But I noticed it because it was full of birds helping themselves to berries. And those berries were more and more noticeable as light snow fell. Look closely and you will notice the sharp thorns. Berberis ..read more

Winter additions Winter is a great time to add stuff to your landscape because everything is quiet. There is no lawn care and plants aren’t growing actively; weeds included. You can add soil to weak areas and plants to open spots before weeds move. And since trees are dormant, it’s a good time to add a few as well. Soil amender I love adding soil to the landscape. Dark soil amender gives your place an instant upgrade, it will help the plants and, if you’re behind on weeding, it will definitely smother weeds. Just make sure you don’t go cheap. I wouldn’t install anything below two to three inch ..read more

Disclaimer Let me start by saying that my little YouTube channel is tiny; I’m far away from success but the key idea comes from another YouTube video. It’s a great, tested idea. Interestingly, I stumbled upon it by accident: I uploaded some tree videos and watched the views climb quickly. So keep reading. ASQ This is all you have to know: ASQ or Answer Specific Questions. People visit YouTube to find answers to their questions. What’s funny is that I published my most-watched videos without even realizing I was answering people’s questions. It become obvious after the views piled up and the vi ..read more