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E-Newsletter: March 2008

The Phoenix Perennials
E-Newsletter
March 2008

Hello from Phoenix Perennials!

Spring is definitely here, fellow gardeners. The hellebores are in full bloom, the crocuses and daffodils are opening, perennials are stirring everywhere after a good winter rest and the nursery is now open. Welcome to the 2008 gardening season. We're glad to be back!

In this issue we highlight our new workshop offerings for the upcoming year. In all there are 16 different workshops to choose from. We're bringing you back the most popular workshops from previous years as well as a host of new courses. Have a look. There's something for everyone. We've also added some incentives. On top of our already great pricing we've added some series deals! Have a look you can't beat the value for horticultural education.

In this issue we also bring you an article on spring ephemerals, a valuable component to the spring garden. There are photos of our Hellebore Hurrah! opening weekend, info on our first Charity Shopping Weekend of the season to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada, info on a talk I'm giving on Saltspring and our first installment this year of Fabulous at Phoenix.

See you at the nursery soon!

Cheers, Gary and the Phoenicians

PS. The 2008 New and Notable Catalogue will be coming out in early April. There will be an announcement in the next e-newsletter.

In this Issue

1. Workshops 2008: Come learn with us
2. Spring Ephemerals: Add a new dynamic layer of early season interest
3. The Hellebore Hurrah!: Pictures from our opening weekend
4. Charity Shopping Weekend to Benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
5. Gary Speaking on Saltspring
6. Fabulous at Phoenix: Gary's Picks of New, Notable and Luscious Plants at the Phoenix Candy Store

1.

Workshops 2008
Come learn with us

Welcome to our workshop offerings for 2008. This year we bring you some popular old favourites and some new and exciting subjects including four new container gardening workshops, a course on digital photography, and a new series for the truly obsessed among you called Plantaholics Anonymous. For the first time most of our workshops are grouped thematically into series. Feel free to take just one class in a series or all of them. We have special series offers if you choose the latter. We also have an overall special workshop offer. Sign up for four classes and receive 10% off. Details are below. And remember, please book in advance.

Below you will find:

Full Workshop Details and Descriptions
Workshops at a Glance Including Special Series Offers
Instructor Biographies
Booking Workshops

Full Workshop Details and Descriptions

April

DOWN TO EARTH SERIES | Waking Up the Perennial Garden: Earth-friendly gardening techniques | Instructor: Diane Brown | Saturday April 5th, 10am | $15 | This workshop will introduce the cornerstones of successful gardening which include the concept of right plant-right place, the benefits and techniques of natural lawn care, and the basics of soil preparation and care of your beds including composting and mulching. This is a great workshop to get the season started off right.

DESIGN SERIES | Garden Design 101: Principles of success | Instructor: Cliff Thorbes | Saturday April 12th, 10am | $15 | Discover the fundamental principles of landscape design that will help you turn your landscape space into your own "Garden of Eden." Topics discussed include creating a design that addresses both your personal style and your landscape's physical characteristics, exploring material options and how to successfuly group plants.

CONTAINER SERIES | Gardens in Miniature: Plant up a Stone Art container with alpines and other diminuitive plants | Instructor: Shelley Brignall | Saturday April 26th, 10am | $15 | Stone Art planters are amazing containers that look like an authentic hollowed out rock only they’re light and manageable (www.stoneartgardens.com). They are perfect for planting up gardens of small plants and look great on patios and as centrepieces on tables. After some general instruction and an introduction to a number of alpines and small plants, each participant will have the opportunity to design and plant up their own Stone Art container. We will have a wide variety of these containers for you to choose from ranging in price from $12 to $47. The cost of the container and the plants you use are not included in the price of the workshop.

Plantaholics Anonymous: A “support group” for gardeners subject to uncontrollable bouts of plant lust (Session 1: Spring Plants) | Instructor: Gary Lewis | Sunday April 27th, 1pm | $15 | Are you crazy for new and snazzy or rare and unusual plants? Then you won’t want to miss this opportunity to sit down with Phoenix Perennials owner Gary Lewis who will introduce you to a bevy of addictively fantastic new and/or unusual wonders for the garden. Gary will discuss the botany, ecology, history, garden uses and care of a diverse selection of intriguing plants. In this session (Session 1), Gary will introduce you to plants that are at their best in spring. Session 2 runs Sunday June 1st and will deal with plants that come into their own in late spring and early summer.

