The Brave New World of Itoh Peonies

Some of the most exciting advancements in gardening have come from hybridization—crossing two distinct species that would never naturally intersect, resulting in horticultural hybrids unlike anything previously seen. Itoh peonies are a remarkable example of this groundbreaking innovation.

The Pioneering Work of Toichi Itoh

Toichi Itoh pioneered Itoh or intersectional peonies in Japan in the 1950s, making thousands of crosses between garden and tree peonies attempting to create a bold yellow herbaceous peony. He was successful yet died before he could see his crosses in bloom. His plants were brought to the United States in the 1970s where various other breeders took up the challenge. In honour of his pioneering work these hybrid peonies are usually called Itoh peonies.

Paeonia-Itoh - Phoenix Perennials

From Rarity to Accessibility

For many years Itoh peonies were only available by division. Since bulking up peonies is a slow process this meant that Itohs remained quite expensive and rare for many years. At this time a small root of ‘Bartzella’ would easily sell for $300 each! Attempts at tissue culture or micropropagation seemed impossible to those attempting it until a company in Quebec called Planteck made a breakthrough. Today they can mass produce Itoh peonies by tissue culture rather than by division. The process remains time-intensive and relatively costly, with peonies growing at a slow pace. However, this innovation has significantly reduced costs, making them more accessible to the average gardener seeking something unique.

The Unique Appeal of Itoh Peonies

Itoh peonies are herbaceous peonies that die back to the ground each fall though they may develop a woody base with time. In spring, they emerge with fresh foliage reminiscent of tree peonies, adorned with hues of red and burgundy. As the foliage slowly turns to green, the plants begin to form buds. The flowers can grow as large as your face and come in a stunning array of colours, including white, red, pink, peach, magenta, near-orange, and various shades of yellow. A mature plant can produce 30 or more blooms each season. Itohs are hardy to zone 3. Many Prairie gardeners have great success growing them, with some even thriving in zone 2! For zones 4 and below, it’s essential to mulch thoroughly and pile extra snow on top during the winter for added protection.

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With their remarkable hardiness and stunning beauty, Itoh peonies make a truly special addition to any Canadian garden.

Each year at Phoenix Perennials we offer many different Itoh peony cultivars both potted and bare root for in-person shopping or cross-Canada shipping.

Give Your Garden the Phoenix Perennials Touch:

At Phoenix Perennials, we offer over 5,000 unique plants each year for in-person shopping at our garden centre and online plant nursery in Richmond, British Columbia, part of the Greater Vancouver area. In addition, we provide over 3,000 different plants annually for mail-order shipping across Canada. Stay up to date with our wide range of offerings and all things Phoenix Perennials by subscribing to our E-Newsletter and Alerts, and connecting with us on social media. Happy gardening!

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Cutting Edge Bearded Iris

Bearded or German bearded iris are timeless perennials that have consistently flourished in temperate gardens around the globe. Celebrated by artists like Van Gogh and Georgia O’Keeffe, these stunning flowers have been cherished by gardeners across Europe for centuries. Throughout the years, plant breeders have developed thousands of cultivars, further enhancing their diversity and allure. At Phoenix Perennials, we carry many of these rare and cutting edge cultivars.

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Striking Leaves and Gorgeous Flowers

With their upright, fan-shaped leaves of pointed, grey-green hues, bearded irises create a striking structural contrast against other garden plants. Their stunning blooms, available in virtually every colour of the rainbow, bring not only beauty but often delightful fragrance from mid-spring to early summer. Some cultivars can rebloom later in the season. Remarkably hardy, these irises thrive in climates as cold as Zone 3, making them accessible to most temperate gardeners.

Bearded irises feature large flowers composed of three upright standards and three downward arching falls, each adorned with a colorful “beard” at its base—rows of soft hairs resembling fuzzy caterpillars. Nestled within the standards are the smaller style arms, which resemble delicate petals and can add to the overall display.

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A Spectrum of Colours and Patterns

Iris flowers showcase an incredible diversity of colours and patterns. Some bloom in uniform monochrome, while others feature harmonious shades that transition from top to bottom. In contrast, some irises display entirely different hues and patterns on their standards compared to their falls. Also, their petals may feature delicate veining in contrasting colours, picotee edges, or vibrant glows and flushes of varying shades. The beards, too, range in colour, encompassing white, yellow, orange, red, and blue.

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The Evolution of Bearded Iris

Bearded irises are intricate hybrids derived from a variety of wild iris species. The crossing of these species and their hybrids over time has resulted in the impressive array of cultivars we see today. While the primary focus of breeding efforts is on flower colour and patterns, height is also an important characteristic. Bearded irises are classified into distinct size categories:

Tall Bearded (TB) irises grow to 27 inches or more tall,
Intermediate Bearded (IB) irises grow to 15-25 inches tall,
Standard Dwarf Bearded (SDB) irises grow to 9-15 inches tall,
Miniature Dwarf Bearded (MDB) irises grow to 2-8 inches tall.

Growing and Caring for Bearded Iris

Bearded irises are among the easiest perennials to cultivate, making them ideal for gardeners of all experience levels, from beginners to experts. They thrive in full sun, requiring at least six hours of direct light each day. Thanks to their thick underground rhizomes, they are drought-tolerant and can adapt to soils ranging from poor to average fertility, although they perform best in average to rich soils with adequate moisture.

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These resilient plants require minimal care. However, if you notice that clumps are becoming overgrown and the number of flower stems is decreasing each year, it’s a good idea to divide them after flowering. This allows you to reposition them in your garden and share pieces with friends. Dig them up, divide the rhizomes, cut the fans of foliage in half, and replant. Easy!

Give Your Garden the Phoenix Perennials Touch:

At Phoenix Perennials, we proudly offer over 5,000 unique plants each year for in-person shopping at our garden centre and plant nursery in Richmond, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver. In addition, we provide more than 3,000 plants annually for mail-order shipping across Canada. Stay connected with our diverse offerings and all things Phoenix Perennials by signing up for our E-Newsletter and Alerts, and by engaging with us on social media. Happy gardening!

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Jujubes : A tasty, crunchy fruit you’ve likely never heard of before!

Jujubes : A tasty, crunchy fruit you've likely never heard of before! Ziziphus jujuba is a rare and unique fruiting tree known as jujube, red date, or Chinese date. They typically grow into beautiful small trees perfect for small spaces or even large pots reaching about 8-10 feet tall.

Jujubes : A tasty, crunchy fruit you’ve likely never heard of before!

Ziziphus jujuba is a rare and unique fruiting tree known as jujube, red date, or Chinese date. They typically grow into beautiful small trees perfect for small spaces or even large pots reaching about 8-10 feet tall. They have an attractive zig-zag branching pattern that is particularly beautiful in winter when the leaves have fallen revealing the architecture of the tree. Their bark is also greyish to silvery and quite beautiful.

