Weekly commentary by garden writer and author Judith Adam
It recently came to my attention that certain snapdragons (and perhaps all, to some extent) are deeply scented. This is news to me. I’ve grown snapdragons, but not noticed any perfume in classic tall Rocket or fully double Madame Butterfly hybrids, or any of the dwarf Little Darling group. Perhaps my receptor is damaged....
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I opened the door Saturday morning, and despite a fresh snowfall, I knew it was almost spring, because there was a mourning dove sitting on the hydro wire and the pungent odor of skunk in the air. These are traditional signs of imminent spring in my neighbourhood. I made the rounds of woody shrubs...
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Before buds burst out in leaf, look around your garden and consider if it has enough winter interest. We make our gardens in a cold climate, and having attractive plants in winter is crucial for gardeners waiting patiently for the arrival of spring. If you need more winter features, nurseries will soon be open...
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The recent warm weather triggered some nascent growth from early perennials, with a few columbines putting up tentative leaves (now waiting under snow). I like columbines of all kinds, especially the long-spurred beauties that remind me of swallowtail butterflies, and have had many in the garden. One year, they made an inviting treat for...
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There’s nothing subtle about zinnias (Zinnia elegans). Their “in-your-face” attitude appeals to me and I appreciate their big, bold double flowers that flaunt deeply saturated colours all summer. Small cultivars like dwarf ‘Thumbelina’ and the single Zahara and Profusion Series are good for massing in borders or large containers, but what interests me are...
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It must be 20 years since I’ve grown stocks of any kind and now I’m onto the idea again, because one species is well suited for obscure corners where it will produce intense fragrance at night, and won’t be highly visible by day. The small flowers of night-scented stock (Matthiola bicornis, syn. M. longipetala...
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Some years ago I found a hillside with a colony of sweetly scented white, mauve and purple flowers, eventually identified as dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis, Zone 4). Hesperis matronalisis a biennial garden escapee, one of many plants to leap the cottage garden fence. Like other plants with a slightly wild nature, it can also...
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I’m interested in useful plants that serve practical purposes, and who wouldn’t be? These may not be beautiful or irresistible, but they’re still attractive and solve a problem. Cedar shrubs are a good example. Consider how they can serve as a privacy hedge, frame a doorway or make a garden boundary. The useful plant...
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The two indicator plants that signal imminent spring in my garden are snowdrops and Viburnum farreri x bodnantense ‘Dawn’. The earliest date snowdrops have broken ground (with foliage, but not in bloom) in previous years is March 5. But in the first week of February, 2012, there’s a clump of snowdrops in bloom in...
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The light is lasting longer these days, and that spurs my interest in getting things growing. I have an army of primula seeds to germinate, a future investment for spring 2013. Most perennials grown from seed bloom in the second year, but there are a few that flower the first year, if they’re planted...
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