Moved

The weather's been terrible, the plants outside are looking tired and I simply do not have enough to write about in Zone 5 to fill a blog, especially with winter right around the corner.



Ludisia discolor

That does not mean I have nothing to write about though!

All Andrew's Plants is where I will write about everything I wrote about on here (when it's in season) but also be able to freely write about tropical plants whenever I want to (which will likely be much more often).

I hope you'll join me there instead!

Thanks for reading.

Family Asteraceae

Yes. The whole family. This family includes many of the most popular garden plants including Asters, Coneflowers (Echinacea), Black Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia), Silver Mound (Artemisia), Yarrow (Achillea), Daisies (Leucanthemum) and so on.



'Becky' Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum 'Becky')

The most obvious shared characteristic of plants of this family are their flowers which are a form of raceme that looks on the whole to be a single flower (the "petals" are bracts and the center of the flower head is actually a large number of flowers. The "flowers" are generally long lasting since the actual flowers open in sequence over several days while the bracts hold on to attract pollinators throughout this period giving the overall impression of long lasting individual flowers that these plants are well known for.



Osteospermum cv.

Most plants from this family are also sun lovers and many are at least somewhat drought tolerant. Colours and sizes vary a great deal though ranging from under a foot (Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' & Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snowcap') to the 8-10' tall monster Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus). Colours seem to have traditionally been yellow, orange, and red heavy but now there are few colours you can't find, especially within the newest coneflower cultivars (even/especially) within the past decade. Generally you will see these plants flowering later in the summer but they tend to last a long time (well into fall) so that sort of makes up for spring.



Helenium 'Mardi Gras'

While most of these that are readily available as garden plants do not spread rapidly (forming clumps instead) they seem to have no problem seeding themselves so be careful of that! The ones considered weeds are well known for being difficult to get rid of because of a combination of readily coming back from deep roots (Dandelions, Taraxacum officinale) and seeding everywhere (Dandelions again - wikipedia says the seeds can remain viable for up to nine years).

Deadheading does wonders at extending their flowering time and cuts out the risk of seedlings popping up and as long as you've got time for it will give you the best results. In the case of dandelions a lawnmower can be handy for deadheading them.


Rudbeckia hirta

Houseplant I did buy

I'm going to try to limit houseplant post now so I can spend more time with hardy plants (and so I'll have something for the winter!) but this is a good follow up to the previous post.

So instead of the Aglaonema 'Crete' (yes, the colours are accurate on that picture - also the plants seem to be very fast to produce new shoots. Each 6" pot had about 4 new shoots barely popping out of the soil but definitely present) I had been considering I spent my $20 on an Asplenium sp. (nidus?) that I've been eying even longer.



Asplenium sp.

I've been growing another Asplenium for a year and a half now with no problems so assuming care is the same this should be happy with me as well. Which is to say water by filling the container it's sitting in with water, waiting half and hour and filling it again - sometimes with the weak fertilizer water I'll have mixed up for the orchids. Also my house is very humid all the time. Bright (direct!) light from a south window has worked but the new one will have to live with lower light. Possibly let sit in water then drain instead of refilling? Mine has been forgiving when it dries out so I will err on the dry side with this one until I get to know it better.



Asplenium sp.

PATSP has a picture that suggests I may have the same two - A. nidus and A. antiguum but I do not know enough about the genus to even know how to begin confirming this.

We do also carry a hardy Asplenium at work which tempts me from time to time... but there are so many other ferns I think that come before it that it will just have to wait.

I did start taking pictures at work for a series of posts on the Asteraceae family which I'll be writing soon. Depending on how busy it is tomorrow I'll maybe finish my pictures for that and start on hydrangeas.

Houseplant I didn't buy

Aglaonema 'Crete'

It's new and it's interesting but I've decided I don't really want one. Actually I don't even think it even looks very attractive... The red doesn't seem to belong and it's a little jarring to look at (possibly because of the yellow?). Also I think it's $25 for a 6" pot which doesn't help its case much.

I'm glad I decided against it because space is limited and I'm sure by now I'd be thinking of all the other things I could have bought with that money (I think it's going to be a 6" asplenium nidus).

