Latest articles from Saskatchewan Perennial Society

Coral bells, alumroot (Heuchera spp.)

Sask Perennial Society
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Coral bells, alumroot (Heuchera spp.)

Sara Williams

Saskatchewan Perennial Society

Long lived and long flowering, the coral bells listed below have been a stalwart of my prairie garden for decades. The pink to red flowers emerge faithfully in early June and continue blooming for well over a month. The genus was named to honor Johann Heinrich von Heucher (1677-1747), a professor of medicine at Wittenberg, Germany. Coral bells describes the dainty, bell-like flowers in shades from pink to red. The older common name, seldom heard now, is alumroot and refers to the high concentration of tannin in the roots, a compound once used to stop bleeding.

A myriad of tiny pink to red, bell-shaped flowers are held on slender wiry stems of 50 to 60 cm (20-24 in.) above a basal rosette of foliage. The dark green, semi-evergreen leaves are rounded to heart-shaped with scalloped margins. As Henry Marshall noted, “Heuchera foliage is frequently evergreen, resembling a geranium leaf in outline and texture.” The woody crown slowly increases to form larger clumps but is never invasive.

Coral bells flourish in full sun to light shade (but with less flowering in shade) in average, well-drained soil. Deadhead them to prolong flowering. They are exceptionally drought-tolerant once established

They are lovely toward the front of a perennial border, as a massed ground cover or in a rock garden. Coral bells are easily increased through division in early spring.

Varieties

In the last decade or so an amazing array of coral bells, with unique leaf colours and patterns, many in alluring purples, bronzes and silvers, have flooded the prairie market. Most were developed in Britain, Europe or the United States. Few were tested for hardiness in northern zones prior to their release and almost none of these has proved to be enduring, most lasting only two or three years. A new strain is emerging with some of its parentage coming from our native Heuchera richardsonii that hopefully will combine beautiful foliage with a tougher constitution.

For now, the Morden hybrids, bred by Henry Marshall who crossed H. sanguinea with H. richardsionii in Manitoba beginning in the late 1950s, are our best bet.

‘Brandon Pink’ (1957) has bright, coral-pink flowers in July. It is about 60 cm (2 ft) in height, with dense, almost evergreen, faintly mottled foliage. It is vigorous, drought and wind tolerant. Mature plants may have 50+ flowering stems.

‘Brandon Glow’ (1967) has darker pink flowers in a more open panicle and is slightly shorter at 45 cm (20 in.) with distinctly mottled green and white foliage. 

‘Northern Fire’ (1979), a seedling of ‘Brandon Pink’, has currant or dark red flowers and is about 60 cm (2 ft) in height. It blooms for 6 weeks from June to early July with attractive foliage all summer.

‘Ruby Mist’ has dark green, evergreen foliage and ruby red flowers on 45 cm (18 in.) stems. It has a longer bloom period than ‘Northern Fire’.

Sidebar: Henry Marshall (1916-1994)

Born near Miami, Manitoba, except for the war years, he never strayed far from that area. His formative years coincided with the drought and depression. Although his formal education ended with grade nine, he later taught himself botany, genetics and statistics. Both of his parents were interested in horticulture and obviously passed that interest onto him.

He began work at the Morden Research Station and married Geneviere Evangeline (Eva) Foresman in 1940.  They were to have four sons. Henry served with the Canadian Army in Holland and Germany from 1943 to 1946. He rarely spoke of those years except for the time while waiting to be shipped home from England when he was able to take a horticulture course at the John Innes Institute.

After the war he was employed as a gardener at the Brandon Research Centre where he began plant breeding, an activity with which his superiors were not always happy. During his career at Brandon and later Morden (1970-1981), he introduced hardy chrysanthemums, coral bells, monarda, roses and lilies as well as the ‘Starfire’ tomato, all the while keeping the grounds in perfect shape.

He was a prodigious writer who freely shared his knowledge with both the professional horticultural community and the home gardener. After his retirement, he wrote the Pembina Hills Flora, from which he had collected, identified and catalogued more than 570 species in more than 200 genera of plants. He had a strong connection to the land where he grew up which began when he was very young.

In 1974 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Brandon University, the same day on which his son Rick received his Bachelor’s degree, becoming the fourth of Henry’s sons to earn a university degree. In 1981 he was part of a five member delegation to collect seeds and plants in China.  In 1989 he was presented with the Stevenson Award and in 2000 was posthumously inducted into the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame.

“From the days of observing wild plums as he walked to school in Miami, to trekking the gullies and fields of the Pembina Hills, to climbing slopes in China, Henry was always aware of the plants around him.” Lynn Collicut


Henry Marshall

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Update on the Dutch Elm Disease situation in Saskatchewan

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Update on the Dutch Elm Disease situation in Saskatchewan

Jill Thomson

Dutch Elm Disease (DED) is probably one of the best-known tree diseases in any country where elm trees grow. It was originally identified in Holland, in 1921, by a Dutch plant pathologist. Since then, the disease has spread throughout Europe, parts of Asia, and most of the areas in North America where elms grow naturally.  It was first found in Ohio and eastern coast states in the early 1930’s and in eastern Canada in 1944.

It is a very complex disease, caused by two fungal species, Ophiostoma ulmi and Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, that have two spore stages that occur in the elm tree. One of these spore stages is responsible for the physical deterioration of the tree, and hence the symptoms of the disease. The other spore stage is involved in the transmission of the fungus from tree to tree. Three species of bark beetle (native elm bark beetle, European elm bark beetle and banded elm bark beetle) are responsible for the movement of these spores. The insects choose to lay their eggs in dead or dying elm wood, which typically has spores inside the woody tissues. When the insects’ eggs hatch they eventually produce the adult stage that leaves the infected wood, covered in spores, which are then “injected” into healthy trees by feeding adult beetles.

As a plant pathologist I am curious as to how this relationship came about. Were sick trees more attractive to beetles because it was easier to bore in and lay eggs? Why does the fungus produce 2 types of spores? Is one spore more readily transported by the emerging beetles? Lots of questions can be posed, and really the answers (if we ever find them) are irrelevant now, as the host/pathogen relationship is currently a very effective system for causing and spreading disease.

Different methods of control have been used in different regions. The most cost effective methods currently being used are prompt removal and destruction of trees with any signs of infection, pruning and removal of dead wood that would provide egg-laying sites for beetles, and prevention of distribution of infected material. The city of Saskatoon, and the government of Saskatchewan have developed pamphlets outlining these preventative measures. Help lines are listed to assist the public in identifying and preventing spread of DED. Some of these guidelines are even displayed on road signs (“Do NOT transport elm wood” around the province). About 20 years ago fungicidal treatments of specific trees were carried out but this was expensive and only used on very “important “trees. Chemical control of the bark beetles that are responsible for transmission of the fungus has also been tested.

Another method for reducing the impact of DED is to plant less susceptible trees in cities. The elm has been widely used as a shade tree in the majority of Canadian towns and cities, and several replacement species have different problems that become more obvious when planted on city streets. For example, in Saskatoon the cottony psyllid has been a more noticeable insect pest since ash trees were planted more frequently. Similarly black knot fungus infections are very obvious on the Mayday trees planted in the city. Some species of elm are less susceptible to DED; for example, Siberian elm is moderately tolerant to the disease unless it is weakened by other stresses, environmental or pest pressure. There are also breeding programs in progress that are trying to increase the resistance to disease in certain types of elms.

Identification of DED can be difficult as there are other pathogens that cause wilting, plus environmental conditions that can cause similar symptoms. The Saskatchewan Crop Protection Lab (CPL) in Regina, tests samples of elm wood for the presence of DED, using a method involving isolating and culturing the fungus present in the wood. This ensures that a correct diagnosis is made. In 2023, 481 samples were submitted to the CPL, almost 200 more samples than in 2022.  Of these samples, 193 tested positive for DED, 266 were negative , and 22 were found to have wilt caused by a different fungus – Dothiorella sp. The majority of these samples came from the cities of Saskatoon, Regina, and Moose Jaw, but the disease also occurs in parks, particularly among the elms growing beside the rivers. A map produced by the government of Saskatchewan shows the known extent of DED in 2023, and the area goes from Cumberland House in the north to Assiniboia in the south, Melfort, Outlook and Moose Jaw in the west to the Manitoba border in the east. These areas all contain river systems with stands of native elms.

In the past few years very precise laboratory tests have been developed to identify what fungus is present in diseased tissue, using biochemical analysis of the genetic code present in the fungal sample. This is helpful in discriminating between wilt caused by Ophiostoma species and Native elm wilt caused by Dothiorella sp. DED can cause death of trees very quickly (few months to a year), while the Native wilt usually progresses more slowly although it is eventually fatal. Removal and destruction of these infected trees is also recommended.

Whatever pathogen causes wilting and death of our elms, it is imperative that the public is vigilant in spotting possible disease, and that guidelines for pruning trees, disposing of infected wood, and not transporting elm wood are followed precisely.

Jill Thomson is a retired plant pathologist. She thanks James Bush ( Manager of the CPL) for information provided for this article.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Milkweeds for Monarchs

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Milkweeds for Monarchs

Bernadette Vangool

While many of us are concerned about the survival of monarch butterflies, a few may be surprised to learn that Saskatchewan is not part of their preferred breeding range. In Canada they most often breed in Southern and Central Ontario, followed by Quebec.  Manitoba is listed as uncommon and Saskatchewan as sparse. (1996 data). Nevertheless, it is a real thrill to see their larvae chomping on your milkweed and pretty amazing to see adults take off from your yard.

There are about 100 milkweed varieties in North America of which 14 are native to Canada. A study in Iowa found that among the nine local milkweeds observed, the female monarchs most often laid their eggs on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), both species common in Canada. It was also noted that depending on the season or growing conditions, all other species were also frequented.

Even though the range of bloom times cited for most milkweeds is May to September, in Saskatchewan milkweeds typically bloom later, from late June until early September. I have adjusted the heights of the plants to those typically observed here. So, lets have a look at the five milkweeds native to our province.

Whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) should probably be avoided near pets and kids because of its toxicity. Its grass-like leaves blend in with grasses. It grows best in dry soils of various types, but will also thrive in average moist garden soil. Besides the monarch, it is also attractive to other pollinators. Typically between 20 cm to 50 cm high depending on growing conditions, the blooms are flat-topped clusters of greenish white flowers.

Green milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora), also known as green comet milkweed, has opposite leaves that are waxy to the touch. Their shape varies depending on growing conditions. The top leaves often cup around the greenish yellow flower cluster. It usually sends up three stalks from the growing point, some of which may be recumbent, reducing its showiness as a landscape plant. Found in Saskatchewan in the Qu’appelle Valley on hillsides, it does not thrive in disturbed areas. A more solitary plant, it does not form colonies. Plant it in full sun or partial shade.

Dwarf milkweed (Asclepias ovalifolia), also known as oval-leaved milkweed, as its name suggests, is shorter than other milkweeds, probably around 24 cm to 50 cm. It has oval-shaped, opposite leaves that are a little broader at the base and narrow to the tip. With an upright habit, the flowers are fragrant, white to pale green with pinkish overtones. It likes dry conditions in full sun to partial shade.

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), is native to eastern Saskatchewan, but colonizes readily in areas disturbed by agriculture. It can reach heights from 1 to 2.5 m in garden settings. Very aggressive, a neighbour had it for several years and it seemed well behaved, but after the third year it became quite difficult to keep contained and this year has been “permanently controlled”. The leaves are broad, oblong to elliptical-shaped, thick and darker on top than their underside. They are opposite and in pairs. The flowers are spherical umbels, not particularly showy, ranging from pale pink to violet.

Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) is said to be less aggressive than common milkweed. Very drought tolerant, it does well in a wide range of soils. Up to 90 cm tall, it has pompom clusters of white pinkish star-shaped flowers.

Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), native to Manitoba, is the least poisonous and least aggressive of the species and is sold in the nursery trade as a garden plant. ‘Ice Ballet’ is a white selection while ‘Cinderella’  sports large clusters of rose-pink flowers. “Cinderella’ late to emerge in spring, has done extremely well in my garden, and does not seem to be spreading. Clumps are 1 to 1.5m tall and enlarge a little each year. I remove the seedpods before they open and have a mulched garden. The long narrow leaves are opposite and in pairs.  In full sun, they do well under normal garden conditions.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Sorting through the Milkweed debate

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Sorting through the Milkweed debate

Bernadette Vangool

Saskatchewan Perennial Society

By now most people have been alerted to the plight of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and naturalists across the US and Canada are urging gardeners to include milkweed in their landscapes. Female monarchs will deposit their eggs on the underside of the leaves of milkweeds. Their larvae, the distinctly striped white yellow and black caterpillars, will feed exclusively on these plants.

All milkweeds (Asclepias), aptly named after Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine, contain cardiac glycoside compounds or cardenolides which are passed on to the monarch, making it unpalatable to predators. Most animals avoid eating milkweeds as they taste bad and they therefore seldom consume lethal quantities.

Across the continent, the increased use of herbicides combined with the increased conversion of grassland to cropland, has resulted in the decline of milkweed, the all important food source for the migratory monarch population. Thus, other than our gardens, milkweed are only prevalent  on roadsides, conservation lands and pasture land. A study in Central Nebraska in 2018 found that while deer avoided common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and showy milkweed (Asclepias Speciosa), cattle happily grazed them as part of their balanced buffet of grasses, showing no ill effects. The study showed that cattle can safely graze low amounts of milkweed and that control efforts are often unnecessary. (1)

Unfortunately, not all milkweeds are created equal. It has been found that the narrow-leaved varieties, such as whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) which has grass-like leaves that whirl around a main stem, can be detrimental. These milkweeds contain additional neurotoxins, besides the cardenolides, which in small quantities can prove lethal to horses and perhaps cattle as well. In the pasture, grazers can normally avoid these species. The problem occurs when they are served up as hay, and the animals are unable to distinguish it from healthy food. Whorled milkweed is native to south-eastern Saskatchewan. It once grew quite abundantly in the Souris Valley, but the building of the Rafferty dam flooded most of its preferred habitat, so it is now quite rare. Even though seed may be available, because of its high toxicity it is suggested not to grow this variety near livestock and hay land.

To complicate matters, there is tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), also sold as Mexican butterfly weed or bloodflower. A zone 8 to 10 plant, it would be considered an annual in Saskatchewan. It is easy to propagate and can be produced quickly for sale. It has colourful flowers and lush foliage attractive to customers browsing the nurseries. In temperate zones it does not die back in winter and becomes a carrier of Ophryocystis elektroscirrha or OE, a protozoan parasite that travels with the monarch butterfly and is deposited on the leaves. In temperate zones when plants are over-wintered, these parasites build up on the leaves to such an extent that when ingested by the caterpillars, they cause deformities in emerging butterflies. Our native and perennial species of milkweed die back each year, effectively killing off these parasites.