May

DESIGN SERIES | Designing for Shadey Places: Shade garden design for average, dry and moist locations | Instructor: Diane Brown | Saturday May 3rd, 10am | $20 | We will explore principles of shade garden design and introduce you to a palette of shade plants for various levels of soil moisture. Each participant will have the opportunity to design a shade garden bed with the help of Diane. Come to the workshop with a five foot by five foot sized area of your garden in mind including pictures. Maximum: 15 participants.

CONTAINER SERIES | Living Wreaths: Plant up a wreath with fantastic succulents | Instructor: Felice Andersen | Sunday May 4th, 1pm | $40* | And you thought wreaths were only for Christmas time! Felice will introduce you to an intriguing idea in succulent gardening – planting up a wreath with sempervivums, echeverias and other interesting succulents. You can hang them on your sunny door or gate or lay them on a table as a centrepiece. No matter how you use them you’ll be sure to wow everyone with this unique garden feature. After some general instruction, each participant will have the opportunity to design and plant up their own wreath! *The cost of the high quality wreath frame ($25) is included in your workshop. The plants you select are not included.

CONTAINER SERIES | Containers to Die For: Discover the easy secrets to success with perennial containers | Instructor: Cliff Thorbes | Saturday May 10th, 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. 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.

CONTAINER SERIES | Phoenix Fresh Veggies: Plant Up a Container with Unusual  and Heirloom Varieties | Instructor: Shelley Brignall | Saturday May 17th, 10am | $15 | You can’t eat much more locally than your own back yard! Shelley will introduce you to a host of cool, unusual and heirloom vegetables including purple tomatoes, rainbow-coloured greens, squash and cucumbers that grow on bushes, spinach that grows on vines, peas with blue pods, white eggplants, and aromatic companion herbs. After some practical and design instruction each participant will plant up and take home their own veggie 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.

DOWN TO EARTH SERIES | The Buzz of Beneficials: Plants to attract butterflies, birds and hummingbirds to your garden | Instructor: Diane Brown | Saturday May 24th, 10am | $15 | In this workshop you'll learn how to attract butterflies, birds,  hummingbirds and beneficial insects to your garden through the careful selection of beautiful plants loved by our favourite garden visitors.

DOWN TO EARTH SERIES | The Essence of BC: Exploring our fabulous native flora | Instructor: Diane Brown | Saturday May 31st, 10am | $15 | British Columbia has a wealth of beautiful and useful native plants including shrubs, perennials, and groundcovers. In this workshop you'll be introduced to our friendly natives and the reasons why native plant gardening is vital and exciting.

June

Plantaholics Anonymous: A “support group” for gardeners subject to uncontrollable bouts of plant lust (Session 2: Late Spring/Early Summer Plants) | Instructor: Gary Lewis | Sunday June 1st | $15 | Are you crazy for new and snazzy or rare and unusual plants? Then you won’t want to miss this opportunity to sit down with Phoenix Perennials owner Gary Lewis who will introduce you to a bevy of addictively fantastic new and/or unusual wonders for the garden. Gary will discuss the botany, ecology, history, garden uses and care of a diverse selection of intriguing plants. In this session (Session 2), Gary will introduce you to plants that come into their own in late spring and early summer. Session 1 runs Sunday April 27th and will deal with spring plants.

Ready for my Close-Up: Capturing the starlets of the garden in the frame of a photograph | Instructor: Jane Eaton Hamilton | Two Evenings: Tuesdays June 10 and June 17, 6-9pm | $75 | Do you long to be able to photograph flowers so that they look just as good in wet white January -- up on your wall -- as they do swaying in their sultry summer beds? Spend two seductive evenings photographing the come-hither beauties of the Phoenix Perennials June gardens.  We will cover macro photography, capturing still flowers, and photographing moving flowers. Please bring a digital SLR, a 4GB memory card, and the best lens you have.  Jane suggests a Canon 100 mm f2.8 or its equivalent.  Participants will have the opportunity to share their best work with the class.

