Signs of Spring

Are we all nuts?

Garden Rant of the Year


I will never understand why anyone would bag their leaves in fall and bring it to the curb - instead of composting them... or why wrap your shrubs for winter or neglect plants at groceries and builter supply stores?

BAGGED LEAVES
"Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" also applies to gardening.
Go for a walk into any forest and reach down or kick the dry leaves to one side and notice dead leaves underneath, push them aside and notice decomposed leaves under the dry leaves push those to one side and notice a rich black earth yielding an abundance of nutrients to the forest ecosystem. Imagine this soil in your garden?

Your plants will grow like crazy! Leaves decompose relatively quickly pile leaves onto your garden in the fall thickly and by spring they will be nothing but a a thin layer of decomposed leaves which need to be turned into the soil.

Repeating this year after year will make your soil richer than before just like the soil in old growth forests.

What waste it is to just rake up one of nature’s best to be burned later when you can put it to use in your garden.


WRAPPED SHRUBS - SOOOOO UGLY

The "gardening industry" and so-called "landscapers" seems to have found a new method of cash-grab for the slow winter season: Sell as much burlap, styropur cones and twine as possible! They will tell potential customers if they don't wrap their shrubs they will be injured and die in winter. What a nonsens!

Have you ever seen a wrapped shrub in the wild? Did your grand parents wrap their bushes and shrubs for the winter? For sure not...

If you are choosing plants for your garden according to the zone in which you live, you do not need to protect your shrubs, and even if you loose a branch or two in an ice storm - so be it! It's all nature. Why do we try to play God?

What you CAN do is to mulch around tree trunks and shrubs and water them very well before heavy frost sets in.
That's all.


WHY LET THEM DIE?

Plants at grocery stores, building suppliers and the like: We all know not to ever expect much from the grocery store plants, as they're usually completely neglected, baking on hot tarmag, dry and limp looking if not half (or totally) dead.
But I am asking why are they selling plants at all, if they do not care for them. It makes me really mad to see those poor flowers and plants dying, and I ask for a supervisor and tell them what I think about their neglectence.

Sometimes they admit it and give orders to water the plants. One can only guess their mark-up if they can afford to let the plants die. Even worse: I often heard they will return them to the growers.

We should neglect these reckless sellers too and buy only at nurseries that take care of the plants - which benefits later in your garden.

Images of the most reliable shade-loving plants

HOSTAs come in a huge variety of colors from dark-green, blue-green, yellow or white rimmed leaves. Find more images on this website:
http://www.shadyoaks.com/GeneratedItems/Pages/Hosta3.html

HEUCHERAs - Variety of Coral Bells, Heuchera Georgia Peach

Happy Planting!

Shade Gardens

Shade gardeners have a great number of gorgeous plants available to them. Here is a list of wonderful plants that will thrive in three to four hours of sun or less.



FLOWERS

Coral Bells (Heuchera)
For show-stopping color in the shade garden, coral bells are unbeatable. Recent breeding has produced plants with foliage in just about every color imaginable, from coppery orange to pure black; deep purple to chartreuse.
Coral bells do great in part to full shade, and form low mounds of foliage. They also produce flower spikes of delicate, bell-shaped blooms. Depending on the cultivar, coral bells are hardy in zones three through nine.

Astilbe (Astilbe)
Astilbes (hardy in zones four through nine) grow wonderfully in part to full shade, as long as they are in nice, moist soil. It produces feathery plumes in white, pink, purple, peach, or red in late spring through summer. Astilbe also self-sows readily, but the seedlings are unlikely to look like the original. In a naturalistic, informal setting, this can be a very attractive look.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)
Bleeding Heart is an old-fashioned, absolutely beautiful plant for shade gardens. In spring to early summer, delicate, dangling flowers will appear, looking like rows of heart-shaped lockets. Bleeding Heart blooms in shades of white, pink, purple, and red, and grows up to four feet tall and three feet wide. It dislikes summer heat, however, and may go dormant if it is allowed to dry out. Not to worry--it will come back just fine in the spring. Bleeding heart thrives in part to full shade in zones two through nine. If it gets sun, morning sun is preferable to afternoon sun, which can be much too hot.


