first published March 20, 2008

If you happened to celebrate ‘all things green’ a little too hard this past Monday, you might want to consider a gentler ode to the colour for the rest of the year: green flowers. Of course, the shamrock will always be unrivaled as the plant most closely associated with the luck of the Irish, but when it comes to gardening, there are a number of plants that outshine the shamrock—plants that not only have green foliage, but green flowers too.

Still warming up to the idea? I can understand. Some green-flowered plants look like they just couldn’t decide whether to grow more leaves or give up and produce flowers. Fortunately though, there are also those that are remarkably beautiful and much more refined than their underachieving counterparts. Here are a few of my favourites.

Tulipa viridiflora ‘Spring Green’
If you were lucky, you might have seen a couple of green-flowering tulips popping out of the ground on St. Patrick’s Day—although not very likely on the Prairies. Tulipa viridiflora ‘Spring Green’ emerges in early spring, and as its name suggests, has flowers that are distinctively pale green. In fact, if you wanted to truly tip your hat to the Irish next St. Patrick’s Day, you could force this variety to bloom the week of March 17th by potting up the bulbs this fall, storing them in a cold garage over the winter and then moving them indoors to a very sunny spot in late January.

Bells of Ireland
As for green flowers to enjoy the rest of the year, consider growing bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevis). These bedding plants produce green, bell-shaped blooms on tall spikes and look great in the garden and in the house as cutflowers. My wife grows them every year, primarily to add to bouquets, and even I—someone as florally design challenged as they come—think they look striking. So give them a try. They’re easy to grow, love cool weather and are remarkably frost tolerant. If the weather is favourable, you’ll be harvesting bells of Ireland well into October. Left to go to seed, you may even get a few volunteers popping up the following year.

Amaranthus viridis (loves lies bleeding) is one of the bolder green-flowered annuals, producing long, rope-like stalks of flowers that make a striking addition to any garden. Some of the stalks can grow to a length of 40–60 cm, and these tough plants are, by and large, pest free. Love lies bleeding is rather closely related to the not-so-charmingly-named pigweed, but at least it doesn’t share pigweed’s hog-like invasiveness, although it too will self-seed if allowed.

‘Green Envy’ coneflower (Echinacea) has lime-green petals surrounding a wonderfully rich-green, cone-like centre. The entire bloom fades slowly to magenta, offering great ornamental value. The Echinacea genus has been undergoing some extensive breeding work lately, making Green Envy one of many intriguing varieties to add to the garden. Keep in mind that Green Envy grows about 1–2 m tall and likes plenty of sun and space. I haven’t tried this perennial as a cutflower yet, but I’m betting it will hold up well.

Hydrangea ‘Limelight’
Hydrangeas more your style? Then I’d suggest giving the variety ‘Limelight’ a try. This variety of Hydrangea paniculata yields wonderfully green flowerheads that change to a light pink by late summer and are held straight up on the branch—making them easy to see and appreciate. Limelight can grow a couple of meters tall and one to two meters in diameter. Hydrangeas enjoy moist soils and a bit of shade from the hot afternoon sun. An added bonus with Limelight is that it makes a good cut or dried flower.

So if you have never ventured into the world of verdant flowers, there is no better time to start than this year. Green-flowered plants are no more difficult to grow than any other plant in your garden. All it takes is a bit of planning, a good watering schedule and, of course, a bit of luck.

first published March 13, 2008

Are you jealous that—regardless of what you do—your neighbour always manage to grow better vegetables and flowers than you do? Ever wonder why that is? Well, his growing prowess might have a lot to do with his choice in plants and how well he takes care of them, but it might also have something to do with one factor that neither he nor you have much control over: the sun.

We tend to take the sun for granted—starting with the assumption that there’s always enough of it. But that’s an assumption that often gets gardeners in trouble. In actuality, the amount of sunlight that plants receive in a growing season can vary enormously not only from one yard to the next but also within yards. I’m sure that many of the veteran gardeners reading this article are thinking well…duh, of course there’s a tremendous variance in sunlight, but it’s surprising just how many people aren’t quite sure which direction their yards face. Not knowing west from east or north from south will have a profound effect on whether or not you have a bountiful harvest of tomatoes or any tomatoes at all. Fortunately, figuring out directions is the all-time easiest gardening task. Here’s how.