Another reason not to grow these annual species is that they can stay in bloom for a very long period, often till freeze up. Most native species will finish flowering by the end of August or early September, signalling the butterflies to start their trek south. The annual species can thus confuse the monarchs into another breeding season here instead of overwintering in warmer zones. Besides these concerns, climate change has resulted in warmer weather. Warmer weather increases the cardenolide levels in the tropical milkweed, making them toxic to even the butterflies. (2)

Enough doom and gloom, but stay tuned next week to look at many varieties of milkweed that can flourish in your back yard.

(1)  Cattle Graze Central US Milkweeds as Much as Grasses, Even Under Patch-    Burn-Grazing Management – Science Direct

(2)  Tropical Milkweed – A No-Grow by Justin Wheeler – April 2018

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Dwarf Sour Cherries: varieties, pruning and care

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Dwarf Sour Cherries: varieties, pruning and care

Sara Williams

The dwarf sour cherries bred at the University of Saskatchewan since 1999 are dwarf but not always sour. Many can be eaten fresh right off the bush. Rather than trees, they are grown as multi-stem shrubs, 8 to 9 feet (240-275 cm) high. But they can be easily maintained at 6 to 7 feet (180-215) with regular pruning.

Bush cherries often start fruiting in their fourth or fifth year when they are about 4 feet (120 cm) tall.  By the time they are 6 x 4 feet (180 x 120 cm) they are generally yielding 20 to 30 pounds (9-14 lb) of fruit.  In Saskatchewan, most of these cherries fruit from the last week in July to the second week of August. The fruit can be bright red, burgundy or almost black when fully ripe.

These dwarf sour cherries are best grown as multi-stem shrubs. About 8 to 9 feet (240-275 cm) in height, their glossy green leaves, showy white flowers and bright fruit lend them ornamental as well as food value. Sour cherries are self-compatible. They do not need pollen from another variety or bush in order to set fruit.

Bush varieties released by the University of Saskatchewan include:

‘Carmine Jewel’ (1999, zone 2), the first dwarf sour cherry introduced by the University of Saskatchewan is also the first to ripen, often by the last week of July. The cherries have good flavour and aroma and are very good for processing. At 6-7 feet (180-210 cm) in height, it is a bit shorter than the other varieties. Its height, coupled with reduced suckering, make it ideal for an urban landscape.

The Romance Series:

‘Crimson Passion’ (2003, zone 3) has the highest quality fruit of the dwarf cherries, a blend of sweet and sour, good for fresh eating. It is the smallest (4-5 feet / 120-150 cm), rarely suckers and grows slowly, an excellent choice for smaller spaces.

‘Cupid’ (2003, zone 2 and perhaps colder) has black fruit on 7-8 feet (210-240 cm) bushes that ripen in early August. It blooms later, generally avoiding damaging late frosts. It has the largest fruit size (6.5 g) but its pits are often too large for hand-held pitters. Although its fruit yields are about half that of other varieties, its flavour is especially tangy and it’s excellent for dipping in chocolate or canning whole.

‘Juliet’ (2003, zone 2 and perhaps colder) has burgundy-red fruit averaging 5 g and excellent fresh flavour. It is 7-8 feet (210-240 cm) with a strong spreading form. It tends to bloom a few days earlier than other varieties and goes dormant a week or so earlier.

‘Romeo’ (2003, zone 3 and warmer) is considered the best of the cherries for fresh eating. It comes into production a year before other varieties, but has a tendency to over-produce which sometimes means lower yields in off years. The dark burgundy fruit average 4 g and ripen in early August. The plants are very similar to those of ‘Carmine Jewel.’

‘Valentine’ (2003, zone 2, worth trying in 1a) is the only dwarf cherry with bright red fruit, keeping its colour when dried while other varieties become almost black. The fruit weighs 4.5 g. It is the largest shrub of the dwarf sour cherries.

Planting and care:

Sour cherries do best in weed-free, well drained soils in full sun. They do not like “wet feet.” As individual plants, space the dwarf sour cherries about 5 feet (150 cm) apart. If a hedge if preferred, plant them 3 feet (90 cm) apart. To conserve moisture and control weeds, mulch them after planting with 4 inches (10 cm) of post peelings, wood chips, clean (weed-free) straw or leaves.

Apply a granular fertilizer such as 11-48-0, 16-20-0 or 11-48-0 just beyond their drip line in early spring before growth begins. Beware! Too much nitrogen encourages growth into late fall which may then not harden off in time for winter, creates leafy growth at the expense of fruit, and results in more succulent tissue that is vulnerable to disease and insect entry.

Pruning:

Dwarf sour cherries are shrubs, not trees. Once established, prune them in early spring before growth begins. Branches 7 years or older have reached the end of their productive years and should be removed. Begin pruning at the base, as close to soil level as possible. Remove about 25% of the oldest, thickest branches. By “opening up” the interior to sunlight and air movement, insect and disease habitat is reduced, while flower production is increased. This results in a higher yield of larger, tastier and better quality fruit.

Avoid simply “shearing” the shrub’s exterior. If sheared, the plant responds by developing multiple new stems at every cut, in effect, creating a “hedge” at the end of every sheared branch. Instead of increasing sunlight and air penetration to the interior, you will have further blocked it.

The biggest problem you’re likely to encounter with cherries is the cherry fruit fly. Naturalyte, a spinosad formulation, is registered for use by home gardeners.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Boxelder bugs – a big nuisance but harmless

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Boxelder bugs – a big nuisance but harmless

Cedric Gillott

With the return of warm, sunny weather, we have seen the emergence of huge numbers of adult boxelder bugs (also called maple bugs) from their overwintering sites. Initially, they accumulate where they can enjoy the benefit of the warming sun, especially therefore on south-facing structures such as tree trunks and (unfortunately) the walls of houses and other buildings. At this stage, their preferred host (boxelder, aka Manitoba maple) has not begun to leaf out so resting in the sun is a means of conserving energy.

By early May, boxelder will have produced either male or female flowers. (Boxelder is very unusual among plants in that it is dioecious; that is, it has distinct male and female individuals.) Almost simultaneously with flowering, the trees begin to leaf out and it is at this point that the boxelder bugs migrate to the newly available food source. Female boxelder bugs strongly prefer female trees, laying their eggs adjacent to the developing flowers from which seed capsules are produced. This habit, which provides the growing young with a readily available food source, may have evolved because the sap of the seed capsules is a richer food source than the sap from foliage, though this is speculation on the writer’s part.

Within a few weeks, the eggs will have hatched, giving rise to multitudes of tiny, bright red nymphs. As they develop, the nymphs will moult five times, gradually becoming more adult-like, most obviously in the development of the black wing buds, within which the adults’ wings are produced. Whether by accident or design, these older nymphs can often be seen on the ground (e.g., in lawns), presumably feeding on the sap from other plants to complete their growth. New season adults will be evident by early August. These will reach sexual maturity and mate before searching for overwintering sites as the days shorten and weather cools off in September. Favored overwintering places include leaf litter and under loose bark, and in tree trunk cracks and crevices. Unfortunately (from a human perspective!), the bugs’ search for a place to spend the winter sees them collecting in large numbers on south- and west-facing surfaces where they locate entry points to buildings, attracted by heat escaping from leaks around doors, windows, vents, etc.

Though it’s little consolation to homeowners in central and southern Saskatchewan, it’s worth noting that boxelder bug populations are currently also booming in southeastern Alberta and southern Manitoba, following the natural distribution of their preferred host. However, the wide use of boxelder as a shade/boulevard tree in urban areas and on farmsteads has enabled boxelder bugs to widen their range in recent decades.

The boxelder bug population boom that we are currently experiencing is not unusual among insects (grasshoppers are another group that show this tendency). Population numbers rise and fall, usually in cycles that last 5 to 7 years; but, the duration of a cycle is very dependent on climatic conditions. Thus, our recent hot, dry summers, combined with the relatively mild winters that we have experienced, have been ideal for the boxelder bugs’ current survival and reproductive success. Few birds appear to feed on boxelder bugs, presumably because like a well- known cough medicine they “taste awful”. Similarly, they appear to be prey for very few insects. However, it should be noted that little research has been done on boxelder bugs’ natural enemies (predators, parasites and pathogens), presumably because the bugs are considered merely as a nuisance pest with no economic importance.

Of course, the million-dollar question from home owners is “What can be done to get rid of these smelly pests that leave their excreta everywhere?”. Sadly, the simple answer is “Nothing”. Outdoors, some temporary satisfaction may be gained by the application of a commercial insecticide or a home-made spray such as a dilute soap solution. However, the result will just be transient, as more individuals will quickly recolonize the space. Where boxelder bugs find their way indoors, prevention is better than cure; that is, seal joints around windows, doors, and vents for driers, air conditioners, etc. If a few bugs still gain entry, simply kill them with a fly swatter. For larger numbers, get out the vacuum cleaner!

Cedric Gillott is a retired entomologist and professor emeritus in the Department of Biology at the University of Saskatchewan.This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

2024 All-America Selection Winners

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2024 All-America Selection Winners

Sara Williams

All-America Selections was founded in 1932 and remains the oldest independent plant testing organization in North America. Every year, new, never before sold in North America varieties are trialed in their Trial Grounds. Professional horticulturists determine which varieties will be deemed winners based on their garden performance. All AAS Winners are grown in AAS Display and Introduction Gardens across North America.

Here are the 2024 ASA winners:

Broccoli ‘Purple Magic’

This purple broccoli has beautiful purple color, tight uniform domed heads and great broccoli flavor. It is easy to grow and stress and heat tolerant.

“Wicked good! Nicest purple broccoli we’ve ever seen” exclaimed one very experienced judge. An excellent broccoli for cooler seasons. It can be eaten raw, stir-fried, roasted, lightly blanched or steamed. It was found to be sweeter and more tender than traditional green broccoli.

Pepper ‘Red Impact’

‘Red Impact’ is a Lamuyo type European sweet pepper that is a smaller, flavorful version of a bell pepper with very sweet, thick-walled fruits. Lamuyo-type peppers are notoriously difficult to grow, but the new ‘Red Impact’ variety is easy to grow and produces thick, sweet walls, even when green. It is much sweeter than other varieties and loaded with fruit for a high yield. Red Impact plants are upright and tidy, with strong disease resistance. The fruit is dark red and highly uniform in shape and size.

All-America Selections photo.
‘Red Impact’ is a Lamuyo type European sweet pepper that is a smaller, flavorful version of a bell pepper with very sweet, thick-walled fruits.

Celosia ‘Burning Embers’

‘Burning Embers’ is a new celosia bred for its gorgeous bronze foliage with dark pink veins that contrasts nicely with the vibrant pink flower plumes. The plants are well branched and produce more flowers over a longer bloom time. It had the largest and longest lasting flowers of all the celosia varieties trialed. It does very well under heat and humidity and is completely covered with blooms over the growing season. 

Geranium ‘Big EEZE Pink Batik’

The Big EEZE geranium series is known for its superior container performance, medium vigor, and heat tolerance. The newest addition to the series, ‘Pink Batik’, has unique coloration and minimal maintenance requirements.

Impatiens  Solarscape XL ‘Pink Jewel’

This seed-propagated impatiens provides unbeatable color in full or partial sun.  It outperformed the comparison varieties. Because it is grown from seed, it can be started at home. Vibrant pink satiny blooms cover the mounded plants all season, adding a bright tropical appeal to a garden. Solarscape XL ‘Pink Jewel’ has superior disease resistance, especially to downy mildew. It looks great when massed in beds and borders and does well in both containers and in-ground. 

Petchoa ‘EnViva Pink’

Petchoa is a fairly new genus, a cross between a petunia and a calibrachoa. ‘EnViva Pink’ displays a well-controlled mounding plant habit over the entire season. The bright pink flowers with yellow throats are very eye catching. The flowers have an iridescent shimmer that toughs it out even when conditions get tough. ‘EnViva’ retains its glorious color even during the heat of the summer. Large flowers bloom from spring through fall in garden beds, containers and hanging baskets. Plants are heat tolerant and flowers bounce back after rain. 

Petunia ‘SureShot White’

The versatile SureShot petunias withstand bizarre weather conditions. Whether planted in garden beds, containers or hanging baskets, these beauties will thrive, in rain or shine, heat or cold. Vibrant white blooms cover the plants, attracting bees and other pollinators to its lightly fragrant blossoms.

Marigold ‘Siam Gold’

‘Siam Gold’ has beautiful, mounded foliage that produces globe-like, fully double golden flowers all season long. The large flowers are held on top of sturdy stems above the foliage. The blooms were very tight and the uniformity of the plant lends a neat, tidy appearance to the garden. ‘Siam Gold’ is excellent as a cut flower. Plant in full sun.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

How Will You Celebrate Arbor Week? May 26th – June 1st

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How Will You Celebrate Arbor Week? May 26th – June 1st

By Jackie Bantle

It has always astonished me how little respect we sometimes give our trees in Saskatchewan.  Twenty three years ago when I lived in Vancouver for several months, I noticed that when urban building or renovation was happening, the trees in the vicinity of any home or street construction were completely protected by large barriers to ensure that the tree and the soil around the tree would not be disturbed.  Protecting trees in such a way in Saskatoon was a rare site back then.  The irony of it was that the ample rain and warm weather of the west coast grew trees to a size in 10 years that would take 50+ years to reach on the Prairies.  Thank goodness things have changed since then and we now have bylaws in place to protect our urban trees.  In 2020, the Government of Saskatchewan declared the last week of May to be Arbor week.  This year, Arbor week occurs from May 26th – June 1st.  Following are some of the events happening in Saskatoon during Arbor week, 2024.

SOS Trees Coalition have put together an exciting week of events: all the details can be found at http://www.sostrees.ca/arborweek.html.  This year’s theme for Arbor week in Saskatoon is “Homegrown Resilience”.  Tree planting, tours, talks, films and poetry are all part of the events. 

The week will kick off with a community tree planting activity led by SOS Trees members and students from St. Francis Cree school.  Everyone is welcome to come and help plant a naturalized tree and shrub forest at 2506 Macpherson Avenue on Friday, May 24th.    Another public work event will take place later in the week on Thursday, May 30th when Meewasin’s resource team will lead the public in wrapping trees along the riverbank with wire fencing to protect special trees from beaver damage.    

