Free Your Trees From Their Restraints!
When I walk around my city, there’s one mistake I notice very often: trees with stakes or ties that areContinue Reading
Author: Larry Hodgson
Garden writer and blogger, author of 65 gardening books, lecturer and communicator, the Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, passed away in October 2022. Known for his great generosity, his thoroughness and his sense of humor, he reached several generations of amateur and professional gardeners over his 40-year career.
Thanks to his son, Mathieu Hodgson, and a team of contributors, laidbackgardener.blog will continue its mission of demystifying gardening and making it more accessible to all.
Answers to Your Questions: A Diseased Mountain Ash and a Mysterious Yellow Flower
A mountain ash in distress We cut down a beautiful, large mountain ash tree, leaving 2 meters of trunk aboveContinue Reading
Public Enemy Number One: Giant Hogweed
For several years now, giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) has been making headlines regularly as soon as summer begins. Almost everyContinue Reading
Cheesy… and Proud of It!
I’ve come to realize something: the older I get, the more cornier I become. I know it, because my wifeContinue Reading
Answers to Your Questions: Messy Maple Trees, Spring Flowers, and Invasive Grass
Messy maple My neighbor’s maple tree is causing me trouble. Most of its branches hang over my driveway and myContinue Reading
Gardening School
Most avid gardeners will tell you that it was a family member—a mother, father, uncle, aunt, grandmother, grandfather, and soContinue Reading
Are You a Realistic Gardener or a Dreamer?
It seems Canadian gardeners are true optimists. You see them in droves during the long weekend of Victoria Day, bundledContinue Reading
Answers to Your Questions: Plants That Are Truly Suited to Your Climate
Mock orange Can you recommend a species of Philadelphus that is well-suited to our climate? Answer Try the Lewis mockContinue Reading
Let’s Rise up Against the Horticultural Tower of Babel!
I’ll admit it: I’m not only a lazy gardener, but also a cheap one. So nothing shocks me more thanContinue Reading
A Rose for Mother’s Day
Of course, you can give Mom cut roses for Mother’s Day. She’ll certainly love them. But they’ll only last… asContinue Reading