What's blooming in Vancouver - April 25 pt 3

Dicentra formosa or Pacific Bleeding Heart

A couple of excellent ground covers for the deep shade garden are Dicentra formosa and Oxalis sp.  I want to emphasize that the Oxalis is good in deep shade, because I believe the lack of light may slow its progress.  There can be a danger of the Oxalis being invasive.

There are about 500 varieties of Oxalis spp, and I can't remember which one is shown in the top photo.  I can say that it grows beautifully all year round, and tumbles gracefully over the paver driveway, softening the hard edge.  In this situation, the Oxalis is growing at the feet of Rhododendrons and Oemleria.

Dicentra, or Bleeding Hearts, are such unusual flowers.  The native D. formosa has feathery leaves and smaller flowers than the classic Dicentra.  Like the Oxalis, Dicentra spreads by rhizomes.  If the soil is loose, these will spread easily.

What's blooming now in Vancouver - April 25 pt 2

Polygonatum

Here is one of my favourite shade plants:  Solomon's Seal or Polygonatum.  I love the delicate weep of the single stalk, covered with tiny scented white bells hanging like earrings from the stalk.  

We had a site with hundreds of Polygonatum lining the top of a steep slope.  Imagine our delight when one morning we spied a hummingbird flitting from one tantalizing white flower to the next!

Polygonatum grow in deep shade, but I like to provide staking so the single stalks do not fall over.  This photo shows my staking device forming a fence around the Solomon's Seal in the direction I know the plants will fall without staking.  If the stakes are placed early enough, the stalks of Solomon's Seal will grow over and hide the stakes.

Solomon's Seal will increase in number each year, which is terrific because it looks best in a large group.  Just make sure you have allowed enough room for a great showing.  Solomon's Seal is also easy to divide and transplant.

Plant Solomon's Seal with Hostas and Ferns, and other woodland plants.  There is also a variegated leaf variety of Solomon's Seal.

What's blooming now in Vancouver - April 25

Erythronium sp. or Fawn Lily

The delicate yellow flower in this photograph is an Erythronium or Fawn Lily.  It is also called a Trout Lily or Dog-Tooth Violet, but I prefer the gentle connotations of Fawn Lily.

This lovely native perennial stands on tall stalks above thick green leaves.  The Fawn Lilies in the photo are intermingled with late blooming Daffodils in a moist, deep shade garden.  It is always a challenge for us to find plants that will bloom in this Kerrisdale site surrounded by forest.  I believe we planted these lilies about 10 years ago, so they have done us proud.

We have the Fawn Lilies scattered throughout the garden, mixed with about 100 Daffodils of three varieties, Pulmonaria, Helleborus, Tolmiea, Leucojum aestivum, Heucherella and Heuchera.

As the season progresses, the Daffodils and Fawn Lilies will make way for Cranesbill Geranium, Hostas, Hakonechloa and Ferns.

Brunnera: another great shade plant

Brunnera macrophylla flowers tucked in amongst the dafs

Brunnera is another terrific shade plant.  The first sign of Brunnera macrophylla in the spring is the Forget-Me-Not like blue flowers rising from the earth.  If the Brunnera is planted with bulbs, like the photo to the left, the delicate blue flowers provide a lovely contrast to large Daffodil heads.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'

Once the flowers have emerged, heart shaped leaves develop and grow.  The more recent varieties of Brunnera have interesting variegation in the leaves, from lightly variegated, to the entire leaf being white or silver.  I prefer the contrast of green veins, so I stick with B.c. 'Jack   Frost.'

Brunnera can tolerate full shade and part shade, but don't let them dry out.  Their leaves will be margined with brown, which does not complement the silver.

Pig's Squeak! Blooming Now!

Bergenia cordifolia

Pig's Squeak, or Bergenia cordifolia, is a fun plant for the garden.  Its big, leathery leaves provide a wonderful contrast to almost every other foliage in the garden.  If you are going for a tropical look, these leaves have a tropical look, yet the plants are super tough.

Bergenia can be grown in any type of soil, from full sun to part shade, and under most any water conditions. Does it get any better?

Why, yes.  Bergenia are also evergreen.  For another bonus, the leaves of Bergenia cordifolia 'Bressingham Ruby' turn burgundy in autumn.


In spring, long lasting stalks of flowers pop up above the leaves.  The flowers are usually a shade of pink, but there are some varieties with white flowers.

Bergenia divide easily, and will spread by root without being a pest.

If you want to know how Bergenia got its common name, rub one of the leaves between your finger and thumb.

