Author: Heather White

  • Canadian Shield roses taking hold nicely

    Canadian Shield roses taking hold nicely

    Canadian Shield rose planted in the Hamilton, Ontario, garden of Allyn Walsh on Nov. 20, 2018 – five months after it was planted.
    Canadian Shield rose blooming in the Hamilton, Ontario, garden of Allyn Walsh on Nov. 20, 2018 – five months after it was planted.

    In spring 2017, the crew at Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens, in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, planted five of Vineland’s new Canadian Shield roses in its rose garden as part of a celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation. Some 4,600 kilometres across the country, in Edmonton, the Landscape Alberta Nursery Trades Association planted 150 Canadian Shield roses on the southwest side of the legislature building just in time for the Canada Day speeches that year. This extremely hardy, disease-resistant repeat bloomer with vivid red blooms and glossy green foliage had been in development for several years, and the timing of its release couldn’t have been better. But beyond the fanfare, as the gardening world quietly slipped into its routine maintenance tasks, how has the iconic rose settled into the landscape?

    Canadian Shield (Rosa ‘AAC576’) is the first release in a series of roses called Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection, developed at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Vineland Station, Ontario, as part of Canada’s current national rose program, established in 2010 in partnership with the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association. Vineland is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded in part by the federal and Ontario governments to support innovation in the horticultural industry.

    The second rose in the series, Chinook Sunrise (Rosa ‘VLR001’), was unveiled at Canada Blooms in Toronto in March 2019. The roses are available at 700 retailers across the country (see list of sellers at 49throses.com). The third release, ‘Aurora Borealis’, is coming in 2021.

    Joel Beatson, CEO of Landscape Alberta, says that, like all plants, Canadian Shield roses need a couple of seasons to settle in and come into their own. Still, he says, out of 150 plants, only one didn’t survive the first season.

    “We had some extras in the on-site greenhouse on standby in case some didn’t make it, but in fact only one needed to be replaced,” Beatson says. “They are a beautiful specimen. We’re keen to see them this season after almost two full seasons to establish.”

    Iris Hazen, past president of the Greater Toronto Rose and Garden Horticultural Society, says she received a Canadian Shield rose from her grandchildren for Mother’s Day two years ago.

    “It’s a very nice small bush so far,” Hazen says. “She bloomed constantly last season, in spite of the heat… I use no chemicals or pesticides. I’m hoping this year Canadian Shield will show her promise, this being her third year in my garden.”

    Paula Barton, in Hamilton, Ontario, planted a Canadian Shield rose last year. “It is well ahead of my other roses so far this season,” she says.

    Allyn Walsh, also in Hamilton, similarly planted a Canadian Shield rose last year. “I love it,” she says. “It made it through last season without any sign of disease, and in particular no black spot! It bloomed from planting until early December in my Hamilton (Zone 6b) garden. The flowers are a true red without orange tones, with glossy dark green leaves; the plant looks lovely against my putty coloured porch… I am hopeful that I can train it to an espalier form.”

    Judith Cox, in Stittsville, Ontario, planted Canadian Shield two years ago as a tribute to a friend who had passed away. “I found it quite hardy and the colour was superb,” she says. “I am looking forward to seeing how it progresses.”

    Back at Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens, horticultural manager Karen Achenbach says she has enjoyed the bed of five Canadian Shield roses installed two years ago. “We have found them to be hardy and disease resistant. An easy to care for rose!

    “The lovely deep red of the flowers and glossy green foliage have made them a great addition to our collection of over 270 rose cultivars,” she adds. “They are also an important element in our mandate to illustrate the horticultural history of the area, including showcasing Canadian roses.”

    Canadian Shield roses in the Canada 150 garden in Edmonton

    Landscape Alberta members built a garden on the Alberta Legislature grounds in Edmonton to celebrate Canada 150 in 2017, says Landscape Alberta’s Joel Beatson. The garden featured a central maple leaf-shaped natural stone walled bed that contained 13 rose plants (one for each province and territory) with another 137 roses in beds circling the garden.  

    More about Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection

    This article was made possible thanks to sponsorship by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.

    Vineland Research

  • Roses to inspire our sense of place

    Chinook Sunrise roses
    Chinook Sunrise: Bloom colour is a kaleidoscope of shades, from deep coral to pale pink.

    What colours come to mind when you hear the phrase Chinook Sunrise? That’s the name of a new hardy rose for northern gardens. Chinook Sunrise blooms are described as a delicious kaleidoscope of shades, from deep coral to pale pink, by Amy Bowen, research director at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Vineland Station, Ontario.

