Phoenix Perennials - E-Newsletter

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Summer is here! It sure seems to have snuck up on us! The nursery knows it though -- it's looking fantastic with tonnes of verdant plants coming into colourful bloom. If for no other reason, come visit us for the beauty of the nursery in summer, even if you don't need any more plants!

In this issue we announce our annual special event, the Summer Sizzle, coming up soon on July 18th, 19th and 20th. At this event we will have free workshops, special displays, a sale on plants and a first for Phoenix Perennials, a wine tasting featuring great wines for the summer garden and patio. Sign up early because spaces are limited! You won't want to miss this opportunity to learn about wine and get some great recommendations!

We also announce the winners of our Fourth Annual Great Plant Combination Contest, share with you an article on all the different hydgrangea we carry and how you can use them in your garden, we list our next Charity Shopping Weekend to benefit the Greyhaven Exotic Bird Santuary, and we include our regular installment of the very popular Fabulous at Phoenix.

At this year's Summer Sizzle there will be free workshops, a wine tasting of great summer wines, special displays from the winners of our Fourth Annual Great Plant Combination Contest, and plants on SALE! Don't miss it.

The Lead Up to the Summer Sizzle Weekend!
Friday July 11th until Thursday July 17th
15% off ALL PLANTS

The Summer Sizzle Weekend!
Friday, Saturday and Sunday July 18th, 19th and 20th
25% off ALL PLANTS

There are no exceptions to the above dates.
Statuary are not on sale. Certain other exceptions might be in effect.

Saturday 10am: Avoiding the Summer Doldrums: Great Plants for High Summer and Early Fall | Free One Hour Workshop with Phoenix Perennials Owner Gary Lewis

Saturday 3pm: Summer Wines: Great Bottles for Patio and Garden with Instructor Randy Rae | $25 per person | Please book in advance. Spaces are limited. See advertisement below.

Sunday 10am: Avoiding the Summer Doldrums: Great Plants for High Summer and Early Fall | Free One Hour Workshop with Phoenix Perennials Owner Gary Lewis

This is going to be a great weekend. You might want to write it down on your calendars right now!

Instructor: Randy Rae | Saturday July 19th, 3pm, at the Summer Sizzle | $25 | In this wine tasting you will be introduced to a number of delicious, well-priced wines perfect for the summer patio and garden. From bubbles to whites and reds, you will learn about and taste some great solutions for summer entertaining or for just kicking back in your garden and enjoying the fruits of your labours!

Instructor Bio: Randy Rae is a passionate wine aficionado who has attained his WSET Level 3 Advanced Certificate and is currently working on his Diploma. He is a member of various wine groups, travels the world to visit diverse wine regions, frequently attends local and international wine tastings, and maintains his own cellar.

Grasses that Captivate: The transformative powers of ornamental grasses | Instructor: Shelley Brignall | Saturday September 20th, 10am | $15 | The popularity of ornamental grasses continues to grow as gardeners discover their many virtues. Don't get it yet? Come to this informative talk and learn what grasses can do for you and your garden. Already enamoured with ornamental grasses? You'll love this workshop too. You'll get tips on using them for best effect in your garden design. As well, you'll be introduced to several cultivars you might not have seen before.

CONTAINER SERIES | Jewels of the Spring Garden: Bulbs for spring containers | Instructor: Shelley Brignall | Saturday September 27th, 10am | $15 | Meet the spring blooming wonders that you can include in your garden and in pots including a number of uncommon but exciting possibilities. You will also receive instruction on designing with bulbs and planting them in layers for knock out displays. Each participant will then plant up and take home their own container. Please bring your own large pot (minimum 12-14 inches in diametre). A large, black, seven gallon plastic pot can be provided at an additional cost of $6. Please order your pot when you book your workshop. The cost of the bulbs that you choose to include in your container are not included in the cost of the workshop.

CONTAINER SERIES | Winter Containers: Plant up a container to create winter interest | Instructor: Cliff Thorbes | Saturday October 6th, two workshops starting at 10am and 2pm | $15 | This is a fun hands-on workshop for gardeners of all levels who are interested in learning how to successfully create gorgeous perennial containers that will provide months of winter interest and an antidote against the dark, cold days of the year. After some practical and design instruction each participant will plant up and take home their own container. Please bring your own large pot (minimum 12-14 inches in diametre) with enough space for at least 3 to 5 one gallon perennials. A large, black, seven gallon plastic pot can be provided at an additional cost of $6. Please order your pot when you book your workshop.

