Spice up your borders with dramatic textural contrasts Plants with unusual characteristics spark interest and attention in the garden. As much as many of us recognize the value of simplifying our colour palette, limiting the number of species and cultivars, and emphasizing plant groupings in specific blocks of colour, an empty space in our gardens can be motivation enough to … [Read more...] about Plants with personality
Plants
Rex begonias rule
Rex begonia (Rex begonia) foliage comes in all sorts of whirly patterns and shapes; some leaves are variegated, highly textured or wavy. They make wonderful container plants in the shade and can be wintered over indoors in front of a sunny window. Rex begonias, as well as cannas and coleus, were especially popular during Victorian times, but eventually fell out of favour. … [Read more...] about Rex begonias rule
Optimizing your native plant options
In the early days of public interest in gardening with native plants, there were relatively few choices available at nurseries, and the only ones for sale were the easy-to-grow species. If you wanted to grow any natives other than the common garden varieties such as black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower or Virginia creeper, you needed to hunt them down at specialty growers, from … [Read more...] about Optimizing your native plant options
Canadian Shield roses taking hold nicely
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 … [Read more...] about Canadian Shield roses taking hold nicely
Roses to inspire our sense of place
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 … [Read more...] about Roses to inspire our sense of place