Toad lilies, part 2.

They are lily beetles and they are back. Stay tuned!

(Fun fact - Toad lilies are actually in the Liliaceae familiy, unlike daylilies which are not which I guess is why lily beetles attack these and not daylilies.)

Hydrangea aborescens 'Invincibelle Spirit'

With so many people bothering me about the new 'Incrediball' hydrangea at work I never thought to check what else was coming down the line in the world of hydrangeas. Then today as I'm counting the stock coming off the truck... wait? Is that a pink H. aborescens? I haven't even seen 'Incrediball' and already I like this better.



Hydrangea aborescens 'Incredibelle Spirit'

Yes, we got in about 20 of these plants and I'm really excited about them. Main highlights are (basically) - pink (regardless of pH), the same shade tolerance of other H. aborescens cultivars, blooms on new growth like 'Annabelle' so more reliable than H. macrophylla cultivars (some people have problems with the re-bloomers too... or want pink under a pine tree etc - this will solve their problems), and that portion of sales from 'Invincibelle Spirit' will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Toadlilies

August is my favourite month for flowering plants especially in a shade garden. Fragrant hostas have just started flowering (I expect my 'Fragrant Bouquet' to open its first flower tomorrow, a H. plantaginea down the road is already open), Hydrangea paniculata cultivars are opening (I suppose they started late July but they're usually at their best in August) and Turtlehead buds are starting to look like they're going to do something. My two Bugbane plants are promising to put on a fantastic display this year (I've had C. 'James Compton' for a few years now and just planted C. 'Hillside Black Beauty' last year) though they may not open until September... but believe me you'll see pictures when they do!

But today one of my favourite Flowering plants for shade opened - my toadlily. I've had this plant for four or five years without moving it (rare in my garden) and it's quickly becoming one of those plants I don't think I'll ever be without.



Tricyrtis 'Tojan'

Unlike many toadlilies with their spotted flowers and mottled or striped leaves 'Tojan' is fairly plain but sometimes that's nice too. I think this is my favourite but I can't say for sure right now - a little biased because it's the only one I've grown. Pictured above is the typical flower cluster for the terminal flowers. Once these have all finished this plant will continue to flower from buds in the axils of each leaf along the almost 3' arching stems from tip down so it'll be in flower almost continually from now until frost. Mine receives maximum 3 hours of early morning sun and shade for the rest of the day and rarely gets watered. I think next year I will fertilize it though that will be the first time I give that a shot. Only problems I've had were some sort of beetle which sort of resembled a lily beetle... They were a fairly big problem last year but I had not seen them before and have not seen them since so maybe they're not a huge problem.

There are a few good shots here showing the flowering and growth habit of the plant. I definitely agree with these people though that these should be planted where the flowers can be viewed up close. Even this being "plain" by toadlily standards is still an interesting flower on a fantastic plant.

Athyrium 'Burgundy Lace'

I just got this and I'm super happy about it. I've been growing 'Ghost' in a bed I landscaped which has been growing well in shade with even moisture so I assume this will need the same. Seems to be a fairly easy fern and very attractive ('Ghost' is perfect for really dark areas because the light fronds stand out amazingly well, 'Burgundy Lace' seems like a great option for getting red into a shade garden without resorting to Coral Bells - which I have no problem with but sometimes you need choices!). Should reach about a foot or so all around. It'll be in good soil when it gets in the ground because I'd gotten my soil perfect for my hardy ground orchid... which then vanished without a trace... so it should do well as long as I keep it watered.



Athyrium 'Burgundy Lace'

Red on the fronds varies from almost fully red to little to none giving the plant an interesting multicoloured look - I suspect the newer leaves are more red fading with age? Will have to wait until next spring to confirm.

Something interesting happened at work...

