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Hana Earth Gardens, 80 Lillington Avenue, Toronto, ON (2026)

06/05/2026

Allium 'Purple Sensation' season in my garden!

Believe it or not, my front garden isn't really full sun now with some trees and shrubs but still 'Purple Sensation' is doing great!

So it can take some shade, but definitely some sun.

I gradually started with some bulbs and it just multiplied, plus I added some leftover bulbs from my bulb sale over the years.

This time is a bit of odd time for garden, I think, most of the spring bulbs are done but kind of too early for most of the showy perennials to bloom.

Columbines are blooming but I think I need to sow more seeds as they look less blooming this year.

There are also Geum, Bluestar.

Tree peony's short blooming time is already over, now waiting for herbaceous peony to bloom.

But mainly other than the Purple Sensation, it's predominantly green, so thank goodness for the Purple Sensation for the good display!

As I said this before, usually planting bulbs is the way to go with Alliums but if you don't mind waiting or save money, you can start Alliums from seeds.

I have Allium 'Purple Sensation' and Allium christophii seeds.

You can find the seeds here
https://www.hanaearthgardens.ca/shop/allium-seeds/NZNVCQH2HDST42BEMLQ7G75Q

*Please note I can't give you advice individually here, if you need more help, please consider purchasing my garden coaching service

***

Please if you can, shop local and support small businesses!

HOPE IS IN A SEED
-HANA EARTH GARDENS-

06/02/2026

More about Echinops (for both Blue and White verieties):

Echinops (Globe Thistle) aren't fussy about soil, actually prefer poor soil rather than nutrient rich soil.

Usually prefers well drained soil.

Once established, they're quite drought tolerant.

As the common name 'Globe Thistle' suggests, both the flower and leaves are prickly, so be aware!

Echinops are kind of hard to transplant with the taproot, so be careful when you divide.

Or better yet, why not try growing from the seeds?

When you sow the seeds, insert vertically into the soil rather than laying it down horizontally.

Keep the top of the seed exposed and not totally buried.

This makes better germination for me, so try this way.

You can find Echinops seeds (both Blue & White) here
https://www.hanaearthgardens.ca/shop/echinops-globe-thistle/228

*Please note I can't give you advice individually here, if you need more help, please consider purchasing my garden coaching service

***

Please if you can, shop local and support small businesses!

HOPE IS IN A SEED
-HANA EARTH GARDENS-

06/01/2026

White Echinops (Globe Thistle) is one of the perennials self seeds well in my garden.

It's kind of funny that the regular Blue Echinops doesn't self seed, or rather usually doesn't last too long in my garden and disappears after several years but this White version of Echinops stays for years and years and slowly multiplying.

Anyway, this White Echinops is very handsome, photogenic plant.

The Blue Echinops might not be everyone's favourite due to that silvery blue colour (I love it though) but this White Echinops is more discreet and easier to blend in the garden, in my opinion.

It's because even though I'm calling this 'White Echinops', the flowers are green and they turn into white as they age.

It's still very attractive and since it gets tall (even though usually listed about 3ft but in my garden it gets taller, about 4ft), it can be a nice focal/statement plant but not so 'in your face' way.

It also attracts lots of pollinators!

You can find the seed here
https://www.hanaearthgardens.ca/product/echinops-ritro-globe-thistle-white-20-seeds/1967

*Please note I can't give you advice individually here, if you need more help, please consider purchasing my garden coaching service

***

Please if you can, shop local and support small businesses!

HOPE IS IN A SEED
-HANA EARTH GARDENS-

05/29/2026

Another good annual groundcover is Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia).

Other common names are Bee's Friend, Lacy Phacelia, Tansy Phacelia, Purple Tansy.

As one of the common names suggests, it's a wonderful pollinator plant, also very easy to grow from seeds.

It's also a good cover crop plant for veggie gardeners, as well!

But this is also a wonderful plant for non veggie gardeners, it's fast growing, improves soil structure, not fussy about the soil (but prefers well drained soil).

The light purple flowers are nice but they turn into kind of quirky shape, so some people might not like this plant but this is a very interesting annual!

The foliage is like Tansy's, a bit prickly and I heard some people might experience skin irritation so be cautious. (I've never had any problems, though)

Even though the foliage looks like Tansy, it doesn't have any smells, so don't worry if you wonder if it smells like Tansy.

If you never tried this plant, try it!

