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018 P
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Printed in Canada
shade
A non-profit publication dedicated to the advancement of horticulture in the Prairies
shade79TH ANNUAL EDITION
Copyright © February 2018 The Prairie Garden Committee, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
All rights reserved. The material in this publication is for informational purposes only. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of The Prairie Garden Committee. Reference to commercial products or tradenames is made with the under-standing that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by The Prairie Garden Committee is implied. The contents in this publication may not be reproduced or used in any fashion without the written consent of The Prairie Garden Committee, other than short excerpts as may appear in book reviews and literature citations.
ISBN 978-0-9939559-3-8
Published by The Prairie Garden CommitteeP.O. Box 21043Winnipeg, MB R3R 3R2
Chair: Linda DietrickSecretary: Ian WiseTreasurer: Lisa JansenSales: Tammy JensenMarketing: Rita CampbellEditor: Lynsey SableWebsite: Richard Denesiuk Committee Members: Darlene Belton, Colin Briggs, Dave Hanson, Nataša Juck, Tom Nagy, Susanne Olver, Warren Otto, Cathy Shaluk, Andy Tekauz, Sandy VentonRegional Representatives: Sara Williams (Saskatoon, SK), Melanie Mathieson (Thunder Bay, ON), Jane Reksten (Calgary, AB)
Design: Ninth and May Design Co.
Photo Credits: See page 182.
Printed in Canada: Friesens CorporationForest Stewardship Council certified printerPress – all inks are vegetable based
Price: $17.95 per copySpecial quantity prices available to horticultural societies, garden clubs, commercial outlets, etc.For past editions and general sales information, see page 183
10 Moss Linda Dietrick
12 Primroses for Prairie Gardens Linda Dietrick
15 Hellebores Stefan Fediuk
18 Daffodils Prefer Shade on the Prairies Ieuan Evans
21 In Search of Sedges Lynsey Sable
26 Woodland Observations Cohan Fulford
30 Contemplating a Shady Garden Diane Marchese
33 Groundcovers for Shade Carla Hrycyna
36 Periwinkle: Source of Anti-Cancer Compounds Colin J. Briggs
39 Bleeding Heart and Corydalis—Shade Lovers Supreme! Sandy Venton
42 Shieldleaf Sara Williams
44 Forest Bathing Marilyn Dudek
48 Hosta Virus X Brenda Newton
51 Developing A Shade Garden Jeannie Gilbert
54 Prairie Grasses for Low-Lit Places Lynsey Sable
58 Solutions for Dry Shade Linda Dietrick
62 Enchanting Epimediums Allan Daku
67 Woodland Natives Kelly Leask
71 Bunchberry Sandy Venton
73 Under the Oaks Nora Reid
76 Columbine Pests Carla Hrycyna & Bill Turnock
78 A List of Ferns Unfurled Sara Williams
83 The Construction, Deconstruction and Reconstruction of a Perennial Shade Garden Redux Sandy Venton
86 Unusual Plants for the Shade Garden Melanie Mathieson
90 Globeflower Sara Williams
CONTENTS
102 Components of the Understory Eileen Rosen
107 Combating Slugs in the Garden Albert Parsons
110 Vibrant Viburnums Sheryl Normandeau
113 Dogwood: A Canadian History Rick Durand
117 Exotic Lady Beetles: A Story of Ecological Change Ian Wise
121 Shade-Loving Houseplants Susanne Olver
124 Guerrilla Gardening Derek Yarnell
128 Love the Garlic! Dave Hanson
132 Getting to Know the Hardnecks Dave Hanson
134 An Introduction to Backyard Mushroom Cultivation Tom Nagy
138 Natural is Safe? A Risky Assumption Colin J. Briggs
141 Keeping Children, Pets and Plants… Alive! Lisa Jansen
144 Vines Transiting the Landscape Hugh Skinner
147 Shade-Sweetened Fruit Ieuan Evans
149 What is Impatiens Downy Mildew? Linda Dietrick
150 A Magic Carpet of Colours Igor Kaftan
153 New Wave Coleus Lynsey Sable
155 How to Overwinter Coleus Linda Dietrick
157 Container Combos for Shade Sharlene Nielsen
160 New Annuals for Shaded Beds and Containers Stefan Fediuk
162 Begonias to the Rescue Susanne Olver
166 The Immediate Threat of the Emerald Ash Borer Ian Wise
170 The Perils of Advancing Shade Eric Bergeson
172 The Life and Landscapes of Garry Hilderman Heather Cram
174 Shade Tolerant Plants for the Prairies: A Reference Linda Dietrick, Nataša Juck, and Sandy Venton
12 The 2018 Prairie Garden
Linda Dietrick is a Master Gardener who has gardened in Winnipeg for over 30 years. She recently retired from the University of Winnipeg, where she was a pro-fessor of German Studies. She currently chairs the Prairie Garden Committee.
