This year saw many changes to my garden, some small and some drastic. The drastic ones resulted from the discovery of invasive jumping worms back in late June. But more on that later. The common denominator for all these changes was soil disturbance. There was a huge increase in digging– not only my efforts to READ MORE
Category: My articles
Memory Aids for Gardeners
This heap of horticutural hash is a tasty blend of spicy irreverance and nutritious facts. It was originally published in the June 2022 issue of Cross Pollination, the newsletter of the Halton Region Master Gardeners. By Bev Wagar, Halton Master Gardener Horticulture! It sweeps you off your feet, showers you with affection, and sheet-mulches your READ MORE
Give your garden time, not money
This article was originally published in May 2019, in The Point, Crown Point’s community newspaper. Is something terrible happening to your favourite shrub? Did you make a garden bed last year and everything died? Is your rock-hard soil growing a bumper crop of weeds? It’s natural for keen gardeners to tackle problems head-on. We want READ MORE
Carrie does not love Tom
She never did. Crammed with nudges and winks, this educational piece was originally published in the May 2022 issue of Cross Pollination, the newsletter of the Halton Region Master Gardeners. By Bev Wagar, Halton Master Gardener Carrot had been growing beside Tomato for only a few weeks when she realized she didn’t like the guy. READ MORE
Garden Activism—Are You at Risk?
This tongue-in-cheek article was originally published in the April 2022 issue of Cross Pollination, the newsletter of the Halton Region Master Gardeners. Does your love of gardening come with strong opinions, ideas that sometimes bolt from the brain and barge headlong into the world? When thoughts and convictions grow mouths and legs, do be wary—it READ MORE
Using an Instant Pot to sterilize triple mix
Today (Aprl 10, 2022) I did a kitchen experiment to see if I could use our Instant Pot to sterilize triple mix.The reason for the desire to heat-treat the mix is the risk of Jumping Worms (Amynthas ssp.) an invasive species that has recently been reported in my city of Hamilton (Ontario Canada). Although the READ MORE
Campanulastrum americana ID
Photos below are Campanulastrum americana / Tall Bellflower, a Carolinian native listed as “common” in Hamilton (Ontario) area in Michael Oldham’s ‘List of the Vascular Plants of Ontario’s Carolinian Zone (Ecoregion 7E)’ (link opens in new tab) . Formerly known as Campanula americana and recently assigned its own genus Campanulastrum, this is an unusual bellflower, READ MORE
A thriving support system for birds, bugs and butterflies
For Bev Wagar, it’s a cross between a cottage garden, a collector’s garden, and a native plant garden, writes Cathy Renwald.(This article appeared in the July 2 edition of the Hamilton Spectator. Copyright: Hamilton Spectator) We are on a lazy meander in Bev Wagar’s garden. A place where an angelica plant is tall enough to READ MORE
Killing stuff in the garden
Ah Facebook. You’re a sputtering font of knowledge. A murky, shallow pool of occasional wisdom. Especially this time of year, in mid-June, when gardens really start to look like gardens and life busts out all over the place. I’m an admin for the Master Gardeners of Ontario Facebook group and also a fairly regular visitor READ MORE
More than a pretty blog…
I’m starting out on a positive note with a new web site, mainly to showcase my recent work for potential clients. WordPress’ new “block” system is a challenge, and so are the design limitations! As I learn more there may be some changes, possibly to a full WordPress installation. This blog area will be used READ MORE