The small greenish fragrant flowers appear in spring and produce oval fruit that looks like dates. They are about an inch long with chestnut brown to reddish burgundy skin and are harvested in autumn. The fruit has a whitish to greenish flesh and can be eaten when crisp like an apple or when dried. The flavour is most similar to that of a delicate apple. They can be very sweet or can be a refreshing blend of sweet and subtly tart. When dried they taste like a date.

Culinary Uses and Historical Significance

Jujubes were first domesticated in Southwest Asia in 9000 BC and are today used in diverse culinary traditions across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. They can be eaten fresh or dried. They can be made into fresh drinks, teas, alcohols such as brandy or beer, or vinegar. They can be included in desserts or they can be candied or pickled or made into syrups, jams and jellies.

Self-Fertility and Growing Conditions

The flowers are partially self-fertile so you will get fruit with just one plant. However, two different cultivars will give you maximum production.

Jujubes enjoy full to part sun and are tolerant of average to somewhat dry conditions. They are tough trees and are hardy to zone 5 allowing the majority of Canadian gardeners to grow them outdoors!

Are you ready to grow a new fruit you’ve likely never heard of before?

We carry a number of different cultivars of jujube each year including:

Ziziphus jujuba Autumn Beauty – Jujube- Rhamnaceae
Ziziphus jujuba, jujube, red date, or Chinese date is a unique fruiting tree. Autumn Beauty is one of the best cultivars.

Ziziphus jujuba Black Sea – Jujube – Rhamnaceae
Ziziphus jujuba, jujube, red date, or Chinese date is a unique fruiting tree. Black Sea is especially sweet.

Ziziphus jujuba Coco – Jujube- Rhamnaceae
Ziziphus jujuba, jujube, red date, or Chinese date is a unique fruiting tree. Coco has a coconut-like flavour.

Ziziphus jujuba ‘Lang’ – Jujube – Rhamnaceae
Ziziphus jujuba, jujube, red date, or Chinese date is a unique fruiting tree. ‘Lang’ is a top cultivar.

Ziziphus jujuba ‘Li’ – Jujube — Rhamnaceae
Ziziphus jujuba ‘Li’ is a popular variety with very large, mahogany brown fruit that is sweet, crisp and flavourful.

If you’re looking to grow a unique and delicious fruit that you can’t get at the supermarket and that none of your friends will have, jujubes would be a great option! And the plants will also add beauty to your garden and patio.

Give Your Garden the Phoenix Perennials Touch:

At Phoenix Perennials we offer over 5000 different plants every year for in-person shopping at our garden centre and plant nursery in Richmond, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver. Additionally, we offer more than 3000 different plants each year for mail-order shipping across Canada. Stay connected with our diverse offerings and all things Phoenix Perennials by signing up for our E-Newsletter and Alerts and engaging with us on social media. Happy gardening!

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Discover Pineapple Guava

Discover Pineapple Guava Feijoa (Acca) sellowiana is native to South America and is known as pineapple guava. It is an attractive, small, multi-branched shrub or small tree in the Myrtaceae or Myrtle family and is related to Eucalyptus, guava, and Chilean guava. It is highly ornamental with beautiful gray

Discover Pineapple Guava

Feijoa (Acca) sellowiana is native to South America and is known as pineapple guava. It is an attractive, small, multi-branched shrub or small tree in the Myrtaceae or Myrtle family and is related to Eucalyptus, guava, and Chilean guava. It is highly ornamental with beautiful gray green, evergreen foliage with white undersides. Plants can be allowed to grow as they want or are quite amenable to pruning. You can shape it into a standard tree form, keep it narrow and columnar, or espaliered against a wall or railing for privacy.

Its showy, tropical-looking flowers have white petals often flushed with pink and dramatic red stamens with yellow tips. The petals are edible and taste like cotton candy or pink bubblegum making them an unusual and exotic addition to salads or as a garnish for desserts. The delicious fruits that follow are green and oblong and about the size of a chicken egg. The fruit is sweet and aromatic with a perfumy smell. They taste like an exotic combination of mint, apple, guava, and pineapple. Plants will bloom in the summer and fruit will ripen in November. The fruit is ripe and the most flavourful at the point that it is ready to fall from the plant.

Self-Fertility and Pollination

In the wild, most Feijoa are not self-fertile and seedling-grown plants will require two genetically different plants to pollinate each other to get fruit on both plants. However, numerous cultivars have been selected to be partially or fully self-fertile. However, even with these plants, the presence of a different cultivar for cross pollination will improve the quantity of fruit produced.

Hardiness and Growing Conditions

Pineapple guava is hardy to zone 7 but should be grown in protected situations within gardens and covered in extreme cold snaps to protect developing flower buds and fruit and minimize leaf damage. They can also be grown in greenhouses or sunrooms in colder climates and are quite amenable to container growing. Some of our customers have had some success growing them as houseplants but Feijoa needs a cool winter chill period in order to flower and fruit. This could be achieved by growing them indoors in winter and outdoors in summer allowing them to experience cool nights and frost before bringing them indoors.

Breeding Work and New Cultivars

Pineapple guava has been widely grown in New Zealand since the 1920s and most of the breeding work of new cultivars has taken place there. We are pleased to offer many new cultivars from Roy Hart and Nigel Ritson who have been breeding for large fruit, thin, edible skin, sweet and flavourful flesh, and early ripening, which is very important in cool summer climates such as the West Coast.

Our Selection

We carry many different cultivars of pineapple guava each year at Phoenix Perennials, though we may not have all cultivars every year. Here are the cultivars that we grow:

Feijoa sellowiana ‘Anatoki’
Feijoa sellowiana ‘Anatoki’ is an early-ripening, New Zealand-bred cultivar perfect for our region with large, very sweet and flavourful fruit.

Feijoa sellowiana ‘Apollo’
Feijoa sellowiana ‘Apollo’, pineapple guava, has beautiful, tropical-looking, edible flowers and delicious fruit that tastes like pineapple and mint.

Feijoa sellowiana ‘Coolidge’
Feijoa sellowiana ‘Coolidge’ is self-fertile and early-ripening with very large, dark green, tasty fruit.

Feijoa sellowiana ‘Kaiteri’
Feijoa sellowiana ‘Kaiteri’ is an early-ripening, New Zealand-bred cultivar with very large, sweet and delicious fruit.

Feijoa sellowiana ‘Kakariki’
Feijoa sellowiana ‘Kakariki’ is an extremely early-ripening cultivar with very large, sweet and delicious fruit with thin edible skin.

Feijoa sellowiana ‘Nikita’
Feijoa sellowiana ‘Nikita’ is an early-ripening cultivar with tasty fruit.

Feijoa sellowiana ‘Ramsey’
Feijoa sellowiana ‘Ramsey’ ripens in the mid-season with very large, sweet, flavourful fruit. Shrubs have a more upright growth habit.

Feijoa sellowiana ‘Takaka’
Feijoa sellowiana ‘Takaka’ is a very early-ripening, New Zealand-bred cultivar with large, sweet delicious, light green fruit.

Feijoa sellowiana ‘Unique’
Feijoa sellowiana ‘Unique’ is an older cultivar prized for its extra sweet, delicious fruit.