SHRUBS FOR SHADED AREAS

Kerria Japonica: (K. Japonica): If you have a wooded lot with dense shade, this is the summer shrub for you. This tough, disease free, small woody plant bursts into a mass of golden blooms in early summer, continues intermittently all summer, then explodes again in fall. Looks lovely under the trees in a woodland garden. A real show-stopper, the Kerria Japonica will give you years of pleasure, as it slowly grows to a mere 5 feet.
Kerria Japonica is evergreen all year, in all but the most northern gardens. Zone:5-8

Cornus racemosa (Grey Dogwood) zone 4 (1.5-3m) This easily grown shrub has white flowers, followed by white berries on red stalks and purple fall foliage.

Corylus spp. (Hazels) zone 5-9 (3-12m) These shrubs can have various forms from twisted corkscrews to regular pyramidal growth and they produce nuts in the fall.

Hamamelis virginiana (Common Witch-hazel) zone 4 (5m). This fall blooming shrub produces yellow flowers about the time other trees are losing their leaves.

Or plant the variety that blooms in February / March: Hamamelis mollis Boskoop - Chinese Hazel The best antidote to winter is a planting of Witch Hazels. This genus of five species of upright, spreading shrubs or small trees provides the first big display of color, beginning in late February or early March and continuing for six weeks or more depending on the season (the flower petals sensibly curl up if the temperatures plummet). They need at least four hours of sun.

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' (Snowhill Hydrangea) zone 2b-9 (1.3m) grows well in deep shade, and bears large trusses of white flowers in August and September.

Kalmia latifolia (Mountain-Laurel) zone 4 (10m) is an evergreen shrub with pink, white or red flowers in mid-June.

Fall Garden

How to prepare the garden for winter:

BULB PLANTING

For the best chance of repeat bloom in subsequent years, choose a site in full sun that doesn't get much summer water. Bulbs that naturalize reliably include Allium, Daffodils, Scilla and species tulips. Feed with a fertilizer formulated specifically for bulbs. Squirrels like Tulips, use a piece of chickenwire to cover the soil and then add a thick layer of mulch.

ROSES, SHRUBS & TREES

Plant container roses and prune your hybrid tea roses. Start preparing your roses for winter:Start putting mulch around each of your rose plants after the first frost. You'll want to build up a decent sized mound around the plant, roughly 12 inches above its base.Water your rose plants as you normally would. They need plenty of water to prepare for a long winter.Set up a wire fence around some of your more delicate roses. The fence should be a circle that surrounds the plant and extends several inches above the top of it. Fill the wire fence with leaves. These leaves will insulate the plant from the cold and also protect it from a sudden warm day in the winter. Leaves are the best way to insulate your roses because they allow the plant to breath and don't trap moisture.

DIVIDE AND MOVE PLANTS

Consider moving some plants around now:Moving or dividing perennials in the autumn is a great way to reduce your work next spring.
The cool, moist weather is an ideal time for perennial roots to become well established,even in cold-winter regions. Division not only maintains the health of your perennials, but it's also an easy way to propagate your plants so that you’ll have more coverage next season.

PLANT & AMEND SOIL!!!

Fall is a very good time to plant perennials such as Peonies, Coneflower and black-eyed Susan. You can also plant garlic now for next years harvest. Plant container and balled-and-burlapped trees, fruit trees, shrubs and vines.
Spread a thick layer of compost, seaweed (kelp) or composted manure and then add a thick layer of mulch around shrubs and trees but do not place mulch too close to the plant’s trunk. Mulch helps control weeds, provides insulation for the roots during cold weather, and helps keep the soil moist.

Fall is a good time to fertilize both lawn and garden. Work some bonemeal into the soil, especially around tress and shrubs for good root development.

It’s a good idea to water your garden thoroughly before the ground freezes. Even with snow,
winter can be very dry and harsh for many trees and shrubs.

DIG OUT

Edge the perennial beds. Continue dead-heading any daisy-flowered perennials, especially Echinacea, Rudbeckia and False Sunflower (Heliopsis). These will continue flowering for weeks if you prevent the flowers from forming seeds. If you have Gladiolus, this is the time to dig the corms up and to lift your Dahlias too. Divide a clump of Chives and some bring indoors for fresh Chives in the coming weeks.
Pull out your annuals and throw them in the compost. Cut back your perennials and put the foliage in the compost as long is it's not diseased. Try to keep the fallen leaves raked off the lawn. Put them in the compost, shredding them first, using your lawnmower or mix them really well as they tend to compact. Give your compost pile a final turning.

GARDEN EQUIPMENT

It's time to store your watering hoses inside. Remember to drain them first so they don't freeze and split.Clean and oil your tools so they won't rust over the winter.
Reduce feeding houseplants and do not feed dormant houseplants.

