Although not required, FUN spring preparations such as repainting plant displays (for home gardeners, perhaps plant stands). This table was a dull retro-yellow until a few days ago but now has a whole new vibe! There are the obvious steps that most home gardeners go through as spring approaches: soak up inspiration from websites and social media, order new seeds, leaf through old seed packs, sketch out ideas or make lists, reminisce while looking at photos from seasons past, become a little more attentive to plants wintered indoors... start some seeds. As we have been preparing for spring arou ..read more

One bit of confidence... or perhaps foolhardiness... I have developed over the years has been to get very familiar with letting certain types of plants rest through winter. Of course, most classic houseplants remain evergreen and lush through all seasons when kept warm, watered, and fed; but, many interesting and cherished plants actually are, in my opinion. easier to care for if allowed to "relax" during the off-season. Some, like figs and lemon verbena, basically require a fully-dormant season while others go into a semi-dormant state that can be unsettling... until you get to realize this i ..read more

About a year ago one of our wonderful and inquisitive staff, Roxie, started experimenting with growing ferns from spores. It has been amazing to observe the young ferns that have since grown at Sage! Before we get too far into the details of propagating ferns, it is important to know that ferns are not flowering plants and therefore do not ever produce flowers or seeds. Ferns are ancient in evolutionary terms compared to flowering plants, but definitely share many characteristics including vascular structures to move water and nutrients, photosynthesis, and a sexual process for reproduction. F ..read more

One of the best things about growing plants is that you can make more plants from them! If you have landed here, you likely picked up one of our 2022 Halloween treat bags, which each have a really cool botanical adornment made from parts of various seasonal herbs, foliage plants, grasses, and ferns. Each arrangement includes at least two items that you can turn into new plants!  Many of the treat bags include a section of variegated spider plant, which grows off of long arching stems called stolons. The cluster of leaves at the end of this stolon stem usually has ..read more

Of all the pests that can occur indoor plants, the tiny, fruit fly-like fungus gnat is probably the most common. It is important to note that although the appearance of fungus gnats and fruit flies is similar, these are completely different pests; fungus gnats do not feed on ripe fruit and fruit flies are indifferent to houseplants. If you see small, dark-coloured winged bugs coming from the soil of your potted plants, these are mostly definitely fungus gnats and not fruit flies. Almost all plant-people will encounter fungus gnats at some point, particularly if you have any indoor plants ..read more

This week we introduce our second January Pick-Me-Up for 2023, with a focus on seed germination. We actually did something similar last January, with Petri dishes and Jiffy pots, and the goal here is to notice different conditions that can encourage strong germination, start some early plants indoors, and simply enjoy the magic of observing germination unfold right before your eyes. Plus, a good chance to learn about seed germination testing, which is helpful for that box of seeds we all have from seasons gone by! I had considered doing a different project for this second Pick Me Up, as I didn ..read more

Winter is a season that can leave many feeling a little low, or at the very least pining for the buoyant energy of spring and summer. So, it can feel so good to have easy-to-succeed-with projects to get us through to spring, especially when we can grow something awesome! Water propagation of houseplants is one of those things: very grower friendly but still super rewarding. Plus, you'll be excited to check on the development of roots and then new growth on the plants you propagate.  If you are using our January Pick-Me-Up set for this project, it includes three cuttings (Peperomia obtusif ..read more

Young basil plants are packed with all of the flavour of mature plants... but are much easier to manage indoors. While basil is synonymous with summer, it can be tricky to grow through winter when light levels are low, particularly if expectations are based on the summer growing experience. However, all of that glorious fragrance and flavour can be enjoyed indoors during the winter with a little reframing of how to best go about growing basil.  The concept is simple: if you grow basil as a baby green everything becomes much easier! Baby greens are leafy herbs and salad plants so ..read more

Winter is the blooming season for rosemary, and the charming blue flowers are delicious too (honey + rosemary flavour ?) Rosemary is one of the most popular herbs to keep indoors through winter, but admittedly we hear one of two things about people's experience growing it: a) "my rosemary is amazing and I've had it for years" b) "my rosemary always dries up over winter!" So, let's try to figure this out so that more people can enjoy their lovely rosemary long term. Rosemary is a coastal plant that enjoys the contrast between warmer, drier summers and cooler, humid winters Since rose ..read more

Both microgreens and baby greens are easy options for home gardeners in cold climates, with harvests in as little as 15 days up to 35 days. We have been hearing from many gardeners sharing their experience of growing either microgreens or baby greens indoors through the winter. Both are awesome! However, it is interesting to consider why some people prefer to grow microgreens while others go for baby greens; so let's run through this together. Both microgreens and baby greens are very quick styles of growing tasty, nutritious salad greens and herbs at home. Each of these growing styles is high ..read more