Author: Heather White

  • 25 recommendations for favourite bulbs

    25 recommendations for favourite bulbs

    It’s a leap of faith. You bury a small, non-descript fibrous mass, not always knowing which end is up. Some bulbs you plant in fall; others you plant in spring and dig up in fall, knowing that winter will turn them to mush. You may well mark where they’re buried, then forget about them. But one day you see signs of growth, and you’re pleased with yourself because you made the effort.

    With such a burgeoning variety of bulbs, tubers and corms available, we invited a few gardening industry folks to tell us about their personal favourites — maybe they’ll become your favourites, too.

    Beloved Bulbs

    Note: this is an expanded list of the “Beloved Bulbs” article in Garden Making No. 27, released August 2016, with recommendations from 7 additional people. List is in no particular order.

    1. Robert Wilmott, Vancouver

    Master Gardener and board member of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

    The common snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, is a favourite bulb of mine, available in many cultivars, beautiful for naturalizing in the garden and providing excellent cut flowers. It pops up in my garden beds and grass in late winter and for me is the first indicator that spring is just around the corner. A delicate bell-shaped flower, its nodding petals appear quite fragile yet still happily seem to survive a late winter snow.

    2. Ken Willis, Edmonton

    Head of horticulture at Devonian Botanic Garden

    My favourite bulb is a species narcissus with a long history of garden use: Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus. It signals the end of early spring and the start of the main perennial and shrub blooming season. I particularly enjoy the glowing white of the perianth, which can complement a number of other plant combinations. The bulb is very winter hardy, long-lived, easy to dig up for division and — important here at Devonian Botanic Garden — it is usually deer-resistant.

    3. Karen Achenbach, Annapolis Royal, N.S.

    Horticultural manager at Historic Gardens

     

    Checkered lily (Fritillaria meleagris) is a favourite of Karen Achenbach. (Garden Making photo)
    Checkered lily (Fritillaria meleagris) is a favourite of Karen Achenbach. (Garden Making photo)

    One of my favourite bulbs is Fritillaria meleagris, or checkered lily. It’s a European native with nodding flowers that sport a delicate, netted pattern. They’re a delight to see mid-spring in our rock garden, and because they seed themselves they pop up in surprising places. They were cultivated as far back as Elizabethan times, and are known by many other names, such as snakeshead fritillary, snakehead flower and guinea hen flower.

    4. Liz Hood, Toronto

    Outdoor educator, naturalist and urban beekeeper

    What’s not to love about species tulips (Tulipa turkestanica)? Hardy, floriferous and prone to naturalizing, they attract early native bees like the Adrena  [mining bees] to the garden. Pair these early risers with Muscari, Scilla and Chionodoxa [grape hyacinths, Siberian squill and glory of the snow] for a much-needed hit of colour and life to welcome spring.

    5. Frank Ferragine, Bradford, Ont.

    Author, gardening expert and weatherman, also known as Frankie Flowers

    I love daffodils — ‘King Alfred’ is the perennial favourite. Daffodil bulbs are poisonous to squirrels, they come back stronger year after year and are great naturalizers. Worry-free spring-blooming colour equals perfection!

    6. Niki Jabbour, Halifax

    Author, radio show host and year-round vegetable gardener

    I’m a sucker for the diminutive spring-flowering Chionodoxa, also known as glory of the snow. It grows in both sun and partial shade, resists deer and groundhogs, blooms like crazy for weeks and even self-seeds.

    7. David Hobson, Waterloo, Ont.

    Speaker, blogger, photographer, and weekly columnist for The Waterloo Region Record

    One is enough: Just a single Polianthes tuberosa is outstanding. Tuberose, as it’s commonly called, grows from a tuberous root and blooms August to September, producing a beguiling fragrance to rival any rose. (Flowers are harvested in volume for their oils, extracted for use as the middle note in fine perfumes.) It’s a pretty plant with creamy white tubular flowers along a tall stem. The flowers open at night, and as they do — wow!

    8. Dugald Cameron, Toronto

    First president of the Greater Toronto Bulb Society and co-founder of the specialty mail-order nursery Gardenimport, which closed in 2014

    At Gardenimport, we sold Eucomis (a.k.a. pineapple lily) for more than 30 years with few, if any, complaints. These bulbs are super-easy to grow, needing only a pot, well-draining soil, water and sunlight. They have attractive foliage and spectacular midsummer flowers that last for weeks and weeks. I bring my pots in before frost, put them in a dark corner of my basement and leave them alone until the following spring. They multiply readily so you can share with friends.