    Chinook Sunrise (Rosa ‘VLR001’), a shrub-type rose, is the second release in a series of roses called Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection, developed at Vineland in Canada’s current national rose program established in 2010 in partnership with the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association. Vineland is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded in part by the federal and Ontario governments to support innovation in the horticultural industry.

    “Roses are not as fussy as some people think,” says grower John Bakker of J. C. Bakker & Sons Ltd. Wholesale Nurseries, in St. Catharines, Ontario. “Initially, the focus of the Canadian rose growing program was extreme hardiness and it’s still that, but roses are now also bred for disease resistance and low maintenance.”

    In 2017, in time for Canada’s 150th birthday, a mildly fragrant floribunda with large double flowers named Canadian Shield (Rosa ‘AAC576’) made its debut. Canadian Shield is a repeat bloomer with vivid red blooms and glossy green foliage that Bowen says “blooms from late June until heavy frost — which is early November in my garden.”

    The rose is bred to be winter hardy to Zone 3a (-40 C°). “I live in the Niagara region, but we have partners across the country who test our roses for hardiness,” Bowen says “They tell us how the plants perform in challenging, cold winters.”

    “It’s a little smaller than Canadian Shield and more compact,” Bowen says. “It has a semi-upright habit; height is four feet (120 cm); spread is about the same. It’s also bred to be winter hardy to Zone 3a, plus tolerant to black spot and resistant to powdery mildew.” As with Canadian Shield, Chinook Sunrise doesn’t need deadheading.

    “As a bud breaks and bursts, it’s a deep coral colour; as the flower opens up it’s more of a pink colour that fades over time to apricot, and then turns very pale shades of pink before the petals drop off,” says Bowen.

    “Because it’s a repeat bloomer, you see all bloom stages at one time. Some flowers will be at the end of their lifespan and some will be just opening. There are lots of buds, too, so you know more flowers are coming.”

    It’s these so-called waves of colour that make this rose so beautiful, she says. “Through extensive consumer research we know the softness of the waves of colour made consumers think of the warm winds of a Prairie chinook.

    “Pictures don’t do it justice. You have to see it up close and personal.”

    Case in point: Pots of blooming roses happily held court at Canada Blooms, drawing in passersby. “Lots of people stopped,” Bowen says. “Some talked about their experiences growing Canadian Shield, and there was lots of excitement for Chinook Sunrise.”

    Scent was one of the things people picked up on. “What’s the first thing people do when they see a rose? They cup the flower and go in for a smell,” she says. “It has a light, classic fragrance, strongest when the bud first opens.

    “Plus, we gave people a sneak peek of the next rose, which will come out in 2021: A bright pink rose called Aurora Borealis,” Bowen says.

    Bakker’s wholesale nursery has grown many of the Chinook Sunrise plants to be sold at retail nurseries and garden centres across the country, including stores with seasonal set-ups.

    “It performs well. Lives up to its reputation in terms of being disease resistant and hardy. You don’t need to spray it. And it’s a decent size,” Bakker says. Other countries are using these types of hardy, low-maintenance roses in commercial landscapes and public spaces, he says, jazzing up the neighbourhood and showing them off to good effect, garnering excitement and interest.

    “We have work to do in marketing our roses,” says the grower.

    For more information

    For more on Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection, including where to buy, visit 49throses.com.

    Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection first rose, released in 2017: Canadian Shield.
    Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection second rose, released in 2019: Chinook Sunrise
    Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection third rose, coming in 2021: Aurora Borealis.

    Only in Canada, eh

    If you’re new to Canada, or need a refresher in geology, geography and history, here’s what’s behind the rose names:

    • Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection: The rose collection is named after the 49th parallel – a circle of latitude that is 49 degrees north of Earth’s equator – that marks the border between Canada and the U.S. from Manitoba to British Columbia, but is used figuratively in song and lore to describe all of the border.
    • Canadian Shield: The first rose in the series, red in colour, was released in 2017 in time for Canada’s 150th birthday. It’s named for the Canadian Shield, an ice-scoured area of Precambrian rocks surrounding Hudson Bay that covers half of Canada, including cities such as Montreal, Ottawa, Thunder Bay and Winnipeg (but not Toronto), and is celebrated for its forests, waterpower and mineral resources. “If you let Canadian Shield go, it creates a shield. It’s a big plant! That’s why we like the name Canadian Shield for that rose,” Bowen says.
    • Chinook Sunrise: The second rose in the series, a medley of coral colours, introduced in 2019 is named after the phrase for a warm dry wind that blows down the east side of the Rocky Mountains at the end of winter. The name derives from the First Nations people known as the Chinook in the Pacific Northwest.
    • Aurora Borealis: The third rose in the series, pink in colour, coming in 2021, is named for the natural light display in the Earth’s sky, predominantly seen in the high-latitude regions such as the Arctic, also called the Northern Lights. Vineland describes No.3 in the trifecta: “The bright dancing lights of the aurora are captured in the blooming clusters of this dramatic sunset pink rose set against dark green and glossy foliage.” Who says we can’t romance the rose here in Canada?