If you can remember that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, it’s simple to figure out which way your gardens face. During the longest days of summer at our northern latitude, the sun rises somewhat northeasterly and sets northwesterly. If you face the evening sun, you are looking west. By stretching your arms out, your right arm will always point north, your left arm will point south and your back will be exposed to the east. Yup. It’s that easy. Once you’ve ironed out which direction your beds face, its time to add other factors into the equation—namely, physical obstructions.

Obstructions can easily change a sunny bed into a shade bed. I remember a gardener who was lamenting the fact that her tomato yields were inexplicably declining each growing season, regardless of the fact she was providing the same care to her tomatoes year after year. Well, a little case study revealed that her decline in tomato yield corresponded rather nicely with her neighbour’s trees’ ever-increasing appetite for sunlight. The take home message here? Tall trees, fences, sheds and kid’s playgrounds can radically reduce the amount of sunlight your plants receive. The rough rule of thumb we use in the greenhouse is that for every one per cent decrease in sunlight there is a one per cent reduction in yield.

Now, as important as it is to know which direction your flowerbeds face and if obstructions are altering the amount of sunlight they receive, there’s no need to overanalyze the sunlight issue. As a rule, flowerbeds can be categorized as follows: east beds are in semi-shade, west- and south-facing beds are sunny and north beds are deemed full shade. So when you head out to the garden centre, simply match the sunlight information on the plant tags to the sunlight that your beds receive and you won’t go too far wrong. The only caveat is to remember that some plants offer no second chances and need every speck of sunlight (and heat) they can get. For example, if you are thinking of growing warm-season crops like watermelons and cantaloupes and want any hope of getting them to mature before the first fall frost, then choose a southern spot that’s free of light obstructions from sunrise to sundown. The opposite set of rules applies for plants such as delicate ferns that grow best under continuous indirect sunlight or dappled shade all day long.

So if you are jealous of your neighbour’s beautiful garden, take heart in the fact that perhaps the reason it has the edge is because it won the sunlight lottery. Even so, don’t worry! If you just take the time to match the right plants to your garden, you too will have your day in the sun.

Bill Hole’s
State of the Industry

No matter how often I ask people that question, I can’t help but be surprised by the stereotypical measuring stick used to calculate the answer. Apparently, gardeners are “an exclusive club of people with muddy boots, dirty hands and a commitment to spending hours with plants.” My definition is far less rigid. If you’ve ever cared for and enjoyed at least one plant, you’re a gardener. There is no minimum or maximum requirement for time, knowledge or mud. When I say this to people, it seems to take the pressure off. They realize they don’t have to garden the way their parents or neighbours do. They realize their “garden” is actually about them. It’s a long-overdue epiphany that not only opens up a new market to those other than diehards, but also increases the number of people who can feel good about having enjoyed and cared for a plant.

I hope that includes just about everyone.

Hits & Misses: Neglect & timing
Question of the Week: What does it mean when a plant is biennial?
Science & Technology: Amaryllis bulbs

This past week I watched a pair of pileated woodpeckers feeding voraciously at our neighbour’s bird feeders. Pileated woodpeckers are North America’s largest woodpeckers and judging by their beautiful red crowns, must have been the inspiration for Walter Lantz’s Woody Woodpecker cartoon. If I remember correctly, the original Woody Woodpecker was a bit of an odd, ‘screwball’ character before he settled into a more ‘normal’ mischievous role. I’m sure that Lantz thought any bird that would spent a good part of its day smacking its head against wood must have dislodged a few brain cells along the way. If you think about it, the old woodpecker cranium must be one of Mother Nature’s better designs because, unlike humans, no matter how hammered the woodpeckers get, they always look none the worse for wear.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Neglect
Hen and chicks (Sempervivum) are amazing perennials. As the snow recedes from my front yard, most of my perennials have a decidedly brownish-grey, dead-looking theme going on. But not my hens and chicks—they look as good now as they did in the summer. I never water my Hen and chicks or fertilizer to protect them during the winter, yet they continue to grow and thrive…hmm, what is the definition of a weed again?