BY LINDA DIETRICK
PRIMROSES FOR PRAIRIE GARDENS
Yes, You can grow primroses here, as long as you choose the right kinds.
Not to be confused with evening primroses (Oenothera tetragona), true primroses belong to the genus Primula, which means “first little one.” Indeed, they are among the first flowers to appear in spring. For our friends in England and coastal British Columbia, that means in February or March, when the En-glish primroses (Primula vulgar-is, syn. P. acaulis, and its hybrids) brighten gardens with their crinkly leaves and brilliant red, rose, violet,
blue, and yellow flowers. Around the same time on the prairies, we find similar primroses for sale in supermarkets. These greenhouse plants are known as the polyanthus hybrids. Although they are unlike-ly to survive the winter if planted outdoors in our region, we can enjoy them indoors for a few weeks.
For our gardens, there are lots of hardier primulas among the over 430 species and countless hybrids of the genus. Many are native to other cold regions like the Himalayas. If you can provide rich soil, constant moisture, a shaded or partly shaded location, and some protection from the cold winter winds, you will en-joy their cheery blooms from spring through summer.
Years ago, I first learned about primulas from the book Perenni-al Favorites by Lois Hole, the late Edmonton-based horticulturalist (and Lieutenant Governor of Alber-ta from 2000–2005). Of the species she recommended for cold-climate gardens, I have tried every one I
Oxlip with spring anemones, snowdrops, and squill make a happy spring scene.
26 The 2018 Prairie Garden
BY COHAN FULFORD
Cohan Fulford is just your average farm boy, artist, and plant geek who spends most of the year collecting, sharing, and sowing seeds, then planting, weeding, and building new gardens.
OBSERVING A WOODLAND’S EDGE
maYbe You look out and see a wood-ed slope with a strong spring sun shining through still-bare trees, warming the leaf litter and lighting up masses of early wildflowers.
Maybe you have a rich, half-sun-ny forest’s edge where woodland and meadow meet.
Maybe you retreat to a cool, green, mossy glade in mid-summer,
where a moist stream bank sprouts gem-coloured flowers.
Is the air scented by conifers? You’ll find the ground carpeted with their needles, where low-grow-ing wintergreens bring life to the darkness.
Have you ever seen tiny alpines crouch behind boulders on a moun-tainside?
The American spikenard leafs out in late spring and is a good companion for bulbs, providing shade later on. This bed also contains Siberian corydalis and ‘Purple Sensation’ allium, with Iris reticulata blooming earlier.
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BY SANDRA VENTON
Sandy Venton is the president of the North American Lily Society and the secretary of the Manitoba Regional Lily Society. She enjoys being a lily judge, and she lives to garden.
BLEEDING HEART AND CORYDALIS —SHADE LOVERS SUPREME!
these two relatives are beloved by the shade gardener. Okay, well may-be one is beloved, and the other is still somewhat of a mystery, but they are two sides of the same coin.
Bleeding heart used to belong to the genus Dicentra. The taxono-mists got into the mix and now the lowly common bleeding heart is no longer known as Dicentra spectabi-lis, but as Lamprocapnos spectabi-lis. That particular bleeding heart
is the only one whose name was changed, while all other bleeding hearts have remained the same. Therefore, Dutchmans breeches (Di-centra cucullaria) and squirrel corn (Dicentra canadensis) are still clas-sified as Dicentra, thank goodness!
