Being misunderstood, or being misidentified, worse, not being believed at can be frustrating at best, infuriating at worse times, and I can only imagine what can be the worst. Ease of identity does not favor me when it comes to my name. Or my looks. Or where I come from. People ask me many times where I come from. People get quite confused with my name. People mistake my facial features for those of other nationalities, too. Chinese? Japanese? Korean? Taiwanese? Maybe Vietnamese or Thai? I can understand if the person asking is Caucasian. Caucasians, in general, often have difficulties differe ..read more

New and exciting plants are introduced each year in the horticultural world, but there are some plants that are timeless for containers and hanging baskets. The long list is headed by hostas, ornamental grasses, coleus and many draping and multi-colored annuals. They are the tested true and and dependable, so you gravitate towards them because they are familiar and you know they won’t fail you no matter your level of green thumb-ness. In the Philippines, the common practice in container gardening seems to be constrained to one-plant-one pot. Such is not the most effective and impactful way to ..read more

No one plans to fail, not in anything, and that includes transplanting or planting. The key to not failing… let’s give it a positive vibe…the key to success starts with having a good plan. So in this write-up, allow me to share the plan that has given me success (in most cases) in my garden, specifically in transplanting and planting. And since Fall is one opportune time for transplanting, let me focus on transplanting. Early Spring though is still the best time for transplanting, I must quickly add. Here’s my plan: 1 – Know your garden, or your plant Have a conversation with yourself — no, n ..read more

A garden design that reads as well up close as it would from a distance has been a dream for our home garden. Planting in drifts and creating separate “rooms” were possible solutions. But lack of experience, even more so creative foresight and limited budget cause us to resort to trial and error and more error before we settle to a look we are happy with. We, however, keep transforming our garden as if it’s a house that needed re-arranging of furniture and new paint color and coat to attain a fresh look without breaking our retirement reserves. But changing the look of our garden proves more c ..read more

Halloween comes in many forms, depending on location, time, religion, and economics. In most western countries like the United States, Canada, and most countries in Europe, Halloween is best characterized by the practice of trick or treating in costumed outfits and elaborately decorated lawns and houses themed on the supernatural, evil spirits, witches, and haunted houses.. SONY DSC This practice of trick or treating dates back to the Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain marks the end of a bountiful harvest for the summer and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. The Celts, who lived many yea ..read more

No one plans to fail, not in anything, and that includes transplanting or planting. The key to not failing… let’s give it a positive vibe…the key to success starts with having a good plan. So in this write-up, allow me to share the plan that has given me success (in most cases) in my garden, specifically in transplanting and planting. And since Fall is one opportune time for transplanting, let me focus on transplanting. Early Spring though is still the best time for transplanting, I must quickly add. Here’s my plan: 1 – Know your garden, or your plant Have a conversation with yourself — no, no ..read more

Creating edgers to your garden can: give a finished, polished look to your garden add texture and visual appeal to your garden clearly demarcates garden areas add a stunning finish to any garden space help to guide the eye in whichever direction you choose protect your investment – patio and pathway edgings help to maintain the strength and integrity of your chosen paving keeps integrity of your lawn and flowerbeds by separating them prevent plants or their leaves invading pathways or garden turfs make lawn mowing easier and faster And this is just a short list of what garden edgers can do ..read more

What gardener doesn’t wish that his or her garden is always blooming and booming with sights, scents, and visual appeal that only spring and summer can effortlessly bring? Especially now that the cold blustery wind and the colder rain never seem to know when to stop even as the daylight is getting shorter and more elusive, and winter waits around the corner, threatening to strip even the trees bare and creating a landscape that might look too Halloweeny. Fall foliage colors at Queen Elizabeth Park and the HR MacMillan Bloedel Conservatory Most people, and even the most die-hard gardeners, lame ..read more

Gardeners have varied styles, much more than there are varieties of garden styles. The style, and to a degree, the personality of the gardener can be seen in the mixing and matching and planning of the gardener’s plants. So do the details, like in the choice of edging of the garden. Edging your garden with found objects, recycled or upcycled, gives you unlimited and unique ways to show your style and your personality. Your options are endless. Broken pieces of concrete lends informality to the planting. The texture of the concrete edging echoes that of the circular steppingstones to give cohes ..read more

A whole turkey glistening with its own oil and added sweet basting sauce sits at the center of the nicely covered table. Then my wife carefully slices the turkey into thin cuts, its browned beige meat releasing a distinct aroma and little clouds of steam rising from the whole turkey and the cut pieces. The turkey promises to be delicious for the family’s Thanksgiving dinner, and for the many lunch sandwiches for the week. We bow our head and close our eyes. We pray. We give thanks. Canadian Thanksgiving is set on the second Monday in October (October 11th this year) but our family often holds ..read more