Throughout Arbor week, guided public tours of some of the best tree sanctuaries within the city of Saskatoon are planned.  The University of Saskatchewan’s Patterson Garden Arboretum guided tour will be held on Wednesday, May 29th beginning at 3:00pm.  Later on in the evening of that same day, the Friends of Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. will be leading a Tree-athlon at George Genereux urban regional park.  On Friday evening (May 31st) the Friends of Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. will lead another tour and immersive experience through the 326 acre Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation area on the western edge of Saskatoon.

If you are unable to attend the scheduled guided tours, SOS Trees has put together a QR Code self-guided tree tour in two different locations in the city:  Meewasin Park North and Thornton Park.  The guided interpretive walk will provide audio, via your cell phone, with information about specific trees and how they contribute to a healthy ecosystem.  This audio guided walk will only be available during Arbor week.

In addition to the tree tours, there are several opportunities during the week to hear presentations from writers, experts and naturalists talk about how trees benefit human health and inspire us as humans.  The Remai Art Gallery is hosting a public film viewing based on the famous book, “The Hidden Life of Trees” by Peter Wohlleben during the evening of May 30th.

One of the events that I am most excited about during Arbor week is the ‘Twigs and Trees’ contest being held this year.  Everyone is invited to nominate their favorite Saskatoon tree.  By sending a photo and telling SOS Trees why you love this tree, you will be entered in a contest to win exciting prizes.  Unfortunately, we are only allowed to enter one of our favorite trees! 

Of course, one of the best ways we can observe Arbor week is to plant a tree.  It is important to plant the right tree in the right place.  Join Rick van Duyvendyk on Wednesday, May 22nd at 7pm at Dutch Growers as he tours your through the nursery and highlights new and old favorites that are hardy for the Prairies.  Take note that this event is being held PRIOR to Arbor week  so that you will be ready to plant the following week.  If your yard is full and you have no more room to plant a tree, consider becoming a member of the SOS Trees Coalition (www.sostrees.ca) or making a monetary donation to Meewasin Valley to plant a tree or shrub along the river valley.

Trees provide beauty, homes for many birds and animals, shelter us during strong winds and cool us during the extreme heat of summer.  Hopefully Arbor week 2024 is just the start of a long, respectful and caring relationship between you and the trees.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Vegetables for the Beginner Gardener

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Vegetables for the Beginner Gardener

Jackie Bantle, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

Not all vegetables grow equally well.  There are some vegetables that are more fool proof, more forgiving and just easier to grow than others.  Following are some vegetables that new gardeners should try in order to gain self-confidence and achieve success. 

Start off your gardening season by sowing your spinach seed in early May.  Spinach can withstand a few degrees of frost so there is no risk of killing plants in the event of a late spring frost.  Sow seeds 1-2cm apart within the row and 1 cm deep.  Spinach rows should be a minimum of 30cm apart.   As the spinach emerges, thin plants to 5cm between plants.

Beets, romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, peas, carrots, kale, kohlrabi and dill can all be direct seeded in mid-May.  Like spinach, beets can be seeded very close together and then thinned to 6-10cm between plants later in the season.  Space between rows should be a minimum of 50cm.  Small beet seedling leaves are tasty in any salad.  For your favorite recipe of beet leaves rolled with bread and dill sauce, try growing “Green Top Bunching”:recommended for their abundant leaves.  Beet roots are ready to harvest as soon as their roots reach a reasonable size (2–10cm). 

Of all the different types of lettuces to grow, romaine (cos) and leaf lettuce is the easiest in the northern garden.  Like beets and spinach, lettuce can be sown densely and then thinned to 10cm spacing between plants within the row.  The young lettuce plants that are thinned out provide excellent baby salad greens.  Spacing between rows for lettuce should be 30 cm. 

One of the easiest leafy vegetables to grow is Swiss chard.  Space plants 2-3cm apart with a minimum of 30cm between rows.  Plants are ready to harvest as soon as they reach a usable size (usually 20-30cm).  Harvest Swiss chard by cutting stems at ground level.  Plants will regrow throughout the season so that multiple harvests are possible.

Peas should be planted 1cm deep and 3-4cm between plants.  Choose pea cultivars that are bred for resistance to powdery mildew and viruses.  To minimize disease, ensure there is good air movement around pea plants (especially if they are not being supported with trellises or cages).  Space pea rows at least 50cm apart. 

Except for kale and kohlrabi, vegetables from the brassica/cabbage family are difficult to grow in the prairie garden due to severe insect and disease issues.  Direct seed kale and kohlrabi in early spring.  Both crops will survive several degrees of frost.  Spring seeded kale can be ready to harvest as early as mid-July whereas kohlrabi stems are usually not harvested until mid or late July.  Harvest kohlrabi stems that are 5-10cm in diameter.  

If your garden has a rich sandy-loam soil, carrots will be an easy crop to grow.  Seed carrot seeds in early-mid May, 1-2cm apart and 30cm between rows.  Keep soil moist until carrot seedlings emerge.  Seed carrots extra thick if irrigation will not be available.  There are three main types of carrots available:  imperator, nantes and danvers.  Nantes types are the juiciest and best tasting.   

As a new vegetable gardener, include potatoes in the garden.  If the potato seed tubers are disease free and healthy, potato plants will emerge and grow under some of the most stressful conditions.  Potato tubers must have at least one viable sprout (or ‘eye)/piece.  Plant potato pieces 10-15cm deep with at least 50cm between plants and rows.  Potato yields will increase if you mound soil around the base of the potato plant (i.e. hilling) about 4 and 8 weeks after planting.  New potatoes can be harvested as early as late July. 

Green and yellow bush beans are easy vegetables to grow if they are seeded into warm soil:  at least 15°C (usually late May in a northern garden).  Cool soils tend to encourage seed rot and poor seedling vigour.  Plant bean seeds 1-1.5cm deep, 3-4cm apart within the row.  Rows should be spaced at least 30cm apart.   Choose bean cultivars that have been bred with tolerance to common viruses. 

Pumpkins are an easy, fun crop to include in your vegetable garden.  Choose a cultivar that will mature in 90 days or less; pie pumpkins and smaller jack-o-lanterns are usually earlier maturing than larger cultivars.  Seed the pumpkins directly into the soil after the third week in May.  Allow 4m2 of space for each pumpkin plant.

Sow zucchini seed directly into the soil late in May; 2cm deep.  Allow 1m2 for each plant.  Zucchini plants can produce either yellow or green fruit.  There is no difference in flavor however, the yellow fruit is much easier to see for harvesting than the green fruit. 

Vegetable plants have limited root systems and require weekly water.  Early in the season, water your garden every couple of days and less thoroughly while those tiny seeds are germinating.  By mid-season, the veggie garden should be watered less frequently but more thoroughly, providing at least 2.5cm of water/week.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Alliums or ornamental onions (Allium spp.)

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Alliums or ornamental onions (Allium spp.)

Sara Williams

Saskatchewan Perennial Society

Attractive, drought-tolerant, long-lived and trouble-free, alliums are among the most versatile yet underused hardy bulbs available to prairie gardeners. Most of the alliums grown in prairie gardens are from Asia, but there are over six hundred species worldwide, quite a few of which are adapted to our conditions.

Don’t be put off because the foliage may smell of onions. Allium is from the Latin word for garlic, but they are also related to lilies.

Some of the flowers are fragrant and all are lovely. Colours include white, pink, yellow, red, purple and blue. Heights range from 25 to 90 cm (10-36 in.). Most are summer blooming.

Plant alliums in full sun on well-drained soil. Deadhead to avoid unwanted seedlings. They are well suited to perennial or mixed borders and rock gardens. And can be used in fresh or dried arrangements.

The aflatun onion (Allium aflatunense) has lilac-purple or light violet flowers with darker veins. The flowers are drumstick in shape, 6 to 10 cm (2.5-4 in.) in diameter and bloom in May and June. Native to Siberia and Turkestan, they are 45 to 75 cm (17-30 in.) in height, with strap-shaped leaves. ‘Purple Sensation’ has bright purple flowers, 10 cm (4 in.) in diameter, and bloom in early summer on 90 cm (36 in.) stems.  ‘Mount Everest’ has with white flowers on 60 cm (24 in.) stems.  ‘Lucille Ball’ (A. aflatunense x A. elatum) is deep lilac and 100 cm (40 in.) in height with flower heads of 12-15 cm (5-6 in.).

The blue globe or azure onion (A. caeruleum, formerly A. azureum) has deep blue, globular flowers with darker central veins. These are alluded to by the former species name, azureum, which means dark blue. The flower heads are 3 to 4 cm (1–1.5 in.) in diameter, borne on 30 to 60 cm (12-24 in.) stems in June.

The nodding onion (A. cernuum) is native to gravelly and rocky areas of the prairies. Thirty to 60 cm (12–24 in.) in height, it has pink to white flowers in a loose, nodding head and blooms in summer. The foliage is grey green and somewhat flattened.

The yellow onion (A. flavum) has graceful, sweetly scented, lemon-yellow florets which form the umbel and are tier-like in effect, with the centre ones erect and the outer ones falling. It is 40 cm (16 in.) tall, blooming in late summer. The foliage is grey blue. It is native to the dry hills of central Europe and Asia.

The Turkestan onion (A. karataviens), named after a mountain range in Kazakhstan, is short-stemmed and only 25 cm (10 in.) high but has one of the larger flower heads of the hardy onions. The spherical, pale pink or purple flower heads, which are composed of star-shaped florets and bloom in early spring, are 7 to 10 cm (3-4 in.) in diameter. The two to three broad basal leaves are grey purple and held almost horizontally. ‘Ivory Queen’ is a selection with ivory-white flowers.

Golden garlic (A. moly) has star-like, buttercup-yellow flowers in early spring on 30 cm (12 in.) stems held above wide, grey-green basal leaves. In Europe, its native habitat, it is found in shaded areas on rock and gravel.

The Ostrowsky onion (A. oreophilum, formerly A. ostrowskianum,), has carmine pink flowers on 15 to 20 cm (6-8 in.) stems in midsummer above graceful, curled leaves. Oreophilum means mountain-loving; it is native to the Caucasus Mountains and Turkey into Iran and Afghanistan.  ‘Zwanenburg’ is a deeper pink.

Chives (A. schoenoprasum) forms dense clumps, 30 to 45 cm (12-18 in.) high, with pink flowers 2 to 5 cm (1-2 in.) in diameter for much of the summer. ‘Forescate’ has deeper pink flowers. 

Mountain garlic (A. senescens) has small, mauve-lilac flowers on 45 to 60 cm (18-24 in.) stems above glossy blue-grey leaves in late summer. It is native to Europe and Asia.  A. senescens var. glauca has particularly attractive foliage, blue-grey and appealingly twisting.

Roundheaded leek (A. sphaerocephalon) is native to Europe, Asia and North Africa. It has drumstick-shaped flowers the colour of red wine that bloom in midsummer on 60 cm (24 in.) stems above narrow, hollow leaves.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

The care and pruning of grapes (Part II)

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The care and pruning of grapes (Part II)

Sara Williams and Bob Bors

Watering grapes is critical during their first year or two, until their deep and extensive root system develops. Then plants will need little supplemental water unless it is very dry.  If soil fertility is poor, top dress them with an organic mulch a few inches deep applied to a metre diameter around the base of the plant.  Grapes have few problems although powdery mildew and spider mites are sometimes present.

There are many ways to train grapes. To shade a low deck or a patio, using a trellis-like structure, and use ‘Valiant’. Highly ornamental, it will provide shade, but may not produce the highest quality grapes as many will be shaded.

To build the trellis, use heavy gauge wire with metal or wood fence posts.  Place the posts a meter or two apart with the grapes planted between the posts.  Using a few wires makes pruning easier than growing vines on a chain link or deer fence or other more complicated structure.

World-wide, the “Four Arm Kniffin System” is the most popular method, with parallel wires at 3 and 5 feet above the ground. The vine has a single trunk with four arms.

An alternative system better suited for the prairies has permanent arms on a low wire that is easily insulated in winter with natural snow accumulation or by covering it with loose straw just after freeze-up.  This system has wires at 1, 3 and 5 feet. New growth is initiated each year from 2 arms on the bottom wire and grows up to the top two wires. With such a system, zone 4 grapes might survive in zone 3!

About 90% of a grape’s total biomass can be removed annually. Do not prune them while the sap is running in spring as they will “bleed” for several days, wasting sap full of sugar, carbohydrates and other nutrients that should be going into the formation of fruit, leaves and shoots. 

1st Year: Allow the vines to grow with no pruning to encourage maximum root establishment. Lift any vines crawling on the ground onto the trellis, fence or other support.

2nd Year: Growth will be very fast.  Prior to spring, select a healthy “cane” (grape talk for an individual vine) to be the future trunk. Remove all other canes. If long enough, tie it to the lower wire and trim away most of the buds above that point.  If no canes are long enough, cut a healthy one back to about 4 or 5 buds. The topmost bud will usually grow most vigourously, but if after a few weeks a lower cane appears healthier, let that one become the trunk. Once the trunk is long enough, secure it to the bottom wire. Some growers pinch the main trunk once it reaches the bottom wire to encourage buds to break and make new canes, two of which are selected and tied along the bottom wire.

Shoots often emerge from the ground.  Keep one or two of these to serve as backups for the new main trunk.  But regularly trim them to only a few nodes so they do not compete with the trunk. 

3rd Year: During the winter, cut back each arm to about 10 buds. Also leave two renewal spurs closer to the trunk. Renewal spurs are young canes that have only 2 buds.  They will develop new wood to be used the following year to form the new arms. Fruit production usually begins during this third season.

4th year and beyond. Train each arm to have 6 or 7 young canes (produced the previous season) that are each only about 3 or 4 buds long. Prune back the vines to new wood as close as possible to the arms annually.  Picture a candelabra that holds 12 candles. The “candelabra” would be the permanent trunk and arms; the “candles” the young canes with a few buds.

As the season progresses, canes should be encouraged to grow onto the upper wires. They will be easier to prune if simply draped onto the wires. If fastened or tied to the wires, they would need to be unfastened at pruning time. 

Grapes sometimes generate “bull canes”, one half-inch or more in diameter with 5 or 6 inches between nodes.  These generally remain vegetative with poor yields and are best removed.

Enjoy!