There are a number of different bleeding hearts available to garden-ers, including:
• Eastern bleeding heart, com-monly called fringed bleed-
Tuberous corydalis is a grand sight in spring when almost nothing else is in bloom.
42 The 2018 Prairie Garden
Sara Williams is the co-author (with Hugh Skinner) of Gardening Naturally: A chemical-free handbook for the Prairies, as well as the newly revised Creating the Prairie Xeriscape. Her latest book is Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens with Bob Bors. She gardens on five acres near Saskatoon.
BY SARA WILLIAMS
SHIELDLEAF
if You’ve ever visited an English garden and marveled at (and had your photo taken with) giant rhu-barb (Gunnera spp.), here is a slight-ly smaller but much hardier version. Previously classified as Rodgersia tabularis, Astilboides tabularis or shieldleaf is the perfect antidote for “Gunnera withdrawal” when prairie
garden travelers invariably return home from gentler climes. I’ve grown it for over a decade in my rural Sas-katchewan garden (formerly zone 2, now designated as zone 3), and even the “wonky winter” of 2016-2017 that left a trail of death and destruc-tion failed to discourage it.
A bold plant of great architec-
A stunning shade specimen, shieldleaf is big, bold and well-behaved.
86 The 2018 Prairie Garden
as a gardener, I never stop search-ing for rare and unusual plants to add to my garden. I want to share some information on how you can grow some of my favourites.
TRILLIUMSWhile gardeners likely know what a trillium looks like, with its signa-ture three leaves, many may not re-alize that its name reflects the fact that everything about the plant oc-curs in threes: the leaves, flower pet-als, three-sectioned seed pods, and three types of bloom characteris-tics—nodding, drooping, or upright.
Although the white trillium is not native to most of Manitoba, Sas-katchewan or northwestern Ontar-io, it is found in a few spots in the wild and can be grown in many ar-eas of these provinces. The nodding trillium grows wild in forests from Saskatchewan to Newfoundland and is the most northerly-occurring trillium in North America, occur-ring as far north as Hudson Bay.
Never dig trilliums or lady slippers from the forest. Always purchase from a reputable nursery or plant supplier. Trilliums can be grown from seed, but they may take up to five years to bloom. Well worth
BY MELANIE MATHIESON
Melanie Mathieson has been gardening and sharing information about it for many years as the Gardening Guru in northwestern Ontario, with published works in The Rainy River Record, Fort Frances Times and Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal.
UNUSUAL PLANTS FOR THE SHADE GARDEN
Trillium is one of the first flowers in the shade garden to bloom; this one is toadshade trillium.
94 The 2018 Prairie Garden
Clockwise from top left: Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park ; Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) ‘Luteus’; Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris); Siberian dogwood (Cornus alba); Merrybells (Uvularia grandiflora); Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)
96 The 2018 Prairie Garden
Clockwise from top left: Meadowsweet (Filipendula rubra) ‘Venusta’; Pansy (Viola tricolor); Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa); Brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla), sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), rex begonia and wild ginger (Asarum sp.); Blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens); Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
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there are manY house-plants that grow well indoors, even if they receive no direct sun-light.
The lists at the end of this article name some of these shade lovers, many of which are old standbys. Semi-shade lovers include lovely choices such as bego-nias, African violets, and some orchids. Among the full shade lovers are many that can be grown in the same location for years, like cast iron plant, philodendron, and snake plant. Although they may be quite familiar, these plants are hardy, long-lived, and beneficial, in that they help clean the air, release moisture and oxygen, and enrich the atmosphere to keep the other plants healthy.
In nature, most shade-loving houseplants grow under larger trees and vegetation, in gullies, or in loca-tions shaded by rocks. Once brought inside, light conditions must match specific environments as closely as possible. Quite a few ferns, for in-
stance, would quickly burn to a crisp if left in a sunny window. On the other hand, all plants need a cer-tain level of light to photosynthesize, so a plant placed in a dark
corner will not do well and could benefit from a
strategically-placed grow light. Some plants might
survive in a dark location for a while, but will eventually starve to death from lack of light. So make sure your shade-lovers get some indirect light, while keeping them away from direct sun.
