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Notes on tree planting
Today I spent the day in Burnaby and I made some notes for this blog post. It’s a kind of follow-up because I don’t always come to this part of Burnaby, but it’s nice to see how things change. Horse...
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Defeated by leaf drop
Leafy war zone Oh, man, I had a lot of fun walking to 7-Eleven for coffee today. I passed a house where the owners totally gave up on leaf clean-up. It looked horrendous but I understand why they...
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Saving kids’ lives, no more!
Update on my 2021 blog post Yesterday, on the way home I stopped by a site to check on the progress of our project. I published my post in September 2021 and on my last visit in 2023 everything looked...
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Plant separation: Callicarpa rescue
Callicarpa I love Callicarpas. Every year I do final fall clean-ups for a client in Coquitlam, BC, and she has a beautiful Callicarpa shrub in her front garden. And every year the purple berries look...
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Easy winter tasks you can do
Easy stuff As I write British Columbia is very cold. It’s minus twelve degrees Celsius and it feels way worse when you’re actually outside. But, once it warms up, you can attend to some easy garden...
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Yes, you can find winter colour in the landscape
Mild, mild, mild! As I write this, there are colder temperatures in the forecast. And I have no idea what the weather will be like outside by the time you read this. All I know is that I love mild...
View ArticleRevisiting my first-ever blog post for Proper Landscaping
A rough start This week I was searching through my Proper Landscaping blog posts when I noticed my very first technical post. It’s like seeing a younger photo of yourself several years later and...
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Why plant Western Wild Ginger?
One I didn’t know Over the Christmas holiday I took a walk through Shoreline park in Port Moody, BC. There I discovered an active planting site with native plants set out in pots but not yet planted....
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The trouble with greedy landlords
Down to cash I’ll be honest, taking a poke at landlords makes me smile. And I will be talking about landscaping, not greed, even though that part would make me rant for fifteen-hundred words. Easy. My...
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One key to your YouTube channel success
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...
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Add stuff for success!
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...
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Seeing red in the garden
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...
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Why I love & hate memorial trees
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...
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Weeding with Christopher Lloyd
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...
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When ornamental grasses are allowed to ornament
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...
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How do you celebrate 25 years in the landscape industry?
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...
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Why micro-management sucks
No fun Just last week the landscape manager we worked with had a bad micro-managing day and nobody had fun. I knew it would be a struggle when the manager looked at two of us and referred to us as...
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How micro-management affects your landscape crew
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...
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Mistake revisited!
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...
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The latest book from Margaret Renkl
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...
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