Pink Hibiscus

Pink HibiscusAugust 26, 2010
Daily walking has become my excuse for being a garden snoop.  This way I can check out what other great plants others are growing in their gardens and ones I may want to add to my gardens.  I spotted this pretty pink hibiscus on one of my walks.  Hibiscus is a member of the mallow family and while I haven't grown hibiscus I have grown okra and rose mallow, both

Giant Hogweed

Warnings have been issued for southern Ontario regarding giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) aka giant cow parsley.  This is a  perennial, invasive noxious weed that reaches a height of 5 metres is a public health risk.  The sap contains furocoumarin, a chemical that renders skin extremely susceptible to UV exposure resulting in severe burns and blistering (phytophotodermatitis).  This can

Horseradish

Horseradish(Armoracia rusticana)July 21, 2010
I have always wanted to grown horseradish but had never got around to it.  This year bought horseradish online from Ritchers Herbs in late June and planted it in two pots.  I planted in pots for two reasons.  First horseradish can be invasive in the garden and second our house is on the market so planted in pots will allow me to bring them to the new

White Nancy Lamiums

White Nancy Lamiums(Lamium maculatum)June 26, 2008Moving into a home with mature landscaping has meant discovering a lot of new to me plants. We moved in late June so that meant we had no idea what spring plants there were. Part of the fun has been identifying the various plants as they emerged to decide if they were friend or foe. This means that I have had a wonderful opportunity to expand my

Balloon FlowerPlatycodon grandiflorumThe balloon flower is one of my favourites. Platycodon means like a broad bell and grandiflorum means having big flowers. The plant gets its name from the shape of the buds. They look like small pillowy balloons. I only have one balloon flower plant. It usually blooms in early to midsummer. This plant does seem to be rather hardy. A well meaning family