Sara Williams and Bob Bors are co-authors of Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Grapes (Part I)

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Grapes (Part I)

Sara Williams and Bob Bors, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

“The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.”   Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

There are few if any commercial vineyards on the Prairies but walk down the back lanes in any older neighbourhood and you’ll find an abundance of grapevines hanging over fences, many laden with grapes every fall. These are almost always plants of our native riverbank grape, Vitis riparia.

The range of North America’s most cold hardy grape species, Vitis riparia, (meaning “of the riverbank,” its natural habitat) includes parts of the Canadian prairies. Although extremely hardy, the grapes are small, very sour, useful for jelly, but not good for fresh eating or wine making.

Two very hardy, higher quality grape varieties have been developed by crossing Vitis riparia with other species. Both are good for fresh eating and jelly. ‘Beta,’ developed by Louis Suelter in Minnesota in the 1880s, is a hybrid of ‘Concord’ (Vitis labrusca) x ‘Carver’ (Vitis riparia) and was the first grape planted commercially in Minnesota. It has the flavour and “slip skin” characteristics of its ‘Concord’ parent but with smaller fruit.  Designated as zone 3, it can be grown in zone 2 if placed in a protected microclimate. Only one plant is needed for pollination and fruit set.

‘Valiant,’ bred by South Dakota University in 1982, is a cross of ‘Fredonia’ x SD S9-39 (Vitis riparia).   Hardy to zone 2, it is the more frequently grown. Very vigourous, it can be used as a table grape or for jelly or juice. It has the preferred tangy flavour of its wild parent but is much superior. Like ‘Beta’, only one plant is needed.

Some of the varieties from the Minnesota breeding programs could be tried in zone 3, but they have not yet been fully evaluated in colder areas of Canada.  These include ‘Frontenac’, ‘Marquette’, ‘Frontenac Gris’ and ‘Swenson Red’.  All are hardy to -35°C, but winters on the Canadian prairies are generally colder.

Grapes are fast growing and require drastic annual pruning, from which they regenerate to become large vines by season’s end.  Often, they continue growing until hard frost. If not pruned, they soon take over fences and choke out trees. 

The flower buds develop in fall on vines of the previous season, forming at the base of the leaves in groups of three.  Usually, only the largest (or primary bud) “breaks” the following spring to form two or three clusters of grapes along a new vine.  If that bud is injured by late frost, insect damage or a very cold winter, a secondary or tertiary bud may develop. But these are usually vegetative or produce only very small clusters of fruit.  Grape flowers, resembling tiny bottle brushes with no petals, are wind pollinated. ‘Beta’ and ‘Valiant’ are self-fruitful, with only one plant needed.

Remember Galileo! Plant grapes in full sun in well-drained sandy or sandy-loam soils with good air circulation. Avoid frost pockets in low lying areas or at the bottom of hills.  Ideally, grapes are best placed on south, southeast or east-facing slopes.  Or, plant them on the south, southeast or east side of a building, fence or hedge. These locations warm up quickly in spring (in effect lengthening the growing season), receive more sunlight and are protected from prevailing westerly winds. As well, they accumulate snow during the winter that insulates the roots and any vines below the snowline from extreme cold. Sun exposure ensures that grapes will ripen. In partial shade they are less productive.

Overly fertile or nutrient-rich soil may encourage growth into fall, making them more susceptible to winter damage. They have extensive, deep root systems, able to absorb sufficient nutrients, but do not tolerate standing water.

Grapes are best planted in spring 1 to 3.5 meters apart. Often sold in pots or bags, they have usually begun growth by the time garden centres open.  Select plants which have begun to leaf out. Bagged plants usually benefit from being soaked in a pail of water for an hour. Prepare a much larger hole than that of their container. Fan out the roots in all directions but plant the main stem at a similar depth to the one in which it was originally grown. Mix in compost with the soil when filling the hole. (Too much can cause vines to become vegetative at the expense of fruit production.) A trellis should be set up at the time of planting as grapes grow rapidly and soon need support.

Next week: Care and Pruning

Sara Williams and Bob Bors are co-authors of Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Early Spring blooming shrubs and trees

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Early Spring blooming shrubs and trees

Alan Weninger, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

Each spring, in a subtle ritual that I probably share with most people that love plants, I look for signs and make my rounds to reaffirm that the trees and shrubs around me are still alive and well. A sure early sign is the swelling of leaf and flower buds.

In the city, elms that line the streets will be looking fuller and rusty brown as their flower buds get ready to open. Here and there a forsythia will make itself known with a flush of yellow blossoms. A look around Patterson Arboretum is sure to pay off with tiny budding flowers on currants (Ribes), the silver maple (Acer saccharinum), and unfolding little green leaves on cherry prinsepia (Prinsepia sinensis). As the snow disappears, I will pay a visit to my farm tree collection to see unusual early flowers like those on leatherwood (Dirca palustris) and sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina) shrubs. Predictably, everything will be as it should be and ready for another growing season.

Last December, thanks to a lack of snow cover and unseasonably warm weather, I was out pruning hedges at the Horticulture Field Lab where I work. As some of the high branches of European violet willow (Salix daphnoides) fell to the ground, I noticed that they already had already developed white catkins ( the flower clusters of willows and some other types of trees). Was this a case of being fooled by the weather, or was it getting a very early start on spring flowering? Either way, it is a testament to the hardiness and determination of this species, which will certainly be covered in fuzzy white catkins by April.

Violet willow trees are not commonly planted, although there are a few on the University of Saskatchewan campus which I seek out as part of my spring rounds. Their flower clusters are large and showy, although perhaps not as adorable as our native pussy willow.

Flowers of course have an innate mission: to be pollinated in order to produce seeds. Willow flowers can form as early as they like, since they are wind-pollinated. The showy flowers that we are most familiar with, such as those on crabapple trees, are more restricted to the warmer side of spring when they can be pollinated by foraging insects.

Wind-pollinated trees, which can start the season early, include birch (Betula) and alder (Alnus). In the front of Patterson Arboretum in Saskatoon is a native speckled alder, Alnus incana, and every spring I check for its elongating, drooping pollen catkins. They are not colourful, but they are fairly showy and hang down lazily, covering the shrub and moving in unison with any breeze.

Forsythia is always one of the first colourful flowers, arriving while other plants are still leafless. The flowers are bright yellow, abundant, and appear before the leaves, and thus a blooming forsythia is a very showy plant on a background of brown. The flowers first open on the lower branches, where there is generally a bit more warmth radiating from the ground, but quickly the entire plant is covered in blossoms. Forsythia ovata ‘Northern Gold’ is commonly planted, although there are other cultivars and species that will thrive in the prairie region. They can be grown easily from seed and from cuttings. Forsythia are related to lilacs (olive family, Oleaceae), and a similarity can be seen in both their flower structures (four-lobed) and in their opposite leaf arrangement. Both forsythias and lilacs are native primarily to Asia.

My spring rounds invariably take me to my farm tree collection, where I can always depend on a particular Dahurian rhododendron (Rhododendron dauricum) to be generous with bright pink flowers. In Saskatchewan, some types of rhododendrons can thrive if given the conditions that they need: a site that mimics their natural forest home as closely as possible. Forests are generally places of semi-shade, humidity, and soil rich in organic matter.

Among my farm trees this rhododendron grows under larch trees, in a low spot where rain and snow-melt provide moisture. In the city, planting on the shady north side of a house, beyond the house’s rain shadow (close to the house will be too dry), will do the trick. A wood mulch to shade the roots and enrich the soil is also beneficial. At the University of Alberta Botanic Garden near Edmonton, there is a glade in a natural conifer forest which is planted with several Rhododendron species and cultivars. On such a site, there is shade, forest soil, and shelter from the wind.

This year perhaps, get an early start on spring by looking for the subtle botanical signs that the season is changing. There is so much to see and many different flower types everywhere. Then before you know it, you’ll be awash in the familiar and more in-your-face spectacle of pink crabapple trees, lilacs, and white cherry bushes.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com ). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events

Tender Bulbs for Summer Blooms

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Tender Bulbs for Summer Blooms

Jackie Bantle, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

When considering plants that grow from bulbs, one often thinks of tulips, daffodils or crocuses however, there are many other beautiful summer flowers grown from bulbs: these bulbs are planted in spring.  Technically, many of these flowers are not grown from bulbs but from other underground storage organs.  These storage organs may include bulbs as well as rhizomes, corms and tubers.   

Gladiola flowers are grown from corms and produce excellent cut flowers.  Corms are specialized sections of the stem that form roots.  Corms are round and flattened in shape.  Plant the pointy side up and about four times as deep as their width.  Gladiolas usually only produce one flower per corm so plant corms at 1 week intervals for about 4 weeks in spring to ensure a continues bloom in the garden.  As with any tender geophyte (that have underground storage organs), plant the corm once the soil has warmed to at least 15˚C (approximately mid-May in Saskatchewan) and about two weeks before the latest spring frost. 

Dahlia and begonia tubers as well as calla lily and canna lily rhizomes can be started indoors to get a jump start on the gardening season.  Plant the tubers or rhizomes indoors as early as April 1st in a warm, sunny location.  Ensure the tuber or rhizome are in a large enough container (at least 3cm wider than the tuber or rhizome) with holes in the bottom for drainage.  If planting directly outdoors in spring, soil temperatures should be at least 15˚C (third or fourth week in May).  For dahlias, begonias, canna lilies or calla lilies that have been started indoors, do not transplant outdoors until any danger of frost has passed.  Any exposed foliage on these tender geophytes will freeze below 0˚C. 

Elephant Ears (Colocasia, Alocasia and Xanthosoma) are a group of tropical plants grown from tubers and known for their large, heart shaped leaves.  All these plants can be grown as houseplants throughout the winter and moved outdoors for the summer.   The tubers can also be harvested in fall: cut the tops about 2.5cm from the tuber and stored in a cool, dry location.  A pot with dry peat moss in the basement is a perfect storage location for elephant ears. 

All of these tender geophytes prefer even moisture throughout the growing season.  Tuberous begonias and elephant ears favor dapple sun whereas gladiolas, canna lilies and calla lilies enjoy full sun. 

If you want to enjoy your tender bulbs for more than just one season, consider harvesting the underground corms, tubers or rhizomes in the fall and storing them indoors over the winter.  Prior to storage, allow foliage to dry down or to experience a light frost.  Ensure that the frost does not affect the tubers/rhizomes/corms.  If foliage is killed by frost, dig the plant up within 1-2 days to prevent rot causing organisms from entering the root through the damage stem.  Dig carefully and deeply to avoid any damage to the tubers/corm/rhizome.  Cut stems back to 2.5-5cm from the underground storage organ.. 

Lightly shake off excess soil from the roots.  If soil is a heavy clay, gently wash roots with a stream of warm water.  However, NEVER wash gladiola corms: this will encourage rot in storage.  Place roots on screen or dry surface to dry off for several days: warm, dark conditions are best.   Gladiola corms and calla rhizomes should cure (remain in these warm, dry conditions) for 3 weeks; other tender bulbs for at least several days.  Never store any damaged or diseased plant tissues:  they will rot in storage. 

Store tubers, corms and rhizomes in slightly moist peat moss in perforated plastic bags.  Open the bags every few weeks for aeration, to check for rot and to mist lightly.  Temperatures around 10˚C are ideal for storage.  If you find the perforated plastic bags are too moist, wrap underground plant parts in newspaper, place in a covered cardboard box and cover lightly with peat moss or sawdust. 

Tubers and rhizomes can be divided in fall or spring.  Sometimes it is easier to see the eyes on the tubers or the sprouts on the rhizomes in fall.  If splitting in fall, let the cuts dry before placing in storage.

The key to storing tender bulbs/rhizomes/corms is to keep them cool, keep them dry but don’t let them dry out. 

 This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com ). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Looking for flower colour? Grow Zinnias

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Looking for flower colour? Grow Zinnias

Jackie Bantle, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

The brilliant colors of a well-designed annual flower bed can be awe-inspiring.  Once those flowers start to bloom in early summer, the show usually carries right through to a killing frost in fall.  There are many annual flowers that perform well in the Prairie garden but one of my favorites are zinnias.

Zinnias (Zinnia elegans and Zinnia augustifolia) are part of the Asteraceae family of plants (also known as the daisy or sunflower family).  One of the most obvious characteristics of this plant family are the composite flower heads.  Composite flower heads appear as one flower however, they are composed of many small flowers called disc flowers that may or may not also have ray florets. These ray florets occur as colorful petals. 

Zinnia flower heads have disc flowers in the center of the head that are usually surrounded by colorful ray florets along the circumference.  Some zinnia inflorescences are rather simple with tight, button-like colorful center of disc flowers surrounded by a single row of ray florets (like a daisy) or they can be made up of several rows of ray florets surrounding a small area of disc flowers (like a dahlia flower).  The inflorescences can also vary in size from small pom poms to large 10-15cm diameter flowers.  Some zinnias can have speckled or streaked petals and some inflorescences are multi-colored. 

Originating in the southwestern part of Mexico near Tixtla, Guerroro, zinnias naturally prefer warm, sunny locations.  Although they can withstand some drought, zinnias should be watered regularly.  Zinnias that suffer extended periods of drought will not recover well.  Alternatively, zinnias that are grown in shady, cool conditions will be prone to tend to be infected by powdery mildew and botrytis if over watered or grown in shady, cool conditions.  If you notice the bottom leaves on your zinnias starting to wilt and die back, remove these infected plants immediately as the botrytis will quickly spread to neighboring zinnia plants.

Zinnias can be transplanted or direct seeded in the garden in early spring.  Seed germinates easily and plants grow quickly.  In nature, zinnias are typically 15cm in height however through many years of breeding and hybridization, hundreds of different zinnias are available that range in size from 10cm to 1m tall.  Flower colors can be found in purples, reds, pinks, orange, yellows, cream, white and every shade in between.  ‘Queeny Lime Orange’, an 2018 All American Selection winner, starts out as a lime green color and matures to light orange color later in the season. 

Zinnias are one of the best flowers for attracting pollinators and butterflies.  Interplant your vegetable garden with a row of zinnias for better fruit production in your cucumber, melon and squash patch.  Generally, the taller cultivars with the flat topped flowers are more adapted to pollinators and butterflies than the dwarf cultivars.  The yellow centered flowers with the disc floret provide more nectar than the double flowering blooms.

Zinnias bloom throughout the season.  Deadheading (removing spend flowers) not only encourages more flowers but also promotes branching of the plants.  Fertilizing the plants with a 20-20-20 soluble fertilizer once/month will stimulate support healthier plants and ample blooms.  If transplanting zinnias in spring, water in the transplants with a 10-52-10 soluble fertilizer.  Always mix any fertilizer according to label directions. 

