ALT From private backyard gardens to front yard edible gardens and even an opportunity for a guided tour of the gardens at Riding Mountain National Park, this year's summer garden tours in Manitoba offer discovery and inspiration. Some tours are free! Check out my column today for full details.

ALT Extreme weather in May was a test of endurance for gardeners & plants in Winnipeg and across the Prairies. Now comes June roaring in like a lion! Winnipeg Gardener monthly e-newsletter has got you covered. Look inside for gardening tips, ideas, and inspiration and to sign up for free! Gardening questions? We'd love to hear from you! P.S. Can you name this plant with the pink bottlebrush blooms swaying in the wind?

ALT Deer are one of nature's most beautiful creatures but urban deer pose a growing problem to homeowners who want to have front yard gardens. Mary Ann Shaw is a Winnipeg homeowner with a spacious front yard garden who is becoming increasingly aware of the distinct gap between assurances that a plant is deer-resistant and reality. But city by-laws are a major hurdle to putting up a deer fence on residential properties in Winnipeg. Read her story in today's Winnipeg Free Press.

ALT Forget the cool start to spring, it's bloomin' plant sale season! Garden club and garden society plant sales are high stakes shopping events. Competition is fierce as participants are determined to secure the most highly desired items — gardeners may even use their elbows. What makes garden club plant sales so popular? Find out why in this weekend's gardening column in the Winnipeg Free Press!

ALT New begonia varieties keep getting better and better -- stronger branching, bigger flowers. In today's column I talk to Rodney Wohlgemuth, owner of Green Oak Gardens. He shares the names of top varieties and what you need to know to keep them growing.

ALT Celebrating its 4th year, Winnipeg Gardener digital newsletter is published monthly by the Winnipeg Free Press. It's free to sign up! You will find helpful gardening tips and insights into a wide variety of hort-related topics. Check out the piece on Rose Rosette Disease! Have you come across RRD in your area? Let me know!

ALT Author Erna Buffie is a documentary filmmaker and environmental activist. Her new book, Out on a Limb, is a powerful treatise on what it will take to protect and grow our urban forests. When the majority of trees are on private land, as they are in Winnipeg, it's not enough to demand that a municipality alone needs to act. Check out today's column -- Buffie's call to action will inspire you!

ALT Maples are one of the most common tree requests at garden centres every spring. Hands down, Autumn Blaze is one of the most popular maple tree varieties. But is it the right maple tree for your soil type? Sheldon Falk, Falk Nurseries, trials dozens of maple trees over 10-year periods. In my column today, he shares tips on some of the top maple trees for cold climates along with best practices to ensure success in your landscape.

ALT Inspired by her garden and the textures, patterns and colours found in nature, Regina-based artist Michelle Austin brings the outdoors inside your home with her exclusive designs for wallpaper and fabric. Read how this talented artist's handpainted works of art for wallpaper, fabric and home textiles are beautifying homes throughout North America and where it is available.

ALT As the snow melts, gradually revealing your garden, study the woody framework. Are there enough sculptural elements to make the spring garden look interesting even without perennials? In my column today, you will find suggestions for appealing new shrubs that offer a variety of distinct shapes from ground hugging to columnar, weeping, spiky, and vase-shaped. Which one is your favourite?

ALT A gardener's favourite time of the year is just around the corner! This month's edition of Winnipeg Gardener, a monthly digital newsletter I write for the Winnipeg Free Press, is chock full of design inspiration and gardening tips. You'll hear from a gardener who successfully overwinters tender plants in his garage plus this month's edition includes a comprehensive guide to controlling weeds that you will want to clip and save! And there is plenty more inside!