Spaces are limited. Please call (604-270-4133) or visit the nursery to book your space. Payment is required when booking. If you would like to take advantage of one of our special offers please let us know at the start of your booking.

Each workshop requires a minimum of 10 people and a maximum of 15-25 depending on the workshop. If the minimum is not met we may not be able to run the workshop in which case we will contact you a few days before the scheduled date of the workshop.

Workshop participants will receive a 15% discount on any purchases they wish to make the day of their workshop. Woo hoo!

A great garden is not just great plants grown well. A great garden hinges on great plant combinations.

Thank you to everyone who entered our contest! We had a record number of entries this year, a number of which kept appearing right up until midnight of the deadline. All were considered. The great number of entries was perhaps due to your abundant enthusiasum but also likely helped by Steve Whysall's mention in the Vancouver Sun. Thanks Steve!

There were lots of lovely and intriguing combinations showing great design and interesting ideas. We had a very difficult time deciding and wish we had many more prizes to offer. Overall we could tell that you love your gardens and recognize them as expressions of your own person style. Thank you to all of our entrants for sharing your very personal works of art with us, your gardens. The only unfortunate thing is that we had to select a limited number of people to receive the prizes. In selecting these few entries we were looking for great combinations that also offered that little extra touch or pizzaz or suprise.

His combination includes:
Cimicifuga 'Hillside Black Beauty' - Bugbane
Miscanthus 'Cosmopolitan' - Maiden Grass
Crocosmia paniculata - Montbretia
Aconitum carmichaelii 'Arendsii' - Monkshood
Hosta 'Sunpower' - Plantain Lily
Lobelia cardinalis 'Elm Fire' - Cardinal Flower
Hemerocallis 'Lemon Lace' - Daylily

Bold, striking, unexpected and creative. This combination comes into its own in summer with the rich burgundy purple foliage of the bugbane contrasting with the white variegation of the miscanthus, the gold of the sun-tolerant hosta and the burgundy red lobelia. For balance Grant has added the cooling greens of crocosmia, monkshood and the daylily. All of this foliage comes in diverse shapes, sizes and textures providing great contrast and interest. The flower colours include red, purple, yellow and white which fit well into this great high summer combination and unusual plant palette. All around an intriguing and unique combination.

Her combination includes:
Heuchera 'Obsidian' (or other burgundy cultivar) and 'Caramel' - Coral Bells
Carex oshimensis 'Evergold' - Sedge
Phormium tenax 'Atropurpurea' - New Zealand Flax
Helleborus 'Ivory Prince' - Hellebore
Euphorbia 'Blackbird' - Spurge
Pieris japonica 'Variegata Compacta' - Lily of the Valley Shrub
Bergenia cordifolia - Pig Squeak

This planter offers a foliage-centred plant combination for four seasons that is close to text book perfection. It offers great contrast in foliage colour, shape, and texture that balances calm tones with just enough spark to keep things interesting. In this combination flowers are the icing on top but not the main course. They will offer added interest at different times of the year.

Her combination includes:
Rhododendron 'Bob's Blue' - Azalea
Arisaema ciliatum - Cobralily
Dryopteris wallichiana and D. erythrosora - Wallich's Wood Fern and Autumn Fern
Polystichum polyblepharum - Japanese Tassel Fern
Athyrium nipponicum 'Pictum' - Japanese Painted Fern
Tradescantia virginiana - Spiderwort
Pulmonaria cv. - Lungwort

This beautiful shady combination is a study in foliage shape and texture. It doesn't rely on bold and zany foliage but instead offers a study in greens and patterns that is at once calm but still exciting to the eye. The copper red of the new autumn fern fronds and cool purple blues of the azalea and spiderwort will add colour in different seasons. The whole combination is crowned by the bold structural statement of the cobralily with its intriguing burgundy and white striped spathe, an addition which anchors the design transforming it from what would be a mass of unstructured foliage into a satisfying whole.