DESIGN SERIES | The Dry Garden: Designing a drought tolerant garden that goes easy on the drink | Instructor: Diane Brown | Saturday June 14th, 10am | $20 | A workshop on the principles of designing and planting a bed for a hot, dry, sunny spot. Each participant will have the opportunity to design a xeriscape garden with the help of Diane. Come to the workshop with a five foot by five foot sized area of your garden in mind including pictures. Maximum: 15 participants.

September

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.

October

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.

Workshops at a Glance including Special Series Offers

DOWN TO EARTH SERIES

Waking Up the Perennial Garden: Earth-friendly gardening techniques | Saturday April 5th, 10am | $15 |

The Buzz of Beneficials: Plants to attract butterflies, birds and hummingbirds to your garden | Saturday May 24th, 10am | $15 |

The Essence of BC: Exploring our fabulous native flora | Saturday May 31st, 10am | $15 |

DESIGN SERIES
 
Garden Design 101: Principles of success | Saturday April 12th, 10am | $15 |

Designing for Shadey Places: Shade garden design for average, dry and moist locations | Saturday May 3rd, 10am | $20 |

The Dry Garden: Designing a drought tolerant garden that goes easy on the drink |  Saturday June 14th, 10am | $20 |

CONTAINER SERIES

Gardens in Miniature: Plant up a Stone Art container with alpines and other diminuitive plants | Saturday April 26th, 10am | $15 |

Living Wreaths: Plant up a wreath with fantastic succulents | Sunday May 4th, 1pm | $40 (Includes cost of high quality wreath frame, $25.)

Containers to Die For: Discover the easy secrets to success with perennial containers | Saturday May 10th, two workshops starting at 10am and 2pm | $15 |

Phoenix Fresh Veggies: Plant Up a Container with Unusual  and Heirloom Varieties | Saturday May 17th, 10am | $15 |

Jewels of the Spring Garden: Bulbs for spring containers | Saturday September 27th, 10am | $15 |

Winter Containers: Plant up a container to create winter interest | Saturday October 6th, two workshops starting at 10am and 2pm | $15 |

OTHER EXCITING WORKSHOPS

Plantaholics Anonymous: A “support group” for gardeners subject to uncontrollable bouts of plant lust (Session 1: Spring Plants) | Sunday April 27th, 1pm | $15 |

Ready for my Close-Up: Capturing the starlets of the garden in the frame of a photograph | Two Evenings: Tuesdays June 10 and June 17, 6-9pm | $75 |

Plantaholics Anonymous: A “support group” for gardeners subject to uncontrollable bouts of plant lust (Session 2: Late Spring/Early Summer Plants) | Sunday June 1st | $15 |

Grasses that Captivate: The transformative powers of ornamental grasses | Saturday September 20th, 10am | $15 |

*To take advantage of our special offers workshops must be purchased all at the same time. Workshops purchased as a series are not transferrable to other attendees and must be used by one person.

Instructor Biographies

Felice Andersen first encountered the weird and wonderful world of succulent plants while working in South Africa. After later travels and work in Mexico she became “totally hooked” on these low-maintenance, drought-resistant, colourful and bizarre plants. Her home and garden in sunny Tsawwassen is the perfect place to pursue her passion. FeIice has taken numerous horticultural courses and is an active member of the Master Gardener Association of British Columbia and the Desert Plant Society.

Shelley Brignall is an inspiring gardener who loves plants and works part time for Phoenix Perennials. She is intrigued with the art of garden design particularly the emphasis of the soft landscape and the design of container gardens. Shelley is currently enrolled in the UBC Certificate in Garden Design, a comprehensive program for the design of residential gardens in the Pacific Northwest. 