    9. Sonia Day, Toronto

    Author, painter and Toronto Star gardening columnist

    ‘Queen of Sheba’ tulip was loved by the late, great British gardener Christopher Lloyd. He introduced me to it, and now I love it, too, for its lily-flowered shape — so elegant — and zingy colour — scarlet rimmed with white. Even better, it has lasted for years in my garden and keeps coming back every spring, when other tulips don’t.

    10. Larry Hodgson, Quebec City

    Gardening tour guide and author

    Larry Hodgson’s favourite spring bulb is a small Iris reticulata called ‘Katharine Hodgkin’. (Garden Making photo)
    Larry Hodgson’s favourite spring bulb is a small Iris reticulata called ‘Katharine Hodgkin’. (Garden Making photo)

    My absolute favourite is a small spring Iris reticulata called ‘Katharine Hodgkin’. It’s one of the first flowers up and has a surprising colouring: pale greenish blue, almost turquoise, with yellow highlights and beautifully intricate markings. It clumps up rapidly, forming dense stands of flowers, and produces a prolific quantity of bulblets. Just dig them up, replant them and you can fill your yard with them in no time. It adapts to any well-drained soil in spots that receive spring sunlight. Hardy to Zone 3 and long-lived, too. A tiny stunner!

    11. Mark Cullen, Markham, Ont.

    Recent Ontario recipient of the Order of Canada for his contributions to horticultural and environmental education

    My favourite spring-flowering bulb is narcissus, which naturalizes beautifully in my 10-acre garden. I’ve planted 20,000 over the past 10 years and they continue to multiply each year. Look for varieties that say “suitable for naturalizing,” as some multiply better than others. (I like ‘Carlton’ in particular.) Narcissus are winter hardy in most parts of Canada, rodent and deer resistant, and they make beautiful cut flowers; some varieties are fragrant. My plan is that my narcissus meadows will outlive me.

    12. Tony Spencer, Mono, Ont.

    Planting planner and writer who writes The New Perennialist

    Nectaroscordum siculum, a lesser-known member of the allium family, snakes up through other plants on a single green stalk, eventually forming what looks like a translucent paper bag on its head. After a few days, the sheath tears open and a cluster of cream-and-ruby bells drops down, dangling over the bed below. Nectaroscordum intermingles exquisitely with perennial companions like astrantia. If you’re lucky, it will self-seed for you.

    13. Sara Williams, Saskatoon

    Author, horticulturist and Master Gardener program instructor at University of Saskatchewan

    My favourite spring bulbs are the Siberian fritillary (Fritillaria pallidiflora), from Siberia, and Michailovski fritillary (F. michailovskyi), from Turkey. Both are perfectly hardy in Saskatoon. The Siberian fritillary is totally adaptable — it tolerates various (well-drained) soils, moisture and light conditions, and naturalizes readily. Michailovski fritillary is very small and cute. You just have to make sure its larger neighbours don’t overrun it.

    14. Colleen Zacharias, Winnipeg

    Gardening columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press and Master Gardener

    In the spring garden, there is no plant more intriguing than Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). Many plants are selected for their showy good looks easily spotted from across the garden. With Jack-in-the-pulpit, the unusual inflorescence is tucked beneath arching three-lobed leaves, inviting observers to peer beneath. Consisting of a striped purple-and-green sheath-like spathe (pulpit) and flower-bearing spadix (Jack), its inflorescence is reminiscent of a calla lily bloom, except it’s covered with a hood that looks a little like a curled tongue. Native to eastern North America, Arisaema grow from tubers, are hardy to Zone 3 and thrive in moist woodland conditions. If including even a single Jack-in-the-pulpit in your spring display elevates it to elegance, picture the impact of amassing several together.

    15. Kathy Renwald, Hamilton, Ont.

    Garden columnist for the Hamilton Spectator

    ‘Monte Carlo’ tulip is a vibrant yellow with abundant petals. (Photo by Kathy Renwald)
    ‘Monte Carlo’ tulip is a vibrant yellow with abundant petals. (Photo by Kathy Renwald)

    Tulip ‘Monte Carlo’. It’s strong and long lasting, has vibrant yellow colouring, and has so many petals it’s often mistaken for a peony. Just six bulbs have high impact.