Honourable Mention: Phoenix Perennials T-Shirt
Katherine W. of Vancouver

Her combination includes:
Sanguisorba menziesii - Alaskan Burnet
Delphinium 'Magic Fountains' - Daphne
Salvia nemerosa 'Mainacht' ('May Night') - Sage
Gillenia trifoliata - Bowman's Root
Astrantia major - Masterwort
Campanula persicifolia - Peachleaf Bellflower
Paeonia 'Mother's Choice' - Peony

This combination represents a gorgeous moment in the perennial border which is focused primarily on the wonderful contrasts of late spring and early summer flowers. Note that the selected flowers all have different forms -- the big spikes of the delphiniums, the little spikes of the salvia, the burgundy tipped wands of the burnet, the white stars (just visible in the background of the image) of the Bowman's root, the pincushions of the masterwort, and the big ruffles of the peony (not pictured). This creative combination of many flower forms could be called Oudolfian, after the famous Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf who frequently contrasts flower shapes in this way.

Honourable Mention: Phoenix Perennials T-Shirt
Donald S. of North Vancouver

His combination includes:
Geranium 'Jolly Bee' - Cranesbill
Heuchera 'Swirling Fantasy' - Coralbells
Aeonium 'Zwartkop' - Aeonium
Lavandula stoechas - Spanish or French Lavender
Sempervivum cv. - Hen's and Chicks
Opuntia sp. - Prickly Pear Cactus

This combination is interesting because it uses pots planted with single plants as specimens but that are grouped together to form an interesting plant combination filled with contrasts in foliage colour, shape and texture as well as colour provided by flowers. The grouping is calm and appealing and is accentuated by contrasting but stylistically cohesive planters. This same combination could be used in a garden bed or a single pot. The use of multiple pots, however, allows for flexibility. The configuration can be changed over time depending on the displays and pots can be subtracted or others added depending on plant performance or new artistic ideas. Also note the interesting use of a single pot filled not with another plant (such self control!) but with water filled up to the brim. We will leave the analysis of this artistic statement up to the art critics but we like it!

His combination includes:
Sarcoccocca ruscifolia - Sweet Box
Epimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum' - Barrenwort
Ajuga reptans - Bugleweed
Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' - Japanese Forest Grass
Heuchera 'Obsidian' - Coralbells
Polemonium 'Brise d'Anjou' - Jacob's Ladder
Asarum splendens - Wild Ginger

This combination represents success in a difficult design situation summed up by one of our judges: "it's a horrible, narrow, wee spot in the dark!" But look what Andrew has done. He has great foliage interest with sparks of colour at different times of year AND he has softened the overwhelming linear hardscaping and avoided making the space look like a bunch of plants marching in single file. Very nice. The use of stones and the statue within the bed seem to provide a bit of connection between the hard pathways and the soft plantings which offers instinctual balance.

Each of the winning combinations, as well as the honourable mentions, will be showcased in a special display at the nursery through the month of July, including during our Summer Sizzle Event July 18th, 19th and 20th. Come check them out!

Thank you again to everyone who entered!
The next Great Plant Combination Contest is only 11 months away.
Get planning!

Hydrangea are superlative shrubs for summer colour. They come into flower in early summer and give colour right into late fall when their flower heads often take on rich purple and burgundy fall tones. No west coast garden is complete without at least one hydrangea!

There are various groups of hydrangea for various situations and tastes including the big leaf or macrophyllas, the Japanese or serratas, arborescens or smooth hydgrangea, the PeeGee types, and deciduous and evergreen climbing types including the related hydrangea vine (Schizophragma).

These are the classic hydrangeas of gardens with the big mop head flowers or the more delicate lace caps. They generally grow from two to 6 feet high and wide, depending on the cultivar.

'Endless Summer' - Famous for blooming even on new wood, this cultivar is great for gardeners in colder climates but it is also a great plant for our region. Mopheads range in colour between pink and blue. (pictured at right with the red 'Merritt's Beauty').

'Merritt's Beauty' - Large deep pink red mopheads (pictured at right with the blue 'Endless Summer').

'Blaumeise' (Blue Tit) - The boldest of the Teller lacecaps. The florets are square shaped facing outward from the central fertile flower in a ring like a crown of flowers in shades of lilac rose to electric blue. Blooms well even after hard frost.

