Christin Geall

Ana Myerscough harvests Spencer sweet peas in the Cultivated garden in Oak Bay. The long stems on these flowers are the result of breeding and cultivation techniques, including early sowing, a long, cool growth period and abundant nutrients.

Succeeding with sweet peas

The time is right to start your sweet pea seedlings

Ana Myerscough harvests Spencer sweet peas in the Cultivated garden in Oak Bay. The long stems on these flowers are the result of breeding and cultivation techniques, including early sowing, a long, cool growth period and abundant nutrients.
Christin Geall

Cultivated: Try a pre-season garden cleanse

January is a good time to take stock of your various garden tools, seeds and potions

Christin Geall
The Paper Garden, by Molly Peacock

Gift books for gardeners

Ideas for the gardeners or garden-lovers on your Christmas list

The Paper Garden, by Molly Peacock
The walled kitchen garden at Gravetye Manor in Sussex.

Cultivated – Fence me in: Lessons from the Sun King

Christin Geall is an avid Oak Bay gardener and creative non-fiction writing instructor at the University of Victoria

The walled kitchen garden at Gravetye Manor in Sussex.
Gravetye Manor in West Sussex, England, was home to the influential gardener and writer William Robinson, who argued for a move toward naturalism in English gardens.

Cultivated: Oak Bay gardener smitten with salvias in Sussex

Christin Geall explores the gorgeous gardens of Sussex, England

Gravetye Manor in West Sussex, England, was home to the influential gardener and writer William Robinson, who argued for a move toward naturalism in English gardens.

Wind is a chilly prospect for the garden

Care can reduce wind's impact on a West Coast garden

The Victoria Dahlia Society’s annual show. Their society’s next tuber sale takes place April 8, 2017.

Best in show: Horticultural exhibitions

The Victoria Dahlia Society's annual show inspires consideration of the history and future of horticultural exhibitions

The Victoria Dahlia Society’s annual show. Their society’s next tuber sale takes place April 8, 2017.
Christin Geall

The cruellest month

Summer's end brings challenges for Oak Bay's gardeners

Christin Geall

True to type

Understanding how plant breeding is reflected in plant names

Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurescens’, Allium atropurpureum, Iris ‘Warrior King’ and Briza media with Geum ‘Mai Tai’, in The Winton Beauty of Mathematics Garden, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016.

Garden trends from Chelsea

Garden columnist Christin Geall reflects on the impact of the Chelsea Flower Show

Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurescens’, Allium atropurpureum, Iris ‘Warrior King’ and Briza media with Geum ‘Mai Tai’, in The Winton Beauty of Mathematics Garden, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016.
Christin Geall

How to leave your garden

It pays to prepare your garden ahead for your summer vacation

Christin Geall
The Icelandic poppy Papaver nudicale standing tall.

The promise of poppies

A primer on the common varieties of this favourite garden flower

The Icelandic poppy Papaver nudicale standing tall.

Aphids…already!

Unseasonably warm weather puts strain on plants, welcomes pests

Struggles with cedar: it’s all about context

BC's provincial tree can cause challenges for gardeners

From Windsor Park: Helleborus x ballardiae ‘HGC Pink Frost’

Right plant, right place: A tiny tour of February’s flowers

Celebrating winter-blooming beauties around Windsor Park

From Windsor Park: Helleborus x ballardiae ‘HGC Pink Frost’

Bleeding Hearts: Choosing the right flowers for Valentine’s

Look beyond roses to show your sweetheart a little love

Dig into these gardening classics

Five favourite gardening books to get you through the season (or in a gardener’s heart)

There’s still time to plant tulips for spring. Pictured here: Lily flowering tulips with Euphorbia polychroma and Ligularia ‘Britte Marie Crawford’ in the rear.

Tulips: annuals or perennials?

Understanding tulip physiology is helpful to the home gardener

There’s still time to plant tulips for spring. Pictured here: Lily flowering tulips with Euphorbia polychroma and Ligularia ‘Britte Marie Crawford’ in the rear.
In good hands, the dahlia ‘Verrone Morning Star.’

A good gardener is hard to find

How to tackle all the work there is to do in the garden

In good hands, the dahlia ‘Verrone Morning Star.’
A Spry-inspired arrangement of strawberries, dahlias, yarrow, zinnias, Acer twigs, Calamagrostis grass, foxglove seedheads, ‘Queen Anne’s lace’ and ‘Bells of Ireland.’

Constance Spry and the crafting of happiness

Constance Spry broke more rules than she created and her lush, loose aesthetic still influences contemporary florists today

A Spry-inspired arrangement of strawberries, dahlias, yarrow, zinnias, Acer twigs, Calamagrostis grass, foxglove seedheads, ‘Queen Anne’s lace’ and ‘Bells of Ireland.’