Feijoa sellowiana ‘Waingaro’
Feijoa sellowiana ‘Waingaro’ is a later-ripening, New Zealand-bred cultivar with large, sweet/tart, refreshing fruit.

Feijoa sellowiana
Feijoa sellowiana, pineapple guava, has beautiful, tropical-looking, edible flowers and delicious fruit that tastes like pineapple and mint. These are cutting-grown plants.

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Hydrangea for Canadian Gardens

Hydrangea for Canadian Gardens Out here on the West Coast, Hydrangea is an integral and beloved part of the summer garden, especially the bigleaf Hydrangea macrophylla with its glorious shades of sky blue, royal blue, purple, pink, and near red. These flowers emerge in early summer and provide interest

Hydrangea for Canadian Gardens

Out here on the West Coast, Hydrangea is an integral and beloved part of the summer garden, especially the bigleaf Hydrangea macrophylla with its glorious shades of sky blue, royal blue, purple, pink, and near red. These flowers emerge in early summer and provide interest well into fall.

Hydrangea macrophylla is hardy to about zone 5 or 6 but in these zones, a cold winter can cause stem dieback along with a considerable reduction or even a complete loss of flowers for the season. This is because, up until recently, all bigleaf hydrangea cultivars were only capable of blooming on old wood. The loss of the previous season’s wood meant no flowers for the current season and a sad situation for an avid gardener dreaming of the glorious summer blooms.

New Breeding Innovations

But fear not, zone 5 gardeners! New breeding work has led to cultivars that bloom on both old and new wood guaranteeing that, even if a hard winter knocks back your stems (or an overexcited husband gets too ambitious with the pruning shears), you’ll still get flowers.

These cultivars are described as “blooming on both old and new wood” or as “reblooming hydrangea”. That’s because a cultivar that is not knocked back to the ground in the winter will at first produce blooms on the old wood at the start of the summer and then, as the season progresses, produce subsequent flushes of flowers on the new wood. When the old wood is lost in the winter, flowering will be delayed a bit further into summer until the new wood can be produced and come into bloom. But you’ll still get flowers.

Improved Varieties

This momentous advance has been accompanied by other great improvements to flower forms and colours including double flowers and bicolours, foliage colour including rich burgundy leaves, and dwarf forms great for small spaces or containers that only grow to about 3-4 feet tall and wide.

Even hardier are the smooth hydrangea, H. arborescens, and the panicle hydrangea, H. paniculata, both of which can withstand a zone 3 winter. These species bloom on new wood. H. arborescens is famous for its cultivar ‘Annabelle’ and the improved form, Incrediball, with huge white mopheads and stronger stems.

The panicle hydrangea has conical flower heads that emerge first in creamy white and age to pink and near red. New breeding work now offers us cultivars that change to glorious, deep, rich tones of pink as the flowers age.

Both of these super hardy species also have new dwarf forms perfect for small spaces and containers.

Other Interesting Species

Two other interesting species are the oakleaf hydrangea, H. quercifolia, and the mountain hydrangea, H. serrata, both of which are hardy to zone 5. The oakleaf also has creamy, conical-shaped flower heads and lovely, textured foliage that turns magnificent shades of red, orange, yellow and purple over a long period in the fall. The mountain hydrangea resembles the bigleaf hydrangea but is often a bit daintier usually with lacecap flower heads. It is also said that the mountain hydrangea is a bit tougher in colder climates like zone 5.

At Phoenix Perennials we often carry more than 100 different kinds of Hydrangea each season for our local and mail order customers. Come shop in person or order online for Canada-wide shipping!

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How to Grow Climbing and Rambling Roses

A climbing rose makes a wonderful plant choice when you have a wall, fence or pergola to cover with foliage, flowers, and fragrance. Climbing roses offer a wide range of flower and fragrance types in almost every colour of the rainbow. Not only can they soften vertical surfaces, but they can also add extra beauty and romance to your garden or patio.

With hundreds of different cultivars available, it can certainly make choosing even more difficult in the case of climbing as well as rambling roses. While both types need support for their long canes, there are some key differences in these two groups of roses.

James Galway is a beautiful David Austin rose with classic English-style flowers and light fragrance. In the photos, it is growing on a vertical metal support in the rose garden at the National Botanic Garden Glasnevin in Dublin, Ireland. It can reach 12 feet high and is hardy to zone 4.

What are the differences between climbing and rambling roses?

Climbing roses:

– are less vigorous growing

– provide singular, larger flowers sprinkled throughout the entire plant

– typically repeat bloom in waves throughout the season from June until fall

– have stiffer canes with less flexibility

– bloom on new wood

Rambling roses:

– are more vigorous growing

– have smaller flowers that form in clusters throughout the entire plant often followed by nice rose hips

– typically flower once a year in June (though there are exceptions)

– have more flexible canes that allow for easier wrapping around structures

– bloom on old wood

How long will it take for my climbing or rambling rose to establish?

Keep in mind that most climbing and rambling roses need at least 2-3 years to establish before they can begin to attain their full growth potential.

Make sure to provide rich compost, ample water, and fertilizer. A transplant fertilizer should be applied to provide nutrients and rooting hormone during initial establishment followed later in the season and subsequent years by a good quality rose fertilizer.

During the first season after planting, lots of growth will occur but most of it will take place below ground. Your rose will be working on establishing a strong root system to support future upward growth. Above ground, you’ll still see some stem growth and flowering but year one will feel like a slow start.

Typically, by the third year your rose should be tall, luscious, and full. From year four onwards, it will continue to get fuller and more impressive year after year.

How do I choose between a climbing or a rambling rose?

Most gardeners opt for a climber over a rambler as they want repeat flowering throughout the season, however, there are ramblers that are repeat flowering such as David Austin’s Malvern Hills and The Albrighton Rambler. Those who are looking for low maintenance can consider a rambler as they bloom on old wood and require less pruning. The rambler’s flexible canes can be used to carefully wrap around a column, large tree, or archway without fear of cane breakage. A climbing rose can be more difficult to train and require more pruning, however, its showy, multiple waves of repeat-blooming, large flowers make them more popular than their counterparts.

Malvern Hills is a David Austin rambling rose bearing pale yellow and creamy white flowers with medium fragrance. Unlike other rambling roses, it will rebloom through the season.

The Albrighton Rambler is a reblooming David Austin rambling rose with dense blush pink rosettes and light fragrance.

How do I prune climbing and rambling roses?

Climbing or rambling roses require different pruning and deadheading techniques to encourage flowering and keep plants healthy, manageable and with a pleasing structure.

During the growing season, spent flowers on ramblers can be cut back or left to form rose hips except for repeat-flowering ramblers which should be deadheaded to encourage rebloom. Climbing roses should be deadheaded throughout the season to encourage successive waves of flowers.

