Brian Minter

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It may seem like a fair amount of work the first year, but once established, with a little care, fresh asparagus can be enjoyed for the next 15 years, Brian Minter says.

The art of the asparagus

If you really enjoy this unique vegetable, why not grow your own?

It may seem like a fair amount of work the first year, but once established, with a little care, fresh asparagus can be enjoyed for the next 15 years, Brian Minter says.
Floral Carpet Rose

Coming up roses for springtime

Brian Minter shows you how to bring back the beauty and fragrance of roses to our gardens again.

Floral Carpet Rose
If you want to introduce some fresh life to your home by adding new tropicals, there are some very low-light tolerant and resilient plants.

A little TLC for indoor plants

There are a number of important things we can do to get our plants back in shape, says Brian Minter

If you want to introduce some fresh life to your home by adding new tropicals, there are some very low-light tolerant and resilient plants.
Berried plants that fruit, like pyracantha, cotoneaster and ornamental flowering crabapples, are a great source of winter food, as is English holly and deciduous Ilex verticulata.

Minter: Feeding your feathered friends

If you haven’t done so before, try setting up a bird feeding station for the winter, says Brian Minter

Berried plants that fruit, like pyracantha, cotoneaster and ornamental flowering crabapples, are a great source of winter food, as is English holly and deciduous Ilex verticulata.
The many new varieties of conifers provide all sorts of exciting combination opportunities.

Minter: Gardening in small spaces for winter

Some creative nurseries are looking at conifers from a different perspective and doing a few innovative things, says Brian Minter

The many new varieties of conifers provide all sorts of exciting combination opportunities.
Most weeds, with the exception of velvet grass, couch grass, clover and horsetails, can be controlled by simply digging them out as they appear, says Brian Minter.

Minter: Fall tune-up for your lawn

There are a few really fine lawns out there, says Brian Minter, but most do need work to get them into shape for the fall and winter months.

Most weeds, with the exception of velvet grass, couch grass, clover and horsetails, can be controlled by simply digging them out as they appear, says Brian Minter.
Even though we have to make a few important adjustments to the traditional way we garden, writes Brian Minter, attracting butterflies to our gardens is both an interesting and environmentally friendly activity.

Minter: How to attract butterflies to your garden

We are learning the true value of insects in our gardens, as friends, pollinators and predators for some of our more troublesome pests.

Even though we have to make a few important adjustments to the traditional way we garden, writes Brian Minter, attracting butterflies to our gardens is both an interesting and environmentally friendly activity.
Coleus blend well with so many other plants and now with the wide range of separate coloured leaves, you can go wild, says Brian Minter.

Minter: Add some colour with coleus

The other nice thing about foliage plants is the new and wonderful colour combinations you can create, writes Brian Minter

Coleus blend well with so many other plants and now with the wide range of separate coloured leaves, you can go wild, says Brian Minter.
In a rather impersonal world today, plants provide a sense of well-being and happiness that is quantifiable, says Brian Minter.

Minter: Gardening offers plenty to dig into

Friday, June 17 is designated as National Garden Day, the day to celebrate what gardens mean to Canadians.

In a rather impersonal world today, plants provide a sense of well-being and happiness that is quantifiable, says Brian Minter.
June is an important month for vegetable gardeners, Brian Minter says.

Enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of your labours

Early June is a critical time in the garden, Brian Minter says, both for replanting and beginning some late summer and even winter crops.

June is an important month for vegetable gardeners, Brian Minter says.
Bean varieties have really expanded, writes Brian Minter, and it might be fun to try a few new ones.

The magic behind better beans

Now that beans have earned the recognition they deserve, we need to be a little more creative in how we grow them, writes Brian Minter

Bean varieties have really expanded, writes Brian Minter, and it might be fun to try a few new ones.
Cucumbers are fun, fast and easy to grow as long as we get a little cooperation from the weather, says Brian Minter.

Explore new cucumber varieities

Cucumbers are warm weather plants and should only be set out when the weather warms up and stays warm, Brian Minter writes.

Cucumbers are fun, fast and easy to grow as long as we get a little cooperation from the weather, says Brian Minter.
Versatile shrub roses are easy to care for and provide great ground cover.

A rose by any other name still needs spring care, says Minter

Today’s new roses are not only long and continuous blooming but also hardy and very disease resistant, Brian Minter writes.

Versatile shrub roses are easy to care for and provide great ground cover.
Early cool colour plants must be able to handle unexpected late frosts, cold winds and lots of very heavy rain, says Brian Minter.

Capturing cool colours for spring

Here are some ‘feel good now and even better later’ plants that will make a big difference in your garden this year.

Early cool colour plants must be able to handle unexpected late frosts, cold winds and lots of very heavy rain, says Brian Minter.
If you really enjoy this unique vegetable, why not grow your own, asks Brian Minter.

Asparagus offers the ultimate welcome to springtime

Asparagus, as one of today’s highly prized gourmet vegetables, is relatively expensive because of the time it takes to come into production

If you really enjoy this unique vegetable, why not grow your own, asks Brian Minter.
Rhubarb is a perennial and will thrive for many years, even tolerating light shade, says Brian Minter.

Rhubarb an easy and tasty addition to any garden

Rhubarb is so very useful in our cooking and yet, far too few are being grown in our gardens, even small space ones, says Brian Minter.

Rhubarb is a perennial and will thrive for many years, even tolerating light shade, says Brian Minter.
Dwarf Iris pumilas do not flower for more than a few weeks, but they are one of the most delightful early spring perennials, says Brian Minter.

Early flowering perennials bring the colour

The interest in and use of perennials in our gardens is phenomenal and still growing, according Brian Minter

Dwarf Iris pumilas do not flower for more than a few weeks, but they are one of the most delightful early spring perennials, says Brian Minter.
Flowers have the power to make people happy – and not just on Valentine's Day.

Flowers help power a better world

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. If you really want to make your special person happy, here is something you may find interesting.

Flowers have the power to make people happy – and not just on Valentine's Day.
It's science: Flowers really do bring happiness

It’s science: Flowers really do bring happiness

With so much stress and depression in today’s world, it’s great to know that something as simple as a bouquet can help.

It's science: Flowers really do bring happiness
An example of an espaliered fruit tree.

Sharp tips for pruning fruit trees

You really don’t have to be an expert to prune fruit trees. All it takes is a little common sense and a few helpful hints, says Brian Minter

An example of an espaliered fruit tree.