Disco Balls in the Garden: Do Shiny Objects Actually Deter Pests?

How do you remember where things are in your garden once winter sweeps through? Every fall, we tuck spring-flowering bulbs into the soil and clean up our beds by cutting back perennial stems. Fast-forward to early spring: the ground clears, inspiration strikes, and you reach into the soil with a trowel—only to slice directly through a sleeping hosta or a clump of hidden tulips! If you've ever accidentally dug up dormant plants, here's a smart, easy, low-profile way to mark your plants.

While bloom scrolling the other day, we found that there's an increasing amount of ai generated plants popping up. Can you tell the difference? We're going to play a little game of "Ai or Real" on the podcast today. JOIN THE GARDEN Show Notes | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.goldenacre.ca/podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thehelpfulgardenerspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email us | [email protected] (SUBJECT: Podcast) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave us a Voice Note: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.goldenacre.ca/podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ VISIT US AT GOLDEN ACRE HOME & GARDEN Golden Acre Home & Garden is open 362 a year for all your home and garden needs. Find seasonal inspiration in store in Calgary, AB or online at ⁠www.goldenacre.ca⁠

Putting the garden to bed is always a bittersweet milestone. As Carrie recently asked: “I’m feeling ready to put my garden to bed. It’s time. I still have some flowers going and wondering if it’s possible to dry them? How do I do it?”

Ready to be transported to Colin's childhood? Today on the podcast, we're playing a childhood favourite: Conkers! You can do this a certain nut in your own community! How to Play Equipment: Each player needs a single conker (Chestnut or Ohio Buckeye nut) threaded onto a 15-to-20-inch piece of string, shoelace, or leather thong, secured with a large knot at the bottom. Stance: One player holds their conker still at arm’s length by letting it dangle from the string. The Strike: The second player wraps their string around their knuckle or finger, aims carefully, and swings their conker to hit the opponent's nut. Taking Turns: Players take turns striking each other's conker (typically five to seven turns each) until one of the conkers shatters or breaks off the string. Scoring: When a player breaks an opponent's conker, their own conker absorbs the defeated nut's score (becoming a "two-er," then a "three-er," and so on).

We had the "F" word in Alberta this past weekend... yep... FROST. You might be seeing more gardeners in your neighbourhood wrapping things up outside. Harvesting, pruning, doing their fall lawncare... it can feel a little sad, right? Well, if you live in a very seasonal growing zone, we encourage you to seek out the fall colour and bring that inspiration back to your own garden.