#'perrenials
4 messages in this thread
Hi everyone,
Just thought I would introduce myself. I live in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada,
that is <g>). My main interest in gardening has developed to be mainly
perrenials over the last few years. I have grown vegetables, but have
converted to strictly flowers. Given our winters I am always on the look
out for very hardy plants. I have completely redesigned our backyard to
raised flowerbeds (we have a problem of sinking ground) and I find this the
easist way to deal with it.
It seems that every year I find a new bed to make. This coming year it
will be a bed that will contain shrub roses. We are trying to find out a
wway to block dandelion seeds from drifting over from our neighbours lawn
(as he doesn't really care about his lawn and the wind just happens to blow
our way!). Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
Well I have to go, and I am really glad to see this forum!
Debbie
Greetings Debbie,
Welcome to the Garden Forum. I don't have any ideas on how to stop the
wind from blowing…how large an area is your neighbor's yard? Could you
offer to patrol it for dandelions periodically?
Alison
Hi Alison,
Well our neighbour's yard is not very big, but it consists of very little
grass! Part of his lawn is joined with ours, so we just sort of take care
of it as we take of our own. We have been more aggressive about this in the
last few years and this seems to be helping quite a bit. I think we will go
through with our hedge plan which should help. We are also hoping that if
we do a major overhaul of our lawn this coming summer (possibly replacing
the grass completely) we can talk him into paying for the piece of property
that is attached to ours. We decided we would even do the work ourselves,
he only has to pay for the sod. Not a bad deal I think!
Thanks for the welcome and I will stay tuned in and I am sure I will be
asking some questions along the way.
Take care, Debbie
Hi Debbie,
Nice to see another Ontarian in the forum (I'm near Claremont, just
northeast of Toronto). We're are just a few miles north of the Zone 6
boundary (and the boundaries are accurate, Lake Ontario really does
moderate those close by). However, most of my perennials are probably
hardy in your area.
I am fond of perennials, and grow many. One of my big faves is Centaurea
montana, a perennial version of annual bachelor's buttons. I like it for
two or three main reasons. First, it is the very first composite (other
than dandelions) to bloom in my garden, and produces a good flush of bloom
at first, followed by sporadic flowers during the summer. Second, it is
fragrant, a fact seldom mentioned in the books I've read. To my nose it
smells just like fresh peaches, certainly fruity. I love it. The third
reason is that the flower is interesting to look at, and cuts well. It
grows about a foot or foot and a half high, so should be used at the front
of the bed.
I am also fond of lilies. My favorite source is Honeywood Nursery,
Parkside, Saskatchewan, Canada. Don't know the postal code, but it
probably doesn't matter. The nursery is in a parkland area (mixed bush and
open area), and has a very short growing season. The proprietor has been
honored by the Lily society, and has produced some excellent, very hardy
cultivars. Also sells a real good selection of Japanese and other peonies,
and I've seen him mentioned as a source in a big American gardening
magazine.
What do you like to grow? Sounds like you have an interesting collection.
Ron