'Enziandom' - A mid sized three to four foot tall hydrangea with vivid, large, cobalt blue mopheads.

'Evening Glow' - Compact growth to three to four feet with large pink mophead flowers (pictured at right).

'Generale Vicomtesse de Vibraye' - This cultivar is one of the most reliable bloomers and a strong growing plant with large, violet blue mophead flowers on strong stems. Flower colour will change with soil conditions.

'Harlequin' - An exceptional mophead Hydrangea with pinkish-red and white variegated flowers. Vigorous growth and sturdy stems. Late flowers may be of a single color.

'Hornli' - A great dwarf dark pink to crimson mop head growing to only two high and wide.

'Nachtigall' - Wonderful Teller lacecap hydrangea from Switzerland. We love the colour of this bloom because it starts out with white centers and gets deeper and deeper in colour. This variety can be grown as a purple but with acidic soil conditions it has the most beautiful blue flower (pictured at right).

'Nikko Blue' - Known for its numerous mophead flowers. Blooms early on old wood and later on new wood. Prefers a little shade. Flower color will change with soil conditions.

'Parzifal' - A solid Hydrangea with strong stems and small clear green leaves. Very large mophead blooms which vary from pink to blue.

'Nigra' - What sets this one apart are its black stems. A late season mophead bloomer, colours vary from pink (in alkaline soil) to mauve to blue (in extremely acid soil) (pictured at right).

'Penny Mac' - A Repeat-Blooming Hydrangea! Covered with masses of light- to medium-blue balls that measure seven inches across. The deciduous shrub produces bright blue and sometimes deep purple flowers until knocked down by frost. The fall foliage is a mix of purple, burgundy and dark green.

This species is much like macrophylla only the plants are smaller usually growing to between three and four feet tall and wide. Some macrophyllas are lumped into this group because of their more demure habit and their flower forms which usually include double lace caps. These Japanese types make great plants for smaller gardens.

'Izu No Hana' - Discs of fertile blue flowers surrounded by elegantly drooping, double, sterile florets of deep blue, fading to lavender.

macrophylla 'Jogasaki' - Blue to pink double lacecap with small fertile discs of pinkish white surrounded by quite large and double, silvery pink or blue sterile florets that spill forth in a fountainous and elegant fashion (pictured below).

'Amagi Amacha' - An elegant plant with narrow, bamboo-like leaves and flat, white lace-cap blooms. Individual sepals are uniquely elongated.

'Miranda' - Pink or blue lacecap. A distinctive lacecap with light blue sterile florets, variegated with streaks and stripes of white and lighter colours, surrounding a cluster of fertile blue florets.

'Shirofuji' - Double white. An elegant selection of pure white, star-like fully double sterile florets surrounding small heads of white fertile florets. Fertile florets may change colour in very acidic or very alkaline conditions.

For a departure from the blues and pinks that we commonly associate with hydrangea you might try 'Annabelle' with giant white mopheads that can measure over 10 inches in diametre! These are sure to illuminate a drab or dark shady area.

There are other hydrangea that are quite tolerant of full sun. One of our favourites at the nursery is 'Quickfire' that has flowers that start off creamy white but that gradual deepen through pink and then to red!

A new cultivar that is destined to become a favourite is 'Pinky Winky'. It is a very unique new hardy Hydrangea with massive two-toned, white and pink flowers. The strong upright red stems hold the large blooms up so you never get the drooping look you get from the standard Pee Gee Hydrangea.

Deciduous and Evergreen Climbing Hydrangea and Hydrangea Vine (Schizophragma)

If you have a shaded tree trunk, wall, trellis or pergola that could use some summer colour you might want to try a climbing hydrangea or one of its relatives.

The classic climbing hydrangea is the deciduous H. anomala ssp. petiolaris. It has glossy green leaves with very showy clusters of lacy white flowers on woody self attaching stems (by way of aerial roots). It is tolerant of heavy shade and can be grown up a tree, wall or fence.

A relative of the hydrangea known as hydrangea vine or Schizophragma hydrangeoides is another option with similar flowers and habit. We have two cultivars at the nursery. The one pictured below is called 'Moonlight' with dramatic lacecaps at least 10 inches in diametre surrounded by large white sterile florets. The foliage of 'Moonlight' is lightly silver mottled as if the moon is perpetually shining on it. We also carry 'Rosea' which offers beautiful pink sterile florets around the lace cap.

