Gardens Plus ... The Scoop, The Spade & The Shovel ...

"Take Notes .... You will need them"
Dawn Tack, Gardens Plus
 at Peterborough Garden Show

This past Spring the Festival Nomad and myself had the privilege of enjoying the Peterborough Garden Show put on by The Peterborough Horticultural Society, the Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners, and the Northumberland Master Gardeners. We considered this show to be one of the best organized, well attended and informative events we have been to. Our friend Dawn Tack, owner of Gardens Plus located in Peterborough was there that day giving a demonstration on “planting, splitting and much more about Hosta’s”. I DO NOT have a “green thumb”. It turns out that EVERYTHING I did last year with my Hosta plants was completely incorrect! Dawn tried to comfort me in saying that they should come back this year, alas, they did not. For a fun INSIDE SCOOP, I thought I would share some of Dawn’s “tips” so you might avoid some of the “challenges” that I did while planting…..

Easy care Perennial top picks for 2012

Not all perennials are created equal. Before you consider adding anything to your gardens consider their requirements in lighting and overall needs. So what does easy care mean? What qualifies them to earn a place on our list?

·         they should thrive year after year

·         not needing to be divided very often

·         tolerant to drought conditions or surviving by a once a week watering or rain.

·         resistance to disease and insects

·         do not need to be supported by stakes

·         hardy and not needing winter protection

·         long blooming at least 6-8 weeks and maybe even re-bloom

Gardening should be a pleasure not a strain.

Part Shade (Northern or East exposure)

Perennial of the year for 2012 is Brunnera 'Jack Frost' chosen by PPA and one of our long time favorites. It emerges in the early spring even before the Hosta and blooms tiny blue clusters. The blooms resemble forget-me-nots. The silver veined heart shaped leaves glow and just keep growing as the season goes on.

Some new and exciting Hosta picks are 'Empress Wu' (the new giant) , 'Sparkler'(smaller long leaves with streaks), 'Little Miss Sunshine'(bright gold long leaves), 'Fireworks'(mini thick leaved green and white), Hosta of the year for 2012 'Liberty' (very wide edge of cream and green centered). 8,000 different varieties to choose from these days.

Most Coral Bells have the best of both worlds great colourful foliage and blooms. The colours available are endless from gold tones to deep burgundy's. Like ' Midnight Rose' (dark purple with splashes of pink dots), 'Electra' (bright yellow with red veins), 'Melting Fire' (curly burgundy with lighter undersides) and a close relative 'Solar Eclipse' (burgundy cut leaves with edges of lime green). Just one tip during spring is the time to push your coral bells back down into the soil if they heave up with the frost.

To find out more “tips” from Dawn, you can contact her by visiting her website at http://www.gardensplus.ca/ , or calling her at 705-742-5918 or e-mail at info@gardensplus.ca. Or Stay tuned for Part 2 of this Blog ….

(To Be Continued)