On this episode of The Garden Gate Brenda chat’s with Heather Nisbett from “Intricate greetings” about this beautiful and fascinating item now available in the shop! A couple years ago, Heather and her husband embarked on a holiday to Vietnam, excited to experience the culture, scenery, history and food, and they were not disappointed! They […]
Garden Gate: Episode 139 – Tips and Tricks to attract hummingbirds (May 11th, 2018)
On this episode of The Garden Gate I offer a few tips about hummingbirds and some tricks to help you attract them! A hummingbird flaps its wings up to 70 times per second; its heart rate can reach 1,260 beats per minute. Hummingbirds can extend their long, skinny tongues twice as far as the bill, which helps them reach nectar deep inside […]
Garden Gate: Episode 138 – Soap stone carving kits for children (April 27th, 2018)
How it all started! Co-founder Oliver Harwood was asked to teach an elementary school class how to carve soapstone. The first class was a hit and grew to 33 classes in the first year. In the last two years they have grown to teach more than 10,000 students in more than 300 schools. They have […]
Garden Gate: Episode 137 – Woodstock Windchimes (April 13th, 2018)
There are a wide variety of wind chimes available on the market. We feel that the Woodstock wind chimes are the best. These chimes are high quality and most importantly sound NICE! We often hear that people don’t like the sound of chimes. The sound grates on their ears. Woodstock wind chimes aren’t like that. […]
Garden Gate: Episode 135 Birds striking and flying at windows (March 16th, 2018)
Thump! Don’t you hate hearing that sound? You know a bird has hit your window. Now you run outside to see if you can find the little thing. Hopefully it’s still alive and you can help revive it. Or you see a very strange thing. A bird (usually a cardinal or robin) is flying up […]
Garden Gate Episode 134: Bee friendly Bird Food
Pollinators, pollinator gardens, bee houses, bee friendly gardens. These are the BUZZ words these days. But they shouldn’t just be a passing fancy. Bees are very important for our environment. Without their pollinating abilities our grocery store shelves would be almost empty! So how does this relate to bird food? If your bird food is […]
Garden Gate Episode: 133 – Annual Backyard Bird Count with guest Drew Monkman
Drew Monkman is a retired teacher, author and local naturalist. Drew has written the book “Nature’s Year in the Kawartha’s”, an updated version renamed “Nature’s Year” and co-written another “Big Book of Nature” with Jacob Rodenburg of the Kawartha Environment Centre. On this episode of The Garden Gate we talk about the Great Backyard […]
Garden Gate: Episode 132 – Cold winter/Warm birds with guest Gary Cowie (Jan. 19th, 2018)
Have you ever wondered how birds stay warm during cold winters? We have had some very cold days and nights this year! Birds need coniferous trees and shrubs to hide in at night and when winds pick up. Trees like Cedar, Spruce, Pine and Yews. Even just a few of these added to your landscape […]
Garden Gate: Episode 131 – Outdoor bird winter watching (January 5th, 2018)
Bird watching in the summer is fairly easy. If you go for a walk in the park or hike in the woods you’re pretty much certain to see and hear a few birds! They are plentiful. You’ll find them eating berries, flitting around shrubs and trees and bathing or drinking in a nearby water way. […]
Garden Gate: Episode 130-Attracting Blue Jays and Cardinal
A great way to get a wide variety of birds to your bird feeding station is to offer a variety of bird food specific to each bird. For example, Cardinals like safflower seed but not a lot of other birds do. Cardinals are also shy, so it’s nice to have a bird feeder suited to […]
