More Plants!

Some noteworthy garden plants that have been featured in our newsletters. Plant groups in alpha order here.

Campanula 'Samantha'. This award winning plant forms lovely mats of foliage with charming blue-violet, 1” wide flowers that face upwards. Re-blooms sporadically with deadheading. A slow spreader that is great for well-drained border in partial shade to full sun. A perennial that's also great in containers!
Echinacea purpurea Echinacea, our tough-as-nails Purple Coneflower, has come a long way from the muddy purple, tall and lanky native wildflower of just a handful of years ago! Here’s a few of our favourites –	'Hope' Calm, fragrant, soft pink flowers adorn this long blooming perennial. It is dedicated to breast cancer survivors and the memories of those who have succumbed to breast cancer.	'Coconut Lime' The first double white Echinacea. Compact habit with loads of blooms per plant! Well-branched, sturdy flower stems are perfect for cutting. Blooms for 2-3 months!
'Lilliput' is a showy summer flowering perennial with a dwarf mounding habit and numerous medium sized clear deep rose purple flowers with two rows of ray petals held flat.	'Green Eyes' looks like 'Ruby Giant' with deeper magenta flower color and a green disc center when young giving a green eyed look. This is a strong plant with long-lasting fragrant blooms.	'Tiki Torch' Darkest orange with massive 4 ½" flowers. Retains intense color for weeks. Spicy-scented blooms sit atop strong upright 36" stems.
'Hot Papaya' Rich red double-flowered, with drooping ray petals surrounding a pompom centre. This the reddest "red" coneflower yet. Strong stemmed and bushy at 30" - 36" tall.
Euphorbia. A terrific family of plants for all season design. Cut them back hard right after blooming to encourage fresh new growth that'll keep them looking their best right through to frost. All have chrome yellow flowers in mid May that is a great match for tulips, and distinct foliage colour and a neat cushion form that contrasts beautifully with so many other things too - all season long.	Euphorbia 'Purpurescens' is a favourite with bright growth tips and burgundy foliage in an 8 - 10" mound all season. The chrome yellow flowers on top of the burgundy is a huge WOW in the spring garden.	Euphorbia 'First Blush'. A small pink and cream tinted gem that's a perfect blend beside pink flowers. 6" tall with stems that lay on the ground and spread out.
Euphorbia myrsinites. A quirky fun plant with donkey tails of silvery blue leaves that look like a succulent. Evergreen, great trailing on walls, and is drought tolerant. Deadhead before seed ripens to prevent generous reseeding.	Euphorbia polychroma showing it's chrome yellow spring cushion.	Euphorbia 'Bonfire'. An 8" cushion of smoky burgundy with great orange red colouring in the leaves in Autumn.
Geranium ‘Rozanne’. Charming 1½ ” flowers in profusion that are close to true blue. This hardy Geranium has long arms that flop about but grown through a bright green leaved hosta where it can lean and peak through, it adds loads of delicate charm to any semi-shady spot.
Fabulous Heuchera! You've probably noticed that we're particularly fond of Heucheras. Gorgeous foliage colours from bright lime green to elegant mahogany, there's just nothing like them for sun or shade to spruce up a planting design. And don't forget the green leaved varieties with stronger blooming power! They open up a different use in the perennial border.	H. 'Autumn Leaves'. Truly a four-seasons plant, ‘Autumn Leaves’ changes its personality as the days grow longer. Mid-sized leaves of red in the spring, taupe in summer, and ruby red in the fall, put on a show in any season.	H. 'Electric Lime'. The big sister to ‘Electra’, with red veins on huge leaves. Lime-tinted foliage forms a tight mound and has the bonus of attractive stems of densely packed, white flowers. Heat and humidity tolerant.
H. 'Midas Touch'. With yummy, seersuckered, ruffled, and fluted foliage of peach and gold, ‘Midas Touch’ is a fashion statement! Heavily veiled, compact vigorous growing plant, it's great throughout the year or for use as a special “filler” for autumn-themed baskets.	H. 'Midnight Bayou'. Maple-like leaves of purple with black veins provide an excellent foil for silver leaved and light pink-flowered plants. Leaf color changes with the season from red purple to silvered purple.	H. 'Havana'. We sometimes forget that Heucheras offer more than great foliage! Dense short wands of strong pink flowers glow above lime foliage. Compact growth and reblooming flowers makes this one great for containers. Prefers Shade.
H. 'Sugar Plum'. Frosty, plum-purple leaves. Silvery pink flowers rise tall above the foliage and often rebloom.	H. 'Mahogany'. A rich bronze purple that captures light and is absolutely stunning when positioned where the setting sun can glow through the leaves.