    This article was made possible thanks to sponsorship by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.

    Vineland Research
  • Local groups sell Veseys’ items for fundraising

    Local groups sell Veseys’ items for fundraising

    Veseys Seeds, based in York, PEI, is now in its 40th season of running a fundraising program where groups sell from a menu of mostly bulbs, perennials and seeds
    Veseys Seeds fundraising programs sell from a menu of mostly bulbs, perennials and seeds.

    As a kid, I went door to door in my hometown selling Girl Guide cookies to help fund programs that provided an opportunity to earn coveted life-skills badges, meticulously sewn on sleeves. Since then, I’ve bought many a raffle and 50-50 ticket, along with goods ranging from garbage bags to chocolate bars, to support school groups and community organizations. To be sure, fundraising is varied, or perhaps you might say multi-hued — not least of all when you’re selling flowers, or indeed flower power. Veseys Seeds, based in York, Prince Edward Island, is now in its 40th season of running a fundraising program where groups sell from a menu of mostly bulbs, perennials and seeds, keeping 50% of the retail price.

    “Each spring and fall, we are shipping millions of bulbs and perennials, the primary component of the program, across Canada,” says John Barrett, Veseys director of sales, marketing and development. “Thousands of groups have raised millions of dollars as a result.”

    John Barrett of Veseys says groups have raised millions.

    Fundraising as a business

    Located a mere 10-minute drive from Charlottetown, the 40-acre Veseys property has strong roots in the rural PEI mindset, where neighbours help neighbours. The company has long supported the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown — “a personal interest of our owner, and one of the largest things we do locally,” Barrett says.

    However, Veseys’ fundraising program is first and foremost a business. “We do derive a great deal of satisfaction from helping groups and are proud of that, but it’s a good piece of business, too.”

    Now 20 years old, the program was one of several new initiatives undertaken to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Veseys in the fall of 1999. It’s used mostly by schools — probably 75% to 80%, Barrett says. The remaining groups tend to range from Boy Scouts and churches to SPCAs and navy cadets; group sizes range from two to 600 members, averaging about 87.

    Participating groups

    In Forrest, Manitoba, Forrest Elementary School Parent Advisory Council president Teresa Hrominchuk says, on average, her group raises about $1,800 each year through Veseys. “These funds are very important to our school—they help with costs outside of the standard curriculum budget, such as field trip transportation and one of our grade’s annual camping trips,” she says.

    In Almonte, Ontario, the Hub Hospice recently raised raised $4,000. “The flowers are beautiful, hardy and they appeal to a wide variety of home gardeners,” says Toni Surko, fundraising chair.

    Closer to home, the Charlottetown Bluephins Aquatic Club has raised funds largely to offset swim registration costs, says vice-president Ellen Campbell.

    Catalogue choices

    “There are 45 products in our spring program,” Barrett says. “We’ll sell 3,000 to 8,000 of some of these products, and we’ll sell 500 or 600 of others. We don’t keep trying to tear it down to only the top sellers, because then you’re limiting people’s choices. We like to have the range of products as broad as possible so there’s something for everybody’s taste.”

    Natural fit as a mail-order company

    “Because our volume of bulb purchasing in Europe is so big, our pricing is very good,” Barrett says. “It just fits with us given we are a mail-order company. We know how to ship products, we know how to market to people through the mail.”

    An attractive aspect of the program is that groups have immediate access to the funds they earn. For example, a group could complete $5,000 in sales in one month, and have $2,500 right away to spend on what what‘s needed. Plus, there are no upfront or hidden costs; Veseys covers all shipping costs.

    “Our guarantee is an important component of the fundraising program,” Barrett says. “We guarantee that upon receipt of the order if there’s anything you’re not satisfied with we will replace it, no questions asked, totally free of charge. We have that guarantee with everything we sell. I think that’s why we’re 80 years old.”

    More about Veseys

    This article was made possible thanks to sponsorship by Veseys.