There are many different types of zinnias available.  The Profusion series of zinnias are mounding plants, approximately 45cm tall and up to 60cm wide, with ‘profuse’, 5cm diameter blooms.  Many colors are available. 

Double Zahara™ series of zinnias are compact plants with excellent disease resistance and recommended for containers and flower beds.  The fully double flowers are 2-5cm.  Deadheading flowers is not necessary in the Zahara™ series. 

Two zinnias recommended as cut flowers ar eth Benary and Oklahoma series of zinnias.  Benary’s zinnia series produce giant flowers (10-15cm across) in bold colors.  The Association of specialty Cut Flowers recommends the Benary series for its vigour, uniformity and productivity throughout the season.

The Oklahoma zinnia series produce medium sized semi-double blooms and displays good powdery mildew disease resistance.  Deadheading is recommended for these cut flower series to increase branching and blooms.

Cactus flowered zinnias are eye catching and unique.  These large blossoms (15-30cm) grow on stalks up to 1.2m tall.  The ray florets are multi-layered and ‘quilled’ (ie. individually rolled in a tubular shape).  Recommended for cut flowers, the plants will produce several cuttings as a ‘come and cut again’ flower.

If you’re looking for an easy annual flower with a lot of color throughout the season,  zinnias are the way to go.  You could grow a new one every year and not get through all the colors and series in one lifetime.  My favorite is ‘Zowie!™ Yellow Flame’ but there are hundreds from which to choose.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com ). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Bearded iris – The varieties! (Part II)

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Bearded iris – The varieties! (Part II)

Sara Williams, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

Last week’s article covered the origin, classification, description, care, propagation and placement of the various types of bearded iris. Here I introduce you to some of the many varieties within each group.

Dwarf iris, generally classified as Iris pumila (sometimes found among the bearded iris in catalogs and greenhouse benches), are 7 to 15 cm (3-6 in.) high with flowers borne singly on short stems hidden by the foliage. Native to Europe and Asia Minor, they are nearly always hybrids involving I. chamaeiris as a parent. They are among the most dependable iris on the prairies and should be much more widely available at local nurseries and greenhouses. If you can’t find them locally, try the plant exchanges and sales of your local horticultural society. Or purchase them on-line through the catalogs of several Canadian nurseries that specialize in iris.

Dwarf iris are ideal in a rock garden or placed at the front of a border. They are generally divided into two groups. Miniature dwarf iris are 15-20 cm (3-4 in.) in height. Standard dwarf iris are 20-40 cm (4-16 in.) in height. Both are ruggedly hardy in prairie gardens, blooming in early spring. Plant them in well drained soil in full sun.

Among the Miniature Dwarf Bearded Iris are:

‘Snow Tree’– pure white petals with outstanding olive-green veining, 30 to 40 cm (12-16 in.)

‘Eramosa Pepper’ – pale blue, darker around the blue beard, 20 cm (8 in.)

‘Forever violet’- smooth violet self with dark violet beard, 18 cm (7 in.)

 ‘Azurea’ – originated before 1881; very early with light blue flowers, 15 cm (6 in.)

‘Sleepy Time’ – pale light blue self (standards and falls are same colour) with white beard, 14 cm (5.5 in.)

‘Wise’ – dark purple with white-gold beard, ruffled, 18 cm (7 in.)

A sampling of Standard Dwarf Bearded Iris:

‘Cat’s Eye’ – mauve rose standards with fine black cherry veins and feathered edges, dark cherry red falls veined black and widely banded in mauve rose and violet beards with brown tips. 38 cm (15 in.)

‘Fireplace Embers’ – dark yellow standards, dark maroon falls and gold beards, 25 cm (10 in.)

‘Blue White’ – blue standards and falls that are white with blue veins edged blue with white beards, 15 to 30 cm (6-12 in.)

‘Brassie’ – chrome yellow standards, chrome yellow falls faintly overlaid green and yellow beards, 36 cm (14 in.)

‘Adoring Glances’ – light grey standards, falls with chartreuse infusion; blue beard, 12 in (30 cm)

‘Ahwahnee Princess’– pale pink with wisteria blue beard and soft orange throat, 12 in. (31 cm)

‘Autumn Maple’ – medium pinkish orange, beards dark orange, 28 cm (11 in.)

‘Azure Like It’ – wisteria blue with white beard, 33 cm (13 in.)

‘Bantam Prince’ – dark royal purple, 25 cm (10 in.)

‘Bazinga’ – mid-clear yellow, white throat, 38 cm (15 in.)

‘Beginners Surf’ – light butterfly blue, darker beard, 28 cm (11 in.)

‘Being Busy’ – yellow standards, maroon falls, white beard, 36 (14 in.)

‘Black Lightning’ – dark purple black, striking purple beard, 36 (14 in.)

‘Blissful’ – clear mid yellow, tangerine beard, 15 in (39 cm)

Among the many intermediate bearded iris are:

‘Aqua Taj’ – dark blue with bronze beards, 56 cm (22 in.)

‘August Treat’ – blue-lavender, 51 cm (20 in.)

‘Lakota’ – orchid-peach, 58 cm (23 in.)

‘Anaconda Love’ – pink-purple, 60 cm (24 in.)

‘Blue Flirt’ – white with blue beard, 64 cm (25 in.)

‘Bounce’– garnet to rose amethyst, 64 cm (25 in.)

‘Batik’ – purple streaked with white and yellow beards, 60 to 65 cm (23-25 in.)

‘Lenora Pearl’ – soft salmon pink, 70 cm (27 in.)

‘Anaconda Pearl’ – light pink standards lightly splashed with beetroot-purple, beetroot-purple falls streaked silver white and orange beards, 60 cm (24 in.)

The above are just a very small sampling of what is available. There are many many more!

A gentle reminder: Many tall bearded iris are available in prairie garden centres. They bear spectacular flowers in a wide array of colours. But only about 25% of these can be expected to survive more than one or two seasons in our Saskatchewan gardens. Mulching plants deeply and placing them in a protected area (in full sun)is recommended.

Sara Williams is the author of many books including Gardening Naturally with Hugh Skinner, Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, and with Bob Bors, Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens. She gives workshops on a wide range of gardening topics throughout the prairies.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Bearded Iris (Iris germanica) (Part I)

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Bearded Iris (Iris germanica) (Part I)

Sara Williams, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

Of the 200 species in the genus Iris, only a few flourish in our northern gardens. Iris have been classified in many ways over the last few centuries and the nomenclature and origin of some species remains confused.

Both the genus and the common name honour the mythological Greek messenger, Iris, who came to earth via a rainbow and left these flowers, in a rainbow of colours, wherever she wandered. Iris have been cultivated since 1500 BCE and have become widely naturalized in many regions. Much of their origin is shrouded in mystery. A great deal of the information on the parentage of what we now call “species” (but are more likely natural hybrids) is said to be purely speculation.

The most dependable and widely grown species on the Canadian prairies are the bearded iris (Iris germanica), the Siberian iris (Iris sibirica) and the blue flag iris (Iris versicolor).

Of these, the bearded iris is the most commonly grown. There are thousands of cultivars. A recent estimate is over 20,000! The word “bearded” refers to a prominent patch of brightly coloured hairs found on the falls or lower tepals. Why the common name German bearded iris? Another mystery! They are not native to Germany nor has a lot of breeding been carried out in that country. It is now generally accepted that this is not a true species, but ancient hybrids of unknown parentage. It has become an umbrella term for a large group native to the Mediterranean region and naturalized in many countries. A heritage variety that has been grown in Prairie gardens since prior to World War I is the blue and white ‘Mrs Andrist’.

Description

Iris germanica forms an erect clump of linear, sword-shaped leaves, often held in a fan and varying in height from 15 to 90 cm (6-36 in.). The flowers, in all colours of the rainbow, consist of three outer tepals (the “falls”) and three smaller upright inner petals (the “standards”) and appear in late spring and early summer. The roots consist of thick rhizomes, which practically exclude weeds, and are usually visible on the soil surface.

Iris should be planted in well-drained soil, with a pH at or above neutral, in full sun. The rhizomes should be on or level with the soil. They are drought tolerant once established. Divide them every 3 or 4 years or the clumps will eventually die out in the centre due to overcrowding.

Classification based on height and hardiness:

Miniature Dwarf iris (Iris pumila) are 15 to 20 cm (6-8 in.) in height and are dependably hardy in zones 3b to 2.

Standard Dwarf iris are 20 to 40 cm (8-15 in.) in height and dependably hardy in zones 3b to 2.

Border or Intermediate iris are 40 to 70 cm (15-28 in.) in height and dependably hardy in zones 3b to 2.

Tall bearded iris are 70 cm (28 in.) in height or over. This group is NOT dependably hardy in zones 3b to 2, although they are always available for sale.

Intermediate bearded iris make a fine addition to the mid-section of a perennial border while the dwarf varieties are at home at the front of a border or in a rock garden. All are quite drought-tolerant once established and also do well in a xeriscape setting once established. Iris are easily increased by rhizome division (each with a fan of leaves and roots) after flowering.

Next week’s article will describe the numerous varieties of iris which are generally available to prairie gardeners through nurseries, greenhouses and catalogues.

Sara Williams is the author of many books including Gardening Naturally with Hugh Skinner, Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, and with Bob Bors, Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens. She gives workshops on a wide range of gardening topics throughout the prairies.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Seeds, catalogues and many good things

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Seeds, catalogues and many good things

Jackie Bantle, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

The days are getting longer and there is a bit of warmth in the sun.  There is a hint of green starting to show up on my thumbs and it’s not gangrene.  One way to manage this ‘green infection’ is to sit in a comfy place with your favorite beverage and seed catalogues in hand.   

My favorite Canadian catalogues for ordering vegetable and flower seeds include West Coast Seeds in Delta, BC (www.westcoastseeds.com), Vesey’s seeds in York, Prince Edward Island (www.veseys.com), William Dam Seeds in Hamilton, Ontario (www.damseeds.com) and Stokes Seeds from Thorold, Ontario (www.stokeseeds.com/ca).  All of these catalogues have colorful bright pictures, highlight new varieties each year and carry many of the most current vegetable and flower varieties released into the market by seed breeders throughout North America. Vesey’s always has an excellent selection of cole crops like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower to choose from as well as corn and tomato varieties that have seasonal requirements similar to the Prairies. West Coast Seeds is a great company to find unique organic vegetable and flower seed, especially many Asian vegetables.  Stokes Seeds has the biggest selection of flower and vegetable seed of any seed company in Canada.  William Dam Seeds may have a smaller selection but anything that I’ve grown from William Dam Seeds has always performed well in my garden. When searching for seeds from companies located in areas with a longer growing season than yours, remember to look cultivars that are early maturing or recommended for shorter growing seasons.

Although they may not carry the newest vegetable or flower cultivar releases, one of the advantages of purchasing seed from a more local seed company is that the seeds that they do sell are probably some of the best performing cultivars for your area. T&T Seeds (https://ttseeds.com) and Lindenberg Seeds (https://lindenbergseeds.ca) are two well established seed companies in Manitoba.  Lindenberg Seeds has a simple catalogue, but a large selection of flowers and vegetables recommended for the Prairie region.  You will find some older, ‘hard to find’ cultivars of vegetables and flowers in the Lindenberg catalogue.  In the Saskatoon area, Early’s Farm and Garden (www.earlysgarden.com) puts out a catalogue each year that contains some of their best selling vegetable varieties along with many other gardening tools and resources that they sell. If you are looking for turf seed that is hardy for Prairie conditions, Early’s has many options available.

One of my favorite sources for heirloom tomatoes and regular tomato varieties as well as other heirloom and organic vegetable seeds is Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine (www.johnnyseeds.com).  I have never had a problem importing seed from this company. They have their own breeding program which produces some unique new vegetable varieties that are specifically bred with the backyard gardener in mind. (i.e. the focus is more on flavor and quality and not necessarily on yields).

My favorite source for herb seed and seedlings is Richter’s Herbs in Goodwood, Ontario (www.richters.com). Richter’s has everything from 32 different types of basil and fourteen different types of garlic to twenty five unique tomato cultivars. If you are looking to expand your herb garden, Richter’s is a definite place to shop.

Other interesting Canadian sources of seeds include The Incredible Seed Company (www.incredibleseeds.ca) (flower, vegetables and tree seeds), OSC Seeds (www.oscseeds.com), Blazing Star Wildflower Seed Company (www.growwildflowers.ca) (specialize in Canadian wildflower seed and is located near Aberdeen, SK), Heritage Harvest Seed (www.heritageharvestseed.com) (a company in Manitoba specializing in rare and endangered heirloom vegetable, flower, herb and ancient grain seeds), Salt Spring Seeds (www.saltspringseeds.com) (garlic bulbs, heirloom vegetable, flower and grain seeds) and Prairie Garden Seeds (https://prairiegardenseeds.ca) (a Saskatchewan seed company selling vegetable, flower and grain seeds and many heirloom varieties).

The number of seed/gardening catalogues available to the Prairie gardener can be overwhelming. The challenge of seed catalogue shopping is not to overspend and purchase more cultivars than you have space for in your garden.  The dreams and plans for the upcoming garden season are alive and well!

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com ). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events

Gardens of France — Part 3

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Gardens of France — Part 3

Bernadette Vangool, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

After our sojourn in Normandy we headed south to visit a few castles and gardens in the Loire Valley. Perhaps the most impressive of those visited was Villandry, an estate whose current buildings date back to 1536. The traditional gardens were converted to an English style park in the 1700s, but were restored to their original splendour by Joachim Carvallo, a Spaniard who bought the estate in 1906. Joachim left his scientific career to devote his time exclusively to his property. The gardens were lovingly restored over a ten-year period from 1908 to 1918. As a scientist, Joachim researched gardening techniques and vegetable growing, excavated part of the property to unearth archaeological details such as wall foundations and piping and spent endless hours poring over existing maps of the property. The 6 hectares (14 acre) gardens have been open to visitors since 1920 and depend on tourism for upkeep. The property is currently owned by Joachim’s great grandson, Henri Carvallo.

Because of the predominant use of boxwood hedges and annual flowers and vegetables, the upkeep of the gardens is pretty labour intensive, and employs nine full time gardeners and two apprentices. Since 2009 they have become completely organic,  eliminating chemical insecticides from the garden. There are over one thousand lime trees (linden or Tillia) on the property that from 1990 onwards were systematically sprayed for the red spider mite Eotetranychus tiliarum, which caused discoloration of the leaves and early leaf fall. Villandry worked with the University in Tours to come up with a solution and now have introduced predatory mites to keep the red spider mites under control. Irrigation is automatic and controlled by computer. Regular hand hoeing of the flower beds controls weeds and improves water absorption.