Diane Brown is a graduate of Kwantlen's Landscape Design program and was the coordinator of the Earthwise Garden for many years. She has designed gardens with garden ecosystems in mind and specialized in presenting earth-friendly workshops. She works part time for Phoenix Perennials and does landscape design, garden consultations, and workshops in her spare time.

Jane Eaton Hamilton owns Jane Photo (www.janephoto.ca) in Vancouver, where she photographs gardens and babies.  She is the award-winning author of six books of fiction, poetry and non-fiction.  Her flower photography has been exhibited at Kew Gardens outside London, England and at Phoenix Perennials in July 2005 and 2006.  She has won numerous awards for her photography including at the International Color Awards and the International Photography Awards.  Her work was recently featured in an issue of Camera Arts. 

Gary Lewis is a self professed plantaholic and collector. He is the owner of Phoenix Perennials. He holds a Masters of Science degree in plant ecology from the University of British Columbia, training which, with its focus on the botany and ecology of wild plants, greatly informs his horticulture.

Cliff Thorbes is a certified horticulturalist, artist and designer. He is passionate about container garden design and integrating original art into the garden to create a unique and personal statement. Cliff returns this year to reprise his popular seminars on design and on the secrets to creating containers that will captivate the senses.

Booking Workshops

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!

2.

Spring Ephemerals
Add a new dynamic layer of early season interest

When selecting plants for our gardens we often try to select species and cultivars with a long season of flower and foliage interest. After all, we want a great show and we want to get good bang for the dollars and garden space that we dedicate to a given plant.

But consider these two points, the first practical and the second philosophical: 1. our garden beds look awfully bare at this time of year as we wait for our traditional plants to emerge and 2. while big, bold, boundless blooms make a great display there is an exquisiteness and magic to those delicate plants that flower for only a short time -- these are plants that you can't take for granted, plants that you make a point of visiting and enjoying while you have them, plants that you miss when they're gone but that you wait for each year.

In early spring these two points (practical display and seasonal magic) come together in the form of spring ephemerals.

By definition spring ephemerals are plants that take advantage of early spring conditions to quickly send up foliage, bloom, set seed, store energy for next year and disappear in just a couple months.

Classic spring ephemerals are woodland plants like bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), windflowers (Anemone nemerosa and A. blanda), lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria), and trout and fawn lilies (Erythronium spp.). Many of these treasures are native to deciduous woodlands. These plants take advantage of early spring sun and warming soil before the deciduous trees and shrubs and larger perennials emerge into leaf and outcompete them for light.

Other ephemerals are the early spring bulbs of sunnier sites like botanical tulips, snowdrops and crocus that take advantage of the cooler temperatures and good soil moisture before the baking hot conditions of summer arrive.

Using Ephemerals in the Garden: By including spring ephemerals in the garden you can add a whole additional layer of interest AND you can do so without dedicating much additional space. Simply underplant your larger, later emerging perennials with these delicate little wonders.

For instance, plant the shadey ephemerals around the base of hostas, ferns, ligularias, rheums and hellebores. Imagine the tightly furled spears of hosta leaves emerging from amongst the burgundy black foliage of Ranunculus 'Brazen Hussy' or the fiddlheads of ostrich fern uncoiling through a mass of windflowers (Anemone nemerosa). If planting around hellebores remove their leaves for a better display when the ephemerals and hellebore flowers emerge. The ephemerals will come up, do their lovely thing and begin to go dormant just as these larger perennials are beginning to spread their new foliage.

In the sunny garden plant botanical tulips and other early bulbs around the bases and between the larger perennials. Try planting Tulipa 'Little Beauty' in front or right in the middle of a clump of Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow'. The beautiful pink, white and blue tulip flowers will contrast with the firey orange emerging stems of the euphorbia. You can surround practically any sun perennial with ephemerals but you might want try bear's breeches (Acanthus spinosus), hardy gingers (Hedychium), daylilies (Hemerocallis), lilies (Lilium), Roscoea, foxtail lilies (Eremurus), peonies (Paeonia), and maiden grass (Miscanthus).