Miss: Timing
We have a gorgeous crop of hydrangeas that will be ready for sale this week—a week AFTER Easter. Ideally, the hydrangeas should have been ready two weeks ago, but with Easter being so early this year, the only way to get them to bloom on time would have been to grow them warm. But the problem with growing hydrangeas warm is that they become spindly and weak. Given the choice between poor-quality hydrangeas that bloom on time or high-quality hydrangeas that bloom late, I’ll take the latter choice every Easter.

Question of the Week
What does it mean when a plant is biennial?
A biennial normally requires two growing seasons to complete its life cycle. Most biennials grow only foliage the first year and then flower and set seed in the second, before dying. Some common biennials are hollyhocks, English daisies and forget-me-nots.

Science & Technology
Amaryllis Bulbs
A customer mentioned the other day that the amaryllis bulb she bought five years ago is now the size of a soccer ball and produced nine shoots this last Christmas. Judging by that description, it’s safe to assume the bulb has been well taken care of. That means giving it a very sunny location while it’s blooming and then fertilizing it through the spring and summer so that it can store up enough food energy in its bulb for future growth. Quit watering your amaryllis in mid fall. Once the leaves wither and dry, store the plant in a cool, dry place for 2–3 months. When the first signs of new shoots appear, bring the plant into the light and resume watering.

Trend Spotting

Water bowls are more popular than ever this year. This one with a bamboo fountain works well indoors or outdoors, although you may have to wait a while to put it outside.

Did You Know?
Draceana marginata is called the money tree in Hawaii because they were first planted outside of the Bank of Hawaii.

“Snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough.”
–Earl Wilson

Bill Hole’s State of the Industry

A recent trip to watch our daughter play basketball made me act like something I haven’t been in a very long time: a regular consumer. Away from my everyday job where I normally analyze all my decisions, I found myself reacting to all the same marketing ploys that regular consumers do. It wasn’t until I arrived home and thought about the weekend’s events that I realized just how important first impressions are. What did I feel like when I first entered the hotel, café, gymnasium or airport, and how did it guide my willingness to spend time and money? The answers became very clear when I thought about where we decided to eat. The name, the sign, the windows and the sidewalk all had a great affect on me. If I didn’t feel good about them, I didn’t try the restaurant. It was all about the superficial packaging instead of the food. Wow, how’s that for being a typical consumer!

Hits & Misses: Sweet success & slackers
Question of the Week: Is it time to prune my trees?
The Business: Bring on spring!
The Path to Enjoy 2009: Integration

Having just read the latest newsletter from the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), it struck me that all of us are mere dilettantes when it comes to the produce we eat. Our plant diet is pretty much corn, wheat, rice and potatoes—with a few greens scattered in for good measure. If you don’t believe me, check the list of ingredients on the next package of food you buy. I can virtually guarantee that one of the Big 4 is on the label. As the one ISHS article on food plants of Peru illustrated, many of that country’s indigenous tuberous root vegetables are unknown to North Americans. We are very familiar with the potato here in Canada, but have you heard of the other Peruvian tubers? How about arracacha, achira, yacon, macka or ahipa. No? Then what about ulluco, oca, mashua or maca. They are all Peruvian food staples that I’ve never heard of, let alone seen. The sad thing is that many of us will never have the pleasure of tasting these foods because the Big 4 have become so dominant in our culture. Who knows? If the world really is becoming more global, maybe someday soon we will be ordering macka fries at Macdonald’s. Hmm…on second thought.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Sweet Success
So far, I’m pretty impressed with the ‘Sweetunias’ that we are growing in hanging baskets. They have a nice, compact growth habit and are already starting to bloom. One variety called ‘Soft Pink Morning’ is aptly named because its delicate colour makes one think of warm, summer mornings on the back deck with coffee in hand…yes, believe it or not, those days are coming.

Miss: SlackersI
don’t know why it is so annoying, but when one or two shrub roses out of several hundred fails to grow, it is like a tiny sliver stuck in your forefinger—not a big deal but irritating nonetheless. I suppose another analogy would be getting 98% on an exam but dwelling on the one or two questions that you got wrong…not that I have the foggiest idea of what that would feel like!