So a customer at work shows me a cut flower and asks what is this? Well, it's late, it looks obvious (in my mind) that it's an Annabelle Hydrangea. The customer even agrees "yes that sounds right." I show her the Annabelle Hydrangeas and "Oh! They're too big!" Hmm? Apparently hers grow to maybe 3' tall maximum with flower cluster (corymb) no larger than about 5" (The one she had brought in was only 3"). The leaf on the stem she had was also about a quarter the size of the leaves on the plants we had in stock. Cultural differences? Made sense but I checked with my supervisor and he noticed (very quickly) that each flower on her plant had only 3 petals (apparently they are bracts) compared to the usual 4 found on 'Annabelle' and 'White Dome' (which it definitely wasn't), the only two Hydrangea aborescens cultivars we carry (and 'Grandiflora' according to Google). She was looking for more of these but I don't think we'll be able to help her - we have no idea what it is (yet!) but I'm pretty sure I want one.

[Update] Apparently I was closer to being right. After careful observation of any and all 'Annabelle' hydrangeas my supervisor and I saw it appears these differences in plant size, leaf size, number of flowers and number of bracts per flower are all basically a result of cultural differences and the customer's hydrangea is almost certainly an 'Annabelle' hydrangea.

Hall's Honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica var. halliana - Hall's Honeysuckle


Hall's Honeysuckle - buds, new flowers white, old flowers yellow

My favourite vine for part sun. I have heard that in other places this is invasive (by seeds spreading and by spreading and rooting as it goes and occasionally popping up from the roots... I have had none of these problems.) but I have never had that problem here in zone 5. It does look fantastic by late June when it is covered with white and yellow flowers that fill my back yard with a Jasmine-like fragrance for several weeks. I find it will flower off and on through the rest of the summer as well but never as much at one time as it does in June. I grow mine in part sun where it gets some morning sun (in my neighbour's yard) and some late afternoon sun in my yard. It is at the top of a slope in clay where I would expect runoff to be a huge problem... but it never seems to dry out. I don't water this thing, I barely fertilize (only to keep the yellow leaves they're fairly well known for away) and this plant just keeps on growing. Going to do a major pruning of it next spring as after 4-5 years it is starting to get a little large for the small trellis I have mine growing on.

Colocasia 'Black Beauty'

Super excited! My Colocasia 'Black Beauty' which I thought died this spring has just started to grow again.



Two new shoots from last years (rotten) bulb in a 4" pot

Last year this almost flowered for me twice but didn't quite open either time. I doubt it will try this year because of its size but next year it might get another shot.



Last years flowering attempt

Since we're already off topic... Other than plants hardy to zone 5 I keep Aroids (including this Colocasia, several members of the Cryptocoryne genus and off and on Anubias species, none right now), Ferns, Orchids and Bromeliads (Tillandsias and Vrieseas). Actually from that list I suppose I also keep Ferns, orchids and aroids that are hardy to zone 5... My orchid and Jack in the Pulpit were both just recently planted so I can't comment on them too much but maybe expect a fern post in the future?

Astrantia major - Masterwort

Astrantia major (Masterwort) is a fantastic shade plant that I don't feel gets enough credit for being as great as it is.

The flowers are made up of a ring of bracts which generally range from dark pink to light pink with small true flowers that may be light green, cream coloured or pink.



Astrantia major 'Dark Shiny Eyes' - This cultivar has interesting flowers that start dark pink and lighten to a medium pink. The true flowers in the center are dark pink and light green which stands out well in the shade.

I grow mine directly on the north side of my fence where it gets maybe an hour of morning sun and indirect light at best the rest of the time and despite this low light it will still manage to flower for most of the summer. Flowers are lightly fragrant (you need to be pretty close to notice the fragrance) and held above the low mound of deeply cut leaves on tall branching stalks. There are also cultivars with green/yellow variegated leaves.

Naturally a woodland plant, Astrantia major will also grow in sunnier locations provided they are kept cool (avoid a west exposure!) with mulch and soil that will remain evenly moist. Plants will apparently self seed and may spread by runners but I have found it a very well behaved plant.

Grows to 24-36" tall (including flowers, leaves form a lower mound, 18-24") and 18-24" wide and hardy to zone 4.

Hostas - part 2

Part 2 (I think of 2 because everyone knows a lot about many hostas already and also because I want to move onto new and much more exciting things) - Notable varieties and why they are notable and, if applicable how they've grown for me and/or things I've heard second hand from people who have grown them.