Beautifully scented Lonicera pileata

Lonicera pileata berries

Lonicera pileata flowers

The Lonicera pileata hedge that stopped me

Today I was walking through a commercial parking lot, past a low maintenance, uninspired garden.  What stopped me was a beautiful scent wafting through the air, above the smell of traffic on the busy arterial road.  Below the walkway where I was standing was a Lonicera pileata hedge, emitting a beautiful, citrusy fragrance.  The fragrance is not heavy, but light and fresh.

Lonicera pileata has many advantages.  It is a tough plant that can tolerate little water, and full sun to dappled shade.  This Lonicera is evergreen in Vancouver, and its branches grow in long, straight formations.  Branches near the ground will root, making the Lonicera pileata a great erosion control plant.

Although the flowers are insignificant to look at--only about 3mm long--they release a lovely scent.  These flowers give way to an iridescent purple berry in summer.

Lonicera pileata is not a specimen shrub, but creates a good backdrop for other plants, and fills a spot year round with green.  It can be pruned to shape, and usually grows to 2'.

Beesia, a great little underused plant

Beesia with Autumn Fern and Daffodil greens

Beesias are fantastic evergreen perennials that grow in deep shade.  They have beautiful glossy, heart shaped leaves with contrasting vein markings.  In spring, spikes of tiny white flowers emerge.

Beesia is the plant with the heart shaped leaves in the centre of these photographs.  You can see how Beesia 
contrasts nicely with fern foliage.

Beesia are wonderfully strong plants, and will grow in the shade of conifers, like the Beesias in these photographs.

Beesia with Daffodil greens

Beesias are hard to find, and are expensive.  I'm not sure if they are hard to find because they are expensive, or expensive because they are hard to find.  They are certainly easy to grow, and I recommend anyone with a shade garden to invest in 2 or 3 Beesias.  They are worth the cost.  These Beesia cost about $20 each when we installed them three years ago.

We have bought them at Phoenix Perennials and Southlands Nursery.

mycorrhizae fungi

 mycorrhizae fungi inoculant results

Whenever we install a new garden, we use mycorrhizae fungi inoculant on the plants' roots.  When I research the use of this inoculant on plants, I read many mixed reviews.  So I decided to test the product for myself.

I don't have a lab.  I don't have all kinds of electrical monitoring devices--I simply grew seeds in a growing medium with and without mycorrhizae inoculant.  All the seeds came from the same package and were planted in the same growing medium.  Half of the growing mediums had Myke mycorrhizae fungal inoculant added.

The photo to the right shows two basil seedlings:  the one on the left was grown without mycorrhizae inoculant, the one on the right grown with mycorrhizae inoculant.  They were both grown for the same number of days.

The plant on the right did much better than the plant grown without the fungal inoculant.  This was true with every seedling we tested.

The key to a healthy plant is healthy roots.  The more root mass a plant has, the more food and nutrients the plant can ingest.

Mycorrhizal fungi is a natural fungi growing in all our soils.  Plants could not exist without it.

In Canada, I believe the only maker of mycorrhizae fungal inoculant is Alberta's Myke.  Gardening centres usually carry small containers of the product branded for specific purposes.  We buy large bags of all purpose Myke from landscapers' stores.  You can contact Myke (www.usemykepro.com) for a local suppliers.

Trilliums

Trillium grandiflorum April 8, 2013

Trillium grandiflorum April 25, 2013

Trilliums are a beautiful addition to a shade garden.  This Trillium grandiflorum starts out with this smallish white flower which will grow larger and turn soft pink within the month.

One of the great advantages of Trilliums is they grow in the shade of large trees in root bound soil, competing for nutrients and water. This photo is of a Trillium growing under a mature Birch tree, planted long ago and far too closely to a mature Pine tree, which in turn is planted far too closely to a mature Spruce.  This Trillium also must compete with Lamium, visible in this photograph, although we regularly try to eradicate the Lamium.

This Trillium has been reappearing every year for at least 5 years now.  Each year the plant gets slightly larger.

We bought this Trillium from www.Botanus.com, an online catalogue for bulbs and corms and the like, as well as some bare root plants.  Botanus is a Langley based company run by women.  We like Botanus because it is local, reliable, friendly, and there aren't enough businesses run by women.  If you have a question about their products or delivery, the toll free telephone number is answered by the women in charge.

Ordering bulbs online is so much nicer than standing in a nursery juggling bags of bulbs and tags.  Ordering online means sitting down with a cup of tea, at a desk with a pen and paper, and organizing your order effectively.  The Botanus online calendar has great information about the growing conditions for bulbs, and the photographs are also accurate, not luridly enhanced.  Botanus has two catalogues per year:  one for plants to be planted in spring and one for plants to be planted in autumn.