    16. Ed Lawrence, Ottawa

    During his tenure as head gardener at the National Capital Commission, he oversaw the 85-acre historical grounds and greenhouses of Rideau Hall, and all six official residences

    My current favourite is Tulipa praestans ‘Unicum’, an early-blooming species tulip with bright red flowers and showy foliage rimmed in white — plus, each bulb produces several blooms! The variegated foliage greatly extends the period of interest. If you have the space and inclination, repeat groupings throughout your property. As species tulips, they’re likely to naturalize.

    17. Donna Balzer, Calgary/Vancouver Island

    Garden writer based in Calgary and Vancouver Island

    There is nothing predictable about spring on the prairies — it can start in late February or in late May. Then it may be dry, revert back to winter overnight or jump directly into summer. So my all-time favourite bulb here is grape hyacinth (Muscari). It’s a hardy little bulb with tough little blooms that are unfazed by drought or extremes in climate. I want my bulbs to please me all the time, not just some of the time, so even though the bulb I love most is a weed in warmer climates, it’s a treasure here in May, when it carpets the prairie ground with intense, blue blooms.

    18. Liz Klose, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.

    Honorary Master Gardener of Ontario and former botanical garden director of Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden in St. John’s

    Tumbleweed onion (Allium schubertii) boasts a double exploding starburst ball, which can reach the size of a soccer ball, or larger. It’s made up of several tiny, star-shaped rose-pink flowers. The flower stalk is short, so place it at the front of a border and interplant it among low-growing perennials that will disguise the foliage that starts to decline once flowers emerge. Resist the urge to deadhead — the seed head provides a conversation piece in the garden for some time. After seeds are dispersed, you can use the flower stalks in dried flower arrangements. This bulb has a huge wow factor in the front of any garden. Whether it be in full flower or dried, it reminds me of a huge magic wand.

    19. Aldona Satterthwaite, Toronto

    Writer and former executive director of Toronto Botanical Garden

    While I appreciate the beauty of most spring-flowering bulbs, I tend to choose those that aren’t decimated by squirrels, or scarlet lily leaf beetle, which sadly is now the case with fritillaries (after all, there’s only so much heartache a gardener can take). I also like bulbs that naturalize, such as narcissi, and some of the smaller ephemerals, such as grape hyacinths (Muscari), snow drops (Galanthus nivalis) and Dutch anemone (Anemone coronaria). As for planting, I jumble everything together in a basket, throw the bulbs around by handfuls wherever I want them to go, and then dig them in pretty much where they land.

    20. Suzanne Hanna, Sault Ste. Marie

    President of the Ontario Horticultural Association

    My favourite summer bulb is the gloriosa lily (Gloriosa superba), a tender vine that can be grown on a trellis in a 12-inch (30-cm) container in full sun or dappled shade. Its red-and-yellow flowers bloom in the summer and are worthy of adoration. In northern Ontario, the tubers are lifted and stored in damp peat moss over the winter. (Note that this plant is poisonous; wear gloves when handling.) A glorious addition to any garden!

    21. Charlie Dobbin, Toronto

    Landscape design and horticultural consultant

    Since I’m a gardener always looking for easy plants with minimal maintenance, I have come to truly appreciate grape hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum). The flowers are deep blue/purple and look like miniature fragrant grapes. They easily naturalize and the bees absolutely love them. Sometimes the leaves will grow up in the fall — I think they’re just trying to grab a little extra sunshine before winter hits. Once we have a hard frost, the leaves die back and the little bulbs once again wait until conditions are optimal for flowers.

    22. Liz Primeau, Mississauga

    Journalist and garden writer

    Spring is the showiest time in my garden and picking a favourite is hard, but the lily-flowered ‘Ballerina’ tulip is a star. It has clear orange, reflexed, pointy petals centred with a wide stroke of magenta. Fabulous in a clump with dark purple tulips, like ‘Queen of the Night’ or ‘Black Hero’. Big, long-lasting flowers with a lovely sweet scent.

    23. Sarah Nixon, Toronto

    Urban flower farmer

    My pick is scented narcissus, such as ‘Delnashaugh’. Critters don’t eat them and you can plant them near deciduous trees to get spring sunlight before trees leaf out. They take summer drought, and are a good cut flower. Before mixing cut narcissus with other flowers in a vase, let them sit in water on their own overnight in order to expel the toxic sap that can kill other flowers in an arrangement.