Not many gardeners consider spring ephemerals when planning their borders. And in actual fact, they are probably best not planned at the beginning but added later here and there throughout your borders where you find you need colour and interest in early spring. While they won't give you colour for eight weeks through the summer like some of the big, boisterous perennials that emerge later in the season, what spring ephemerals will give you is a magically dynamic spring garden filled with delicate and beguiling treasures.

Spring Ephemerals Available Now at Phoenix Perennials

Ranunculus ficaria 'Double Yellow', 'Copperknob', 'Collarette', 'Dusky Maiden', 'Brazen Hussy', 'Green Petal' -- These different cultivars vary in leaf colour (green, variegated green and burgundy, and fully burgundy), flower structure (single and double), and flower colour (bright yellow or green).

Ranunculus 'Brazen Hussy'

Anemone 'Vindobonensis', nemerosa, blanda 'Radar Love'

Anemone nemerosa

Dodecatheon 'Media Lilac', 'Aphrodite', dentatum

Dodecatheon 'Media Lilac'

Erythronium 'White Beauty', 'Snow Flake', americanum

Erythronium 'White Beauty'

Tulipa 'Little Beauty', 'Van Tubergen's Variety', 'Red Hunter', 'Persian Pearl'

3.

The Hellebore Hurrah!
Pictures from our opening weekend

Thank you everyone for making this year's Hellebore Hurrah! the most fun and successful ever. We were proud to offer an unparalleled selection of hellebores from some of the best breeders in North America. We were gratified to see how excited all of you were to come down to the nursery and to select some of these special plants for your gardens. Thank you to those people who came from afar -- Victoria, Powell River, the Okanagan, the Fraser Valley, the Sunshine Coast -- just to attend the Hurrah! And thank you to all of the more local people also -- we couldn't do it without you either. It was so nice to see lots of familiar faces after our winter break and to meet new people as well.

Here are some photo highlights from the weekend.

Hundreds and hundreds of hellebores...

...in rich, luscious colours.

"Oops! We've been caught. How much do you think we'll have to pay him to not show that photo to our husbands!"

"This is it. We've been comparing flowers for four hours but this is the one!"

"I chose this hellebore because it matches my child's haircut."

"I'll turn you into a gardener yet, sonny boy!"

"We're prettier than the hellebores, aren't we?"

"Look! This plant matches my outfit!"

Thank you everyone for attending the Hellebore Hurrah! We're already planning lots of new surprises for you in 2009!

4.

Phoenix Perennials Charity Shopping Weekend
to benefit the
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada

Saturday March 29th and Sunday March 30th, 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 support a good cause.

What is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada?: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. The Society's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

How it Works: Gardeners who wish to support this charity can come shopping at Phoenix Perennials on the designated weekend. When you pay for your plants, tell us that you have come to support this charity 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!

Mark your Calendars!
See you at the Charity Shopping Weekend!

Upcoming Charity Shopping Weekends

April 19th and 29th: L'Arche Greater Vancouver
May 10th and 11th: The Greater Vancouver Gogo Grannies
May 31st and June 11th: Pacific Parklands Foundation
July 5th and 6th: Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary

We do not yet have a charity for September if you know of one!

5.

Garden Club Talk
Sponsored by the Saltspring Island Garden Club

Weird and Wonderful Plants of the World
Botanically Intriguing Options for Your Garden

Join Gary Lewis, owner of Phoenix Perennials, for a whirlwind trip around the world to discover a multitude of weird and wonderful plants to add botanical intrigue to your garden. In this colourful, image-rich and dynamic PowerPoint presentation you'll discover amazing plants from every continent (except Antarctica!) including Cobra Lilies from Asia, acacias and bottlebrushes from Australia, broadleaf pokers from South Africa, carnivorous plants from North America and much more.

Wednesday March 26th
Saltspring Island
Please contact Barb for details at 250 537 1858.

6.

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

Fascicularia bicolor - Sun Bromeliad - This border-line hardy member of the pineapple family hails from Chile. When it comes into the flower the long, tough foliage turns bright red. Plant in a protected situation in sharp drainage at an angle so the rosette can drain. Or keep it in a pot and move it somewhere just frost free for winter.