WINTER PROTECTION

Try using evergreen boughs over your shrubs to provide winter protection. They can be forced into the ground before the ground freezes, draping their branches over the shrubs.
Bring in any annual Geraniums! Potted, in a sunny spot they will bloom all winter. Or hang them upside down (with the soil removed) in a cool spot such as the garage or basement.

Trees can be protected from rodent damage by placing a cylinder of ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth around the trunk. The cylinder should extend 5 cm below the ground line for mice and 40 cm above the anticipated snow line for rabbit protection.

Garden Rant about "Landscapers"

B E W A R E OF LANDSCAPERS

Planting a sun-loving flower, shrub or tree NOT in the shade - and a plant that thrives only in shade, NOT in the sun - should be a non-brainer. One would think. But in a lot of gardens, especially new ones, too often I find these critical errors.

When I ask the owners who created the flower beds - after hearing their complaints about the dire state of some plants - they tell me: "You know we had the lawn installed (well, rolled out the ready-to-go-grass) by a "landscaper", and he offered us to have flower beds and a sprinkler system installed.

Aha, a "landscaper"...
First of all, it is NOT a profession. Everyone can call him or herself a landscaper, it is not a protected word for a professionally trained person. A truck with some rakes and brooms, maybe a lawn mower, and you have a "landscaper" - armed and ready to screw up your garden.

They won't know a thing about plants or soil, don't even read the labels of plants or ignore them, won't pull weeds, rather use their "weed eater" gas-guzzling device that just hits the top of the weeds, not the roots. But they are good in selling sprinkler systems for shady and wet gardens, that are often completely useless. Well, selling a sprinkler system is easier than pulling weeds and choosing the right plants for the right spot!

Yesterday I walked along a former monastery, now turned into a seniors home, with an extensive space that was just transformed in a garden. I watched the workers that had planted Dahlias and Roses underneath!!! huge Maple trees and were just planting Hostas next to the fence and wall, along the southern part of the garden were these poor Hostas will suffer under the full sun that hits this area all day long. I asked the foreman why they would plant the shade-loving Hostas in full sun. His answer: " I am a landscaper, I know what I am doing".
There you have it:
Lots of self-esteem makes up for lack of gardening knowledge.

Sun-Lovers

Full sun perennial flowers

Are you looking for summer color in an area of your yard that gets full sun? Many gardeners have a south facing section of their garden that receives a lot of strong sun from dawn to dusk.

These colorful plants require at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day:

Achillea (Yarrow), Allysum Saxatile (Basket-of-Gold), Blue Iris, Davodils, Stachys (Lambs Ear), Lavender, Monarda (Bee Balm), Cinquefoil (Potentilla) Shrub, Poppies, Echinacea (Purple Cone Flower), Salvia, Sedum Autumn Joy & Autumn Fire, Black Elderberry Shrub and Weigelas.

Maplelawn Historical Garden

Maplelawn Historical Garden
Hidden Gem in Ottawa:
A classical French garden layout, planted like an English cottage
garden and surrounded with a 2m high wall. The manor in this
garden resembles British classicism, houses the Keg Steakhouse
and Bar, featuring a quiet backyard patio in summer and is next
to the busy Richmond Rd, next to the Westboro "Village", a
popular shopping and restaurant district. I drove by hundreds ot

times and never stopped before - until today!

***
In the 19th century, there were many fine houses in Ontario - but few of
them were graced by walled gardens, and even fewer have survived.
The walled garden at Maplelawn in Canada's capital, is not only a rare
example, but it is also exceptionally well preserved.

In 1989, Maplelawn was designated a national historic site by the
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada because of : "...the
quality of the house, but more particularly because its gardens are the
best preserved of the few known surviving examples of early 19th
century walled gardens in Canada..." As an ensemble, the house and
remaining walled garden provide a clear record of the way European
architectural and landscape ideas were transplanted to Canada.
In 1993, the garden was receiving only basic maintenance until a
volunteer group, known as Friends of Maplelawn Garden, was formed.
These volunteers entered into an agreement with the National Capital
Commission (NCC) to study, preserve and rehabilitate the walled
garden, making use of the large variety of perennials, such as the old
peonies for which the garden was once famous, still thriving within its
walls.
Situated along Richmond Road (opened in 1818), Maplelawn was
established in 1831 by William Thompson, a Scottish immigrant.
Maplelawn was successively owned by three families: the Thompson,
the Cole and the Rochester (related by marriage to the Coles), all
leading families in the community who participated in its political,
agricultural and business life. All three families had a special interest
in the garden and expended considerable effort to keep it well cultivated and in luxuriant flower.