Ramblers can be pruned in late summer or early fall or they can be pruned along with climbers in early spring. Remove dead, diseased, or dying canes by cutting them to the base near the ground. New, unbloomed shoots (typically bright green) will bloom in their second year, so maintain these stems as they will provide the upcoming season’s flowers. You can also trim side shoots by two thirds and cut back tips by a couple of buds to encourage branching and more flowers. As ramblers are vigorous growers, established plants can become very thick and dense over the years. Old canes can be cut down to the base to create more space if needed. With full sized, mature plants you can also trim down one third of the canes each season starting with the oldest.

For climbers, major pruning is best done after the last frost, just before spring growth begins. At this point, the rose will have long since shed its leaves which will assist in identifying the canes. Remove dead, diseased, or dying canes by cutting them to the base near the ground. Weak canes any thinner than a pencil should be removed. Keep the main, strong canes and trim their side shoots back to about two inches or five centimetres maintaining one strong bud. Tie new stems to create a well spread out framework that will provide a nice display when in flower and maintains good air circulation through the foliage. If plants become congested after many years, trim out some of the oldest canes.

How do I get more flowers from my climbing and rambling roses?

Of course, full sun, rich soil, ample water, and good fertilizing are of paramount importance but here’s a fun tip: training both climbers and ramblers to grow horizontally will encourage the plant to produce more flowers on the side shoots along the entire cane, rather than long, tall octopus-like canes with flowers just at the tips. Be careful when training stems horizontally to avoid snapping off the main canes. New shoots are softer, more malleable, and easier to work with.

Should I plant companion plants with my climbing or rambling roses?

The strong stems and woody framework of climbing and rambling roses make a great support to grow complimentary vines with and through your roses to add extra layers of colour, flower contrast, and fragrance. Honeysuckles, jasmines, and clematis, all make great companions that will grow through your rose popping out with flowers that may bloom at the same time as the rose flowers or may maintain the show after your rambler is done flowering for the season or between flushes on your climbing rose.

Clematis ‘Duchess of Edinburgh’ makes a great companion for this climbing rose in Gary’s garden.

You can also plant perennials and groundcovers at the base of your roses. As long as you are providing ample water, good soil, and abundant fertilizer, there will be enough resources to go around allowing all plants to thrive.

In general, perennial companions should not be taller than 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) so as not to obscure the rose flowers. Any number of perennial plants could be used including Campanula, Astrantia, Agastache, Alstroemeria, summer-blooming, non-bulbous Allium, stonecrops, and Salvia. Avoid plants such as Monarda and Phlox which can be susceptible to powdery mildew which could also affect your rose.

When it comes to ground covers, it’s important to choose the right growth type since you’ll want to be applying compost each year to maintain soil fertility and water holding capacity for your rose. Use rhizomatous or running ground covers that can handle the addition of compost in spring like sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), Ajuga, Fragaria, lily-of-the-valley, Bergenia, and Epimedium. Or use mass-planted clumping plants like Brunnera, Hosta, Heuchera, Pulmonaria, and hellebores to form a ground cover around the base of your rose. Since black spot and powdery mildew spores can often infect plants by splashing up onto leaves from the soil during a rainstorm, planting ground covers at the base of your roses can help keep your plants healthier.

What are the top ten best climbing roses?

There are so many beautiful options in climbing roses and everyone has their preferences for colour and fragrance. But here are our top ten staff picks for climbing roses:

Crown Princess Margareta is a David Austin rose that is a must-have for collectors thanks to its densely packed apricot-orange blooms.

Eden is a cult favourite with its bicolour flowers that are bright pink in the centre with a cream outer layer that adds visual interest to any garden.

Florentina is a classic red English style rose from Kordes with rounded, globe-shaped flowers that form in gorgeous clusters.

Bathsheba is a David Austin climbing rose bearing apricot rosettes and a wonderful myrrh fragrance.

Strawberry Hill forms large pink rosettes and is considered a short climber which can be ideal for container growing and in small spaces.

Graham Thomas has golden yellow flowers and a light tea fragrance. It has won many awards including the world’s favourite rose!

Lavender Crush can be grown as a shrub or a short climbing rose perfect for small spaces. It has unique lavender purple petals and a strong lemony fragrance.

Lady of Shalott has beautiful peachy orange and yellow flowers with medium fragrance and makes a good short climber to eight feet.

Kiss Me Kate is a beautiful pink climber with a strong, gorgeous fragrance.

The Generous Gardener has beautiful light pink flowers and a strong myrrh fragrance.

At Phoenix Perennials we carry a wide selection of roses each year for British Columbian and Canadian gardeners, with a particular focus on English-style and David Austin roses, Brad Jalbert roses, and roses from other top breeders like Kordes, Meilland, and Weeks. We offer them for pre-order starting in the summer and running through the fall and winter with regular launches as our suppliers confirm our orders. In the spring these are provided potted for local customers or shipped bare root across Canada. Extra roses are then available for sale in the nursery from spring through fall. Make sure to sign up for the Rose Alert to be the first to know about the Great Rose Pre-Order and all things roses at Phoenix Perennials. We’ll send you occasional updates on our roses and email you first when our pre-orders launch.

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The Five Different Types of Rose Fragrance

When we plant roses, we think first with our eyes when we consider the colour and form of the bloom. Certainly choosing one’s favourite colour or the perfect hue for that magical colour combination is extremely important. Next, since we’re talking roses, we should think with our noses. Roses are not just famous for their visual beauty but also their fragrance. Roses can have strong, medium strong, light, or no fragrance, depending on the cultivar. But beyond the intensity of the fragrance, roses also offer different types of fragrances to choose from. Let’s explore the different types of scents offered by the world of roses.

There are five distinct fragrances used to describe roses:

The experience of rose fragrances can be complex. Some roses might offer a combination of these five main types of perfumes. Also, what one person smells and experiences when they put their nose deep into the petals of a beautiful rose might not be the same as the next person. We also all have different olfactory capabilities in terms of the sensitivity of our noses to detect fragrances in general and then to appreciate the different nuances within them. Though experiencing fragrance can also be learned. You need to keep smelling the roses!

People who are sensitive to fragrance can choose to plant roses with strengths from light to strong while people who have a weaker sense of smell should choose roses listed as having a medium to strong fragrance. After that, decide which are your favourite types of fragrances and how you want to enjoy them. Do you want to smell your roses as you walk about the garden or sit on your patio? Do you want to use your roses for baking or to scent your bath water? Or do you want to cut your roses to enjoy in a vase indoors?

Tranquility has a strong and romantic old rose fragrance.

The beautiful, deep crimson rosettes of Darcey Bussell have a delightful fruity fragrance.

The beautiful, pure pink blooms of Gentle Hermione have a strong fragrance which is a mix of myrrh and old rose.

The glowing magenta-pink flowers of Princess Anne fade to rich pink and lavender pink and exude a lovely perfume of tea.

Lichfield Angel’s lovely white and yellow flowers offer a light musk perfume.

Golden Celebration is another example of a rose that mixes different fragrance types. Its glowing golden flowers offer a lovely tea fragrance mixed with the fruity notes of citrus, lychee, and strawberries!

