Shasta daisies were and still are one of my Mom’s favourite flowers. There were always Shastas in the garden; I have vivid memories as a child of approaching them and being repelled by the fragrance of the blooms! They were a reliable perennial that bloomed happily with little input from the gardener. But the varieties […]
Pity the plant that has “weed” in its common name. It doesn’t hold a good connotation; regardless of any admirable qualities it may have, the word definitely typecasts that plant. Such is the case with Eupatorium purpureum, also known as Joe-Pye weed. The fact that it grows along roadsides right across the country doesn’t help. […]
There are many plants which I see growing in other gardens, and think “That’s cool.” Salix integra ‘Flamingo’ is one such plant. June’s cooler temperatures and rain seem to have energized this plant and they look spectacular right now. There are few, if any plants, that have such a vivid combination of pink, white and […]
Berberis thunbergii ‘Rose Glow’ For decades this species of berberis, or barberry, was banned from Western Canada because it was a host plant for a rust disease that affected wheat. Nursery growers and gardeners alike cheered when that ban was lifted because a new group of shrubs with all manner of attributes could now be […]