Hydrangea seemannii (pictured right) is a rare species of climbing hydrangea from Mexico, Central and South America. It has mid green, rounded, thick, glossy foliage that often has burgundy tones when young. In summer it offers copious amounts of ivory white flowers that first emerge as tight ivory clusters resembling duck eggs. It grows to about 20 feet high.

The taller growing H. integrifolia can grow to 40 feet tall. It is from Taiwan and the Philippines and has dark green evergreen foliage with serrated edges. It is well-established in the UBC Botanical Garden and profiled in their book The Jade Garden. The new spring shoots and leaves are often coloured spectacularly in purple and scarlet red. The flowers appear in June as golf ball-sized white clusters that create a polka-dot appearance against the dark foliage.

There are hydrangea for every light situation and for every taste, from the big and bold mopheads to the delicate and sophisticated Japanese group to the dramatic PeeGee types and the serene climbers. For summer colour in shade or sun you can't go wrong with hydrangea!

Phoenix Perennials Charity Shopping Weekend
to benefit the
Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary
Saturday July 5th and Sunday July 6th, 2008

Welcome to our first Charity Shopping Weekend of the season -- a fun way for Phoenix Perennials to give back to the community and for customers of Phoenix Perennials to feel less guilty about their plant buying habits.

What is the Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary?: Greyhaven is a non-profit society specializing in parrot rescue, refuge and adoptions. Our purpose is to enhance the quality of life for companion birds through rehabilitation, compassion and the education of the general public in the care of exotic birds.

How it Works: Gardeners who wish to support Greyhaven can come shopping at Phoenix Perennials on Saturday May 10th and Sunday May 11th. When you pay for your plants, tell us that you have come to support Greyhaven and we will donate 25% of the price of your plants to this worthy cause. But remember: you must tell us why you have come to the nursery on that day or we won't know to donate the proceeds from your sale. Other than that, it's pretty simple: all you have to do is shop!

Fabulous at Phoenix
Gary's Picks of New, Notable and Luscious Plants at the Phoenix Candy Store

Passiflora caerulea 'Select' - Hardy Blue Passionflower - This selection has markedly larger flowers with darker black centres and deeper blue petals than the form commonly in cultivation. P. caerulea is hardy for us in the Lower Mainland, especially against a south facing wall or fence. Plant in well-drained soil that is not too moist or too rich to promote more flowers and less greenery. Edible, but not the most tasty, yellow fruit are produced if pollinators visit. Trick them into visiting, and create a nice plant combination, by growing up an irresistable Buddleia.

Tomatoes - There's nothing like a home grown tomato! We have some beautiful tomatoes in 1 gallon pots for you including three different types of Romas:
Roma: The classic very fragrant red plum
Roma VF: A deep red plum
San Marzano: Meaty delicious plum.

We also have:
Sub Arctic Max: A very sweet cherry tomato
Marmande: A delicious medium sized Italian variety
Brandywine: A tasty red heritage tomato

Eucomis vandermerwei 'Octopus' - Pineapple Lily - This rare species of pineapple lily is native to a small area of South Africa. The narrow green leaves are heavily ruffled and boldly covered in purple spots. The pineapple-like inflorescences have purple flowers that top the foliage in late summer. Should be hardy for us if kept dry when dormant.

Echinacea 'Tiki Torch' - Not-So-Purple Coneflower - The gorgeous, large, bright, pumpkin orange flowers with red centres offer the best hope for a vibrant orange echinacea since the disappointingly annual ‘Orange Meadowbrite’. This plant apparently has strong, upright stems and excellent vigour. Worth a shot in well-drained, not so rich soils.

Cosmos atrosanguineus - Chocolate Cosmos - This Mexican species has rich, dark maroon dahlia-like flowers with the fragrance of chocolate! ¡Qué rica! How can you resist? Combine with peanut butter plant (Melianthus major) to turn your garden bed into a Reese’s peanut butter cup. Yum! This species is classed as zone 7-9 but I would recommend a winter mulch and dry well-drained soil. Extinct in the wild. ¡Qué lástima!