What's blooming now in Vancouver? pt 3

Daffodils

Vancouver is alive with Daffodils of white and yellow right now.  Daffodils are so cheerful, they can make the grumpiest person smile.

Another advantage to Daffodils, or Narcissi, is the bulbs are poisonous to eat.  I am always so disappointed with Tulips because squirrels and raccoons find them delicious, and come spring, many of the Tulips are gone.  Rodents do not eat Daffodils.

Some Daffodils can also tolerate partial shade and shade.  Most Daffodils naturalize in the ground, meaning they come back year after year.  Look for "Naturalizing" on the label of bulb bags and tags.

Heather

Heather, or Erica carnea, is a resilient early bloomer.   E. carnea comes in shades of red, pink, purple and white.  In full sun, the entire small shrub is a mound of tiny flowers.  

These come from the moors, so think rocky, inhospitable soil and sun.

Cut the branches back after blooming to maintain a full shape.  With no pruning, E. carnea get leggy and the centres look dead.

Camellia

Camellias are beautiful in spring.  They do tolerate some shade, but bloom profusely in sun.  Find a variety that does not rust, which is the look when flowers look rusty after a rain.  This is especially important in rainy Vancouver.

Camellias are prone to many little bugs, and subsequently, sooty mold or aphid honeydew, the black that can coat leaves.

Camellias are also evergreen shrubs, so they provide some winter greenery.

Prune roses when Forsythia are blooming

Forsythia in bloom now

The rule of green thumbs is to prune your roses when the Forsythia are in bloom.  This climate specific advice is much more useful than stating a particular week or month to prune or plant something.  We need to look for signals in our own gardens for when to care for our plants.

Throughout Metro Vancouver we have many climate variances.  For instance, one of our garden sites is at the top of Mountain Hwy in North Vancouver.  This garden is usually a full month behind our Vancouver gardens in spring.

Even within Vancouver there are many different climates.  Oceans moderate temperatures.  Both of us Cultivated Gardeners live by the ocean.  Sometimes we set off for an autumn garden clean in Kerrisdale or South Cambie, only to discover those gardens are covered in a new snowfall;  yet where we live, there wasn't even frost.

Leaving the leaves in spring

Every autumn, we cover the garden beds with leaves to protect the soil.  Keeping the leaves on site has many advantages.  

1.  Plants take up nutrients, and when the plants die back for the year, if left on site, the nutrients will go back into the soil.

2.  The average rainfall in Vancouver between October 1st and April 30th is 1150 mm or 3.75 feet for the seven months.  The average raindrop hits the ground at 24 kph or 15 mph.  This amount of water hitting the soil creates a tremendous amount of compaction.  An inch of mulch on top of the soil absorbs the impact of this much water on the soil.

3.  If the soil is protected from rain, and does not get compacted, all the useful little critters and microbes stay alive to do their good work for another season.

Often, we are asked when we will be removing the leaves in the spring.  The answer is usually, we won't remove the leaves.  An ecologically designed garden has many tiers of plants covering the soil.  In the spring, as the deciduous plants rise from the soil, they cover the decomposing leaves.  By summer, the leaves have decomposed back into the soil to provide nutrients for the earth again.

The only time we remove leaves is if they are so filled with tannins (i.e. oak, beech), that they will blow all over before they ever decompose.  These leaves go into the compost where their decomposition is accelerated.  These leaves can stay at the back of beds behind or beneath plants, but we do remove them from front entrance or feature beds.

Whenever we can, the autumn leaves get mowed up before being applied to garden beds.  Mowing the leaves speeds up decomposition, and makes the leaves small enough to provide a mulch and allows moisture to penetrate to the soil.

What looks good now in Vancouver? pt 3

Some plants have colour that is enhanced by winter's cold weather.  

The bright red bark of the Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' gets brighter and redder with cold temperatures and exposure to the winter sun.   The vibrant red whips of branches contrast beautifully with dark greens in a winter garden.

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku'

Similarly, the reds of our native Cornus sericea (Red Osier Dogwood, Red Twigged Dogwood) branches are more striking with the winter cold.   These shrubs can withstand most garden conditions from wet to dry, and good to bad soils.  The deciduous leaves can be variegated white or plain green as shown here.  The umbrels of white flowers turn to blue berries in summer.

The C. sericea can grow into a full tree, or can be kept as a 3' shrub if old wood is removed every 2-3 years in spring.  Removing old wood encourages the plant to send off new red whips from the base.  The new growth will also have the brightest red colour.

Cornus sericea

The Cornus sericea species also come with yellow bark.  

Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea'