Welcome to my Garden Blog on GardenChats! This is the home site for Janice of Ife Landscape Design Consultants.

I’ve been designing gardens for almost (mumble, mumble) years now; let’s just say long enough to have learned a few things and to realize there is always something new to learn out there. So I’m hoping this site will allow me to teach a little and learn a lot. There are 5 sections to the site: Garden Blog, Garden Tips, Garden Chats, Garden Links, and Garden News. You’ve found the blog – here’s what the other sections are about.

I started sending Garden Tips to my clients about 10 years ago. We had a fall that just would not quit – warm sunny days, cool nights. No snow until virtually the end of December. I received 6 calls the same day asking if it was time to plant bulbs, since all references seemed to say ‘mid-fall’. So, Garden Tips were born. They are based on current weather here in Eastern Ontario - not what the books say, but what the sun says. Since many beyond the range of the Ottawa Valley may read these Tips, I’ll try to remember to include a note of the weather conditions so you can translate the Tips to the right time for your home. I’ll try to keep them fairly short and to the point, which is always a challenge for me because talking about gardens is my idea of fun, and who wants the fun to end!

I hope Garden Chats will become your ‘go to’ place for questions and answers about gardening. I’ve learned more from questions posed to me by my clients and students than any other way, I suspect. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find out for you. So don’t hesitate to post your questions and comments about the site.

Garden Links will be just that – links to interesting sites.