Hosta ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd’ - Very cool looking plant. Leaves are blue, bullate and very cupped. Good slug resistance due to very thick leaves. 'Love Pat' is supposed to be an improved variety with more reliably shaped leaves.

Hosta 'August Moon' - Nice smallish yellow hosta (2-3' wide) that forms a dense mound of leaves, does very well in sunny areas, presumably better if these are not also dry but I have seen them growing in that sort of spot (but not to 3').

Hosta 'Blue Angel' & 'Blue Mammoth - Two nice large blue hostas, 'Blue Angel' has leaves than are more mounding while 'Blue Mammoth' has more upright leaves.



This is very likely 'Blue Mammoth' - but you can see a 100% confirmed picture in my previous post... I just didn't want to post the same picture twice.

Hosta 'Blue Arrow' - Great colour and texture with narrow blue leaves and wavy margin.



Hosta 'Blue Arrow'

Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears' - Cute. Tiny blue hosta with rounded leaves.

Hosta 'Captain Kirk' - Nice looking mid-size plant (pictured in the previous post) with leaves that will cup either up or down with a narrow yellow center on a green leaf. You'll have to ask me about pest resistance next year on this one though nothing's eaten it in the week I've had mine.

Hosta 'Christmas Tree' - Nice plant. Name apparently originates from the shape of/leafiness of the flower stalk or something along those lines? I'll take a picture of it in flower (in bud right now).

Hosta 'Elvis Lives' - Good texture. Narrow leaves with a very wrinkly margin.

Hosta 'Fire & Ice' - Similar to 'Remember Me' in appearance and growth habit. An attractive plant but unfortunately not vigorous due to the wide white center which emerges with the leaf from the start. More vigorous would be something which starts out with mostly green leaves that lighten but I don't know a variety that lightens to the white this selection has ('Paul's Glory' is like that but with a yellow center)

Hosta 'Fireworks' - Very nice. Leaves are similar in shape to 'Ginko Craig' and 'Hi Ho Silver' but with white centers with green margins. Only just planted this one last week but mature specimens I've seen have been small plants that look great.



Hosta 'Fireworks'

Hosta 'First Frost' - Beautiful plant. Similar blue leaves to 'Halcyon' but with a yellow edge fading to white later in the season. Supposed to have its best colour in a shady spot.



Hosta 'First Frost'

Hosta 'Fragrant Bouquet' - Nice bright green leaves with a white/off-white margin and as the name suggests fairly large fragrant white flowers later in the summer. I've found good pest resistance and that it's a vigorous grower. Mine is growing in fairly heavy shade (filtered morning sun then bright but indirect light (blocked by trees and a fence on the south and west) for the rest of the day) and doing well which is not common for most varieties than lean towards yellow. I think I'd describe it as "bright green" though so that may be where the difference is, possibly it would be more yellow in more sun.

Hosta 'Francee' - Fantastic plant, even if a bit ubiquitous. Green with a white edge but differs from many green leaved hostas in that the green is a nice dark green (darker than 'Silver Crown' etc with lighter green) which makes the white stand out very well even though the white edge is much thinner than 'Minuteman' or 'Patriot.' 'Francee' also does very well in extremely heavy shade (Three maples that were planted too close together thirty years ago = some of the densest shade I've had to deal with).

Hosta 'Frances Williams' - Very popular larger gold edged hosta with a reputation for good slug resistance and excellent shade tolerance.

Hosta 'Ginko Craig' - Small hosta with narrow green leaves with a white margin. 'Hi Ho Silver' is similar but with more white while 'Fireworks' is similar but with a white center/green edge.

Hosta 'Golden Tiara' - Smallish to moderately sized hosta with fairly round brightly coloured leaves. The small leaves compared to the size of the plant make this one interesting. Probably has good potential for use as a hosta groundcover... haven't tried but I imagine it would be nice.

Hosta 'Great Expectations' - I like this one. Similar to 'St. Paul.' Narrow yellow stripe in a large green leaf. Pretty big plant.

Hosta 'Guardian Angel' - Stunning. See previous post for a picture of the plant. Blue on a more difference blue, nice leaf shape. This will be the next hosta I buy for personal use. Too expensive to put in public areas (which is what most of my landscaping basically is) but perfect everywhere else. #1 on my most wanted list by far!