Question of the Week
Is it time to prune my trees?
Well, that depends. When it comes to broken, diseased, dying or dead branches, it’s always open season. Just remember that there is only one way to make a proper pruning cut on a tree, and that’s by leaving a 1-cm “collar” on the trunk where the branch was. No long stubs. No cuts flush to the trunk. As for general pruning, there’s a fairly easy rule to remember: if you want maximum flower production, prune spring-blooming shrubs in early summer, and prune summer-blooming shrubs in early spring. For example, lilacs and flowering plums bloom in spring (prior to June 20th) and should be pruned shortly after they finish blooming so that next year’s flowerbuds have time to form during the summer. Shrub roses, on the other hand, should be pruned in early spring because the flowers are formed on the shoots that develop during the spring. I would have to say though that the best thing about this rule is that even if you get mixed up and prune the wrong plant at the wrong time, you won’t ruin its health—you’ll just be forced to enjoy its foliage rather than its flowers.

Always leave a 1-cm “collar” when you prune branches.

The Business
Bring on Spring!
Spring is officially here, and although our Garden Centre and Indoor Plant area remain open all year, we are now counting down the days until we fire into full gear and open all the seasonal areas of the greenhouse. Watch for more updates as we near our official opening, scheduled the week of April 21st.

The Path to Enjoy 2009
Integration
When I brought chief architect Ernst von Meijenfeldt to see our new development site last fall, he saw the same thing we did: a beautiful undulating location. Thrilled with the location and that we wanted to retain the natural splendour of the land, Ernst began talking about the importance of the landscape and building working together. Recently, I heard Ernst speak at a Jung Forum, where he reiterated how important it was to complement and enhance the land one builds on. It was truly inspiring—especially when he recited this quote from Frank Lloyd Wright: “No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together, each the happier for the other.” I think that says it all.

Did You Know?
A 100 kilogram log contains 45 kilograms of carbon.

“Grass is the cheapest plant to install and the most expensive to maintain.”
–Pat Howell

First published March 6, 2008
There is one common garden product that has not only revolutionized container gardening, but also helped keep our backs from slipping out of alignment. It’s name? Perlite…although at the greenhouse, it occasionally answers to godsend.

Most of us recognize perlite as those round, white pellets commonly blended into potting soil mixtures—you know, the stuff that looks like Styrofoam beads. But while perlite isn’t as lightweight as Styrofoam, it still has a fairly low density, which has a huge impact on the size of containers we choose to fill and whether or not we can straighten up our backs after a day of moving them around the garden.

Step aside, sand
For many years, sand was the particle of choice for containers because it was one of the few readily available materials that provided the drainage necessary for plants to grow properly. But sand has one major drawback: weight. At a whopping 2000 kg per cubic meter, sand can transform even a relatively small pot into a back-breaking heavyweight. And the fun doesn’t stop there. Large hanging baskets that contain sand as a base component are not only tough to hang, they’re also tough on the old cranium should they come crashing down.

Interestingly enough, the perlite that our backs have come to love wouldn’t be much lighter than sand if it weren’t super heated and transformed from its natural state—a volcanic glass-like rock. Once the raw perlite hits a temperature of about 870 C, it explodes into a low-density popcorn-like particle. At about 30 kg per cubic metre, perlite is only a fraction of the weight of sand yet equivalent in its ability to improve soil drainage. Even when dealing with clay-rich garden soil, sand still isn’t the best choice for improving drainage. It might seem like the right choice, but because it takes such a vast amount of coarse sand to change the texture of clay soils, the addition of small quantities often does nothing more than transform clay to concrete. No seemingly good deed goes unpunished!

Getting it right
In standard potting soil mixes, perlite is added to counterbalance the sponge-like, water holding capacity of peat moss. Translation: peat moss tends to absorb large amounts of water, and the perlite lets it move through the soil and out the container’s drainage holes. Good quality potting soils should contain anywhere from 10 to 20 per cent perlite. I tend to like those that nudge the 20 per cent side because roots breathe best in a more porous mix. Having said that, the reality of many “professional” potting soils is that they contain what I suspect is no more than one per cent perlite—a mere window dressing. Unfortunately, a few bits and pieces scattered throughout a bag will have virtually no effect on the structure of the potting soil. The solution: take a good look at what you’re buying. Authentic professional soilless mixes have light-coloured, long-fibred peat moss and lots of coarse perlite scattered throughout.