Here is a list of the five different types of rose fragrance and different cultivars that offer these heavenly perfumes. All of these roses are ones that we usually offer in our Great Rose Pre-Order that runs from summer through winter for pick-up and shipping each spring and that are then also available for in-person shopping at the nursery through the spring, summer and fall as potted plants.

Old Rose Fragrance
Brother Cadfael
Desdemona
Eglantyne
Gentle Hermione
Gertrude Jekyll
Harlow Carr
Honeymoon
Julie Andrews
Melody Parfumee
Silas Marner
Summer Romance Parfuma
Tess of the D’Ubervilles
Thomas A Becket
Tranquility
Westerland
Yves Piaget

Fruity Fragrance
Anne Marie
All Dressed Up
Arctic Blue
Beverly Anne Clay
Bliss Parfuma
Bolero
Bordeaux
Cinco de Mayo
Cinderella Fairy Tale
Crown Princess Margareta
Darcey Bussell
Dee-Lish
Double Ambre
Earth Angel Parfuma
Elegant Fairy Tale
Emily Bronte
Eustacia Vye
Forever Amber
Full Sail
Gabriel Oak
Gold and Great
Honey Dijon
Honeymoon
Hot Cocoa
Imogen
James L. Austin
Jump for Joy
Kiss Me Kate Arborose
Lavender Crush
Life of the Party
Livin’ Easy
Love at First Sight
Melody Parfumee
Moonlight in Paris
Moonlight Romantica
Olivia Rose Austin
Pop Art
Princesse Charlene de Monaco
State of Grace
Summer Romance Parfuma
Sweet Mademoiselle
The Poet’s Wife
Top Cream
Violet’s Pride
Westerland
Yves Piaget

Myrrh Fragrance
Anne Marie
Bathsheba
Boscobel
Claire Austin
Distant Drums
Gentle Hermione
Harlow Carr
Honey Perfume
Hot Cocoa
Julia Child
Julie Andrews
Mary Lou Whitney
Melody Parfumee
Polka
Queen of Sweden
Sceptr’d Isle
Strawberry Hill
Summer Romance Parfuma
The Generous Gardener
The Pilgrim
Wollerton Old Hall

Tea Fragrance
Beloved Bill
Burst of Joy
Charlotte
Colette
Devotion
Emily Bronte
Golden Celebration
Graham Thomas
Leonardo da Vinci
Molineux
Port Sunlight
Princess Alexandra of Kent
Princess Anne
Roald Dahl
Summer Song
Teasing Georgia
The Lady Gardener
The Pilgrim
Vanessa Bell

Musk Fragrance
Lichfield Angel
Malvern Hills

Roses with a Complex Mix of Different Fragrance Types
Emily Bronte
Golden Celebration
Honeymoon
Hot Cocoa
Julie Andrews
Melody Parfumee
Summer Romance Parfuma
The Pilgrim
Westerland
Yves Piaget

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All About Dahlia

All About Dahlia It’s hard not to love Dahlia. They are bold and cheerful and come in a wide range of colours, forms, and sizes. Some cultivars have flowers that are just 2 inches wide while others offer flowers that are 8, 10 or even 12 inches across!

All About Dahlia

It’s hard not to love Dahlia. They are bold and cheerful and come in a wide range of colours, forms, and sizes. Some cultivars have flowers that are just 2 inches wide while others offer flowers that are 8, 10 or even 12 inches across!

The Variety of Dahlia Flowers

Dahlia flowers come in almost every colour of the rainbow except for true blue and many flowers are bicoloured or even tricoloured. Their forms can be single or double and their petals offer all manner of shapes and sizes. They bloom over a long period through the summer and fall, when spring and early summer perennials have finished, and they love the heat. While the large-flowered cultivars need more time to come into flower blooming at the peak of summer, many of the smaller-flowered cultivars can begin to bloom in June. Some plants grow only one foot high while others tower at six feet. Most Dahlia have green leaves but some have rich, burgundy foliage adding an extra layer of beauty before and during bloom.

Cultivation and Care

Dahlia are easy to grow in full sun in containers or the garden and, though not hardy for most Canadian gardeners, they are easy to store over winter. For those on the West Coast, Dahlia can be hardy in protected locations in zone 8 where soils are not too wet in the winter months.

Origins and Cultural Significance

The wild species of Dahlia, of which there are 42, are native to Mexico and Central America. In fact, the Dahlia is the national flower of Mexico. They are members of the Aster family and are thus related to black-eyed Susans, Echinacea, Zinnia, and sunflowers. The local indigenous people, including the Aztecs, used Dahlia tubers as a food source and a source of medicine. The hollow stems were used as pipes and for various other purposes.

Popular Cultivars

Such is the diversity of Dahlia in the wild that breeding work has led to the creation of a diverse range of flower types. Here are the most common:

Dinner Plate
Huge flowers 8-12 inches wide on tall stems 4-6 feet high.

Burgundy Leaf
Rich burgundy, chocolate, and near black foliage. Flower types can vary but they are often single, mignon or peony type blooms. The smaller flowered cultivars usually start blooming in early summer.

Decorative
Double blooms with broad, flattened or slightly curved petals, usually medium to large in size.

Cactus
Large, double blooms with narrow, pointed ray florets.

Fimbriata
Large, double blooms with split or notched tips to the ray florets.

Mignon & Collarette
Small single or semi-double (collarette) blooms. Flowers can often start blooming in early summer.

Ball and Pompon
Round or spherical double blooms, ray florets usually with blunt or rounded tips. Pompons have miniature flowers while Ball types are larger.

Anemone
Smaller to medium sized flowers with a ring of ray florets topped with a central ruff of smaller florets often in a different colour.

Dahlia prefer full sun in rich, well-drained average to sandy soils though they are tolerant of clay soils that have been amended with organic matter. To get the most flower power out of your tubers, make sure to give lots of rich compost and provide an organic or conventional fertilizer with a higher middle number for an extra dose of phosphorus.

Dahlia should be lifted in fall, usually around or just after the first hard frost. Knock off the soil from the tubers and store in dry peat, perlite or vermiculite in a frost-free location. Check periodically through the winter for rot.

If you are growing in containers, you can also just leave the tubers in the pots over the winter as long as you can get the soil to dry out before storage. Move your pots closer to the house and out of the rain in September so you can control the amount of moisture in the potting mix as your plants get closer and closer to dormancy.

In coastal British Columbia, you can often overwinter Dahlia outside in the ground but you’ll need to find a good location with free-draining soils, preferably in a raised bed or on a slope or in an area with overhead protection from conifer branches, the overhang of the house, or other garden structures. Mulch heavily with fallen leaves to protect the tubers from winter freezes and to help shed the rain away from the tubers.

At Phoenix Perennials we offer potted Dahlia for sale through the spring, summer, and fall season. We also include a huge selection of tubers in our Summer Bulb Pre-Order that launches in the winter for spring pick-up or shipping.