    Veseys-fundraising
  • After 80 years, Veseys still growing

    After 80 years, Veseys still growing

    cucumber called Patio Snacker
    Growing in container: cucumber called Patio Snacker

    Like many gardeners who grow plants from seed, my father waited impatiently to get his seed catalogues each year. A new year, a new garden — maybe the best garden ever. Then came the ritual of deliciously thumbing through pages, circling entries and making lists: the anatomy of a dream. Although he looked through catalogues from several companies, he only ever ordered from Veseys Seeds, based in York, Prince Edward Island. The company had clearly taken root in his psyche.

    Veseys celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2019, and has clearly taken root in a broad swath beyond its backyard.

    A man for short seasons

    The company’s founder, Arthur Vesey, “had a phenomenal personal garden as well as a market garden, selling vegetables to grocery stores and markets,” says John Barrett, Veseys’ director of sales, marketing and development.

    As a champion of growing giant pumpkins, Arthur had a reputation for securing and testing seeds that were suitable for the cool, short growing seasons of Atlantic Canada, and in 1939 he created a small listing of vegetable varieties, distributing it to people he knew.

    Fast forward to this year: the 168-page main spring catalogue includes flower and vegetable seed and starter fruit plants, plus almost 50 pages of tools and accessories. There’s also a 70-page spring catalogue for bulbs, perennials, roses and shrubs as well as a 60-page Fall Bulb Catalogue featuring all the favourites such as tulips, daffodils and other well know fall planting varieties. Catalogues go across Canada and into the US.

    New people, new offerings

    “Between seeds, bulbs and fundraising, we produce over a couple million catalogues every year, and have 100 staff,” says John. “It’s grown to somewhat of an immense entity from Arthur’s day of having two or three people working for him out of his house on a seasonal basis.”

    In 1956, Arthur hired Bev Simpson, and in the early ’80s Bev and his wife, Shirley, took over the business. John Barrett arrived in 1997; the company ventured into new categories bit by bit, says John.

    “We’re constantly increasing our customer base, but in the last 22 years we’ve also been offering more things to our customers. Because of the trust and the long time that many of our customers had been with us, it wasn’t a big leap for them to buy more from us,” he adds.

    Focus on container gardening

    “Urban gardening is popular,” says Veseys’ horticulturist Heidi Wood, “so we’re focusing more on varieties for container gardening; varieties able to succeed in a relatively short climate and give a good yield in a small setting.”

    She suggests a cucumber called Patio Snacker, and also a fingerling potato called Russian Banana. Edamame and pole beans can be grown in containers, as can dwarf sunflowers and huckleberries.

    Other trends include companion planting — although not new, it’s becoming more mainstream — such as incorporating marigolds into beds in an effort to deter pests. The smell of some varieties will deter rodents as well, Heidi says. Adding herbs, such as dill and lemon balm, may work, too; lemon grass apparently deters mosquitos.

    Watermelons are also getting more attention. “Global warming can change our zones… plus, people are having more success with some longer-maturing varieties, because they’re extending the season with structures such as row covers.”

    Grow your own "PEI potato": fingerling potato called Russian Banana
    Grow your own from PEI: fingerling potato called Russian Banana

    Yet tried & true

    But for as much as Veseys’ seed business has evolved, the core emphasis is still on selling best-bet varieties. Everything it sells is tested first in trials, with a three-year rotation in both vegetables and flowers on location at its 40-acre research farm.

    “We grow what we already have in our catalogue alongside new varieties in our trial gardens,” Heidi says. “If a new variety proves to be better and the availability is good from our supplier, we will look into switching it up, or in some cases add to what’s already on offer. It’s good to keep testing our long-lasting reliables to see if they’re still at an optimal level as they were a few years ago.”

    “For example, Gold Rush, a yellow wax bush bean, has been around for a long time, but it’s still the frontrunner!”

    Why did my dad buy seeds only from Veseys? He liked the certainty of knowing what he was getting. Oh, he tried a new striped beet from time to time, but he liked his staples, not least of all the York turnip, which happens to be on the cover of the current anniversary catalogue with its retro illustration that harkens back to Veseys’ early years.

    “People can tour the trial gardens any time,” says Heidi. “It’s open to the public; just come out and walk around. It would be nice for people to come out and see why we’ve been here this long, especially in our 80th year.”

    Veseys catalogs available in print and digital formats

    Go to Veseys.com to request a catalog in the mail or view online. There’s a version for bulbs and for seeds.

    Veseys Seed Annual
    Veseys Bulbs

    Visit the Veseys Trial Garden

    The flower trial garden and storefront of Veseys is located n the rural community of York, outside Charlottetown.

    Trial garden a great stop in PEI

    Veseys trial garden
    Veseys trial garden is an easy stop about 10 minutes outside Charlottletown.

    This article was made possible thanks to sponsorship by Veseys.