    A display of ‘World Friendship’ tulips. (Photo by Michel Gauthier)
    A display of ‘World Friendship’ tulips. (Photo by Michel Gauthier)

    24. Michel Gauthier, Ottawa

    Executive director of Canadian Garden Council/Conseil Canadian Du Jardin

    I would go with the ‘World Friendship’ tulip, the official tulip of the World Tulip Friendship Society. (I should mention that I’m the chair of the society.) I like its yellow colour and the distinctive shape of its petals. It was named during the 2013 World Tulip Summit in Istanbul, and reminds me that I proposed to my wife in Istanbul!

    25. Lorraine Johnson, Toronto

    Writer, urban farmer and native plant advocate

    I’m a sucker for blue flowers, and native Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) is one of the best—especially since it blooms in early spring when we’re starved for colour. The tubers of this ephemeral woodland plant spread into glorious, cheerful colonies.

    (Recommendations condensed and edited.)

  • Take a garden route to tour a region

    Take a garden route to tour a region

    One of the gardens on the Ontario garden route for the Rural Gardens of Grey and Bruce Counties.
    One of the gardens on the Ontario garden route for the Rural Gardens of Grey and Bruce Counties.

    Jacqui Laporte and John Empson in Auburn, Ont., make a habit of opening their garden to strangers. Dubbed “Escape from Chaos,” it’s one of the 25 properties that form Discover the Gardens of Huron Perth, this year, part of a growing trend nationally of putting garden routes on a regional map and promoting the route as a tourist destination.

    Some gardens are public, others private; some have a mandate to pay tribute to historical landscapes or literary figures, while others, as you might expect, include a commercial aspect such as a cut-your-own flower operation or a tavern. Most ask for a donation, with some having designated a charity that the funds collected support.

    How is a garden route different from a self-directed garden tour?

    “We’re open typically May to October rather than for a day or a weekend,” says Brenda Sutherland, president of Discover Rural Gardens of Grey and Bruce Counties, another garden route in Ontario.

    “That means a lot more maintenance, to be ready for the public for that duration,” she adds, noting that garden owners can designate what days of the week they’re open—and in some cases, they’re open by appointment only.

    Brenda, who is also one-third the force behind Earthbound Perennials and Gardens on the South Bruce Peninsula, says her group got off the ground 18 years ago. “There were six or so of us who were passionately gardening and we kept bumping into each other at community events, speaker circuits, stuff like that.”

    Folks were trying to get people off the beaten track to find their gardens. “Some of us were businesses, but not all,” she says. “As we started promoting ourselves and finding other gardens we enlarged the group, and at some point, we hooked up with the tourism people to help us develop what they call ‘the product.’ ”

    In fact, governments and commercial interests help gardens get on the map generally. Canada’s Garden Route, sponsored in part by Via Rail, provides information about public gardens nationally; Nova Scotia Tourism promotes Garden Road Trip, with nine locations of interest to gardeners.

    It’s like connecting the dots, says Michel Gauthier, executive director of Canadian Garden Council, a national umbrella group for provincial and national garden organizations. “We know that garden tourists are cultural tourists. Why not combine interests such as art, culture, culinary, wine…to attract and captivate people?”

    Last year, Jacqui estimates they had 75 to 100 people through their Ontario garden, including a bus tour of about 40. In the promotional material, the garden is described as having a raised vegetable garden, a dry riverbed and a snake hibernaculum.

    Part of her motivation in participating, Jacqui says, is public education and outreach.

    “I probably know the least of anyone on our tour; I don’t know the names of everything and my garden is not immaculate,” she says. “But you don’t necessarily need to be a pro; it’s not the end of the earth if you plant something in the wrong spot.”

    Sharing knowledge about growing food in particular is important to Jacqui. Although she grew up on a small farm and her family canned everything, her husband’s foray into growing vegetables started about three years ago; the couple has five children, now teenagers. “You don’t have to feed your family all the time, but it’s good to know you can grow a carrot.”

    Her parents, Phil and Patty Laporte, are also included in Discover the Gardens of Huron Perth, highlighting raised vegetable gardens for seniors.

    As for the snake hibernaculum, Jacqui—a snake lover—describes it as a big hole bedded with compost, then layered with stones.

    “When you’re in a residential setting, it’s difficult to find a fine line between having wildlife habitat on your property, and not making it look like a weed hole,” she says, chuckling.