You can find the seed here
https://www.hanaearthgardens.ca/product/phacelia-phacelia-tanacetifolia-30-seeds/640

Have a wonderful weekend!

*Please note I can't give you advice individually here, if you need more help, please consider purchasing my garden coaching service

***

Please if you can, shop local and support small businesses!

HOPE IS IN A SEED
-HANA EARTH GARDENS-

05/28/2026

For me, this is the time I start thinking about 'what to do with my garden' when I look at my garden.
I mean, I actually start thinking earlier but more site specifically since now more plants are emerging and some bare spots are more noticeable.

I talk about groundcovers quite a lot, because I love them, they're hardworking plants usually overlooked.

But most of the time they're perennials but there are some good annual groundcovers you can start from seeds.

Linaria maroccana is sometimes called Toadflax, which doesn't sound attractive but this is a cute annual, looks a bit like snapdragon.

It gets up to 24" but usually shorter, about 12".
It looks more airy and delicate than short snapdragon flowers and it likes cool weather.

Purple with yellow bicolour flowers are common but there are more colour ranges.

If you're looking for something to fill early gardening season, try this annual!

Cutting back the plants after initial flowering might encourage blooming again.
It might self seed.

There is a perennial variety, Linaria vulgaris (Yellow Toadflax) and this plant might be invasive but the annual Linaria maroccana isn't the same plant.

You can find the annual Linaria Mixed seeds here
https://www.hanaearthgardens.ca/product/linaria-mixed-50-seeds/2249

*Please note I can't give you advice individually here, if you need more help, please consider purchasing my garden coaching service

***

Please if you can, shop local and support small businesses!

HOPE IS IN A SEED
-HANA EARTH GARDENS-

05/27/2026

Another easy to grow from seeds annual is Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum), the common name is Floss flower.

You might think Ageratum is a bedding plant, but there are taller varieties such as what I'm offering.

It gets to 2ft but in my garden it's usually about 1-1.5ft.

The light blue flowers are common but there are also dark red, pink and white.

You can enjoy different looks of the flowers, as the common name suggests, the flowers first look like buttons then they turn into more fuzzy looking later on.

The fluffy seed head looks like a mini dandelion.

Usually direct sow in the ground isn't recommended but what I usually do is direct seed in containers.

Although Ageratum isn't listed as invasive in Ontario, it might grow aggressively (I've never had any issues, though) so you might want to keep the plants in containers.

You can use the flowers for cutting, also the seeds are easy to collect as well.

You can find the seeds here
https://www.hanaearthgardens.ca/shop/ageratum/14

*Please note I can't give you advice individually here, if you need more help, please consider purchasing my garden coaching service

***

Please if you can, shop local and support small businesses!

HOPE IS IN A SEED
-HANA EARTH GARDENS-

05/26/2026

More easy to grow from seeds annual!

Coreopsis tinctoria (Plains Coreopsis or Tickseed) is very easy and pretty much carefree, cheerful annual.

Maybe not as popular as other annuals but this is way more easier to grow than like Zinnia or Sunflowers.

The seeds are small and the animals don't seem to care much about the seedlings.

It's not fussy about the soil, a great for containers as well.

It has cute yellow flowers with dark red centre, some flowers have pale yellow petals.

And even they're yellow flowers, they don't look garish or anything, since the flowers are small, about an inch and look more delicate.

It can get tall like 3ft but in a container, it's about 1-1.5ft.

It's a nice garden plant and for cut flowers as well!

You can direct seed, simply sprinkle the seeds and you'll see nice flowers in 2 months or so.

Deadhead so the flowers keep coming!

Don't worry, the common name 'Tickseed' doesn't mean anything to do with the ticks, it refers to the shape of the seed which resembles a bug or tick, so it doesn't attract ticks.

So this might be a perfect annual for beginners!
That's why it's in my 'Beginner Easy to Grow Mixes'.

If you never tried this cute annual, try!
It's not even too late to start the seeds now!

You can find the seed here
https://www.hanaearthgardens.ca/product/coreopsis-tinctoria-mixed-30-seeds/667

*Please note I can't give you advice individually here, if you need more help, please consider purchasing my garden coaching service

***

Please if you can, shop local and support small businesses!

HOPE IS IN A SEED
-HANA EARTH GARDENS-

05/25/2026

Mother's Day is over but the school will be over soon, if you need some 'Thank you' gifts, how about giving some seeds?