Hydrangea Where would our gardens be without these sumptuous plants! From the tough old standby Hydrangea 'Annabelle', thru to the rich pink blooms of 'Endless Summer' or the elegant vine full of white lace on Hydrangea petiolaris. Truly no garden is complete without at least one.	Climbing Hydrangea. (Hydrangea petiolaris). deep green leaves, flaky cinnamon coloured bark, huge lacy flowers in July. A shade loving climber that clings gently to wood or brick without the help of supports. Plant on a north or east wall, in a spot that has good moisture, where it will grow slowly for two years and then start zooming up the wall.	*Hydrangea arborescens* 'Incrediball'** New in 2010, this exciting new hydrangea produces massive 12" blooms! Vigorous growing this exciting new Hydrangea from the 'Annabelle' side of the family, delivers big blooms that emerge lime green, change to white and then to green, all season long. Unlike its parent, H. 'Annabelle', these immense 12" flowers are held upright atop sturdy, thick stems that prevent flopping even in inclement weather.
*Hydrangea arborescens* 'Invincibelle Spirit'** Until now the quest for a pink "Annabelle" hydrangea was just a dream. Hybridizers kept working at the challenges though since the toughness of the Annabelle's arborescens group is hard to beat, and in 2010 the first pink flowered member of the sturdy H. arborescens group is a reality. (click here for an explanation of how the various Hydrangea groups differ.). This iron clad branch of the Hydrangea family blooms reliably, even when pruned to the ground in spring because it blooms on new wood. Adaptable to many soil types and good in either sun or shade. Pruning and care is a no-brainer. 'Invincibelle Spirit' now brings all of these merits into the 21st century with flowers that emerge a dark, hot pink and mature to a rich clear pink.
*Iris pallida* 'Aurea-variegata** . Not a new plant, but certainly a highlight! Very different from its cousin the standard German bearded Iris, with it's gorgeous grey/green & butter coloured leaves that don't fade out like other Iris. Gentle lavender flowers don't rival the brilliant colours of standard iris, but this is one to grow for the leaves! A much sought after plant that we're pleased to have found a reliable supply for last year. Remember to plant the rhizome with its top surface above soil level to prevent rot. This plant can handle a lot of sun and drought as a bonus, and leaf colour won't fade out. A great designer's plant.
Lilac 'Bloomerang' That's right - a reblooming Lilac! This exciting new dwarf lilac blooms in spring, rests through the heat of summer, then blooms again all through the cool of autumn! It reaches only 5 feet at maturity so can mix in nicely in the perennial border. Use a young plant in containers! Now the gorgeous fragrance of Lilac isn't just for spring!
Leucanthemum 'Paladin'. Unique blooms that are ruffled and layered. These superb flowers top stiff, upright stems. It produces so many crowns it will fill your containers in no time. Enjoy months of elegant blooms outdoors or use them as cut flowers.
Lobularia 'Snow Princess' is one new annual that should be on everyone’s list for multiple uses! A unique breakthrough in the genus for heat tolerance and extended season blooming. Extremely vigorous, with an incredibly long bloom time - from the cool of spring right through to frost. Fragrant flowers don't need deadheading since the plant doesn't set seed. 'Princess' is a hungry plant and will need evenly moist soil and a starter fertilizer to get going, but boy - once it gets going....!. We tried it in hanging baskets last year and found that it's hungry roots just couldn't do well there, but in the garden!@$^%$^ WOW is all I can say - it just kept going and going and going until the late fall heavy frost knocked it down. In the garden it will show drought stress when first planted, but will bounce back quickly to amaze you all season. Use in larger containers or in the ground as a fabulous partner to enhance the other plants that come and go. This is definitely a plant that will become a permanent offering on our annuals shelves.

Miscanthus sinensis The Ornamental Grass with Attitude! When purchasing ornamental grasses, they often don't look like much in the pot making it hard to decide which one is right for your planting design. Here's a sampling of the many Miscanthus to demonstrate the versatility of these mainstays of the autumn garden. They have a statuesque and sculptural quality that can't be rivaled whether you choose a dwarf or a giant.	*Miscanthus sinensis* 'Morninglight'** At a height of 3-4', this refined Miscanthus rates as a "dwarf" compared to some of the other giant Miscanthus sinensis that can be up to 10' tall. Morninglight doesn't flower as profusely as the others, but that's a desirable trait when you're looking for something a bit more subtle. The glowing fine textured white edged leaves form an elegant fountain. A much larger statement is made by *M. sinensis* 'Gracillimus'. Similarly fine textured green leaves fountain out for an elegant majestic presence and rises up to 6-7' tall. Once in flower, the height is more like 9'. A gorgeous full head of purplish plumes rise up in mid August. Then there's the bolder leaved Miscanthus like M. sinensis 'Variegatus', with the same fountain form but with wider strappy leaves that results in a very bold robust look rather than elegant. This one can also reach 8' once in flower. There are other, even taller Miscanthus, but all of them whether dwarf or giant have similar flower plumes in Fall - very full, usually purplish or silver toned turning to tan in winter, drooping to one side like a heavy broom, and held well above the foliage. The larger Miscanthus are sometimes called, and tagged, "Hardy Pampas Grass". They aren't really Pampas grass (Cortadera), but it's as close as we'll come to that richly plumed giant in our climate. For something really bold, try M. sinensis 'Zebinus' with unique horizontal striping on bold strappy leaves that reaches 6' tall. Or try 'Little Zebra'** for a shorter version with the same quirky look.