Hosta 'Halcyon' - The best mid sized blue. Even though these are everywhere everytime I see it I fall in love again. This is one of those plants that is everywhere because it is awesome.

Hosta 'June' - Another midsized plant. Similar to 'June Fever' and 'Paradise Joyce'. Interesting because its colour depends so much on the growing conditions. I have two planted on either side of a tree trunk - the one on the east that gets slightly more light has much more yellow in the leaves, the one on the other side of the tree has more blue/green in the center. 'Paradise Joyce' differs in that the center of the leaf will go almost white in good light while 'June' never gets much past yellow. I've got one of these recently planted in a fairly sunny spot to grow with a clematis (and shade the roots and all that jazz).



Hosta 'June'

Hosta 'Krossa Regal' - Nice form on this one. Try a low growing gold hosta under the upright leaves for a fantastic effect or any low growing groundcover (Purple flowering Dead Nettle or Golden Creeping Jenny would be my picks for colour contrast). The colour isn't as stunning as 'Halcyon' but the shape is really unique.

Hosta 'Love Pat' - Like an improved ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd.'

Hosta 'Minuteman' - (And 'Patriot') Similar to 'Francee' but with wider white margins.

Hosta 'Orange Marmalade' - Nice spring colour. I've found this one to be pretty slow to establish. Hopefully it will be bigger next year because the colour is a really nice deep yellow (not actually orange).

Hosta 'Pandora's Box' - Small to dwarf but bigger than 'Blue Mouse Ears' with good green and white colour, nice flower colour if I remember right as well.



Hosta 'Pandora's Box'

Hosta 'Paradigm' - Was pictured with 'Guardian Angel' in the previous post. Really nice texture with the heavily bullated leaves.

Hosta 'Paul's Glory' - Nice big plant with leaves that start green (improved vigor because of this) that then lighten to a yellow center. Good choice if you want something like 'Orange Marmalade' that will be bigger faster.

Hosta 'Praying Hands' - Very unique hosta. Leaves are long and narrow, wavy to the point of looking almost curled.

Hosta 'Regal Splendor' - 'Regal Splendor' is a white edged sport of 'Krossa Regal' and is similarly awesome for all the same reasons.

Hosta 'Revolution' - Green margin, white center with green blotches through the white. This sort of blotching is fairly rare in hostas. 'Independence' has the same blotching but in a white edge with a solid green center.

Hosta 'Stained Glass' - Nice bright hosta which is supposed to be sun tolerant. That's good because in my experience it certainly is not shade tolerant! Definitely give this one some sun. I like it but I'll be moving mine in the fall to sunnier ground. Fragrant lilac flowers later in summer.

Hosta 'Striptease' - Another favourite of mine. Green with a narrow gold strip down the center, very thin white line loosely separates the green and gold.

Hosta 'Sum & Substance' - The big one. I planted a small pot of it last year and the leaves are already a good 16" long. Sure to amaze in sun or some shade (best colour in more sun).

Hosta 'Summer Breeze' - Wide gold margin on a bright green leaf. In my experience good pest resistance. Nice plant.

Hosta 'Tattoo' - Unlike all other hostas in this list I have not seen this hosta in person but I've heard rave reviews from a friend. Googled it and I've in love. Think 'Great Expectations' meets 'Striptease' - Bright green leaves with a wide irregular gold center. An unexpected dark green line divides the light green and gold. #2 on my must have list though it's small so I've more likely to get this than any other.



Assorted Hostas

Hosta 'Touch of Class' - Classy. Like 'Great Expectations' but with blue and gold. I'll probably plant one of these in my landscaping work but not a personal must have. Though I'd certainly buy one if I had the space.

Hosta 'Whirlwind' - Like 'Guardian Angel' this hosta has an irregular combination of colours (darker center than I'd expect) and interesting curled leaf shape. Would definitely stand out from a collection of albo-marginata & similar.

Hosta plantaginea - Grow this for its (4-6") flowers and you won't be disappointed but plant it close to a window or patio so you can enjoy the fragrance. Large glossy green leaves won't be touched by slugs. #3 personal must have. All fragrant hostas have this in their lineage. 'Aphrodite' is nice, 'Venus' will be harder to find but has double flowers and the same scent.