I love people want to gift native plant seeds, say for a wedding thank you gift, but in this situation, I suggest mix some native seeds with easy to grow annual seeds.

Because native plant seeds aren't the easiest to start for non-gardeners or beginners and I don't want them to disappoint if these seeds don't grow and discourage to try again.

Of course, the idea of giving native plant seeds is wonderful, spreading the awareness for the importance of native plants itself is great.

But I also want more non-gardeners to discover the joy of gardening, especially growing from seeds.

So if you don't know your gift recipients' gardening experiences, give them something easy to start with.

I have 'Beginner Easy to Grow Mixes' which are great for that!
https://www.hanaearthgardens.ca/s/search?q=Beginner%20Easy%20to%20Grow%20Mix

There are 5 seed varieties Mix and 10 seed varieties Mix to choose from, but here are my fav 'easy to grow from seeds annuals':
Zinnia
Cosmos
Nasturtium
Calendula
Marigold

And Zinnia might be kind of late to start the seeds in June but all the others can still start the seeds in June and see the flowers in mid-late summer.

So why not give some seeds!?

Now, a 'Thank you' sticker can be added to one of the seed packets, too! (An additional fee will apply)

*Please note I can't give you advice individually here, if you need more help, please consider purchasing my garden coaching service

***

Please if you can, shop local and support small businesses!

HOPE IS IN A SEED
-HANA EARTH GARDENS-

05/22/2026

I also transplanted some Columbine plants from backyard as well.

In my garden, Columbines self-seed well and I see them growing in all sorts of odd places😆

So I usually dig them up and transplant somewhere else.

Columbines are also great groundcovers with nice ornamental foliage!

Although they're not for the ground hugging groundcovers, the height gets 1-1.5ft without the flower stems.

Be careful transplanting Columbines, they don't like their roots disturbed, so when you dig a plant, dig deep to get as much as roots.

In my experiences, they're actually not that fussy and even some roots are cut off by digging, they transplant really well, though.

Keep the roots moist after the transplanting, though.

As I said many times, Columbines are great with Alliums, especially popular 'Purple Sensation'.

You can read more about it here
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQpVWhgEbrv

You can order both Columbine and Allium 'Purple Sensation' seeds from my website
https://www.hanaearthgardens.ca/perennial-seeds

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

*Please note I can't give you advice individually here, if you need more help, please consider purchasing my garden coaching service

***

Please if you can, shop local and support small businesses!

HOPE IS IN A SEED
-HANA EARTH GARDENS-

05/20/2026

We needed to fix our front steps this spring so the area next to the steps needed to be replanted.

I'm focusing more drought tolerant and low maintenance plants but still look nice, yes, I know it's a tall order but I've learned what works in my garden over the years.

For a groundcover, I transplanted wild strawberry, which I have several plants from backyard.

I'm not really expecting for fruit harvesting for this area, this is definitely more for ornamental.

But wild strawberry is a great groundcover, hardy and foliage is semi-evergreen with cute little white flowers.

It spreads quickly but not too aggressively (easy to control) and can take some shade.

I'm not sure if mine is Fragaria virginiana (I believe this is commonly called 'Wild Strawberry') or Fragaria vesca (Alpine Strawberry or Woodland Strawberry) but probably F. vesca and both are native to Ontario (I think).

There are some differences between these 2 so research which is better suited to your garden.

I used to offer some seeds but not anymore and hopefully I can offer them again, but I might be able to offer some seedlings for pickup.

If you're interested, please reach out from my website's 'Contact' page, no direct message via Instagram/Facebook please.

Anyway, this is a nice groundcover, usually really not fussy about the soil or growing conditions, just need some sun.

Easy to transplant, too!

I also transplanted some violets which self-seeded well and good groundcover combination with Wild Strawberry.

I know these two grow well in my garden without much maintenance, I don't even need to water when they're established.

And I have lots of them to transplant so I don't need to buy more plants.

These two might not work for your garden but observe your garden (or even your neighbours) and see what are growing well.

Rather than gambling to invest new plants which you don't know if they're going to work, use what you have!

*Please note I can't give you advice individually here, if you need more help, please consider purchasing my garden coaching service

***

Please if you can, shop local and support small businesses!

HOPE IS IN A SEED
-HANA EARTH GARDENS-

Hana Earth Gardens

06/05/2026

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06/01/2026

05/29/2026

05/28/2026

05/27/2026

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Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm