Plant of the Month 2009 - The Natural Gardener

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The Natural Gardener
Garden Store Ltd.
4376 West 10th Ave.
Vancouver, BC V6R 2H7
Tel: 604-224-2207
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Plant of the Month - 2009
Each month The Natural Gardener will be highlighting one of the many unique and unusual plants here at the nursery.
◊ 2009 Archives | ◊ 2008 Archives | ◊ 2007 Archives | ◊ 2006 Archives

JANUARY: Anemone nemorosa 'Vestal'

Anemone 'Vestal' is a truly sweet spring ephemeral that adds light and a touch of class to any garden. The first time I saw it I fell in love with its pure white, double flowers looking all the world like drops of light spotting the ground. Over time this exquisite beauty will form a small carpet of flowers in your garden. Being an ephemeral it will have disappeared by mid summer to hide away until next spring brings forth its lovely blooms. Vestal is easy to grow and is not invasive although you probably wouldn't mind if it was. It will grow in full sun to part shade and will even do fine in deeper shade. It prefers moist, well-drained soil and will benefit from a top dressing of compost or Sea Soil each year although it doesn't like manure. Interestingly, on a cloudy day 'Vestal' hides its head and it is not until the sun shines again that the flowers are once again held aloft. I can't recommend 'Vestal' enough so if you have a shady spot in your garden this is a plant you are going to want.

Cultural Requirements
Zone: 4
Light: Full sun to shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained
Height: 6 inches
Spread: 1 foot

FEBRUARY: Corydalis 'Blackberry Wine'

Blackberry Wine is a wonderful new addition to the Corydalis family and to your shade garden. It has delicate looking ferny blue-green foliage edged in white and starting in April produces masses of fragrant, plum-violet flowers. Throughout the summer and into the fall it will continue to produce flowers although in lesser quantities than in the spring. Unlike most corydalis, Blackberry Wine won't go dormant unless we have an extended hot spell. While it likes growing in a woodland setting it will also do well with some full sun, preferably during the morning. I would plant it amongst your hostas, hellebores and other woodland perennials.

Cultural Requirements
Zone: 5
Light: Shade to part sun
Soil: Moist, well-drained
Height: 2 feet
Spread: 2 feet

MARCH: Pulmonaria 'Silver Bouquet'

Having a mostly shade garden I am always looking for plants that will add a little sparkle to it. With 'Silver Bouquet' I know I've found another one. It is easily the most handsome and prolific lungwort I have seen with larger and more abundant blooms than most others, held just above silver leaves mottled and watermarked with bright green. The flowers start out pink and change to blue as they age giving a wonderful multi-hued effect. It is a perfect choice for the front of the shade border and being low-growing it will spread agreeably over time, increasing its flower show as well as its elegant rosettes of foliage.

Plant this beauty in partial shade and provide it with moist but excellently drained soil. Through the warm months, the roots should remain cool. A heavy mulch, applied in spring and reapplied in summer, is recommended. But even if the plant struggles in hot summers, it can be cut back and will reappear, invigorated, with no harm done.

Cultural Requirements
Zone: 4
Light: Part shade to full sun here on the coast
Soil: Moist, very well-drained
Height: 8 inches
Spread: 20 inches

APRIL: Clematis 'Silmakivi'

This gorgeous clematis is a member of the 'Kivistik' series of hybrids. This series of very hardy, large flowering clematis was developed by Uno Kivistik and his family in Estonia. Silmakivi is a particularly beautiful, compact clematis. Its flowers are one of the closest to being a true blue, they are huge, up to 8 inches across and abundant. It is perfect either in a container or in the garden growing up onto a trellis, fence, lattice or rambling through a rhododendron or other shrub. For pruning it is a category C which means that it blooms on new growth so you can prune it back hard in late fall/early winter. Don't forget to plant it about 4 to 6 inches deeper in the ground than it is in the pot. 'Silmakivi' will truly be a great addition to your vertical garden.

Cultural Requirements
Zone: 3
Light: Full sun to part sun
Soil: Moist but well-drained
Height: 8 feet

MAY: Peltoboykinia watanabei

Don't you just love the name of this months Plant of the Month. It rolls off the tongue so nicely. Small but dramatic, Peltoboykinia (sorry there is no common name) is a quite rare woodland plant from Japan that offers fabulous foliage and racemes of greenish-yellow flowers in the summer. It's leaves reach 1 foot across. I love foliage plants and this is a must have in my garden and yours. It is easy to grow without being invasive as long as you provide it with rich, moist soil. After it gets established it is surprisingly drought tolerant.

Cultural Requirements
Zone: 5
Light: Shade to part shade. Morning sun is good
Soil: Moist, rich
Height: 15 inches, with flowers 30 inches

JUNE: Physocarpus opulifolius 'Centre Glow'

Physocarpus 'Centre Glow' or ninebark has new leaves that unfurl a golden yellow and then mature to a rosy red-burgundy. Clusters of white blooms accompany the dramatic foliage in early summer, followed by bright red seedheads that fade to tan. 'Center Glow' is a fast grower and an ideal candidate for mixed borders or foundation plantings. It grows to 8 to 10 feet tall and almost as wide. In winter, the older stems have attractive peeling bark. I find that cutting it back hard at the end of each year enables you to keep it tidy and as a bonus you get more colourful young foliage. Centre Glow grows best and has the best colour in full sun but it will do fine in part shade. This is the perfect plant to provide you with privacy and interesting foliage. Try one - you'll like it.

Cultural Requirements
Zone: 3
Light: Full sun
Soil: Moist, well-drained
Height: 10 feet
Spread: 10 feet

JULY: Hibiscus moscheutos 'Luna Pink Swirl'

As some of you may know I love Hawaii and all plants tropical. Unfortunately, while we can grow a larger variety of plants than anywhere else in Canada, tropical plants are in short supply. To help create that tropical feel though, the Hibiscus moscheutos is one of the best. It has spectacular flowers that are at least 6 inches across that appear in July and bloom right through August. This perennial hibiscus is native to the Carolina forests of the Eastern United States and is hardy to zone 4. It will grow in almost any type of soil although it isn't partial to clay and prefers full sun to part shade. Just a note about transplanting it out of the pot. Hibiscus moscheutos does not like being transplanted so be extra careful when removing it from its pot. After the first frost it will die right back to the ground and is almost the last plant in your garden to emerge in the spring. Luna Pink Swirl is a relatively new cultivar that is more compact than the original making it an ideal candidate for containers and small gardens. So give it a try and add a tropical touch to your garden.

Cultural Requirements
Zone: 4
Light: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained
Height: 3 feet
Width: 4 feet

AUGUST: Rodgersia pinnata 'Elegans'

With its bold, divided leaves Rodgersia pinnata 'Elegans' forms an exotic-looking clump that adds a unique foliage accent to any moist border. Its large airy plumes of soft-pink to ivory flowers appear in early to mid-summer, and are useful for cutting or even drying. Elegans prefers a moist, dappled shade setting, but will grow in full sun at the waterside. It is useful as a bold, architectural specimen plant. Older clumps seldom need dividing, but this may be done in early spring. Just remember that divisions take a few years to settle back in. The foliage often takes on a bronze caste when first emerging in the spring and again in the fall. It is important to water well during dry weather.

Cultural Requirements
Zone: 4
Light: Part shade to full shade. Will grow in full sun if it is at the waters edge.
Soil: Moist
Height: 4 feet
Width: 3 feet