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Grow Hardy Citrus

Grow Hardy Citrus These 17 varieties are hardy or potentially hardy outdoors in coastal BC or grow them with less heat in colder climates! Citrus are beloved subtropical fruits that originated in Asia but have been cultivated for thousands of years by diverse cultures. They are loved for

Grow Hardy Citrus

These 17 varieties are hardy or potentially hardy outdoors in coastal BC or grow them with less heat in colder climates!

Citrus are beloved subtropical fruits that originated in Asia but have been cultivated for thousands of years by diverse cultures. They are loved for their evergreen foliage, sweetly fragrant flowers, and their production of beautiful and tasty fruits including lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, mandarins, kumquats, & more. Most citrus are hardy to zone 9 withstanding light frosts but not full winter cold snaps. However, a few citrus have been proven hardy outdoors in coastal BC and produce fruit if provided with proper conditions. Most of our citrus is grafted onto C-35 (or sometimes Poncirus) rootstock offering good production, cold tolerance, and semi-dwarfing.

There are a number of citrus that are hardy outside in protected situations in coastal BC and have survived our worst cold snaps. The best known are the ‘Owari’ satsuma mandarin orange, the ‘Nagami’ and ‘Nordmann’ kumquats, the trifoliate orange (Poncirus), the foodie favourites yuzu and sudachi, and the hardy grapefruit or citrumelo. There are also numerous other new cultivars that are just becoming available and which we are pleased to offer including the ‘Ichang Lemon’, the ‘Nasnaran’, ‘Miho Wase’, and ‘Okitsu Wase’ mandarins, and the ‘Citradia’, ‘Troyer’, and ‘US 119’ oranges, among others!

While these trees are not hardy beyond zone 7 or 8, depending on the cultivar, they are still a benefit to gardeners in colder zones. These citrus will be easier to overwinter as they require less heat to survive in sunrooms or greenhouses.

Once mature and sited in good conditions, these hardy plants will flower in spring and summer and produce fruit that is usually ready for harvest in the winter or the following spring or summer. For instance, ‘Owari’ satsumas can be harvested between Christmas and Chinese New Year, right here in Richmond, BC!

Despite their cold tolerance, hardy citrus are still subtropical plants and should be sited carefully in the garden for best results. Some gardeners have assumed they can be planted out in the middle of the garden like any fruit tree and, consequently, have not had good overwintering success or fruiting results. Hardy citrus should be sited in warm, sunny locations, especially against south- and west-facing walls, fences or other features that will protect them from winter winds and rain and provide a warmer microclimate during the growing season to increase fruit production and sweetness. Overhead protection from winter rain is highly recommended. Plant under the eaves of the house, beneath the boughs of a conifer tree, or erect a makeshift roof over your citrus in October each year.

Remember that the zone hardiness and temperature tolerance listings are for mature plants. Young plants will not be as hardy as when they reach full size, since they can freeze faster and have less resources to withstand a cold snap. Until plants reach a mature size they should be mulched with a foot of leaves around their trunks each fall and covered with a plastic tent or teepee in the event of a cold snap. Putting an old string of non-LED Christmas lights or a flood light inside the tent should be enough to take the edge off the cold.

Hardy citrus are rewarding, fragrant, and delicious and make beautiful specimens in the garden and on the patio with their shiny, subtropical leaves. With just a little extra care they can produce delicious fruit outdoors in coastal BC and provide excellent opportunities to brag to your friends on social media or when you serve them drinks, dishes, and desserts made with your very own citrus fruit grown in your very own garden!

Here are the hardy and potentially hardy citrus varieties that we offer in the Great Citrus & Rare Fruit Pre-Order and the Fall Citrus Pre-Order in most years (in both cases for pick-up or shipping) and for in-person shopping at the nursery through the gardening season:

x Citroncirus Citrumelo – Hardy Grapefruit
X Citroncirus forms large grapefruit-sized fruits that are yellow to light orange with thin skin and a flavour like a cross between a lemon and a grapefruit.

Fortunella japonica ‘Centennial’ – Variegated Kumquat
Fortunella japonica ‘Centennial’ is a variegated small tree that forms refreshing orange and green striped fruits.

Fortunella japonica ‘Nagami’ – Hardy Kumquat
Fortunella japonica ‘Nagami’ forms delicious, small, egg-shaped kumquats that are eaten whole, skin and all. Hardy in coastal BC.

Fortunella japonica ‘Nordmann’ (Seedless ‘Nagami’) – Hardy Kumquat
Fortunella japonica ‘Nordmann’ produces large crops of bright orange, elongated, seedless kumquats.

Citrus-Lemon wilsonii ‘Ichang Lemon’
Citrus wilsonii ‘Ichang Lemon’ is a hardy lemon for the west coast which can withstand at least -12 degrees Celsius.

Citrus-Lime junos ‘Yuzu’
Citrus junos ‘Yuzu’ is prized in Japan as a flavouring for sauces and desserts and to make marmalades and preserves.

Citrus-Lime sudachi ‘Sudachi’
Citrus x sudachi has a unique, spicy juice that is used to flavour soups, sauces (including ponzu), fish dishes, ice cream, and other desserts.

Citrus-Mandarin amblycarpa ‘Nasnaran’
Citrus amblycarpa ‘Nasnaran’ is a hardy mandarin for the west coast which can withstand at least -12 degrees Celsius.

Citrus-Mandarin reticulata ‘Miho Wase’
Citrus reticulata (syn. Citrus unshiu) ‘Miho Wase’ is a hardy mandarin that can withstand temperatures till about -7 degrees Celsius.

Citrus-Mandarin reticulata ‘Shirokolistvennyi’
Citrus reticulata (syn. Citrus unshiu) ‘Shirokolistvennyi’ is a cold tolerant mandarin with broad, orange, seedless fruit.

Citrus-Mandarin unshiu ‘Changsha’
Citrus unshiu ‘Changsha’ may rival ‘Owari’ for cold hardiness in coastal BC. It should survive -12 degrees Celsius!

Citrus-Mandarin unshiu ‘Okitsu Wase’
Citrus reticulata (syn. Citrus unshiu) ‘Okitsu Wase’ is a hardy mandarin that can withstand temperatures to about -7 degrees Celsius.

Citrus-Mandarin unshiu ‘Owari’
Citrus unshiu ‘Owari’ is a satsuma mandarin orange that is hardy outdoors in coastal BC! Pick your own fruit through the winter!

Citrus-Orange, Sour ‘Citradia’
Citrus ‘Citradia’ is a hybrid between a sour orange and a trifoliate orange that is extremely hardy.

Citrus-Orange, Sweet ‘Troyer’
Citrus ‘Troyer’ is a hybrid of the ‘Washington’ navel orange and the trifoliate orange that is hardy to at least -15 degrees Celsius.

Citrus-Orange, Sweet ‘US 119’
Citrus ‘US 119’ is a complex hybrid that is extremely hardy to at least -12 degrees Celsius producing sweet oranges.

