Brian Minter: May long weekend heralds a new gardening season

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The May long weekend is when Canadians traditionally renew their passion for gardening.

Unfortunately, new weather inconsistencies and extremes are changing our typical planting dates. We are now making greater use of cold frames to start plants and to grow longer maturing crops like melons. The investment in small home greenhouses will ensure we can enjoy both the colour and flowers of mandevillas, for instance, and the extended harvest of many vegetables.

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With this year’s early water restrictions already in place, we also need to look at plants which are more drought resistant and heat tolerant.

To be better Earth stewards, we need to be more sensitive to using greater numbers of plants which are pollinators, and bird and wildlife friendly. We must make better choices in what and when we plant, for the environment, the beneficial insects and wildlife, and ultimately for ourselves.

It’s also our duty to avoid invasive plants: the seeds and vines can often drift into forests, riparian areas and grasslands, causing significant damage to our native plants and green spaces.

Shady areas around our homes and patios are a good place to start with our more thoughtful plantings. Some of the most overlooked plants are the many varieties of hardy ferns. There is a movement away from mixed shade-loving hanging baskets to Boston ferns. Their simple elegance and easy care are making them a new favourite.

Planters and containers for those shady areas, made with a simple selection of hardy ferns which, once established, are beautiful. There is a newer variety of Alpine Wood fern, dryopteris wallichiana, called Jurassic Gold, which is tough and resilient with vibrant orange new growth in spring. Autumn ferns,  dryopteris erythrosora, like Brilliance, with their orange-bronze new growth, are spectacular, as are the silver and purple foliages of many varieties of Japanese painted ferns, athyrium niponicum, like Painted Lady.

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Holly ferns, crytomium falcatum, have distinct soft holly-like foliage, and of course everyone loves our native deer fern, with it’s soft lime green fronds and black stems. Planted by themselves or as a mix in containers, they are heat- and drought-tolerant. They also create a peaceful, relaxing mood, which is nice on our patios after a stressful day.

In full hot sun, we have lots of great choices, from Wave petunias to zinnias, and of course, geraniums like the Dynamo series. There is growing demand for a new favourite: tropical mandevillas are really becoming the heat lovers’ dream plant. From the traditional colours of white, pink, and red, they have expanded to new colours of yellow-orange and salmon.

In our area they will not overwinter outside, but once acclimatized to our outdoor conditions in spring they can be placed outside, able to take intense heat and still keep flowering all summer. In containers, I love to put them on a frame or trellis for the nicest effect, but they look amazing in hanging baskets and pollinators love them too.

Speaking of pollinators, more folks are creating baskets and planters specifically for bees and hummingbirds. For baskets and planters, the absolute No. 1 attraction is cuphea. Often called the Cigar plant because of it’s long red or orange tubular flowers with tips that resemble a lit cigar, cupheas are a great choice. All varieties are good, but Proven Winners’ cuphea Vermillionaire is one of the best: it is both cold and heat tolerant, drought resistant, and it will bloom continuously well into fall.

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Fuchsias are great pollinator and hummingbird attractors. For sunny spots the old favourite upright, Gartenmeister Bonstedt, with its dark foliage and elongated coral-orange tubes is one of the best. In a sun or part shade location, the small flowering, trailing Wilma Versloot, is not only an outstanding bloomer, but also a great hummingbird attractor.

Heliotrope, with so many fragrant varieties available today, is an amazing pollinator plant for both sunny and shady locations. Used in planters or baskets just by itself, it is a great patio addition.

The many new scaevolas are becoming must-haves for sunny gardens. These Australian natives now come in white, pink and blue and are must-haves in containers and baskets.

All salvias, both the annual varieties and the long blooming perennials, are hummingbird and bee attractors. Salvia greggii, a tender Zone 7B variety, has become the new hottie. It flowers like an annual and is great in containers and in-ground plantings. The primary colours are deep purple, red and the new favourite, red and white s. Hot Lips: all great pollinator and hummingbird magnets.

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One of the new varieties, s. Hummingbird Falls, is a great long and strong blooming type that has a nice spillover effect in containers and baskets, and it attracts pollinators. Proven Winners’ taller salvias, the Rockin’ series, like Rockin’ Fuchsia, are heat and drought tolerant varieties that make great focal points.

Lantanas have now moved into mainstream status, with their wide range of colours. With both upright and spill over habits available they adapt to both containers and baskets. They are great pollinators and, once established, tolerate significant heat and drought.

If you’re also able to incorporate old favourites like lavender, both English and varieties like Anouk, Agastache, and nepeta into your plantings, you’ll ensure a long blooming period thus providing a continuous, and vitally necessary, source of pollen and nectar.

All cool loving vegetables like leafy greens, brassicas, onions, peas and beets can go in this weekend, but make sure those night temperatures are at least a consistent 10 C before setting out your heat loving peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and melons.

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The addition of some annuals and perennials which attract pollinators planted into our vegetable gardens is now more important than ever.

I hope you have time to spend in your garden this long weekend because it’s one of the nicest places to be. With just a little change in our thinking, it can be much more environmentally important and a welcoming habitat for pollinators and birds.

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