A second option is to buy all of the components individually and mix them yourself. The advantage, of course, is that you can customize the blends. The disadvantage, however, is that custom blending can be a bit messy and dusty. Perlite dust in particular can irritate the eyes and throat, so if you blend your own mix, do so in a well ventilated area or wear a mask.

That’s perlite in a nutshell—a fantastic product that allows gardeners to grow plants in much larger containers, which in turn produce better looking, larger plants. I know I wouldn’t be without it. After all, besides amending my soil, it also allows me to enjoy my containers up close rather than longingly through my living room window whilst I lie on my couch with a hot water bottle on my back.

Bill Hole’s State of the Industry
Where did all this need for commercial air fresheners come from? We have allowed ourselves to be convinced by big corporations that we all need to buy bottled air fresheners that mimic what Mother Nature does better. Why not just add more plants to your home? Study after study has proven that homes and offices that have lots of live plants help to keep people healthier and happier. It isn’t rocket science. Plants add humidity and oxygen, while removing many toxins from our air. Instead of spending all your money on the myriad of air fresheners, how about going natural? Your mind and body will love it.

Hits & Misses: Chutzpah & extra space
Question of the Week: Why are my corn seeds pink?
Science & Technology: Green Gold

As our tree and shrub buyer/rose aficionado, Stephen Raven, and I were perusing this year’s crop of roses, I asked him what criteria he used for choosing the varieties. Stephen said that while he tries to have a fairly wide selection of colour choices, outstanding garden performance is the most important factor in the selection process. As Stephen succinctly put it to me, “Although I appreciate colour, choosing varieties that perform well in people’s gardens is far more important than bringing in some wimpy rose featured in a glossy magazine. Choosing the best is my job.” Makes sense to me.

Scentimental, a tender Floribunda rose.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Chutzpah
I mentioned in last week’s notes that we had received some 50,000 bare-root cuttings that we ‘stuck’ in a day. And while I’m amazed by the Herculean effort it took to get them all planted, it also never ceases to amaze me how all those plants figured out that they’d been lopped off their mother plants and needed to develop roots. I mean, I wouldn’t expect that if I lopped off one of my baby fingers that my highly evolved, human body would have the chutzpah to grow another finger. If it weren’t for the fact that plants ‘learned’ how to grow roots from severed stems, our gardens would look very differently than they do today.

Miss: Extra Space
The bananas are going…well, bananas! Although plant vigour is an admirable trait, in the greenhouse, it’s also a double-edged sword. Typically, vigour translates to great garden performance, but around here, it also means finding extra space in the greenhouse at a time when space is at a premium. Knowing that they will fly out the door when it’s time to sell them is a consolation, but that won’t be for a while. Bananas can be held in gardeners’ homes for a few weeks (if you have a sunny spot) but can’t be put outdoors until the weather is warm. Hmm…if I could just figure out a way to control the exuberance of these bananas between then and now, I would be set.

Question of the Week
Why are my corn seeds pink?
The pink coating on your seeds is a fungicide treatment that helps prevent corn seedlings from rotting in the ground. Colouring the fungicide so that it can be seen also clearly marks the seeds as treated, thus indicating that they cannot be put into animal feed or human food.

Science & Technology
Green Gold
Researchers have discovered that algae could be the most economical organisms for converting sunlight into biofuel. Apparently, some algae species are comprised of about 50 per cent lipids (fats) that can be transformed into fuels ranging from jet to biodiesel. One company in particular, called GlobalGreen Solutions, has taken the algae/biofuel equation to the next level and developed a system that converts entire greenhouses to algae-producing factories. The system is called Vertigro, and it’s comprised of select species of algae that are grown in transparent, water-filled, plastic mats. Growing algae vertically allows the company to pack in the maximum number of algae per cubic metre in the greenhouse, which maximizes the amount of lipids the algae can produce from the available sunlight. Once the algae population has reached its pinnacle, the algae are pumped out of the tubes, the lipids are extracted and fat becomes engine fuel.

