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Spring 2010

Feature Plant coming soon!

December

Poinsettias - There are a number of plants that people associate with the Christmas season such as amaryllis and Christmas cactus… but the plant with the strongest Christmas associations is the cheery poinsettia. Many are under the impression that the bright reds, creams and purples seen on poinsettias are the plant’s flowers, but this isn’t the case; those bright colours are actually a modified leaf called a “bract.” The flowers of a poinsettia are tiny and almost insignificant. Due to intense breeding, the types and colours of poinsettias available to the consumer is vast and most would agree that having so much choice is a good thing. But for many, nothing beats a good old red poinsettia… for the rest of the masses you can rest assure there’s a colour for almost everybody. Poinsettias are a fun seasonal plant, and for many, make the Christmas complete!

November

Christmas Cactus
The Holiday Cactus (Also known as Thanksgiving Cactus, Easter Cactus and Christmas Cactus) should be starting to think about blooming in your house at this time of year.  November is the time of year to put your cactus in a cooler room or window sill to get it to bloom by Christmas, or it’s time to pick out a nice new coloured one at Potters garden centre. They need a change temperature in order to bloom (10 to 14 degrees Celsius).  Now that the window sill is cooler, they should be getting some buds.  They enjoy sandy soil and don’t need lots of water.  In fact they hate to have wet feet, so remember to ignore them!Originally a forest cacti from Rio de Janeiro, this cactus can last hundreds of years if in proper conditions!

October

Winter pansies ( Or Ice Pansies) seem to have the ability to bloom even when everything else has packed it in. Through cold rains , and chilling winds pansies keep our gardens alive throughout the winter months. They are available in almost every colour and are very inexpensive. Pansies are also known for how easy they are to care for. With the occasional deadhead and pinch they will keep flowering until Spring. They are most effective when planted in masses along the garden border but can also be used as highlights in planters and throughout the rest of the garden. It is also a great idea to let a few go right to seed so that they will self seed and give you colour for the following season.

Aug / Sept

Echinacea purpurea or Purple cone flower is one of the best bloomers for the mid season border. It has large, daisy-like flowers with slightly drooping, rose purple petals and large, coppery-orange central cones.
It grows easily in medium to well drained soil in full sun to part shade. And when established it can tolerate drought and poor soil conditions thus making it the perfect addition to any low maintenance garden. Great companion plants for the Purple cone flower are Monarda ‘Scarlet Queen’ and Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’.

July

Munstead lavender is a compact, early flowering variety of Lavandula angustifolia( English Lavender). It has strong scented grey-green foliage that is soft to the touch. The lavender-blue flowers form on loose spikes and appear from July to August. This is the classic lavender that is used in sachets, perfumes, wands, etc. Lavender will thrive in full sun and loose, well-drained soil. To keep plants compact, prune soon after flowering.

June

Bressingham Purple Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium ‘Bressingham Purple’) - Beautiful pinnate foliage and strong blue flowers cover this hardy perennial. Grow them in partial shade (or even light shade!) and you’ll get a bevy of blue spring flowers. Plants grow to about 1.5 feet and are hardy down to Zone 3. An excellent choice for the mixed perennial shade garden or even perennial planters.

May

Syringa patula - Miss Kim Lilac is a charming medium sized Lilac, growing more compact than the French hybrids (only 6 - 8 feet). Abundant, and beautiful panicles of very fragrant, single blossoms, pink to purple in bud and changing to ice-blue when mature, extending the Lilac season by blooming weeks after the French hybrids have finished blooming. Miss Kim has the best fall color on any lilac, a beautiful burgundy-red.

April

Have you ever walked down an older neighbourhood in Vancouver or Victoria in spring and felt really, really happy? It’s probably, in part, because of the flowering cherry trees lining both sides of the street. Not only do the beautiful pink and white flowers make for a showy display, many varieties emit a heavenly fragrance. Flowering cherries have been popular for many years and can make an excellent “small space” tree. The trees can come in many forms including standard-shaped to vase-shaped to weeping. Spring is a great time to plant (and buy) flowering cherries, so if you’ve always wanted one, now is the time to do it!

March

Primroses (Primula vulgaris ‘Wanda Mix’) - Primroses (commonly referred to as Primulas) have been providing cheery ammunition to the BC gardener’s late-winter/ early-spring arsenal for years… and for good reason! Yellows, reds, blues, pinks — the list of cheery colours is vast! Primulas are tough plants that flower for a good portion of early spring and tend to be inexpensive. And if you’re lucky, these hardy little fellows will come back year after year!