Citrus-Poncirus trifoliata ‘Monstrosa’/’Flying Dragon’
Poncirus trifoliata ‘Monstrosa’ or ‘Flying Dragon’ is a semi-dwarf form of the trifoliate orange with wonderful contorted stems.

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Growing Roses in Containers

Growing Roses in Containers Roses are one of the most beautiful and beloved flowers you can grow. Their wide range of colours and flower forms and their fragrance have endeared them to generations of gardeners. But in today’s modern world with our ever denser cities and

Growing Roses in Containers

Roses are one of the most beautiful and beloved flowers you can grow. Their wide range of colours and flower forms and their fragrance have endeared them to generations of gardeners. But in today’s modern world with our ever denser cities and suburbs, we have less space in which to garden. People with small spaces such as small gardens or balconies often wonder if they can grow roses in containers. The short answer is yes. But there are various secrets of success.

Here are the various considerations for planting and growing a rose in a container:

1) Selecting the right size rose. While all roses can be grown in containers, planting the correct-sized rose will save you from repotting down the line. We recommend you select small to medium-sized rose bushes for container growing. The largest shrubs we recommend are ones that reach 4.5 feet high x 4 feet wide at maturity – anything larger will do best in ground unless you’re planting in a really large pot! There are also roses that have been specially bred for containers that are small size but big on flowers like the Veranda and Sunblaze series. Also, many of Brad Jalbert’s introductions have compact habits, great disease resistance, and stunning flowers making them excellent for containers.

2) Choosing the right size pot. The minimum size pot for container growing is 17 inches high and wide, though larger is always better, even for a small to medium-sized rose. For the larger shrubs, a larger container will be needed. A pot the size of a half wine barrel would be ideal allowing the roots ample space to spread. The container will also need to have adequate drainage through holes in the bottom to prevent root rot.

3) Soil requirements. Since the rose will be grown in a container versus the ground, proper soil porosity is essential to allow water to drain through the medium and air pockets to form since roots also need to breathe. To ensure proper drainage, it’s critical that the soil used for planting is chunky and not overly dense. We like to use Sea Soil Container Complete mixed with about 30% perlite and coarse bark.

4) Watering and fertilizing. Roses grown in containers will need to be watered more frequently than in ground. During the hot summer months, it is not unusual to water daily or even twice a day during a heat wave. As such, roses grown in containers will also need to be fertilized more frequently as the frequent watering will flush fertilizers out of the soil more quickly. We recommend fertilizing with 14-14-16 Perennial and Shrub slow release in spring when the foliage first begins to emerge and again at the beginning of summer. This four month slow release will provide a good baseline of macro and micronutrients through the growing season to encourage the first flush of flowers in June and subsequent bloom through the summer and fall. For even more flower power, you can apply a water soluble fertilizer with a high middle number once every week to two weeks during the flower season.

5) Winterizing. The rule of thumb is that any plant grown in a container loses a zone of hardiness. The same goes for roses. If the rose is rated for zone 5 and is now grown in a container, it is now treated as a zone 6 plant. For rosarians living in colder climates, we strongly recommend insulating the container to prevent winter damage to the roots. You can place a sheet of styrofoam under the pot and wrap the pot with bubble wrap. You could also wrap the canes with thick burlap which will reduce desiccation from cold winds. Winter damaged canes or canes with brown tips can be trimmed away in the spring.

While any rose could be grown in a container if the container is big enough, here are some beautiful roses that are particularly great for container growing:

The Kordes Veranda roses are a compact series designed specifically for containers. Clockwise from top left: Veranda Cream, Veranda Mango, Veranda White, and Veranda Lavender.

These compact David Austin roses grow well in large containers. Clockwise from top left: Darcey Bussell, Harlow Carr, Olivia Rose Austin, and Princess Alexandra of Kent.

These compact David Austin roses also grow well in large containers. Clockwise from top left: Princess Anne, Roald Dahl, The Poet’s Wife, and Vanessa Bell.

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Grow Avocado, Guava & Passionfruit

Grow Avocado, Guava & Passionfruit With a little winter protection, you can grow your own subtropical fruits! If Canadians can grow citrus, then why not try avocados, guava and passionfruit? Avocado Few people in the Great White North have tried to grow avocado. Information is

Grow Avocado, Guava & Passionfruit

With a little winter protection, you can grow your own subtropical fruits!

If Canadians can grow citrus, then why not try avocados, guava and passionfruit?

Avocado

Few people in the Great White North have tried to grow avocado. Information is scarce so growing your own avocado should be thought of as a fun experiment that will give you a cool and unique plant for your summer patio that becomes a beautiful and easy houseplant or greenhouse plant in winter. But you might even get some fruit for your avocado toast!

In general, avocados reach a sustainable fruiting size when they are about 6-8 feet tall with a caliper of 1.5-2 inches. We have heard from a few customers who have greenhouses (so that means good growing conditions) that they are getting flowering and some fruit after growing our plants for about 2-3 years. This spring we are getting good flowering on overwintered plants from last year that are just three feet tall! So growing your own avocado definitely seems possible!

Plant in a large 20-24 inch pot with a volume of about 15-25 gallons. It will take plants a few years to reach fruiting size, so fertilize them well. Depending on the cultivars you choose and where you live, you’ll need to provide adequate protection during the winter.

We offer a selection of popular cultivars, compact forms, and “cold tolerant” avocados, some of which can take temperatures down to -7 degrees C (20 degrees F). They are unlikely to be hardy outdoors anywhere in Canada but these cold tolerant varieties will be easier to care for. They can take some frost in the shoulder seasons of spring and fall and require less heat in the winter if you’re growing them in a greenhouse. Additionally, some of our cultivars are compact and easier to keep as smaller trees that might better fit in the house or greenhouse.Additionally, ‘Pinkerton’ is known to begin fruiting on relatively young plants.

Avocados (Persea americana) have perfect flowers with both male and female parts. All plants can produce fruit. However, they are divided into types A and B based on the timing of fertility of each flower. In California, avocados are considered self-fruitful since you can get pollination and fruit on a single tree. However, even in California, you will get more fruit if you have both a type A and a type B to pollinate each other. In colder climates, it is recommended to have both types, if you would like to get fruit, so make sure to choose at least one A type and one B type.