The property was a pleasure to visit both inside and out. The garden has been brought inside with beautiful flower arrangements, paintings of flowers, botanical drawings of vegetables, wrought iron floral designs on the railings of staircases and the large windows which gave you great views of different parts of the garden. Visitors also have the option of climbing to the top of the keep for an overview of the entire garden and property, definitely a worthwhile destination for garden lovers.

Photo by Bernadette Vangool. A portion of the Villandry vegetable garden viewed from the tower.

The next property, Chenonceau, appealed to me, not because of its gardens, although these were extensive, but more because of its remarkable location on and across the Cher river, and its history as the Ladies Castle.

Between 1513 and 1521, Thomas Bohier (then Finance Minister) and his wife Katherine Briçonnet demolished the fortified castle and mill on the property except for the keep or Marques Tower which they restored in Renaissance style. Katherine (the First Lady) was the true developer of the castle and the property around it.

In 1547, King Henry II donated Chenonceau to Diane de Poitiers. She extended the castle across the Cher river, and developed the area now known as Diane’s garden.

Catherine de Medici, Henry II’s widow, removed Diane from the castle. She added what today is known as Catherine’s garden and raised the height of the two-floored gallery across the Cher, so she could throw glorious parties.

Louise of Lorraine moved into the castle in 1589 upon the death of Henry III. Her death in 1601 marked the end of the royal presence at Chenonceau. But not the end of influential women.

In 1733 Louise Dupin held court or had salons or gatherings in Paris as well as at Chenonceau. She was a writer and invited writers, poets, scientists and philosophers, among them Voltaire, and Rousseau. She is credited with saving the Chateau during the French Revolution.

In 1864 Marguerite Pelouze, a descendent of the Industrial Bourgeoisie spent a fortune on the estate to return it to the splendor of Diane de Poitiers’ era. In 1913, the castle was sold to the Menier family. During the First World War, the first and second galleries were transformed into a hospital. Up until 1918, over 2000 patients were cared for by Simonne Menier, the matron of the family and the hospital. The hospital was financed by the Menier family whose claim to fame in France was a chocolate factory until 1965.

From 1940 to 1942 the castle served as an escape route for refugees from Germany. The North side of the river was German occupied, while the South side was Vichy-controlled.

After a significant flood in the area, the castle sat abandoned for some time until the Menier family decided to restore both the castle and the grounds to its former glory. Chenonceau is the second most visited castle in France after Versailles.

The gardens include Diane’s garden, Catherine’s garden, a vegetable and flower garden, a maze as well as the Green Garden and Russel Page Garden. So, plenty to see and learn for both the gardener and the history buff.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Gardens of France — part 2

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Gardens of France — part 2

by Bernadette Vangool

Saskatchewan Perennial Society

Normandy, a region of France with historic significance to Canadians, is often visited to see the sites that commemorate our part in the two World Wars. However, this landscape is also home to many  memorable gardens. The majority of these are privately owned and maintained, and depend on the tourist industry to keep them afloat and in some cases to carry out restorations. Many are connected to grand estates, where the historic buildings can also be visited. One can travel on your own to these destinations, or else search the internet for formal garden tours to a particular region of interest.

Our foray into Normandy, took us to the picturesque town of Rouen, steeped in Normandy history and famed as the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. We enjoyed a walking tour through the town of half-timbered buildings, a visit to the cathedral and of course the Joan of Arc Museum. One of our first garden stops was Les Jardins’ d’Angelique. This garden forms part of an 18th century estate and was created by Yves and Gloria le Bellegarde in memory of their daughter. Self-taught gardeners, Yves brought a love for roses and Gloria an artist viewpoint into the garden. She realized early on, the importance of using different perennials, with different bloom times throughout the garden, to ensure some colour throughout the seasons. To the north of the mansion, is the informal English garden, with meandering pathways and occasional benches where you can rest and enjoy your surroundings. The south garden is in the formal French/Italian style, with a symmetrical design of trimmed hedges around the central fountain focal point. Plantings of annuals and perennials within those hedges contain predominantly white blooms. Since Yves passing, Gloria maintains the gardens with the help of her daughter Claire.

For the student of French literature, a visit to Chateau de Miromesnil near Dieppe, would be of interest. The beautiful setting, with ample perennial borders, and perhaps the best kitchen garden on our entire trip, also allows a visit to the Chateau, the birthplace of Guy de Maupassant, the French master of the short story. Some of his letters and original manuscripts are on display. Besides a day visit to the castle, you also have the option of an overnight stay there or in one of the estate cottages.

Chateau de Canon, located about 20 km from Caen, is a twenty-hectare English landscape park with beautiful buildings constructed around 1760. At that time an ornamental spring-fed lake was also constructed to perfectly reflect the castle. The estate has survived revolutions and two World Wars, but has belonged to the same family throughout. During the second world war it served as a German hospital, the foliage of two century-old trees providing screening from the allies. Since the last war. some parts of the estate have been restored under a system of war compensation. However, the bulk of the renovations have fallen to the de Beaumont family. In 1999 they formed a civic property association in which all family members are represented and each pledges 150 hours per year of work to the estate in various roles: gardening, publicity, reception etc. The English landscape park is complete with follies, (a dove cote, a Greek Temple, a mini chateau), waterfalls, and decorative bridges across canals. The water falls and canals create a restful atmosphere. The estate is also recognized for its ten walled gardens called chartreuses, which originally were planted with fruit trees, espaliered against the walls. The walls, heated by the sun, create a microclimate allowing for the growing of peaches figs and other fruits not endemic to the area. Some of the walled gardens are now planted with peonies, roses, and other perennials, but are in the process of being fully restored to their original uses.

Some of the other sites worth visiting in Normandy include: Chateau de Boutemont, Chateau de Meznil Geoffrey, Jardins d’Etretat, Jardin du Bois de Morville and Les Jardins de Castillon-Plantbessin. During your visit, don’t forget to sample the Camembert, a local cheese made from raw milk, the apple ciders and the famous Calvados, an apple brandy this region is famous for.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com ). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Gardens of France — part 1

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Gardens of France — part 1

Bernadette Vangool, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

It’s winter, not much to do in our gardens, but a good time for planning that next oversees adventure. Perhaps the gardens of France could tempt you?

In the fall of 2022, I joined  an organized garden tour of Normandy and the Loire Valley. We started out from Paris to visit Claude Monet’s Garden in Giverny. I had previously visited this garden with a friend in 2009. At that time, we took the train from Paris to Vernon. From Vernon a short taxi ride brought us to the bread and breakfast we had booked on Rue Claude Monet in Giverny. We spent the next day exploring the little village, Monet’s garden and the Musée des Impressionnismes with its attached garden. Giverny was a relaxing experience. I enjoyed the French country-side, the walk ability of the sights all along Rue Claude Monet, the cemetery, the small eateries, the impressionist’s artist shops and hotel Baudy. If you have an extra day in Paris, avail yourself of a car rental and make Giverny your day excursion.

Claude Monet, the French impressionist painter, famous for his paintings of water lilies, flowers and French bucolic scenes, made Giverny his home for over 40 years, with Alice Hoschedé, whom he later married, and her six children. It was here, in Giverny that he had his painting studio, and where he developed the gardens which provided him with continued inspiration for many of his paintings. The gardens themselves are in fact an artist’s canvas, where the assembly of the whole is more important than its individual parts. In other words, he used monochromatic borders (borders with flowers of one dominant colour) to create a canvas. One example is the sea of red geraniums in front of the house, a reflection of the red bricks and green trim of the building. In spring the same effect could be achieved with pink and red tulips.

As an individual visitor, you enter the garden through the studio, which Monet had built with exceptionally tall walls, to paint his large water lilies canvasses, promised to the French Government. This studio is now the gift shop, with reproductions of some of Monet’s masterpieces adorning its walls. From the studio the garden gently slopes down and leads to small meadows of grass, adorned at that time with fall crocuses. These small lawn areas are separated by perennial borders. This part of the garden was once the working farm, where goats were tethered and chickens roamed free. The entire garden was enclosed by walls and originally was a fruit orchard.

Bernadette Vangool.
The Grand Allee in Claude Monet Garden.

As you walk past the meadows and towards the house, you are assaulted with a myriad of colours in the perennial borders. A visit to the house is well worth it. Or better yet, one before the garden and one after. On the second floor, you can get an overview of the entire walled garden. I found the dining room with its many shades of yellow most striking. The studio/living room where Monet liked to work and rest is surrounded today by reproductions of his work and that of other artists. The reproductions have notes as to when they were painted and the name of the work or what inspired the particular canvas.

As you leave the house, feast your eyes on the grand allée, which might look quite different from spring to fall, depending of the plantings of the season. Next, make your way through colourful borders to the right rear corner of the walled garden. From there visitors can access the water lily garden through an underground passage (built for tourists – Monet would have crossed the lane, now a busy roadway and the railway line). The tranquility of this garden is astonishing compared to the flamboyance of the walled in garden. Two small row boats are moored in the large lily pond. One is used by a gardener employed only to clean the lily ponds; the other is ready for the artist to step into, sketchbook in hand, to float among the lily pads. A Japanese wisteria covered bridge completes one of the scenes in this garden, a favourite for tourist photographers. Here  the colours seem more muted and the water soothing. Both the pond and the quiet river supplying it  as well as the choice of plants and trees contribute to the peaceful and picturesque landscape. The group entrance to the gardens is located near the underground passage. While necessary during busy times, I felt entering through the studio gives one a much better appreciation of the site as a whole.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com ). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Gardening gifts for any season

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Gardening gifts for any season

Bernadette Vangool, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

Somehow or other this article had disappeared in the ether, airwaves or however these transmissions work these days. It was meant to appear sometime before Christmas. As many of the suggestions were books, and winter is long, I have decided to resend it, albeit a bit late for Christmas, perhaps these can be birthday presents for your gardener friends.

Gardeners among your family and friends may well appreciate some new gardening gloves, or a tool to make the gardening experience a little easier. The Saskatchewan Perennial Society has some nifty hand hoes in stock, for sale at $17.00. To get yours in Saskatoon call 306-343-7707. If no answer, leave a message on the answering machine. In other areas of Saskatchewan, contact your local garden club, many of which sell these handy tools as a fundraiser for their society.

For those of you contemplating a new garden space, why not incorporate some fruit trees or shrubs in your design? Many apples, cherries and plums have beautiful spring colour and provide plenty of fruit. These often are of smaller stature than the species and well adapted to smaller spaces. A “dwarf” fruit tree is smaller in tree size, not in fruit size! ‘Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens’ by Sara Williams and Bob Bors is an excellent resource. This book includes more than 20 species and almost 200 varieties – from sea buckthorn, heritage plums to apples and dwarf sour cherries. Take this winter to hone up on your knowledge of fruit trees and shrubs, so you can make a more informed decision as to which to include in your landscape.

For the young naturalist in the family, ‘Raising Butterflies and Moths in the Garden’ second edition by Brenda Dziedzic will be a welcome addition. The book features 50 North American moths and butterflies; their range, stages of development, the host plant that the caterpillar feeds on, as well as the nectar plants that attract the butterflies to your yard. With over 500 photographs showing the complete life cycle of each species and minimal writing. the book is an easy read. If there is a down-side to the book, it would be that many of the species covered are not endemic to our area. But it will wet the appetite to further exploration.

For bird lovers, ‘Bird Brains – the Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays’ by Candace Savage examines the behaviour of the corvid family of birds across the world. It features full colour photographs by over two dozen wildlife photographers. This coffee table book has many little gems of information, such as the habit of magpies or crows to hide and tuck away morsels of food for future consumption. This revised edition with a new introduction was published in 2018. I found my copy at Wild Birds on 8th Street in Saskatoon.

Photo by Bernadette Vangool. Gardening and nature books make a great gift for the budding naturalist in your family.

History buffs, here is a book for you, hot off the press: ‘Trees Against the Wind – the Birth of Prairie Shelterbelts’ by William Schroeder. This is an in-depth look at the history of tree planting on the prairies, the nurseries developed to supply the trees, the men who ran those nurseries, the inspectors who traveled the province, visiting farmyards, etc. It is a well researched book documenting an important part of our prairie history, with stories and photographs.

The 2024 Prairie Garden Annual publication is now available. This year’s edition focuses on gardening indoors, with 30 articles from growing African violets and orchids to starting seeds of native plants indoors. There are also an additional 27 articles on general gardening topics such as ‘Gardening with deer’, which I will have to read as they have invaded our gardens at the Forestry Farm Park. The Prairie Garden is available from some garden centers as well as from McNally Robinson and other book stores.

The Christmas season is a good time to reflect on times gone by and also to look forward to the new year ahead. I am truly thankful for my family and friends and my gardening buddies. Many volunteers help us to provide our programs to the public, from organizing information meetings  and garden tours, the gardening at the zoo gardens, and, of course, providing these regular columns to your local paper on a weekly basis. As a board member I like to thank each and every one of you for your contributions to our organization in the past year. I would also like to wish all of our readers and volunteers all the best in 2024.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Veratrum nigrum, dark, bold and beautiful

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Veratrum nigrum, dark, bold and beautiful

By Bernadette Vangool

One of my gardening friends gifted me with a little seedling about seven years ago. The instructions were to plant it in full to partial shade, in rich loamy soil with good drainage. Shade is a relatively easy commodity in my yard, moist shade not so much. I decided to situate my new treasure close to the house and the hose, in the hopes that I would remember to water it regularly.

The first few years my seedling presented itself as similar to a hosta, a plant grown mainly for its foliage. But it was quite distinct in that the leaves grow from the centre in a whorl. As well, the wide leaves sported veins that grew parallel to the centre, giving the 30cm (12 in) leaves a beautiful pleated appearance. I was very happy with my new addition and over several years I watched it grow a little more robust. During the fifth year, lo and behold, a spike-like flower started to form in early June. By July, the flower stalk had attained a height of about 150cm (5 ft). Its flower stems extend outwards to a width of about 60cm (2 ft) with dark brown to dark purple flower florets appearing on little stems about 1cm (.5 in) apart.

Photo by Bernadette Vangool.
V. nigrum in flower in late July.