    Veseys-fundraising

    More about Veseys

    Local groups sell Veseys items for fundraising

  • How to make kokedama

    How to make kokedama

    A collection of Japanese string art, also known as kokedama. (Photo by Wikimedia)
    A collection of Japanese string art, also known as kokedama. (Photo by Wikimedia)

    From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in 600 BC to Boston ferns suspended in baskets more recently, plants have been given an elevated status by gardeners for years. Moss balls, taking inspiration from the Japanese aesthetic of minimalism, offer a different, distinctive take on hanging plants.

    Also called Japanese string art, or kokedama, the project comprises a plant encased in a rounded handful of soil, then wrapped in moss and bound with string. The sphere may be placed in a shallow bowl or on a pedestal or, more typically, hung from a perch.

    Can this creation be called art? A movable feast, if attached to a pulley?

    Whatever else you may call them, moss balls are quick and easy to make, as well as easy on your budget.

    “They’re therapeutic, too,” says Jennifer Daniels, owner of Daniels Flower Shop in Windsor, N.S., who guided me through the process in about 20 minutes. “There’s value in that.”

    You can create a constellation of hanging spheres, should you choose to, indoors or out. If you’re using your moss ball as a non-airborne focal point, consider clustering other items with it on its perch, such as a small statue, a starfish or stone.

    Use one plant per sphere—what we outline here—or experiment using a few in one. Choose from plant forms such as cascading, upright and arching to create symmetrical or asymmetrical designs. The sky’s the limit.

    Materials

    • Plastic or newspaper to cover working surface
    • Small bucket or tray
    • Gloves (optional)
    • Soil

    Traditionally, kokedama is made with bonsai soil, which is granular and clay-based, in order for it to hold together but also drain well. However, since it isn’t always readily available, we improvised by mixing half orchid potting soil and half regular potting medium.

    • Strong string or twine

    Use nine feet (2.7 m) as a guide, so you have enough to hang your sphere as well as wrap it.

    • Scissors
    • Sphagnum, sheet or Spanish moss

    We used a combination that included reindeer moss as well, for contrasts in texture and colour.

    • Plants

    Start small. Consider using houseplants growing in four-inch (10-cm) pots that like bright, indirect light, says Jennifer. Depending on the plant, creations for indoors can spend summer months outdoors in a partially shaded location; Mother Nature can lend a hand with watering. You can also make Japanese moss balls with annuals or perennials expressly to adorn your outdoor living space. Here are some candidates on both counts.

    Bulbs (muscari, small tulips)

    Coleus

    Dusty miller

    Ferns (frosty, asparagus)

    Geranium

    Herbs (rosemary, lavender)

    Ivies

    Orchids (Phalaenopsis)

    Pansies, violas

    Strawberries

    Succulents (echeveria, jade)

    Variegated vinca

    Method

    1. Lay plastic or newspaper over your work surface. Mix the soils together, and soak with water in the bucket. Mound a couple of handfuls together to form a ball, squeezing out excess water. Note that the ball needs to accommodate your plant’s roots—Jennifer suggests using the size of an orange as a guide.
    1. Place your twine on the work surface. Lay a damp blanket of moss across the string, estimating how much you’ll need to cover the surface of the soil. Place your sphere of soil on the moss, and make a hole at the top.
    1. Remove the plant from its pot; loosen the roots and gently brush away the soil. Place the roots in the hole you created, shoring up soil around the root ball to where it was in the pot, shaping and squeezing gently to recreate a sphere.
    1. Cover the ball with the moss, and begin wrapping the string around to secure it in place. Start wrapping at the bottom, tucking in the moss as you go, being careful not to crush leaves or stems. Radiate out until you are going side to side, back and forth, criss-crossing, pushing in the moss to create a ball as you go. Tie off the ends.
    1. If you’re going to hang your moss ball, attach pieces of string on two sides of the sphere and tie ends together at the top, creating a hanger.
    1. Once a week, soak the moss ball for about 10 minutes in a pan of water. If you’re suspending it, let it drip dry before hanging back in place. Follow package directions for fertilizer, reducing to quarter strength.

    A large kokedama beside a pond. (Photo by Wikipedia)
    A large kokedama beside a pond. (Photo by Wikipedia)

    Eastern influence

    Gardeners are always looking for something new or novel—in this case, taking inspiration from the Japanese aesthetic of minimalism. Zen gardens, bonsai and ikebana are all examples of the less-is-more philosophy, whereby beauty is determined in part by understated simplicity; naturalness, or absence of pretence; asymmetry, symbolizing imperfection; surprise, indicating freedom from habit; and suggestion rather than revelation, allowing for nuanced interpretations and symbolism.

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