I hope you've enjoyed this in-depth look at Hostas! Obviously I could only cover a small fraction of hostas available but these are some the best varieties I've seen and rest were the most common available so it'll at least be a good starting point. You'll be seeing more pictures of course as I get to either garden profiles &/or winning plant combinations.

Hostas - part 1

I should start by saying that even though I work at a large cooperate garden center There is nothing better than visiting some smaller specialists from time to time. That was the case last weekend when I visited a place that specializes in hostas (including hybridizing new varieties and maintaining amazing display gardens).


Hosta 'Blue Mammoth' (back), 'Super Nova' (in front of 'Blue Mammoth' on the left), 'Tokudama Flavocircinalis' (front far left), 'Golden Tiara' (front left), 'Sum and Substance' (front center) & 'Valentine Lace' (small one on the right).

Most people know hostas to at least some degree but are often surprised by the huge variety available and occasionally are surprised that they flower (Hosta Plantaginea Grandiflora is one of my favourite hostas even though it only has green leaves - the amazing 5" fragrant flowers in late summer more than make up for it!). With their fantastic range of sizes, colours and even texture as well as tolerance of anything ranging from full sun to full shade (they all do best in full morning sun, afternoon shade - "Shade tolerant, not shade loving") there's probably one that will work for everyone. Sometimes there are many that will work for some people (I have 5 personally and have planted many more around in the landscaping I do - These will be discussed in part 2).

General care for hostas:
Light - Full morning sun is ideal, many can tolerate full sun (yellows can look nicer in sun), some can tolerate full shade (blues and greens do well).

Water - "Evenly moist but well drained" - They don't like drying out but they're not bog plants. Basically average garden conditions will be fine.

Fertilizer - I haven't fertilized mine and they've been fine but I've seen the results when you do fertilize and can't argue with them. Something balanced like a 10-10-10 is supposed to be good. I like slow release granular fertilizers. In general I personally don't fertilize (anything) and they're alright with that.

Potential pests - Snails & slugs mostly, potentially earwigs as well. Supposed to be fairly tasty for deer but fortunately I do not have that problem. Best prevention is to choose resistant varieties though snails and slugs are not overly difficult to deal with and rarely do more than make plants look like crap.

Hardiness - Zones 3-8 - definitely hardy in zone 5.


The only one here I remember the name of is 'Captain Kirk' with the green leaves and gold centers and cupped leaves.

Variations:

Foliage - Colours I've seen in hosta leaves include green, white, yellow and blue You can basically take any of these individually or combined with any two on the center or margin (which can be thin as in albo-marginata or thick as in 'Touch of Class' or 'Striptease') of the leaf and you'll have a plant that already exists. Leaves can also be long and thin ('Hi Ho Silver'), have a wavy margin ('Blue Arrow') - wavy to the point of almost being curled or folded occasionally as in 'Praying Hands', cupped leaves ('Love Pat'), bullated leaves ('Captain Kirk'), round leaves ('Golden Tiara'). Foliage can be upright ('Krossa Regal') or more mounding ('Blue Angel').

Flowers - Generally about an inch to two inches and white to dark lavender and generally flower in July though some are much larger and fragrant and flower later in the summer (I've only seen these in white). I've seen pictures of some double flowered hostas but never seen one in person. Other colours are being worked on as well.

Size - from minuscule ('Mouse Ears', 'Holy Mouse Ears') to huge ('Sum and Substance', 'Blue Mammoth').


Front to back - unknown hosta with smooth green leaves with a thin yellow margin, 'Paradigm' with bullated leaves, green with a moderately thick blue edge, & 'Guardian Angel' with smooth leaves, wavy edge variegated with what looks to me like a dark blue edge lighter blue center.

Next post will deal with a few selected varieties I want to go into more detail about including (as long as the weather's dry enough I can get pictures) the varieties I grow as well as some more from Limestone Gardens.

Coming soon - Hostas

Going to be writing a long hosta post soon as I've just been to the most amazing hosta garden/display of a moderately local hybridizer (well, he was local to someone I was visiting who lives far away from my house if that counts).