Even though Veratrum nigrum might be known in some gardening circles as black false hellebore, it is a member of the Melanthiaceae family and is in no way related to the real hellebores. Veratrum nigrum is native to Eurasia, from France and Germany to Russia, Mongolia and China. It has been cultivated in European gardens since the 1770. Charles Darwin grew it in his garden in the 1840s. It is often used as a backdrop for brighter coloured flowers and plants such as goatsbeard and meadowrue. Sources list it as a zone 4 to 8 plant, but in a sheltered location away from drying winds it seems to do quite well in my Saskatoon garden.

It blooms from June until late September. Seed pods start appearing in early September. Although they are generally described as crimson, so far on my plant they are a green colour. Perhaps our season is not long enough for the pods to mature. Nor have the seeds on my plant yet produced seedlings. Last year I distributed some seeds in my garden beds but I had no germination. The plant can also be propagated by division, but I loathe to uproot my baby when it seems to be relatively happy in its location. Because the pods adhere quite well to the plant, it also creates great winter interest.

Photo by Bernadette Vangool.
Seed pods start appearing in early September.

During  the next few years I intend to leave the stalks up through the winter in hopes that it will eventually produces seedlings naturally. Friends will have to be patient and wait for this to happen. I seldom see slug damage in my yard, but in spring, there were signs of a slug presence on the leaves.

Although dark, bold and beautiful, Veratrum nigrum is also dangerous if ingested by humans. All parts of the plant are toxic when taken internally, especially the roots. Its toxic qualities were known and mentioned by Lucretius (ca. 99 BCE) and Pliny the Elder (ca. 23AD). Ingestion can also cause a combination of low heart rate and low blood pressure resulting in death. During the 1930s, Veratrum extracts were tested as a treatment for high blood pressure, but patients had too many adverse side effects, so the trials were abandoned. The toxic qualities of this plant may well be the reason that Veratrum seeds, or this plant are a rare find in Canada and the United States. But well worth a try if you come across it during your travels through greenhouses or garden centres.

What is Christmas Without a Poinsettia?

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What is Christmas Without a Poinsettia?

by Jackie Bantle

Many special occasions have special flowers or plants associated with them.  The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) has been linked with Christmas celebrations in North America for the past century. 

The poinsettia occurs naturally in northwest areas of Mexico and can be found growing wild in deciduous tropical forests along the western coast of Central America, as far south as Guatemala.   The ‘blooming red flower’ is not a true flower but rather a collection of colored bracts or modified leaves.  The bracts change from green to red (or white, pink or even orange) when the consecutive daylight hours each day are less than 12.   The actual flowers of the poinsettia are the small yellow structures in the center of the leaf bracts at the growing point of the plant. 

The poinsettia was named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. foreign minister to Mexico.  On his return home to South Carolina in 1829, he brought back cuttings of the native poinsettias to grow in his greenhouse.  At the turn of the 20th century, Albert Ecke started field cultivation of poinsettias near Los Angeles, California, selling dormant plants to his customers.  In 1919 Albert’s son, Paul Ecke Sr., took over the farm and started selling them as cut flowers at roadside stands in Hollywood and Beverly Hills.  By 1963, Paul Ecke Jr. had joined his father in the poinsettia business and developed the first commercial quality poinsettia cultivars grown in pots. Paul Ecke Sr. became known as “The Poinsettia King”.

When selecting your poinsettia, choose a healthy plant with a sturdy branches.  Ensure that the true yellow flowers are present.  Avoid purchasing poinsettias that are displayed in plastic or paper sleeves around the plant as plants that have been sleeved too long lose their leaves prematurely. 

Poinsettias were traditionally red in color but with breeding efforts; white, pink, red and white speckled and peach colors are common.  This year I even noticed white poinsettias that had a blue and purple tinged bracts:  they were spray painted.  Transporting poinsettias home in the winter can be challenging.  Wrap the poinsettia in a paper or plastic sleeve surrounded by newspaper and place it in an inflated closed plastic bag.  The extra air helps insulate it.  Take it home in a warm vehicle.  Once home, remove the plastic and paper wrapping as soon as possible.  Place your poinsettia in an area with bright, filtered light – not direct sunlight.  Avoid exposing it to warm or cold drafts.  Poinsettias prefer temperatures between 19-22°C. 

Water poinsettias sparingly but thoroughly once the top 1-2 cm of the media is dry.   Do not allow them to completely dry out, but never let them sit in water.  Allow the excess water to drain from the pot.  If you decide to keep your poinsettia as a house plant, fertilize it once a month with a soluble fertilizer low in nitrogen and high in phosphorous.  The red bracts will eventually fall off and replaced by green colored bracts as the days become longer.  

To initiate colored bracts on your houseplant poinsettia for the next Christmas season, place it in a dark location for a minimum of 12 hours each day beginning in September.  This 12 hour ‘dark period’ must be completely uninterrupted by light.  By early November, new colored bracts will start appearing.

Some people avoid purchasing poinsettias because they are said to be poisonous.  While the plant sap can be irritating to people and pets, it is not poisonous.  Studies have shown that a 20 kg dog or child would have to eat between 500-600 bracts or drink a 2kg of the sap before it would be toxic.  The sap is very bitter so if a pet or child started to eat the plant, the bitter taste would turn them away from further consumption.  

Whether it is the traditional red poinsettia or one of the newer pink, peach or speckled types, with proper care you’ll enjoy your poinsettia throughout the Christmas season and beyond.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com ). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Where in the world is your Christmas tree?

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Where in the world is your Christmas tree?

by Ginnie Hartley

Saskatchewan Perennial Society

How will you decorate your Christmas tree this year? Will you stay close to home and pull out the tried-and-true box of ornaments full of nostalgia, or will you try something new – an idea from another country?

Tradition tells us that the original idea for a decorated tree at Christmas time started in Germany in the sixteenth century. Martin Luther is believed to have put lighted candles on his family’s tree as they reminded him of the stars twinkling in the sky in winter.

German settlers in America introduced the idea of a decorated tree in the eighteenth century, but the New England Puritans viewed them as desecrating “that sacred event” and having a decorated tree was a penal offence.

However, in 1846 in England, Queen Victoria and her husband Albert were depicted standing around a decorated Christmas tree with their children and the idea immediately became fashionable.

Early twentieth century North Americans decorated outdoor Christmas trees with homemade ornaments and strings of popcorn which were originally intended to feed the birds. The arrival of electricity brought Christmas tree lights, and now homes and yards are decorated with displays of figures, lights and music to delight (or annoy!) their neighbours.

Photo by Jill Thomson.
Christmas tree ornaments from around the world. Moose (Canada), Apple (France), Donkey (Corfu), Bee (Saskatoon), Spider (Ukraine).

There are many different traditions, and ornaments, associated with Christmas trees all over the world:

          •        in Mexico, the principal holiday ornament is a Nativity scene but artificial trees or branches from local trees are often incorporated.

          •        in Norway, parents decorate the tree while the children wait outside. Then they circle the tree, walking around it while singing carols.

          •        Christmas tree decorations in the Philippines are called parol, ornamental lanterns typically made from bamboo and Japanese paper and lit from inside.

          •        Ukrainian decorations mimic spider webs shimmering with dew. An old folk tale tells the story of a poor widow who couldn’t afford to decorate a tree for her children, so the spiders in the house spun beautiful webs all over her tree.

          •        In France, tree ornaments often take the shape of red apples which have a religious association with the Garden of Eden.

          •        In Australia, Christmas is in summer so decorations are often shells or other things associated with being on the beach. Australians typically “fire up the barbie” at Christmas to celebrate while eating outside.

          •        Finish trees are decorated with himmelikits – geometric straw ornaments that are thought to bring a good harvest in the upcoming year.   

          •        Christmas trees in Denmark are decorated with julehjerte – ornaments made of pleated and plaited red and white paper in a heart shape, which are filled with nuts or sweets.

          •        Children in Iceland are visited by 13 trolls for the 13 days before Christmas. They leave a shoe by their bedroom window for the trolls to fill with gifts, but if they have been badly behaved, they may receive rotten potatoes instead of a gift. The trolls are popular as tree ornaments.

          •        Christmas in Japan is a secular holiday, but Christmas trees are popular and are decorated with gold paper fans, lanterns, wind chimes and most popular – origami cranes. As an aside, a popular Japanese tradition at Christmas is to eat at Kentucky Fried Chicken!

          •        In China, “trees of light” at Christmas are usually artificial trees decorated with spangles, paper chains, flowers and lanterns.

Decorated Christmas trees in Canada are thought to have been introduced in 1781 by a baroness who placed a tree in her home and decorated it with white candles. Our Christmas tree decorations now reflect traditions from many countries. 

So try something new this Christmas! Hang a troll or two on your tree, or make a parol or some himmelikits before you fire up the barbie or run out to KFC.

Ginnie Hartley is a retired speech-language pathologist with an interest in writing, gardening and obscure facts! This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Itoh Peonies (Part Three)

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Itoh Peonies (Part Three)

Sara Williams

Itoh peonies, a hybrid combining the hardiness and habit of herbaceous peonies with the colour range, flower size and extended flowering period of the tree peonies, are a relative newcomer to the prairies.

The story of their development is one of persistence and tenaciousness on the part of their first breeder, Dr. Toichi Itoh (pronouced Ee-toe), a Japanese nurseryman and plant breeder. His goal: to create a pure yellow herbaceous peony. Dr. Itoh pollinated more than 1,200 peony plants before obtaining 36 seedlings in 1948 after successfully crossing the yellow hybrid tree peony with a double-flowered, white herbaceous peony.

Nine of these seedlings resembled tree peonies. Sadly, he died in 1956 before any of them came into flower. His son-in-law, Shiagao-Oshida, continued his work and four plants were selected for introduction. Until then, there were no true deep yellow herbaceous peonies.

In 1974, an American horticulturist and breeder, Louis Smirnov, who had served as a president of the American Peony Society, learned about this amazing breakthrough. He made arrangements with Dr. Itoh’s widow to import these plants and register them with the American Peony Society.

Over the last few decades, several American peony breeders have made significant introductions. When first introduced, some of these peonies sold for as much as $1,000 per division! But with modern mass propagation techniques, prices have become more affordable.

Itoh peonies bloom from late spring to early summer. Colours include white, pinks, reds, golden yellow, copper red and orange, often with contrasting flares at the base of the petals. Many are fragrant. They have attractive, finely cut foliage and strong stems that rarely if ever, need support and are extremely vigorous. The rounded bushes are about 90 x 90 cm (3 x 3 ft). Their care is similar to that of garden peonies.

Among the hardy varieties are:

ORANGE

‘Kopper Kettle’ has semi-double to double, copper-orange (with occasional yellow streaks) flowers with dark centres on plants 60 to 90 cm (24 – 36 in.) high.

‘Singing in the Rain’ has semi-double, apricot blooms that appear light orange upon opening and fade to yellow, giving the plant a multi-coloured appearance. Lightly fragrant, it is very floriferous with many side-buds, blooming in mid-season. It is 90 to 120 cm (35-50 in.) high.

LAVENDER, LILAC, and PINK

‘Cora Louise’ has single or double flowers of pale lavender fading to pure white with lavender flares. Flat in form, they bloom in mid-season on strong stems 60 cm (24 in.) in height.

‘Morning Lilac’ is single to semi-double with lavender-fuchsia-pink flowers with dark purple and white streaking, flowering in mid-season. Plants are 65 to 70 cm (26 – 28 in.) tall.

‘Visions of Sugar Plums’ has large single flowers of a soft pink blending to a deeper pink at the petal edge. Each petal has huge, plum-colored flares towards the center. Blooming in midseason, it has a height of about 75 cm (30 in.).

‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ has semi-double to occasionally double, rose-form flowers of an  attractive deep pink with cream undertones that fade slightly as the flowers mature. They are 15 cm (6 in.) in diameter, of good substance with a pleasant fragrance and bloom in mid-season. Floriferous, they have 2-3 buds per stem on plants 90 cm (36 in.) in height.

YELLOW

‘Bartzella’ has large (15 to 20 cm /6-8 in. diameter), fragrant semi-double to double, soft sulphur yellow flowers with red flares. Floriferous and of good substance, they bloom mid to late season on strong 80 cm (32 in.) stems.

‘Garden Treasure’ has semi-double, bright yellow petals with small scarlet flares. It is very vigorous and flowers over a long period in mid to late season with up to 3 blooms per stem on plants of 75 cm (30 in.) in height.  It is a Gold Medal winner.

‘Sequestered Sunshine’ has single to semi-double, canary yellow flowers 12.5 to 18 cm (5-7 in.) in diameter with white carpals tipped with red stigmas and a ring of yellow stamens. Flowering in mid-season, it is fragrant and vigorous. Plants are 65 to 75 cm (25-30 in.) high.

‘Smith Family Yellow’ has semi-double to double (30-50 petals) flowers of a clear deep yellow with small red flares that are up to 20 cm (8 in.) in diameter with very good substance. It is a vigorous and floriferous plant with 2-3 buds per stem, strong stems, and mild fragrance blooming in mid-season. Plants are 70 cm (28 in.) tall.

Sara Williams is the author of many books including Gardening Naturally with Hugh Skinner, Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, and with Bob Bors, Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens. She gives workshops on a wide range of gardening topics throughout the prairies.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Peonies a Plenty! [Part II]

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Peonies a Plenty! [Part II]

Sara Williams, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

Last week’s column provided an introduction to peonies, their history and care. An old favourite in our perennial borders and one that seldom disappoints, here are some of the varieties that have graced prairie gardens for many decades.

PINK

‘Bowl of Beauty’ (1949) has large, rose-pink flowers with a creamy yellow centre on 90 cm (3 ft) plants.

‘Coral Charm’ (1964) has large, semi-double, coral peach flowers and is 90 cm (36 in.) high.

‘Coral Sunset’ (1981) is 75 cm (30 in.) high with large, semi-double coral pink flowers.

‘Do Tell’ (1946) is orchid pink to rose pink with a yellow centre and 80 cm (32 in.) high.

‘Edulis Superba’ (1824) is a very old hybrid but still considered among the best. It is magenta rose with a sweet fragrance and 95 cm (38 in.) high.

‘Gay Paree’ (1933) has brilliant magenta outer petals around a pale pink centre.

‘Laura Dessert’ (1913) has fragrant, fully double, pale pink, saucer-shaped flowers and is 1 m (40 in.) in height.

‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ (1888) has large, ruffled, double rose-pink blooms on 90 to 95 cm (36 in.) stems. It received an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

‘Raspberry Sundae’ (1968) has double, pale pink flowers with a yellow centre and a sweet fragrance and is 90 cm (36 in.) in height.

‘Sarah Bernhardt’ (1906) has relatively weak stems of 95 cm (36 in.) and very large, fragrant, double, soft apple blossom pink flowers.