Almost from the beginning and well into the 1980's, Maplelawn Garden
was the glory of the neighborhood.
(from the Maplelawn website)

Beautiful Peonies at the Farm

Have a look before they disappear... until next year

These Peonies can be admired at the Experimental Farm in Ottawa. But hurry up, the temperatures climb up to 30 degrees Celsius and they might not bloom longer than another week. I took these images a day after a heavy rainfall, but they were still beautiful.

Peonies are amazing, very long-living flowers/bushes: The peony is among the longest-used flowers in ornamental culture and is one of the smallest living creature national Emblems in China. Along with the plum blossom, it is a traditional floral symbol of China.

According to Wikipedia they are named after Paean, a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower.

Once planted the Peony likes to be left alone and punishes those who try to move it by not flowering again for several years. Once established, however, it produces splendid blooms each year for decades. The blossom heads are very heavy and need some support to avoid weeping down.

Their marvelous fragrance and bountiful flowers make them a must-have perennial. Peonies are drought tolerant, low maintenance and deer-resistant. See more images and tips at the Canadian Peony Society Page.

For the Novice Gardener

Wondering what to plant in sunny spots?

Here are some sun loving plants:

YARROW (Achillea)
Will grow in dry soil, tolerates drought and some salt and likes well-drained, loamy or sandy soils. Plants grown in too rich soil tend to be tall and floppy. Divide every 2 years in spring or fall. This plant is very undemanding. Excellent for cut and dried flowers, fragrant and attracts butterflies.

STONE CROP (Sedum)
The wide variety of stone crop is a dependable choice for the late summer and fall garden, offering foliage interest earlier in the season, then a colourful display of flowers in the fall - from August to November."Autumn Joy" is by far the most popular of these, a familiar sight when it begins to produce green broccoli-like buds in mid-summer, which gradually open into enormous dusty-pink flower heads, finally deepening to rich bronzy-red. Even the dead flower heads have good winter effect. In rich soils, plants may be pinched in June to prevent floppiness. A classic perennial!

LAMBS EAR (Stachys)
They are a superb foliage plant that reaches a height of about 1 foot. The gracefully shaped leaves are a woolly and silvery white that is extraordinarily effective in combination with a wide range of colors from fire-engine red to golden yellow to gentian-blue. In late spring or early summer, the plants send up furry, silver stalks of small lilac pink flowers on spikes to about 2 feet high. The somewhat fragrant flowers are not very small. Bees love the flowers.

CLEMATIS
Clematis enable the gardener to have masses of bloom from late winter to late fall. To accomplish this, varieties with different bloom times can be grown together or planted in complimentary areas of the garden. In colder climates where temperatures drop below 0°F (-20°C) foundation planting and mulch are required to ensure a long life. The old adage of "their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade" must be adhered to at all times. Best plant Clematis behind a low growing shrub that will give shade to the first 2 feet of the plant.

PEONY
Peonies are long-lived (over 50 years), drought tolerant and low maintenance. Peony flowers come in a range of colours, including yellow, coral, peach and lavender, in addition to white, blush, pink, magenta, and red. Peonies grow two to four feet tall and thrive in sunny flowerbeds and well-drained soils. Although they tolerate a wide range of soil types, you'll have the best success with good soil rich in organic matter. Add compost and blood meal in fall in a circle around the plant.

MAGNOLIA
is famous for its beautifully shaped, very fragrant flowers. The color begins early May, with your tree adorned with 4 inch blossoms that are red purple on the outside and white on the inside. Magnolia trees are a strong, vigorous grower with an upright habit. Place your tree in full sun in soil amended with some organic matter to improve drainage and nutrient holding capacity. Hardy to USDA zone 5 to 6 and all higher zones. Pruning a magnolia tree should be avoided.

ROSA RUGOSA
Rugosa roses are very hardy and disease resistant, and known for their ability to grow in the most hostile environment, both hot and cold. Rugosa’s survive despite neglect and are popular as a thorny, dense hedge. The fragrance is sweet and pleasant. It will grow in salty conditions, shade, full sun, and poor soil, so long as it's well-drained. Along the East Coast it even grows right in the sandy beaches! There are other reasons to grow this beauty besides the low maintenance. Large blooms cover this plant in early summer, giving way to sporadic blossoms up to the first frost in November.