Trend Spotting

They’re back! Only this time, basket chairs have taken on a European inspired, Neuvo look. This particular line of furniture is incredibly sturdy, made from resin and designed to stack together, making storage a breeze.

Did You Know?
One of the ingredients found is Worcesteshire sauce is—wait for it!—Devil’s dung (Ferula assafoetida). As its common name alludes, the plant has a rather strong and unpleasant smell but still somehow manages to make the sauce taste great.

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.”
–Doug Larson

first published February 28, 2008

Tomorrow is sync day, a.k.a February 29th—the day that exists because our pokey earth didn’t have the foresight to take exactly 365 days to orbit once around the sun. Instead, the laggard decided to take 365 and 1/4 days to do it, which screws up our Gregorian calendar. Now, a quarter of a day might not seem like a big deal, but it adds up. In fact, if we didn’t make the correction and sync ourselves up with the solar calendar every four years, we’d eventually find ourselves planting annuals in December and harvesting our corn in March.

So now that you’re thinking of leap years in terms of gardening, here’s another reason to love them: they provide the perfect excuse to break with convention. I mean, come on!— according to custom, a girl can even ask a boy to marry her on February the 29th. Hmm… experience and my size 13 foot dissuade me from weighing in on that one, but I will say that the breaking of gardening conventions is something I always recommend.

It seems to me that we are often so bound by convention in our gardens that we have a difficult time breaking out of the mold. In fact, I’m always talking to gardeners who tell me stories that begin with “Oh, I always plant my petunias (or begonias or marigolds etc.) in the same spot every year.” And although I think it’s a good idea to grow what one has had success with over the years, it is equally important to break the habit now and again and try some new garden plants.

Consider this. A couple years ago, only a few people had ever heard of ornamental grasses. Today, one doesn’t need to venture far down any street to come across a yard with an ornamental grass or two. And at some point, the first gardeners who planted those grasses had to break with tradition and risk becoming pariahs by replacing a few of his or her marigolds and petunias with so-called ‘weeds.’

As a salute to that kind of thinking, I think that this leap year, gardeners should challenge themselves to be a bit unconventional. Where to start? Well, how about planting entire pots with bedding plants that don’t flower? Here are a handful of plants whose outstanding foliage colour might make you forget about blossoms all together.

Red Abyssinian banana
Bananas on the prairies? Why not. If you want a truly exotic look in your containers, this red-leafed banana just might be the ticket. They don’t require any special care but are best not transplanted before June due to frost sensitivity.

Dinosaur kale
Unlike bananas, this ornamental kale is one of the most frost-tolerant bedding plants you’ll find. Its unique, wrinkled foliage is remarkably reminiscent of Dino the dinosaur’s back…not that I still watch cartoons or anything. Dinosaur kale is edible as well, but purportedly more bitter than regular kale.

Haight Asbury hibiscus
Haight Asbury was the epicenter of flower power in the 60s, but rather ironically, Haight Asbury hibiscus is noted for its brilliantly coloured, variegated foliage—not its flowers. Its bushy growth habit makes it a great feature plant.

‘King Tut’ grass
King Tut is a papyrus grass (think ancient Egypt and scrolls) that can grow nearly two metres tall in a single season. I use it as a focal plant in containers and find that it grows wonderfully inside my house over the winter. It’s long, straight stems yield mop-top growths with tiny brown seeds. King Tut is very easy to grow and seems to do well dry or wet.

Succulents
Succulents come in a wide array of colors, heights and textures and are drought tolerant to boot. Last summer, I grew a mixture of succulents in a planter that I watered exactly once and then let Mother Nature do the rest. It really is amazing just how tough these plants are.

Hopefully, this will encourage you to take up the leap year challenge. Really, there’s nothing to lose. After all, even if your neighbours perceive you as being slightly mad, you can just blame it on the leap year. Anyway, think of the alternative—I’m certain that choosing the wrong plants is a lot less problematic than choosing the wrong man.