Clematis armandii 'Snowdrift' - Evergreen Clematis - This vigorous, evergreen clematis blooms in early spring with masses of small, star-shaped, white flowers that are sweetly fragrant -- just the antidote you need after a long grey winter. The leaves are long, pointed and deep green and are lovely in winter. Tolerant of part shade. As with all clematis C. armandii appreciates it’s roots in the shade.

Believe it or not we still have some lovely hellebores left including these wonderful plants!

Heronswood Double White Strain - Pure white double flowers and lush, mid green foliage. Elegant and beguiling.

'Kingston Cardinal' - Luscious raspberry-red flowers atop red stems with burgundy-infused young foliage. Heart-stopping, mind-blowing, plant-lusting spectacular! Tissue cultured so every plant is identical.

Heronswood Single Yellow Strain - Pale to buttery yellow single flowers, some with clear petals, others with red spots.

Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty' - Mayapple - This brilliant hybrid of several Asian Mayapples boasts large, vigorous, lobed umbrella-shaped leaves. Leaves are chartreuse with dramatic and bizarre chocolate-brown spotting throughout the spring. Like nothing you’ve ever seen! In summer, the leaves are green with lightly spotted areas. Huge garnet-coloured flowers are found under the leaves in clusters of five or more. This form was selected for its colouring, improved late spring frost tolerance, vigour, and habit.

Allium 'Globemaster' - Ornamental Onion - Ornamental onions offer intriguing spherical or egg-shaped inflorescences comprised of hundreds of tiny flowers. ‘Globemaster’ is absolutely one of the best alliums -- sparkling silvery pinkish purple softball to volleyball sized flowers that produce secondary florets which extend the bloom time. Blooms with the bearded irises. Available in spring as potted plants and in fall as dry bulbs.

Arum italicum 'White Winter' - Italian Arum - This special selection of Italian arum offers spectacular white marbling on rich green arrow-shaped leaves. The foliage appears in fall and remains evergreen through to early summer. The large green spathes appear amongst the foliage in spring. When the leaves go dormant in summer they reveal drumsticks of shiny green fruits that gradually change to orange. This display lasts until the leaves return in the fall. A great year-round plant with particular value for the winter garden. Our younger plants will develop the full mottling in the picture once they get a little older.

Daphne x transatlantica 'Eternal Fragrance' - Daphne - This new hybrid forms a neat, mounded, evergreen shrub two to three feet high and three feet wide. The dark green leaves make a pleasing backdrop for the pink buds and white flowers which are intensely fragrant (even among daphnes!). ‘Eternal Fragrance’ flowers generously on the previous season’s wood in April and May and from June until autumn on new growth provided good moisture and nutrients. Rich, well-drained soil in sun. Do not move after planting. Also available: Daphne x transatlantica 'Summer Ice', identical to 'Eternal Fragrance' but with variegated leaves.

Euphorbia 'Black Bird' - Spurge - The best thing to happen to euphorbias for some time: exceptionally dark, velvety purple foliage, bright red stems, and flower heads with dark purple bracts and contrasting yellow flowers. This new euphorbia is spectacular! Compact, bushy and useful for year-round colour in borders and containers. Darkest foliage tones in full sun.

Viola 'Silver Samurai' - Violet - The story goes that samurai wore robes often marked with silver highlights. They were also quite fond of flowers. In their honour this superlative violet has been named. Large, silver, ruffled and cut foliage forms a 14" mound that sports lavender flowers. Easy to grow and rarely reseeds.

Kalmia latifolia - Mountain Laurel - Kalmias are rhododendron-like shrubs with evergreen foliage and numerous beautiful, jewel-like clusters of small cupped flowers. We have numerous cultivars available in a range of colours from white through pinks to red including the plants above clockwise from top left: 'Little Linda', 'Bullseye', 'Ostbo Red', and 'Minuet'. Acidic soil and partial shade.

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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.

Seven Days a Week 10am-5pm
February 22nd, 2008 through October 31st, 2008

Copyright Phoenix Perennials and Specialty Plants Ltd. 2008

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