Wes Porter

Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.

Most Recent Articles by Wes Porter:

Herbal Viagra February 3, 2016
Safer and considerably less costly would be to spend the few days surrounding Valentine’s Day in Verona, the magical city of Romeo and Juliet
Cut Flower Care February 2, 2016
Despite Lord Tennyson’s poetical thoughts surely it is questionable that to win someone’s heart, one should present make a bouquet of a plant’s sex organs
Brave New World of CRISPR-Cas9 February 1, 2016
Italy’s Battle of the Oranges will take place in Ivrea on 6 February for no particular reason other than citing citrus
Questions We’re Often Asked: Watering Indoor Plants January 7, 2016
Use room temperature water: there’s nothing like a cold drench to commence root rot
Crops Celebrated Out of This World January 5, 2016
‘With no liquid water on the airless Ceres, gathering an assortment of divine beings is probably the only way to get anything to grow there.’
Phobias for Gardeners January 5, 2016
Katsaridaphobia, hemophobia, porphyrophobia,
Shady Plants: Low Light Loving Indoor Plants January 2, 2016
Saddle Leaf or Selloum, Philodron selloum from southwest Brazil is one of the very few commonly offered philodrons that is not a vine
Seed catalogues pass the winter away January 1, 2016
Look after our feathered chums through the bleak months and they will reward you during the growing season by consuming bugs and weed seeds
Questions We’re Often Asked: Christmas Trees December 4, 2015
Real Christmas trees do take a little more care if they are to stay fresh over the holiday season and not become fire hazards
Poisonous Christmas Gift Plants December 3, 2015
The masses of red, pink or white blooms of the Azalea Rhododendron indica decorate any room. Like other member of that family though, the foliage is poisonous.
Holy Holly December 3, 2015
While there are some 400 species of Ilex, English Holly, Common Holly, or European Holly as it is variously designated, I. aquifolium, is native to Europe, North Africa and Western Asia
Can Mushroom Scent Turn Women On? December 2, 2015
One of the commonly and not inappropriately called stinkhorns, the Yellow Netted Stinkhorn, P. multicolor is one of some 77 species spread over 21 genera found worldwide but especially in the tropics
Poinsettia Pushed off Top 10 List December 1, 2015
The tallest living Christmas tree is a 162-foot Grand Fir, Abies grandis, at the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Questions We’re Often Asked: Cactus or Succulent? November 4, 2015
Succulents derive their name from the Latin succulentus, juice. Many are familiar are familiar garden plants of temperate regions
The Roses of Heliogabalus November 3, 2015
The painting measures 52 x 84 inches and has been claimed in certain portions of an enthusiastic British media to depict a Roman orgy
Slugs’ Slimy Sex Life November 3, 2015
Even for a hermaphrodite – having both male and female organs – L. maximus enjoys what can only be described as a very unusual and distinctive mating method
The Wonderful World of Wheelbarrows November 2, 2015
The earliest illustration of a wheelbarrow in Europe is a stained glass window in Chartres Cathedral dated to 1220
Final Garden Cleanup, Indoor Interests November 1, 2015
If there’s water on Mars as NASA scientists recently reported, could there be plant life? Don’t bet on it
Houseplants for Health October 5, 2015
To clear the air, an average size household room will require but a single 10-inch pot of any one of the following
Alarm at Ayahuasca October 3, 2015
Effects of drinking ayahuasca range from a pleasant intoxication to violent reactions with sickening after-effects
Squash, Pumpkins: Cucubits Uncovered October 2, 2015
Over the next month or so, massed displays of such winter squash proliferate at retail outlets. And by gosh, the price is right
Preparing garden for next season October 1, 2015
Cleaning out the containers of their annual display? Don’t discard the sweet potato leaves, a good source of vitamins.
Pitcher Plant Pitches In Against Invasive Hornet September 21, 2015
While nobody is claiming that the Purple Pitcher Plant will eradicate the invading Asian hornet, it might assist in their control, it has been suggested
Eureka! Areca September 17, 2015
So widely planted throughout southern Asia and into the islands of the Pacific that its origin is unknown, it is a handsome tree, reaching to 25 metres or more
Reviving Perennial Borders & More For Fall September 2, 2015
Never mulch perennials in the fall until the ground has frozen and do not remove until the end of March to avoid frost-heaving damage
Saffron: The Gold Flavouring September 1, 2015
The world’s most expensive spice
The Unbeatable Beet August 18, 2015
In Britain, beets sliced and sluiced with malt vinegar is a classic summer salad
Threatened Joshua Trees August 12, 2015
Thanks to a wide root spread of up to 20 metres, Yucca Trees tend to grow well apart and are thought to live for 150 to 200 years
Dog Days, Garden Etiquette, Rose Scent August 2, 2015
North Americans, a more robust breed of gardener, know the only answer is to do your own thing.
Fifty Shades of Grey . . . Garden August 1, 2015
Snow-in-Summer, Cerastium tomentosa, can become invasive, the Cerastium indicating it to be a cousin of the notorious chickweed.