WEIGELA
Weigela are very adaptable shrubs and most are small enough for any size garden, especially with a little pruning in the spring. This beautiful plant / shrub has not only attractive flowers, but also showy leaves, especially the variety "My Monet". The only requirement is full sun to produce copious flowers. The problem with Weigela is deciding which cultivar to grow from over 180 named cultivars. Grow in full sun and protect from winter wind in cold areas. Prune annually after flowering slows down. Many of the newer varieties repeat bloom sporadically during the season.

More tips for new gardeners

First-time Gardeners:

HARDINESS ZONE
It is usually shown on a map. These zones show a geographically-defined area in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by climatic conditions, including its ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone.
In order to survive our harsch winter climate in Ontario, the plants you buy should not have a higher hardiness zone than 5.

COMPOST - FERTILIZER
Compost is an organic!!! fertilizer and mulch. Learn how to make organic fertilizer in a compost pile and benefits of compost as organic fertilizer and mulch:- Making compost is cheap or free.- Organic compost improves the environment.
- Compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration.
- As a mulch, compost helps the soil retain water.
- Compost is an organic fertilizer that improves soil and plants.
- Compost stimulates healthy root development.
- A compost pile is an excellent means of disposing of organic debris, leaves, food wastes, grass clippings, etc.
- Organic compost improves the environment.
- AND IT IS FREE!!!

COMMERCIAL FERTILIZER
Major Ingredients: Most commercial fertilizers have 3 numbers on the front label, separated by dashes. For example: 5-10-5. This is the fertilizer analysis or percentage by weight of the 3 major nutrients plants need: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, in that order. These are abbreviated as N-P-K. This example contains 5% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus and 5% potassium. The remaining 80% could be comprised of other nutrients and filler.

Nitrogen: The first number gives the concentration of nitrogen in the product.
Nitrogen encourages foliage growth, among other benefits.
Phosphorous: The middle number refers to the concentration of phosphorous. Phosphorous contributes to many fundamental plant processes such as rooting and setting flower buds. Potassium: The final number states the concentration of potassium.
Potassium contributes to the overall health and vigor of plants.

HOW TO READ THE PLANT LABELS
Plants that you buy at nurseries or garden centers always have labels that show the maximum height and width of the mature plant - to show you how far apart they should be planted from each other. Most important is the location info, if the plant likes sun or shade (or partial shade) and the watering instructions. Then you can find the hardiness zone, blooming time and pruning instructions. Most of the time these instructions are given as pictograms.

MULCHING
Place mulch around the plants. This serves many purposes; it cuts down on weeding, as well as aiding in temperature control and water retention. Your flower bed will always look fresh and groomed. Even if you love to work the soil and weed the plants - it would be more rewarding to tending to the plants or just watching them grow, rather than weeding.

WATERING
If you have lots of trees and shrubs in your garden, your perennial flowers live in dry shade and are very thirsty, as they receive very little rain and the big roots of the trees "steal" them their moisture.Water the roots - not the leaves. Water around the plant, not on top of it. The tap water we use in the garden is not as good as rain water for the plants. Ideal would be to install a rain barrel.
To maintain really healthy plants, water for longer periods of time, but less frequently. If it is not raining, water at least once a week. Do not let the plants dry out.
Always water very early in the morning so the plant leaves have time to dry out during the day which helps prevent fungal disease and sunburn (water acts like a magnifier glass of the sun rays).

PLANT A HERB GARDEN

The sunny part of your garden is ideal for herbs. All herbs prefer full sun and well-drained and "fluffy" soil, maybe added with a little bit coarse sand. Herbs are blooming too! Here is a variety of herbs with attractive blooms, just plant them in a sunny flower bed between your other perennials.

Lavender
Compact, green foliage is topped with fragrant spikes of blue flowers. An excellent border and pot plant.

Basil
Basil is a beautiful plant that has culinary, medicinal and ornamental qualities. There are about 150 species and they can be rich, spicy and mildly peppery and are used traditionally in Mediterranean, Italian and Thai cooking.

Chives
Tastes like mild, sweet onions. Great in salads or herbal vinegars.

Rosemary
Goes great with poultry, lamb, pork and is terrific in vinegars. Mulch well or cover with evergreens before winter.

Sage (Salvia)Beautiful gray-green foliage, with blue flowers. Used in sausages, pork and veal dishes, as well as in poultry stuffings.

Oregano
Used in a variety of tomato dishes and in Italian, Spanish and Mexican cooking as well as in vinegars.