Preview picture - this place was amazing!


Hostas I brought home with me: Top left 'Fireworks' Top right 'First Frost' and bottom 'Captain Kirk'

On top of the three I bought I also got a lot of good advice and a wanted list that could fill my yard twice over. Post will be coming soon... hopefully by Wednesday but I have a lot of pictures to go through and I'm hoping to write about hosta varieties I've tried (even if only briefly) - maybe I'll do it in 2 or 3 parts. We'll see as I get working on it.

Roses

Two new roses this year:



Florabunda Rose 'Sexy Rexy'


Shrub Rose 'Yellow Jacket'

We'll see how these work out. I haven't tried too many roses, my yard is very shady (not to mention small) and the landscaping work I've been doing hasn't made any high maintenance shrubs or perennials practical (upcoming Hydrangea post will cover one moderate maintenance shrub that I grow for the leaves - it's a zone 6 and will grow and flower in a sheltered spot in zone 5 but in an exposed spot like I have it it will likely only just survive by dying back and coming up from the roots but I'm getting off topic) though I've wanted one or two around for a while now. on top of these two new roses I'm also growing a red carpet rose which is doing extremely well without any work at all (I wish I still had the tag!) likely because it's sheltered and gets a good deep snow cover that sticks around all winter.


Red Carpet Rose

I do not claim to be any sort of rose expert but I'm hoping these work out as well as my carpet rose and that I'll find myself with enough sun and enough space to get to know these a little better someday. Next post will likely cover a more shade tolerant plant so I'll have a little more to say.

Pictures from spring

It's now summer and I have a lot to get caught up on! Just going to start out with a few pictures from this spring to get caught up and bring us to summer where the real fun can start.



Trillium

It would be a shame to have a shaded garden and not have some trilliums around - especially in Ontario. This is one of four varieties I have planted (a red variety). Another is white (I believe - I had bought either two red and a white or the other way around and squirrels eat one shortly after planting and it hasn't flowered for me... either way I'll be happy). My newer purchases, both Trillium sessile - I figure if they won't flower well for me I'll at least get some stunning leaves out of them early in spring.



Daffodil

This one speaks for itself. Was doing poorly in shade so it got moved to sunnier grown and it doing very well since.



Iberis

Another great spring plant that makes a huge impact when flowering, just as nice in my books as moss phlox but a lot less commonly used.



Iris 'Starship Enterprise' - My mom jokes we should get a Hosta 'Captain Kirk' to pair this with. As much as I hate the idea odds are I'll be buying that hosta as soon as I see it available - sometimes a good pairing can be made with a subtle joke rather than counting on the plants to do all the work.



NOID Blue Iris

And then of course Irises with the dwarf varieties coming first followed by the taller species in late spring - the two pictured here along with a yellow variety stand 4' tall in flower and just finished flowering within the past week.

Welcome to Zone 5 Gardening

I've had blogs before and I've had gardens before but this will be the first time I'll have had the two together.

My name is Andrew and I garden in zone 5. I did not study horticulture in university but it has ended up becoming what I do. I work in sales in a large commercial store where I have worked in perennials (for two years) but now find myself in trees and shrubs. Thanks to this I have had huge exposure to plants that I'd never heard of five years ago and all good in zone 5.



Panicum 'Heavy Metal' in winter.

Many of the spaces I work with (my own yard and some landscaping work I do) are also small, shady, filled with the roots of large trees and have terrible clay soil. Small and shady are fine but I could use some better soil and I don't know anyone who likes root competition! Because of these conditions I've have learned to appreciate colour, form and texture to be critical for all plants and often flowers become a bonus rather than the focus - obviously flowers are nice too though so I'll definitely point out a few must haves that I've grown which have particularly interesting or long lasting flowers.

Post types I'm planning on including are brief plant profiles with personal experiences, "what's flowering" type posts will be picture heavy - I'll try to group these with the profiles but that may not always be possible, comments and musings on goings on in the industry (expect an angry rant that will become confused and start praising the many Echinacea cultivars popping up) and basically just whatever else happens to cross my mind that I feel like writing about.