It is here. Time to head to the garden centre. One step closer to gardening. You’ve had time to scout over that past few weeks and the moment is now! With warm temperatures we can take advantage of getting into the gardens early and "get growing"!
Like a kid in a candy shop, our hands tingle with excitement. We are now entering the beginning of another great gardening season. You have cleaned the yard, prepared the beds and now the idea of planting begins.
What are we planting this year? Perennials, annuals, trees or shrubs. For some, it may be a few items while for others it may be some from each species.
Knowing the layout of your favorite garden centre may help with the choices. The other side of this, not knowing where to find everything sets you on a path of finding "something new", or something that you have never planted before. It is a sheer delight to see and hear the excitement of customers when they find something that wows them. Sourcing plants that you have not tried before or finding what is new can be a quick find by asking the attending staff. Staff at your local garden centres will have their favorites; often excited too about the selections that they have been growing and caring for during that past months.
For this part of our gardening discussions, let us begin with perennial plants.
Perennials – what are these plants? Garden centre departments hold collections of plants which are able to survive the winters in a dormant state, awakening with the following year’s spring thaw. The mention of hardy plants assures us of their survival year to year unless winter conditions are severe or other factors occur. Perennials added to the home garden may lessens the need to plant annual flowers (flowers that only live for the current season). Winnipeg has a hardiness zone 3. Though some centres may venture into carrying perennials with hardiness zone ratings up to zone 5. Due to the ever increasing "microclimates" that residences have obtained from being sheltered nicely from other buildings and larger plantings of mature trees and shrubs many gardeners report having the success of wintering those perennials just slightly beyond our true zone. One other note; many perennials are well worth experimenting beyond the safe boundaries of our zone in order to test our microclimates. To gain the benefit of viewing something of rarity, beauty or "just because we like the plant we have selected". It is a gardener’s choice.
Why plant perennials? This question is often brought up by new gardeners. Perennials give us diversity in the garden with a multitude of heights, leaf shapes and colors. Sometimes growing fast enough in one gardening season to mimic shrub sizing; a large percentage of these hardy perennials produce blooms with various shapes, often in vast color pallets. Bold or delicate flowers – daisy, clustered, spiky, scented; just mentioning a few.
Euphorbia Polychroma. Photo courtesy of St. Mary’s Nursery
Perennials will range in heights from 2" ground covers to those that tower to 6’ in height. Understanding or getting to know your garden will direct you, or your garden centre consultant in guiding you to the right choice for the area. Prepare yourself by looking at your gardens, outlining what areas get what types of sun or shade exposures during the different times of day. Where is the sun in the morning; the afternoon and in the evening? Are there structures that block the suns directions? Are there large deciduous trees or spruce nearby? What is the ground like that you are planting in? Is it a raised bed? Is the area close to downspouts and constantly damp or wet? These are all indicators that further guide the choices to the best plants suited for those areas.
The next question you have to ask yourself is – "what are your favorite colors? "Do you want low maintenance plants?", "How about introducing ornamental perennial grasses to the mix?"
Pepper is a full time employee at St. Mary’s Nursery, she loves to play in the ornamental grasses!
You may find perennials at your garden centre listed alphabetically, either by their common name or by their botanical name. Botanical names have long Latin sounded names. Lately, garden centres have been displaying perennials somewhat in order but lately realizing that the young gardener is new to the perennial world and has changed the way perennials are displayed. Partnering perennial plants for reasons such as "butterfly gardening", "hummingbird gardening", "bee friendly flowers" and "low maintenance" have set the tone for classifying plants in categories rather than their cataloguing of order.
Garden centres are a hub for creative gardening. Staff are on hand to help with selections. Most folks will spot perennials without even realizing that they are looking at perennials and not shrubs when admiring some gardens. Early spring this is such the case when numerous calls come to the garden centre asking if they carry a bright lime green petite bush that possess a neon glow to it. If you have spotted this… it is NOT a shrub but Euphorbia Polychroma or commonly known as Cushion Spurge. Truly a spring favorite. Soon in the spring peonies will be in bloom announcing the arrival of summer’s quick approach. These too, especially the Fernleaf Peony; with its delicate lacy leaves and bold wine red blooms will announce gardens have woken and it is time to get back into the garden.
Fernleaf Peony. Photo courtesy of St. Mary’s Nursery
St. Mary’s Nursery & Garden Centre holds a diverse selection of perennial plants amongst it’s 65,000 greenhouse space. Displayed dramatically with annuals; you will soon have the same inkling to delve into the perennial world.
Happy Gardening this spring.