Watering of low-light plants must be done with care. In most cas-es, their metabolism is slower than that of their sun-loving counter-parts. A moisture-meter, available in garden centers and large home improvement stores, is an inexpen-sive and worthwhile investment. A reading taken by inserting the probe into the soil will quickly indi-cate the moisture level of each plant. A note of caution: leaving the mois-
BY SUSANNE OLVER
Susanne Olver is a retired greenhouse supervisor from the Department of Bot-any, University of Manitoba, and a longtime member of the Prairie Garden Committee.
SHADE-LOVING HOUSEPLANTS
134 The 2018 Prairie Garden
BY TOM NAGY
Tom Nagy is an ecologist with a passion for ethnobotany and mycology. He ad-vocates for a greater understanding of how we interact with the natural world.
AN INTRODUCTION TO BACKYARD MUSHROOM CULTIVATION
as far as most gar-deners are con-cerned, mushrooms are strange and mysterious crea-tures. They mirac-ulously appear in lawns or flower beds after a summer rain, only to vanish as quickly as they came. Some even consider mushrooms to be sinister, a beacon of decay or disease and therefore something to be despised. On the contrary, fungi are an indispens-able component of our local ecology and an ally to the success of human communities.
Strong, resilient societies are dependent upon a foundation of healthy soil and biologically diverse ecosystems. Fungi are essential decomposers in terrestrial environ-ments, playing an integral role in nutrient cycling. By providing us with food and medicine while si-multaneously creating the soil be-neath our feet, we can harness the inherent adaptability of fungi to
strengthen the soil on which we rely.
There are doz-ens of species of fungi available to the enthusiastic
cultivator. However, there are a few spe-
cies better suited to nov-ice mushroom growers, as
they are generally more adaptable and can tolerate a wider range of environmental conditions. The two most common species of fungi many begin experimenting with are oys-ter mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.) and wine cap mushrooms (Stropharia ru-gosoannulata).
Oyster mushrooms are consid-ered by many commercial mushroom growers and hobbyists to be the quintessential ‘gateway’ mushroom for new and inexperienced growers. Most notable of the lot is Pleurotus os-treatus, also known as the common, white, or pearl oyster mushroom. This is the species most often grown commercially and boasts the greatest diversity of cultivated varieties.
132 The 2018 Prairie Garden
BY DAVE HANSON
GETTING TO KNOW THE HARDNECKS
hardneck garlic is not one type of plant, but rather a diverse group of cultivars that can be organized into subcategories. Just as with fine wines, the gourmet garlic renais-sance is all about savouring com-plexity, depth, and variety.
Here is an overview of the four most significant categories of hard-neck garlics and the qualities gener-ally associated with each.
Marbled Purple Stripe• Medium to hot flavour, with
excellent “classic garlic” pungency
• Large, highly consistent clove size
• 6–8 cloves per bulb• Very reliable in the garden• Examples include: Russian Red
Porcelain• Strikingly beautiful, with pure
white wrapper • Fewer cloves but very large• Easy to peel and easy to
separate from the head• Store 6–7 months• Examples include: Majestic,
Music and Georgian Fire
Purple Stripe• Gorgeous purple-streaked
wrappers• 5–6 medium-sized cloves• Excellent for roasting• Distinctive-looking plants,
with widely splayed foliage and tightly curling scapes
• Examples include: Chesnok Red, Siberian and Persian Star
Rocambole• Hottest, most complex in flavour,
and later to mature• Thin skins and large cloves that
chefs love• Shorter storage time but most
complex flavour profiles• Examples include: German Red
& Ukranian Garlic
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BY SHARLENE NIELSEN
Sharlene Nielson offers private studio workshops and garden restoration ser-vices through her company, Front Door Stories. She has previously worked in the English Garden at the Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and enjoys sharing her inspired designs.
CONTAINER COMBOS FOR SHADE
all winter i dream about creating stunning container combinations. Once I see all the plants growing, my dreams come to life and grow with the season.