‘Sorbet’ (before 1987, origin unknown) is 75 cm (30 in.) high with an upright form and double, soft pink and ivory flowers.

RED

‘Buckeye Belle’ (1956) is 85 cm (34 in.) high with semi-double, dark red flowers with a pale red centre.

‘Early Scout’ (1952) is 85 cm (34 in.) high with very fragrant, large, single red flowers with a yellow centre.

‘Felix Krause’ (1881) is 75 cm (30 in.) in height with very large, double red blooms with a sweet fragrance.

‘Flame’ (1939) is among Sara’s favourites. It has single, orange-crimson flowers and is 90 cm (3 ft on plants 60 to 90 cm (2-3 ft).) in height.

‘Henry St. Clair’ (1941) is 80 cm (30 in.) in height with double red flowers.

‘Kansas’ (1940) has very fragrant, double, deep crimson-purple flowers and a height of 100 cm (40 in.).

‘Karen Gray’ (1965) has fuchsia red petals surrounding yellow stamenoids on 65 cm (26 in.) stems.

‘Karl Rosenfield’ (1908) has mildly fragrant, crimson red, double flowers on 80 cm (32 in.) stems.

‘Red Charm’ (1944) is 90 cm (36 in.) in height with deep crimson, double flowers.

YELLOW

‘Le Printemps’ (1905) has large creamy yellow petals with the centre veined violet carmine on plants about 70 cm (30 in.) in height.

WHITE

‘Claire de Lune’ (1954) has single, cup-shaped ivory flowers with yellow centres and is 85 cm (34 in.) high.

‘Duchess de Nemours’ (1856) is 80 cm (32 in.) in height with very fragrant, double, creamy white flowers.

‘Elsa Sass’ (1930) is 70 cm (28 in.) in height with double white flowers.

‘Festiva Maxima’ (1851) has large, double, white flowers with flecks of red, is very fragrant and about 100 cm (3 ft) high.

‘Honey Gold’ (1966) has fragrant, double white flowers with a pale yellow centre and is 90 cm (36 in.) in height.

‘Primevere’ (1907) is 90 cm (36 in.) high with fragrant, white double flowers with a lemon yellow centre.

‘Requiem (1941) has single, creamy white flowers with a spicy fragrance on 90 cm (36 in.) plants.

And, last but not least, the fernleaf peony (P. tenuifolia), native to the dry meadows of southeastern Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus. It is early flowering with very finely divided foliage and deep red single flowers.  ‘Plena’ is the double form.

Next week: Peonies, Part III, the Itoh Peonies

Sara Williams is the author of many books including Gardening Naturally with Hugh Skinner, Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, and with Bob Bors, Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens. She gives workshops on a wide range of gardening topics throughout the prairies. This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Peonies! [Part I]

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Peonies! [Part I]

Sara Williams, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

There are over 30 species of peonies (Paeonia spp.) worldwide. Unfortunately, only a few of these are commercially available and ever show up in our gardens. Used medicinally in China and Europe for a wide range of ailments for centuries, peonies have been hybridized for thousands of years. 

Herbaceous peonies (Paeonia lactiflora), also called garden peonies and Chinese peonies, are native to China and Japan. The species name, lactiflora means with milky flowers. First imported into England from China in 1805, this species is the source of thousands of our hybrids. About 60 cm (2 ft) in height, the stems carry two or more fragrant flowers. They have been a standard in prairie gardens for over a century because of their cold hardiness, drought tolerance, longevity and showiness. Paeonia officionalis is native to eastern Europe and has also contributed to our garden peonies.

Herbaceous peonies consist of a tuberous root ball, crown and stems, with plants varying in height from 30 to 90 cm (1-3 ft). They bloom from late spring to early summer. Colours include white, pink, red to magenta, and yellow.

Fragrance varies among the varieties. Some of the older double varieties such as ‘Festiva Maxima’, ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ and ‘Karl Rosenfield’ are exceptionally fragrant.

The glossy, much divided foliage is attractive throughout the growing season. It emerges with pink to purple tones, is green through the growing season, and generally colours again in the fall. The degree of leaflet division varies with the species and variety. Most will take up to five years to assume their mature flower characteristics.

Remember the mature size of a mature peony root ball and prepare the soil well. Planting holes should be a minimum of 45 cm deep by 60 cm (1.5 x 2.0 ft) in diameter. Space them 1 m (3 ft) apart from each other and other plants. Place them in full sun well away from tree roots in a well-drained soil that has been generously amended with well-rotted organic matter such as manure or compost. There should be no more than 5 cm (2 in.) of soil above the top of the buds or “eyes”.

Water deeply after planting (remember the depth of that root system!) and ensure even moisture for the first several years after planting. Once established, peonies are very drought tolerant. Side-dress with a light application of a high phosphorus fertilizer in early spring.

The older, double forms sometimes lack sturdiness because of their heavy flowers and relatively weak stems. These will require peony hoops or another form of support to remain upright, especially after a heavy rain or wind.

Deadhead them after flowering, so the plant’s energy will go into their roots rather than seeds. Buds for next year’s stems are formed in the fall prior to the foliage dying.

Ants are neither helpful nor harmful to the peony. They are simply after a “free lunch” in the form of the exuded sugars on the flower buds. Botrytis, a fungal disease, can be a problem in some years. Water the soil rather than the foliage and increase air circulation. Remove and destroy infected foliage. Deer generally leave peonies alone.

They are well placed in the perennial border and are excellent in fresh or dried arrangements. Peonies can be left undisturbed for years. They are best propagated by division in September or early October. Lift the entire clump. The buds, stems and roots will be very brittle. Before dividing it, let it sit in the sun for a couple of hours to become less brittle and more flexible. Use a sharp knife. Each division should include a section of the root and crown with three to five stem buds or “eyes.” When replanting, ensure that the tops of the buds are never more than two inches below soil level.

Peony flowers are self-fertile. Species may be raised from seed but may take up to five years to flower. The seed is large and dark blue to black.

Next week: Part II, Peony Varieties!

Sara Williams is the author of many books including Gardening Naturally with Hugh Skinner, Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, and with Bob Bors, Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens. She gives workshops on a wide range of gardening topics throughout the prairies. This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

‘Feeed Me’ with Bugs and Things!

Sask Perennial Society
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‘Feeed Me’ with Bugs and Things!

Jackie Bantle

When touring children around a greenhouse or conservatory, they are often on the lookout for the weirdest, biggest, smelliest, most colorful plant.  One in a while, I might even get the question, are there any people-eating plants in here?  My usual response is… not since the last student asked that question…

Remember the play, Little Shop of Horrors?  If you recall, the story is about an eccentric florist who grows a plant that feeds on human flesh and blood.  Although the story is fictitious, the idea that some plants can get their nutrients directly from insects or animals is not so far-fetched.  There are over 600 species of carnivorous plants.  Carnivorous plants refer to any plant that derives its nutrients from trapping and consuming some form of animal, insect, microorganism, arthropod or bird.  Although carnivorous plants generate all of their energy from photosynthesis, most of these plants live in conditions where good root growth can be challenging:  bogs, swamps, poor soil with very little nutrients. 

There are five main methods in which a carnivorous plant can trap a prey.

• ‘Pitfall trap’ is the type of trap that pitcher plants use.  The prey simply falls into a rolled leaf that has a pool of digestive enzymes and bacteria at the base from which the prey cannot escape.

• ‘Snap trap’ is the type where the hinged leaves snap shut when trigger hairs are touched.  Note:  the ‘snapping’ is not the same speed as a mouse trap closing.

• ‘Suction traps’ are modified leaves in the shape of a bladder with a hinged door that is lined with trigger hairs.  Bladderworts have suction traps.

• ‘Flypaper’ or sticky adhesive traps like one would find on sundews or butterworts whose leaves are covered in glands that exude a sticky mucilage.

• ‘Lobster pot’ traps are found in plants like Sarracenia psittacina where the prey is enticed to the opening of the trap but its curiosity and desire for food has it wind its way into the cavity until it can no longer find its way out. 

Various types of carnivorous plants are found throughout the world.  In Saskatchewan, there are at least ten native carnivorous plants that can be found in boggy areas throughout the province.  A good location to find the native pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea ) or the round leaved sundew (Drosura rotundifolia) is along the ‘Boundary Bog Hiking Trail’ in the Prince Albert National Park.  The 2km walking loop was closed during the last summer season due to maintenance but hopefully the trail will be up and running for the 2024 walking season.   Never remove these plants from their native habitat: they will not grow well as house plants or outside their native ecosystem.

Occasionally, nurseries and your favorite florist may have some carnivorous plants available for growing as houseplants.  They can be a challenge but rewarding.  Venus Fly Trap, pitcher plants and sun dews are some of the more common carnivorous plants available for purchase.  Venus Fly Traps have hinged leaves that close if touched.  Pitcher plants have small pitchers that produce nectar on the rim of their pitcher.  As the bug searches for more nectar inside the pitcher, the bug falls into the pitcher and the smooth insides of the pitcher prevent the insect from crawling out.  Sundews have sticky glands along their leaves that trap tiny insects as they land on their leaves. 

Carnivorous plants are found in bogs which, in nature, are usually very sunny, very wet and the ‘soil’ is a  base of peat moss.    Avoid using conventional potting soil or compost to grow carnivorous plants. 

Keep the peat-based substrate continually moist by placing the plant’s container in a saucer of non-chlorinated water.  The water can be changed periodically to keep it fresh.  Do not use tap water (there are too many minerals in tap water) – distilled water or rainwater is best.  Do not fertilize your carnivorous plant.  Also, do not put dead flies or kitchen meat (like hamburger) on top of a carnivorous plant like a Venus fly trap: it will simply rot on the plant and may kill the plant.

Carnivorous plants prefer at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.  A south facing window in summer may be too hot but the plant will appreciate the light.  The carnivorous plants that we grow as house plants prefer warm temperatures and should never be exposed to temperatures below 5°C. 

Most carnivorous plants do experience a dormant period annually. You may notice your carnivorous plants slowing down their growth during the winter. During this dormant period, plants may die back. Keep plants moist during this time but consider moving them to an east or north window during this ‘rest’ period. When they are ready, they will start to regrow and can be moved back to their sunny location.

This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com ). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

Some trees are for the birds…

Sask Perennial Society
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Some trees are for the birds…

Sara Williams, Saskatchewan Perennial Society

With such a wonderful, long extended fall, the coming winter seems almost illusionary. But it’s no doubt on its way. Gardeners with trees or shrubs that retain their fruit through the long prairie winter have a wonderful opportunity not only to enjoy the often bright red splash of the fruits’ colour against the snow, but to also enjoy the over-wintering birds who come to feast on them.

Following are some of the hardy, fruit-bearing trees that can provide a mini smorgasbord for wintering birds. Consider adding these to your landscape this spring.

Showy mountain ash (Sorbus decora)

Although several species of mountain ash will survive prairie winters, the best choice in terms of hardiness and disease resistance is the showy mountain ash, native to Manitoba. A tree long associated with magic, sorbus means stop, possibly a reference to warding off witchcraft. The species name, decora, means decorated or showy.

It is indeed showy, with four-season landscape value: flat clusters of showy white flowers in the spring; orange-red fruit in summer that persist through winter; and brilliant red fall foliage. And a size (an oval to rounded form about 20 ft / 6 m in height) that makes it suitable to both small and expansive landscapes.

The fruit persists through winter (until consumed by flocks of waxwings), offering a sharp contrast to our otherwise white landscape.

Plant mountain ash in full sun on well drained soil. Water until established after which it is very drought-tolerant.

Amur or ginnala maple (Acer ginnala)

Here is a small, tough tree of about 15 ft (4.5 m) with amazing fall colour, varying from yellow to orange to red to brilliant scarlet. It is native to China, Siberia, Japan and Manchuria including the Amur River Valley from which it gets its common name. The paired winged seed pods, known as samaras, are a brilliant red, ripening to a straw colour. The seeds, retained through winter, are a treat for grosbeaks and other birds. Among the improved varieties are: ‘Atomic’, ‘Bailey’s Compact’, Durone’, ‘Flame’ and ‘Royal Crown.’

Plant them in well-drained soil in full sunlight. It is excellent for smaller urban yards or massed in larger spaces.

Flowering crabapple (Malus spp.)

We usually think of flowering crabapples in terms of their lovely white to pinkish-red spring bloom. Small, dense, low headed trees of up to 25 ft (7.5 m), they are ideally suited to smaller urban landscapes or planted as groupings in larger rural settings. Relatively fast growing, their lifespan is about forty years or more. Plant them in full sunlight on well-drained soil. Among those with fruit that is retained through the winter until consumed by birds are:

            •           ‘Rudoph’ is a symmetrical upright tree of about 12 ft (3.5 m) with red flowers, bronze foliage and persistent red fruit.

            •           ‘Pink Spires’ has pink flowers and a narrow columnar form to 20 ft (6 m). The purple-red leaves turn a greenish-bronze and become orange-yellow in the fall. The dark red fruit persist over the winter.

            •           ‘Kelsey’ is an upright, rounded tree to 18 ft (5.5 m) with double pink flowers in the spring, bronzy-green foliage which becomes orangish-yellow in the fall, and small purple fruit that persist into winter.

            •           ‘Makamik’ has an upright rounded form to about 20 ft (6 m), reddish-purple spring bloom, and dark purple leaves (turning orange in the fall). The small dark red fruit persist through the winter.

            •           ‘Prairiefire’ has rich pink flowers in the spring, purple leaves, and dark purple-red fruit that persists through winter. It has a height and spread of 15-20 ft (4.5-6 m).

            •           ‘Radiant’ is compact, symmetrical and rounded, with a height and spread of about 15 ft (4.5 m). Single pink flowers are followed by bright red persistent fruit.

            •           ‘Red Splendor’ has a large open form with a height and spread of 15 ft (4.5 m). It has deep rose-pink flowers, green foliage and retained red fruit.

            •           ‘Selkirk’ is vase-shaped, with a 20 ft (6 m) height and spread, with burgundy spring foliage. Single pink flowers are followed by persistent red fruit.

            •           ‘Starlite’ has a height of 25 ft (7.5 m) and a spread of 15 ft (4.5 m).  A profusion of white spring flowers is followed by tiny red fruit which are retained through winter.

Sara Williams is the author of many books including Gardening Naturally with Hugh Skinner, Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, and with Bob Bors, Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens. She gives workshops on a wide range of gardening topics throughout the prairies. This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (www.saskperennial.ca) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.

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