     Quick links for regional garden tours

    Email Garden Making if you have a garden route to add to the links here.

  • Seedy Saturday gatherings grow in appeal

    Tree and Twig Heirloom Vegetables display at Seedy Saturday (Photo by Kathleen Farley)
    Tree and Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm display at Seedy Saturday in Niagara region of Ontario (Photo by Kathleen Farley)

    Seedy Saturday (or Sunday) gatherings are annual grassroots events where open-pollinated and heritage seeds are swapped and attendees can network with growers and experts and learn seed-saving techniques. These social events are increasing in popularity across Canada, gaining momentum in concert with the increase in hybrid and genetically modified seed being sold.

    Typically organized by horticultural societies or community groups in spring and fall, and held in all manner of venues, including churches, school gyms and farmers’ markets, these non-profit consumer shows — sans fancy display gardens and floral competitions — are more Mother Earth than garden club; more stewardship than decor. These gatherings attract everyone from those who have a toddler or two in tow, hoping to establish roots for the next generation, to retirees. In addition to seed swaps, activities include workshops and presentations on a variety of subjects, such as worm composting, and the differences between cultivating plants for food and cultivating them for seed. Depending on the organizer, you may be able to buy commercial seeds, as well as garden-related art or accessories; inquire about landscaping services or learn how best to accommodate native bees. Door prizes, music, and games for kids—involving seeds or edibles (naturally)—may round out the day’s activities.

    The first Seedy Saturday took place 25 years ago, after agronomist Sharon Rempel had difficulty finding heritage wheat varieties to plant at the living museum she was establishing at The Grist Mill and Gardens in Keremeos, B.C. As Rempel explains: “One morning I woke up and said to myself, ‘It’s good to bring everyone together in one room, to understand what was happening globally with seed and how that affects Canada.’”

    The event was held at VanDusen Botanical Garden, in Vancouver, with more than 500 people in attendance, including scientists from The University of British Columbia. “It was important for [scientists] to understand the role backyard gardeners could play in helping the adaptation of plants in the environment, but they needed training and education,” she says. [In 2016, Seedy Saturday Vancouver is Feb. 27, hosted by Vancouver Master Gardeners.]

    Rempel calls herself a Lamarckian-thinking scientist, believing that plants genetically adapt to their specific environments — indicating why heritage varieties tend to be more suited to organic gardening than are conventional hybrids.

    “The value of heritage varieties is more than yield: it is the terroir of the genetics of the variety and the environment, and that will change year to year.”

    This adaptation is one type of food security; another is conserving diversity. Since 1990, Canada’s Plant Breeders’ Rights, a form of intellectual property rights whereby plant breeders protect their new varieties, requires that all seeds sold be registered on its list. The uniformity and stability criteria, the designation of “new” varieties, plus the question of ownership of heritage varieties — not to mention the costs involved — do not favour heritage seeds being included on that list.

    Consequently, a few large corporations own rights to the majority of seeds bred and sold, controlling the varieties available and, in some cases, creating varieties that produce infertile seeds — ultimately narrowing the gene bank. Hence, the impetus to bank and share open-pollinated local heirloom varieties to plant, bringing some control back to the community.

    Cate Henderson, an organizer with Kingston Area Seed System Initiative in Ontario, chronicles her group’s evolution. “We have gone from about 100 attendees six years ago to almost 400 in 2015, and the seed-swap table, which in 2009 was quite bare, was overflowing with home-saved seed this year,” she says.

    Henderson says she most commonly hears that people save their own seeds and buy from local grower because “It’s the only way they know that the seeds are not genetically modified.”

    Regina’s Seedy Saturday is also expanding, moving from a church to a cathedral for more space. “There have recently been three offshoots from our group in other Saskatchewan communities as well,” says organizer Sharon Pratchler, adding that social media helps to galvanize folks — the group’s Facebook site reinforces the practice and philosophy of backyard vegetable growing year-round.

    Find a Seedy Saturday near you

    Seeds of DiversitySeedy Saturday and Sunday events happen from late January into April across Canada. To find a Seedy Saturday event near you, check our events on GardenMaking.com or the comprehensive list maintained by the organization dedicated to encouraging a wide choice of seeds – Seeds of Diversity Canada. Last year, they listed 135 seed-exchange and sale events.

    A version of this article was first published in Garden Making No. 23.

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