Every year I am inspired by the new varieties of plants that I can mix in with my favourites. I love to use texture and form in monochromatic or contrasting colours, depending on who I am creating for and how much light the container will get each day. I guarantee that if the scale is bal-anced by following the “Thrill, Fill and Spill” formula, you will always get the wow factor in a container. The “thriller” will be your tallest plant, complementing the scale of your pot by either starting at or growing to be the same height as your container, or taller, if you have the height in your space. The “filler” is any plant that fills the container and covers the soil, and the “spiller” is any plant that trails over the side of the pot to soften the edge, bringing the arrangement and container together.
Plant combinations for shade can be amazing and exotic. I love us-
ing tropicals in my designs, and our hot summers are perfect for them to thrive beautifully in a shady spot. You can get instant height or “thrill” with a lovely large majes-ty palm (Ravenea rivularis). This is the most common palm you will find at any garden centre or big box store. They are also great for windy spaces, as the fronds will bend and not show as much damage. Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) will also give you that instant tropical feel. For a more modern or clas-sic thrill, stan-dard-form long leaf fig (Ficus binnendijkii), Alii fig (F. m a c l e l l an -dii), fiddle leaf fig (F. lyrata), or snake plant (Sansevi e-ria trifas-ciata) can make a bold statement.
160 The 2018 Prairie Garden
everYone remembers the days when creating beautifully coloured gar-dens simply meant planting common impatiens (Impatiens walleriana). With the emergence in 2011 of a vir-ulent fungus known as impatiens downy mildew (IDM), the nursery industry has all but stopped the production of these reliable plants. However, the industry continues to
produce New Guinea impatiens (Im-patiens hawkerii) and its hybrids, which are not affected by IDM, as well as many other shade-loving annuals for our gardens. Here are a few that are likely to pop up at your garden center this year.
Leading the pack are the up-and-coming varieties of begonia. Formerly, the basic fibrous or wax begonia (Begonia x semperflo-rens-cultorum) and tuberous begonia (Begonia x tuberhybrida) were often used as a second thought. These and other cultivar groups have now been improved and hybridized to expand the options of leaf colour, flower size, heat tolerance, and length of bloom. Every year there are new introduc-tions. Making a strong impact on the horticultural market is Dragon Wing, a sterile, cane-type hybrid be-gonia that blooms all summer. Also at the forefront are the Bolivian be-gonias (B. boliviensis), including the selection ‘Bonfire’ and the hybrid se-ries Encanto, Bossa Nova, Red Fox Unbelievable, and Sun Cities. All are trailing plants that bloom prolif-ically and are well suited to contain-ers. 2017 brought the more upright Megawatt Series of hybrid bego-
BY STEFAN FEDIUK
NEW ANNUALS FOR SHADED BEDS AND CONTAINERS
Sun Cities ‘San Francisco’ begonia
174 The 2018 Prairie Garden
BY LINDA DIETRICK, NATAŠA JUCK, AND SANDRA VENTON
SHADE-TOLERANT PLANTS FOR THE PRAIRIES: A REFERENCE
Botanical Name Common name(s)
PRAIRIE-HARDY GROUND COVERS FOR SHADE
Aegopodium podagraria†
Ajuga reptans
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Asarum canadense, A. europaeum
Astilbe chinensis ‘Pumila’
Campanula cochlearifolia syn. C. pusilla
Convallaria majalis†
Cornus canadensis
Epimedium spp.
Euonymus obovatus
Fragaria virginiana
Galium odoratum
Galium triflorum
bishop’s goutweed†
bugleweed
bearberry, kinnikinnik
wild ginger
dwarf Chinese astilbe
dwarf bellflower, fairy thimble
lily-of-the-valley†
bunchberry
barrenwort, bishop’s hat, fairy wings
running euonymus
wild strawberry
sweet woodruff
sweet-scented bedstraw
Tolerates dry shade*
Abutilon, begonia, lady’s mantle, astilbe, and vinca ‘Illumination’
Tolerates damp shade
Tolerates deep shade Page
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