Lasting Landscapes

05/12/2021

Around the world, soils are in trouble. While the human population burgeons, the soil we all depend on diminishes. This BBC film is only 20 minutes long and is so encouraging -- there is a way out of the mess we have made through mistakes of the past, such as not understanding how precious our topsoil is. Follow the Food is an eight-part documentary series that questions where our food comes from and how this will change in the near future, thanks to new technologies and innovative ways of farming.

Around the world, soils are in trouble. And unless we take action, so will be the farmers and consumers who depend on them. However, some growers can see a way to save the ground beneath our feet. Follow the Food is an eight-part documentary series that questions where our food comes from and how th...

02/03/2021

Brad Jalbert's Select Roses is everything roses and more! The rose farm is in Langley, but you can enjoy and learn from Brad no matter where you live. His farm store is opening on March 20th this year, and if you're lucky enough to live within driving distance, you won't want to miss out. For everyone else, the Select Roses site is chock full of great info for rose enthusiasts.

Select Roses is a retail nursery specializing in easy care, low maintenance, disease-resistant, garden roses. We grow a vast selection of the most disease-resistant and fragrant roses in Canada! Enjoy visiting our display gardens with thousands of potted roses especially chosen for this climate. We

08/31/2019

It's past mid summer already and the garden is looking a little wild. The birds and bees don't mind -- there is lots here for them to enjoy!

02/25/2019

Those of us living south of the Fraser are lucky to live within easy reach of rose expert Brad Jalbert's farm in south Langley. When it comes to flowering shrubs, you can't beat roses for bang for your buck -- from July til frost, they bloom over and over again.

The more you cut to enjoy indoors, the more they respond with more and more blooms.

Select Roses is having their seasonal opening on March 23rd this year. See you there!

02/21/2019

Thanks for the help pruning trees in my yard yesterday, Country Tree Services of Langley. Your crew was friendly and worked fast! This very large plum had some damaged branches that required removal.

01/26/2019

Spring is going to come early here in the lower mainland of southwest BC. I took these pics on Thursday at a customer's where we have just installed fresh mulch. Not only is it an attracive topdressing that provides a beautiful contrast with plant matter, it also suppresses weeds, insulates against heat and cold, prevents crusting, aids percolation and absorption of moisture, reduces erosion and improves soil structure by enriching it with organic matter as it decays. How's that for worth it!

12/06/2018

The BC SPCA Surrey Education & Adoption Centre thanks us for helping out at their location here in Cloverdale. But the thanks is all ours because we appreciate them so much for helping the animals.

Beautiful morning at the branch, beautiful surprise on our grounds! Thank you to Lasting Landscapes for volunteering your time to our gardens!

12/05/2018

As temps have dropped here on the west coast this week, all gardeners take heed -- your valuable plants and containers could be at risk. Ceramic containers can crack as moist soil inside freezes and expands. Roots can freeze too and your plants may not survive. In this Vancouver Sun article, Brian Minter offers suggestions for protecting your outdoor containers. Understanding easy measures like moving your containers up against the house or garage, and/or grouping them together and covering them with just about anything will go an amazingly long way to helping your containerized plants survive a west coast winter cold spell.

As cold weather approaches, it’s time to think about the patio containers out on our decks and situated way up on the balconies of highrise apartments.  There are two concerns: one for t…

07/01/2018

This is a cute little garden we installed last fall and I've just returned to visit it and install a few more plants. We are still waiting for a Fairy Stump to complete the design.

07/01/2018

02/26/2018

Winter is a good time for taking opportunities to update our education. Bartlett Tree Experts provided an excellent opoportunity for arborists to learn more about the exciting developments in the technology of detecting decay in trees. The photo on the left shows this Mountain Ash hooked up to receptors and the photo on the right shows the image of the decay (in red) that is projected onto the computer screen. Cool, hey!
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