Lavatera 'Red Rum' - Tree Mallow - ‘Red Rum’ is a compact grower great for containers or as a mid-level plant in a perennial bed. Dark red stems hold closely packed red-pink flowers. The close clustering of the flowers makes an intense floral display from spring through summer and likely into fall. Named after the multi-race award winning British racehorse, Red Rum.

Leucosceptrum japonicum 'Mountain Madness' - Japanese Mountain Mint - This variegated form of this Japanese woodland perennial lights up the woodland garden all season long and is then topped with spikes of soft yellow flowers in fall. Said to be one of the prettiest foliage plants for brightening the shade garden. Light shade or morning sun.

Leucosceptrum japonicum 'Golden Angel' - Japanese Mountain Mint - This golden yellow-leaved form of this Japanese woodland perennial lights up the woodland garden all season long and is then topped with spikes of soft yellow flowers in fall. Said to be one of the prettiest foliage plants for brightening the shade garden. Light shade or morning sun.

Cypripedium reginae - Showy Lady Slipper Orchid - This rare and exquisite winter-hardy orchid has white flowers with delicate fucshia-pink slippers and rich green foliage. Requires two to three hours of direct sunlight per day from morning or late afternoon sun, with part shade during the hottest part of the day. Best in moist but well-drained soil. From eastern Canada and the US. These are six year old blooming sized plants.

Callirhoe involucrata - Wine Cups - The luscious, glowing, magenta flowers of wine cups is an extremely showy native to the midwestern US. Superficially you might think it’s a hardy geranium but despite the similar deeply cut leaves, closer inspection of the flowers will reveal that it is a mallow. Wine cups has a sprawling nature with ground-hugging stems. It looks best spilling over a wall or weaving through other perennials. Infertile and well-drained soil is best in full sun. Blooms all summer.

Dahlia - Happy Single Series - Inspired by the doomed lovers Romeo and Juliet, this series is ironically and strangely called the Happy Single Series. I guess the Tragic Single Series doesn't make for good marketing. At least our love affair with burgundy-leaved dahlias will continue. Here we have ‘Juliet’ (lilac-pink with a dark centre), ‘Romeo’ (deep red with a dark centre), ‘Kiss’ (salmon-rose with a red ring around a dark centre), ‘Flame’ (firey orange with yellow centre), ‘Wink’ (purple and red bicolour) and ‘Party’ (bright yellow with a brown centre) all with a single uncomplicated whorl of petals. We do not yet have the white cultivar.

Arisaema consanguineum - Himalayan Cobra Lily - Fantastic four to five foot “umbrellas” of multiple leaflets rise dramatically from amongst hostas and ferns in my part shade garden. This is an easy and intriguing addition to the part shade to part sun border that will add drama and structure in spades.

Echeveria 'Blue Curls' and "LV" - Mexican Hens and Chicks - Echeverias are perennial succulents mainly from Mexico but also occuring in adjacent countries. There are over 150 different species and countless fantastic cultivars. 'Blue Curls' is a large hybrid has blue leaves with bold, ruffled pink edges. "LV" is a large hybrid green leaves with dramatic bright red, ruffled edges. Grown primarily for their colourful succulent rosettes in shades of blue, green, grey, white, and pink, echeveria beg to be combined and contrasted in pots or along pathways. Almost hardy to our temperatures - keep them bone dry from September onward. They can take light frost but must be whisked inside for our cold snaps. They make a no nonsense houseplant for a bright window sill in winter -- in fact don’t water them more than sparingly once a month.

Word of mouth has been such an important part of our success and growth at Phoenix Perennials. Thank you to everyone who has told their friends about us and thank you in advance for continuing to introduce new people to our nursery! We couldn't do it without your kind patronage and support!

If you have any other questions, please contact us at phoenixperennials@shaw.ca.

Phoenix Perennials and Specialty Plants Ltd.
One of the largest and most exciting selections of perennials in the Lower Mainland.
Specializing in distinct perennials, fragrant shrubs, hardy subtropicals and the botanically intriguing.3380 No. 6 Road, Richmond (Between Bridgeport and Cambie)
604-270-4133
www.phoenixperennials.com

Please visit our web page for information on the nursery, driving directions and a map.
We are near the south end of the Knight Street Bridge and very easy to get to from all of the surrounding municipalities and beyond.