Lavish Gardens

03/03/2026

As far as houseplants go, Hoya (a.k.a. wax plant or porcelain flower) is a favourite of ours partly because it’s super easy to care for.

Not only is it tough and vigorous but it’s also very beautiful. Its thick, waxy leaves grow on climbing or trailing vines (depending on the species) and it bears unusual, star-shaped flowers that look as though they’re made out of wax!

Here are the six cultivars currently available in our plant shoppe:

Hoya australis - ‘Krimson queen’ (picture #1) and ‘Krimson princess’ (picture #2)

Hoya krohniana - ‘black’, ‘splash’ and ‘silver’ (picture #3)

Hoya carnosa ‘Kringle Kurl’ - a trailing variety that has unique, tightly curled leaves

Hoyas love bright, indirect light and prefer it on the drier side (let the plant dry up completely between waterings - especially during winter months). In terms of temperature, they thrive in a range of 18 to 29 degrees Celsius. They will not tolerate it if temps dip below 12 degrees Celsius.

If you want your Hoya to bloom (and trust me: you do), let it get slightly potbound, and bring it outdoors in a spot with a bit of sun.(after hardening it off in full shade for a week or so). You can also provide some fertilizer in the spring and summer months to help it along. Remember that patience and consistency are key for the flower reward! Hoyas take a few years before reaching maturity and blooming.

03/01/2026

It’s March! The sun is shining so brightly this morning. Is that what they mean by “March coming in like a lamb”?

02/28/2026

Bambino succulents are in!

How to care for Echevria succulents:

Water only once the soil has dried up completely.

Light: place in a bright, sunny window.

Temperature: between 20-27 Celsius.

02/24/2026

CALL TO ACTION! Currently taking pre-orders for sustainable, biological pest controls (beneficial insects, beneficial nematodes, traps & lures).

Many of these biological controls include live organisms and are perishable. This is why we take your orders ahead of time to make sure that we have the availability that you will need, at the time that you will need it. Pre-order now and pick-up in store in early spring.

Don't know where to start? Read our educational blog post for some help:

*** JUMP TO LIST OF SUSTAINABLE PEST CONTROL SOLUTIONS***A biodiverse garden environment with native plantings will create an ecosystem where everything is in balance and where you will rarely have to deal with garden pest infestations. However, something occasionally comes along to disturb this bal...

02/23/2026

Snow makes everything look so serene. It’s been a lot of work dealing with all the snow that has been falling this year here in Ontario. There are positives though… our garden plants are well insulated from cold temperatures and freeze thaw cycles!

02/21/2026

A little bit of colour for a white snowy morning!

02/19/2026

Anyone ready for spring?

It's going to be a little while yet, but in the meantime, please enjoy these mesmerizing watercolour botanical illustrations of spring bulbs by English artist and scientific illustrator Harriet Isabel Adams, dating back to approximately 1907.

She must be one of my favourite botanical artists. Her work is timeless, striking and very educational. Another tlented yet little-known woman artist!

These prints are available in 8" x 10" format at our Shoppe. Also available are beautiful blooming daffodils to bring you joy and tie you over until spring!

02/14/2026

Our red dracaena is blooming! I guess this tropical gal knows deep down that it’s summer in her part of the world.

02/09/2026

Announcement!

For the first time ever, we are holding a store-wide sale!

50% OFF (almost) EVERYTHING in the Shoppe! Click below for details.

https://www.lavishgardens-shoppe.ca/post/midwinter-sale

02/01/2026

February: a month traditionally dedicated to purification and renewal. In Roman times, it was originally the last month of the year, and was named after Februus - Etruscan god of the underworld, whose symbolism is associated with the natural cycles of life.

February marks the winter months beginning to recede. Have you noticed that our days have begun to be longer, with the sun rising earlier and setting later every day? We have already gained almost an hour of sunlight since the winter solstice and by month’s end we will have over 2 more hours of sunlight daily compared to the shortest day of the year.

While January is a month for rest and for reflection, February is the month where we start planning for the upcoming season of growth. Now is the time to start thinking about your garden for this year!

Draw up your vegetable garden plans. Pick which seeds you will be needing to source. Start your seedlings.

We will be carrying high-quality Canadian seeds again this year for your vegetable gardens as well as for your native wildflower habitats. They will be arriving at our Shoppe over the coming weeks. So keep checking for updates!

On this beautiful, sunny morning, let’s welcome February together!

01/29/2026

I shudder when I think of how Mark Zuckerberg recently explained that social media will soon place each one of us in our own immersive and interactive AI bubble. Apparently, our apps will be populated with an AI that specifically understands us and that generates "great personalized content" for us.

This has already begun for me... while on social media, I am being flooded with shiny fake pictures of artificial birds and insects and antiseptic artificial gardens that are impossible to produce in the real world. It's the most depressing thing - when all I, for one, want to do is connect with real people who share my awe of and search for sustenance in the "real" natural world. Basically, the "social" and the "natural intelligence" parts.

As for the landscape industry (the "green industry") it has also began to lean dramatically into AI and it saddens me. AI to run your business, AI to answer your questions, AI to replace your administrative assistant, AI to create plastic grass, AI to do your landscape designs for you. What's next?

One thing I can promise you, is that on this account, what you will see might not be as "shiny" as on other accounts, but it will be 100% real.

I would like to hope that Khalil Gibran was right and there is *always* a spring or a dawn that follows darkness.

01/25/2026