Orange Thyme
A citrusy thyme that is excellent with fish, roasted vegetables, stews and soups or in marmalades and chutneys.

Freezing your herbs:
I use a lot of herbs for cooking. But some herbs grow so vigorously that I have to cut the surplus in fall. I rinse the twigs thoroughly under running water, cut them in tiny pieces, fill them into a separate ziplog bag for each type, (mark the name on the bag) and store them in the freezer. That gives me herbs for many months ahead and memories of summer.

NEW TO GARDENING

Some tips for novice gardeners

Choosing the right plant for the right spot is important if you want your plants to thrive. Here are some "staples" of easy-to-grow perennials and shrubs in gardening zone 4 and 5 (Eastern Ontario):

Plants for Shade:

HYDRANGIA
Plant in spring or fall in a partly shady site with moist, well-drained soil and amend with well-rotted manure or compost. Monitor soil moisture all season. In dry periods, hydrangea leaves become distinctly wilted; water immediately when this happens. In spring and after flowering, feed with compost or a balanced fertilizer, following label directions. To increase the size of the decorative flowers, cut back the previous year's growth to 3-5 buds in spring.In early spring, remove any dead branches or, if necessary, old growth, making cuts at the base of the plant for best growing habit.

HOSTA

The most beautiful for me is Hosta Sieboldiana with its blue-green foliage. It requires shade and well drained soil. Large mound size at maturity.Like other hostas, it is easy to care for and will continue to flourish year after year. Hosta sieboldiana's heart-shaped foliage looks its best when grown in a shady spot.

WHITE BLEEDING HEART (Dicentra spectabilis)
Dicentra spectabilis "Alba" has two distinguishing features that set it apart from the regular pink form of the species. The most obvious feature is its white heart-locket flowers. But additionally the leaves are lime-green rather than green. It can easily grow to two feet high & fountaining outward to two feet.

ASTILBE

Shade to sunshine. The trick to growing this plant is to ensure it has adequate moisture. This is not a plant for dry soils. It will spread from 12-inches to as large as you want to allow it to grow. This means of course that you can propagate it by dividing it in the spring or fall. Compost added in the spring is all the fertilizing it requires. Varieties: Too many to list all of them, colors from white to pink, salmon and burgundy red.

CORAL BELLS (Heuchera)

These Heuchera are a terrific choice for adding a touch of colour towards the front of border. The maple-shaped leaves vary in all shades. Taller sprays of flowers appear in late spring. This lovely perennial came originally from the Rocky Mountains. Then the hybridizers went to work to add a touch of their magic here and there. Hardy to zone 4, but in milder areas the foliage colour can often be maintained through the winter. Heuchera is one of those very accommodating plants that will adapt to most any situation provided it is given a moist, well-drained location.Trim off any withered or tired-looking leaves in spring.

JAPANESE PAINTED FERN

This fern grows around twelve to eighteen inches tall and slowly multiplies to form a large clump. The fronds are approximately eighteen inches long and are a soft-grey metallic colour with hints of red and blue. The centre stem is red so the contrast is excellent. It is a lovely plant preferring partial shade rather than deep shade; grow it under the soft shade of a tree. If grown in a good soil, it will hold its colouring all summer long, from the earliest spring fronds right through late fall.

MOCK ORANGE (Philadelphus)

These shrubs flower on the previous year’s growth, so to keep them abundant, you need to remove all the branches which have flowered in the current year. If you do this in September, you can simply stick the old branches in the ground and most of them will break into leaf the next spring. Mock-oranges are very easy to propagate, take softwood cuttings in summer or hardwood cuttings in autumn or winter.The large, white, deliciously fragrant flowers from early to mid-summer are what earns mock orange a place in the garden. To keep plants in shape, cut back shoots to a strong buds every year after flowering. On older plants, also remove roughly a quarter of the oldest branches each year to encourage new growth.

ROSA GLAUCA
This rose was not widely grown in gardens until the end of the 19th century, when its refined wildness and beauty out of the flowering season first began to be appreciated. It has cinnamon-coloured arching canes 1.5-3 m tall. The most distinctive feature is its leaves, which are glaucous blue-green to coppery or purplish. The fragile, clear pink flowers are produced in clusters of two to five. The fruit is a dark red hip. Mature size: Height: 6 feet (2 m). Width: 5 feet (1.5 m). Flowering period: June, Rosa Glauca likes half shade, lightly prune immediately after flowering.

These are just a few of thousends of shade loving plants thriving in my garden.