We carry the following cultivars in most years:

‘Bacon’
‘Bacon’ has tasty green fruit with medium-thin skin and fruit up to 10-12 oz ripening in December-January. The trees are medium-sized and upright and cold tolerant to -3 to -5 degrees C (23-26 degrees F). It is a B Type and requires an A Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Fuerte’
‘Fuerte’ offers green fruit with a medium thin skin and flesh of excellent quality. The fruit is 10-12 oz with a medium pebbly skin and great flavour ripening from November to June. The trees are large and spreading. Cold tolerant to -2 degrees C (28 degrees F). It is a B Type and requires an A Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Gem’
‘Gem’ offers one of the richest and creamiest avocado experiences with delicious flavour and texture. It has black skin with golden lenticels. Trees have good production and bear consistently every year. They are semi-compact and vase shaped perfect for small gardens and containers. The fruit is 7-11 oz ripening from spring to fall. Hardy to about 0 degrees C (32 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Gwen’
‘Gwen’ naturally grows to about 10-15 feet in height but can be kept smaller as it lends itself easily to pruning with its smaller limbs. It is a Hass type avocado but with slightly larger fruit that are plump and oval with thick green skins that have a pebbled surface turning dull green as they age. The creamy gold-green flesh has a nutty, buttery flavour. It surrounds a small to medium sized seed. Keep above 0 degrees C (32 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Hass’
‘Hass’ is the largest of the commercially grown avocados with a delicious flavour and a high oil content. The large oval fruit can weigh 10-12 oz with a green, pebbly skin that turns black when ripe. The tasty, creamy, golden green flesh surrounds a small to medium seed. Trees are vigorous and will need some space. Keep above 0 degrees C (32 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Holiday’
‘Holiday’ is a Guatemalan avocado that offers large, green, tasty, pear-shaped fruit that weigh 18-24 oz. It is highly productive ripening from fall to winter. Trees are relatively short with a weeping habit great for small spaces and containers. Cold tolerant to -1 degrees C (30 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Jim Bacon’
‘Jim Bacon’ is similar to ‘Bacon’ with tasty green fruit and medium-thin skin with fruit up to 10-12 oz ripening in December-January. The trees are medium-sized and upright and cold tolerant to -3 degrees C (26 degrees F). It is a B Type and requires an A Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Kona Sharwil’
‘Kona Sharwil’ are green avocados prized for their rich, nutty flavour, their small seed, and their ample buttery flesh all contained by a medium-thin skin. The fruit is 8-16 oz with a medium pebbly skin and great flavour ripening from November to January. The trees are upright growing. Cold tolerant to 0 degrees C (32 degrees F). It is a B Type and requires an A Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Lamb Hass’
‘Lamb Hass’ is a cross between ‘Hass’ and the dwarf ‘Gwen’ cultivar offering plants with an upright, compact habit. It produces high yields of good quality Hass-like fruit with black skin ripening over a longer period than ‘Hass’. The fruit can be up to 10-16 oz. Keep above -1 degrees C (30 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Little Cado’
‘Little Cado’, also known as ‘Wurtz’/’Wertz’ and ‘Minicado’, has a compact habit to just 10 feet high making it easier than some to grow in pots and protect in winter. It produces tasty, green-skinned fruit with a medium-thin skin. The fruit can be 8-14 oz. Keep above 0 degrees C (32 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Mexicola Grande’
‘Mexicola Grande’ is easy to peel with paper-thin black skin and creamy flavour. It ripens from late summer through mid-winter and is one of the most cold tolerant avocados to -7 degrees C (20 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Pinkerton’
‘Pinkerton’ is a heavy producer even on young plants with green fruit to 14-16 oz having a medium pebbly skin and great flavour ripening from November to April. The trees are medium sized and spreading. Cold tolerant to -2 degrees C (28 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Reed’
‘Reed’ produces excellent large, green, round fruit with great flavour. The fruit can be up to 12-18 oz, some of the largest fruit of any avocado. The trees are medium-sized and upright. Keep above 0 degrees C (32 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Sir-Prize’
‘Sir-Prize’ is a ‘Hass’ type avocado with larger fruit on more productive, upright trees. The fruit is tasty and rich green with black skin weighing 10-20 oz. It ripens in winter 4-6 weeks earlier than ‘Hass’. The fruit does not oxidize when cut or refrigerated and it has some of the largest fruit of any avocado. Keep above -1 degrees C (30 degrees F). More cold tolerant than ‘Hass’. It is a B Type and requires an A Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Stewart’
‘Stewart’ is one of the most cold hardy avocado. It is a Mexican type with pear shaped, 6-10 oz. fruit with smooth, thick, dark skin and a nutty flavour. The trees are strong and spreading. Cold tolerant to -7 degrees C (20 degrees F). It is an A Type and requires a B Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.
‘Zutano’
‘Zutano’ is a good variety that performs well even in cooler climates. Its green fruit has a medium thick skin and weighs 10-12 oz ripening in November-January on upright trees. It is used as a pollenizer for ‘Hass’ in orchard settings. Cold tolerant to -3 to -4 degrees C (25-26 degrees F). It is a B Type and requires an A Type for cross pollination and to get fruit on both trees.

Guava

Guava trees grow quickly and can begin fruiting on young plants. Hardy to -5.5 degrees Celsius or zone 9b, it’s a worthwhile container specimen for fans of tropical fruits and bold foliage that won’t need tons of heat to protect over the winter, though it is best to protect indoors keeping plants above freezing.

Psidium cattleyanum – Strawberry Guava
Psidium cattleyanum is known as the strawberry, cattley or cherry guava. It is related to the common guava (Psidium guavaja) but has a much smaller, crimson red fruit that has the essence of strawberry in a fragrant, juicy, sweet-tart pulp.

Psidium guajava ‘Tropical Pink’ – Pink Guava
Psidium guajava ‘Tropical Pink’ is a tasty guava with fragrant white flowers and slightly elongated, yellow to greenish skinned fruit with sweet, pink flesh that tastes of strawberries, pears, and passionfruit.

Psidium guajava ‘Tropical White’ – Pink Guava
Psidium guajava ‘Tropical White’ is a tasty guava with fragrant white flowers and slightly elongated, yellow to greenish skinned fruit with sweet, white flesh that tastes of sweet lime, melon, and passionfruit.

Passionfruit

Passiflora edulis is one of the tastiest species commonly grown in the tropics for fruit production. Grow in full sun. Plants may be hardy in coastal BC in protected microclimates such as up against the sunny wall of a house where the stem is planted/buried six inches deeper than the soil surface in the original pot. Plants are said to withstand -4 degrees Celsius. Or safer: grow in containers that can be protected in winter in a sunroom or as a houseplant.

Passiflora edulis ‘Frederick’ – Passionflower/fruit
‘Frederick‘ is a delicious cultivar that is nearly identical to ‘Nancy Garrison’ but even sweeter. It is a self-fertile selection but may produce more fruit in the presence of a different cultivar like ‘Nancy Garrison’ or ‘Possum Purple’. On top of the delicious fruit, the flowers are mind-blowing.

Passiflora edulis ‘Nancy Garrison’ – Passionflower/fruit
‘Nancy Garrison’ is a delicious cultivar that is nearly identical to ‘Frederick’ but less sweet with a more sweet/tart experience. It is a self-fertile selection but may produce more fruit in the presence of a different cultivar like ‘Frederick’ or ‘Possum Purple’. On top of the delicious fruit, the flowers are mind-blowing.

Passiflora edulis ‘Possum Purple’ – Passionflower/fruit
‘Possum Purple’ is a self-fertile selection with exceptional flavour and mind-blowing flowers. All of the plants in this article are available in the Citrus Pre-oRder except ‘Possum Purple’ which you will find in the Main Catalogue.

Give Your Garden the Phoenix Perennials Touch:

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