Mid-summer tweaking and optimizing

As the midpoint of summer draws near, gardeners spend more time contemplating the garden. Many plants are in peak bloom and garden spaces are filled with ever-changing colour and luxurious texture.

Creating the look you want for your garden takes time and revision. There may be spaces in your garden that you would like to fill or perhaps you’ve changed your mind about a plant or regret a purchase (well, it seemed like a good idea at the time). Optimizing your garden may be as simple as switching out an overgrown shrub or perennial for one that will not outgrow its space.

A little tweaking can work wonders. If you are shopping for plants, the timing could not be better. Many garden centres continue to replenish their stock throughout the summer and often the plants are sizable enough to give you an idea of their physical characteristics and the aesthetic appeal they could bring to your landscape.

Recently I chatted with John Leperre, sales representative for Bylands Nurseries, a wholesale supply nursery. We shared ideas for easy-to-grow, versatile plants that provide unique variety or have that wow factor that lifts a garden space above the ordinary. We started with hydrangeas because this is the time of year when their heavy bloom set starts to come into its own. Hydrangeas bring pizzazz to the garden and a long season of interest. Leperre likes Hydrangea arborescens Invincibelle Ruby, a compact Annabelle-type hydrangea with a mature size of only 90-120 cm and rounded clusters of pink-red flowers. My current top pick for a hydrangea shrub is Hydrangea paniculata Little Hottie which has great form, white flowers, and a compact size. I replaced a weak-stemmed peony with Little Hottie earlier this summer. But on a recent visit to a garden centre, I came to a full stop at the sight of a new shipment of Invincibelle Ruby hydrangea shrubs. Ruby is just plain gorgeous as well as compact and hardy to Zone 3. I planned to replace an overgrown Nepeta catmint in my garden border with something more dynamic and now the switch has been made.

Leperre also likes Hydrangea Invincibelle Sublime which has very dark green foliage and grows to a moderate height of 106-152 cm. Invincibelle Sublime has big, mophead blooms that stay green which would certainly make this hydrangea stand out from the crowd. Both Ruby and Sublime are suitable for full sun to part sun locations. “If I were to pick the best exposure for a hydrangea, it would be the east side of a house where the sun is predominantly in the morning to early afternoon with mostly afternoon shade,” said Leperre.

Spirea is an underappreciated shrub, said Leperre. “It’s such an amazing, versatile plant, especially Spirea japonica varieties which flower most of the season.” He likes the Double Play series – Double Play Big Bang, Double Play Red, and Double Play Candy Corn, the newest and smallest one (45-60 cm) in the series. “Not only do you get a long blooming period, they also have really cool foliage. And they generally stay smaller and tighter so are super easy to maintain which means less work.” Double Play Candy Corn has dark purple blooms in spring and showy red foliage which transitions to pineapple yellow. The new growth that continues to emerge resembles ribbons of orange. It is drought tolerant, disease resistant and deer resistant and maintains its rounded habit without pruning. Grow Candy Corn in full sun or part sun (4 to 6 hours of direct sun per day, including some afternoon sun). The National Garden Bureau has named 2023 as the Year of the Spirea.

But if you are looking for a compact shrub that has a little more height and width, Laperre suggests Aronia Low Scape Snowfire chokeberry. A native shrub, Low Scape offers multi-season interest with masses of white flowers in spring, a heavy fruit set (edible berries) in late summer and blazing red and orange foliage in fall. Advantages include drought and heat tolerance, disease resistance, and salt tolerance. Low Scape has a mature size and width of about 3 ft (0.9 metre) and is best suited to a full sun or part sun location.

Many gardeners are not familiar with Aronia chokeberry but it is an adaptable shrub that tolerates clay soils well. If you have a difficult space and want a groundcover that will cover a lot of ground, you can’t go wrong with Ground Hug aronia. It naturally grows as a thick, dense mat with glossy foliage, has white flowers in spring, edible dark purple berries in summer, and brilliant orange-red foliage in fall. One plant will grow to a width of about 90 cm.

Cesky Gold Dwarf Birch brings something different to the garden with its unique, tidy appearance, said Laperre. In spring, the tiny, round leaves start out yellow, red and orange and then transition to yellow-chartreuse. Exceptionally hardy, Cesky Gold has a mature size that ranges from 60 to 120 cm but it can be easily shaped or sheared and is slow growing.

When the conversation turned to perennials, Laperre and I lost track of the numerous types of perennials that perform valuable functions in the garden. “My biggest problem, working in the plant industry, is that there are so many choices,” said Leperre. “It can be daunting, and I think the average consumer is faced with that problem as well. There are so many plants that will work for a particular location.” We both have our favourites.

Looking for a Heuchera coral bells that is tolerant of full sun or full shade? Laperre swears by Heuchera Fire Alarm coral bells which has thick, leathery, and very red leaves. My pick, hands down, is the Northern Exposure collection which comes in seven different colours. Super hardy, Northern Exposure coral bells can be planted in full sun or full shade.

Daylilies are a reliable favourite perennial that everyone can agree on. Laperre is loving EveryDaylily Pink Wing which he recently planted in his Winnipeg garden. An offspring of Stella D’Oro, one of the most prolifically blooming daylily varieties, EveryDaylily Pink Wing is a dwarf daylily (37 cm) with a steady profusion of pink flowers that have a dark pink halo and yellow throat.

Joe Pye weed has gained iconic status as one of the most attractive perennials with long-lasting flowers from midsummer to fall that are a magnet for pollinators. Baby Joe Pye is well-suited to small urban gardens. With a mature height of 60 to 90 cm and deep purple-red stems that are ultra sturdy, Baby Joe Pye is a stellar choice that impresses with its broad panicles of mauve-purple flowers.

Astilbe Dark Side of the Moon is one of those rare plants that looks even better than the picture on the plant tag. The foliage is a captivating blend of burgundy and dark brown. Emerging leaves have a glossy sheen. Raspberry buds open to rose-tinged purple flowers. Deer resistant and rabbit resistant, Dark Side of the Moon is also tolerant of sun (with adequate moisture) or shade. A new introduction, Astilbe Dark Side of the Moon won’t disappoint.

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