The Beauty of Dinner Plate Hibiscus

By Ava Green

The big, bold, showy, dinner-plate-sized flowers on hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos, also known as Swamp Rose-Mallow) are unforgettable, to say the least.  What a surprise it is to discover that this perennial plant not only survives our Zone 6, Southern Ontario climate, but thrives here! And despite its dramatic, exotic look, this plant is genuinely easy to grow. 

What Hardy Hibiscus Loves

Hardy hibiscus thrives in full sun with moist, well-drained soil and produces huge, gorgeous flowers without spreading and becoming invasive. As a rule of thumb: more sun means more blooms.

Give it ample space as it can grow 4-7 feet tall depending on the variety. Plant it 2-3 feet apart in a border, rain garden, meadow, or beside a fence, stream or pond, and it will thrive there for many years. Because it prefers consistently moist soil, avoid planting it near a brick wall or a driveway as these areas tend to dry out quickly.

When transplanting, add compost into the hole, and keep the base of the stem level with the surrounding soil. Don't mound soil or mulch up around the stems. If you’re planting your hibiscus in the fall, aim to do it at least 6 weeks before the ground freezes so the roots have time to settle in. 

If you'd like a bushier, more compact shrub, you can cut these plants back by half in June.

One thing to keep in mind: hardy hibiscus is very slow to start in spring. Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t show new growth until the soil warms to around 21º Celsius.

What We Love About Hardy Hibiscus

If everything mentioned above isn’t enough to entice you, there’s more! 

Their enormous, ruffled flowers can reach a full foot in diameter, growing on sturdy, woody stems that stay upright on their own; no staking required. While they resemble their tropical hibiscus relatives, or Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), hardy hibiscus produces noticeably larger blooms. They flower mid to late summer in dreamy shades of white, pink, and red.

Seeing Is Believing

Stop by Eising Garden Centre and see the stunning beauty of hardy hibiscus in person. You just might fall in love too!

Staff Picks to Brighten Your Garden

By Ava Green

If I asked you to name a yellow perennial flower, you might immediately think of Black-eyed Susans. They’re definitely a perennial favourite!

The goal of this article is to introduce you to other yellow plants that we love and think you will too!  These perennials come back reliably every year, and look sunny and gorgeous.

Some of these plants also come in other colours, but today we’re sharing yellow varieties.

Coreopsis

Also known as Tickseed, these versatile, native North American plants come in a wide range of yellow shades, from pale and subdued to bright and showy. They also come in various heights to suit a wide range of garden locations.

Best for: Well-drained, average soil. Coreopsis will become floppy or die in moist, fertile, or cool locations. They are tolerant of poor soil and drought | Sun: Full sun | Mature size: 1-2 ft. tall and wide; however, Tall Coreopsis can reach 5-9 ft. tall and 3-6 ft. wide

False Sunflower, Heliopsis helianthoides

False Sunflower checks a lot of wish-list boxes: radiant, long-blooming, heat-tolerant, loved by bees and butterflies, and an exceptionally hardy native perennial here in Zone 6 Southern Ontario. To keep these tall plants shorter, stronger and bushier, cut back new growth by half in May and divide them every three years so they don’t become too dense.

Best for: Moist, well-drained areas with lots of space to grow | Sun: Full sun, tolerates part shade | Mature size: 3-6 ft  tall × 2-3 ft wide

Torch Flower, Kniphofia

Also known as Torch Lilies or Red Hot Poker, this unusual, striking plant is a stop-and-take-notice focal point in any border, providing weeks of continuous colour throughout summer. It’s also a magnet for plenty of pollinators.

Best for: Areas with very good drainage, as wet soil can cause root rot | Sun: Full sun | Mature size: 3-3.5 ft. tall × 2-2.5 ft. wide

Hosta

Hostas provide season-long colour, with their sturdy foliage doing most of the work. While many varieties have green or blue-green leaves, some offer very pretty yellow foliage instead. Give them 2-4 hours of morning sun each day and an inch of water each week, and that bright yellow colour will stay vivid all season. Flowers are often the main selling point for perennials, but hosta foliage proves that structure, not just blooms, can be just as valuable in a garden.

Best for: Areas with morning sun, which helps to intensify their colour | Sun: Part sun, preferably morning | Mature size: 6 in. to 3 ft. tall × 10 in. to 6 ft. wide depending on the variety (miniature cultivars stay toward the smaller end of that range)

Ligularia

Ligularia are unforgettable, with their large “tractor seat” leaves and tall spikes of candelabra-like flowers. They're a little more finicky about location, though; they need plenty of moisture and abundant morning sun, but must be protected from hot afternoon sun to truly thrive. Give them the right conditions, and this dramatic, bold plant will command all of the attention in your garden.

Best for: A woodland garden, rain garden, the edge of a pond or stream, in a swamp or bog where there is consistent moisture | Sun: Full sun where there is lots of moisture, otherwise Light or Partial shade with morning sun only | Mature size: 1-6 ft. tall × 1.5-4 ft. wide

More Yellow Perennials Worth Considering

Stop by Eising Garden Centre and chat with Mary or Donna; they’re always happy to help you find your favourite yellow perennials. Here are a more to check out:

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Stonecrop (Sedum ‘Yellow Brick Road’), Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum ‘Banana Cream), Hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus ‘French Vanilla’), Daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Hyperion’, ‘Happy Returns’, ‘Yellowstone’, ‘Going Bananas’ and ‘Stella D’oro’), Lenten Rose (Helleborus ‘Spanish Flare’, Coneflower (Echinacea ‘Yellow My Darling’), False Indigo (Baptisia ‘Lemon Meringue’ and ‘American Goldfinch’), Yarrow (Achillea ‘Firefly Sunshine’, ‘Moonshine’, ‘Coronation Gold’, and ‘Firefly Sunshine’), Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum), Hollyhock (Alcea), Helenium (‘Hay Day’, Dakota Gold’ and ‘Sombrero’, Itoh Peony (‘Yellow Emperor’, ‘Bartzella’, and ‘Garden Treasure’), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Foxglove (Digitalis), Columbine (Yellow Queen), Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia cespitosa or Opuntia humifusa - native cactus), and Japanese Forest Grass (‘All Gold’).

That’s a lot of yellow, and as the saying goes: where yellow blooms, happiness follows!

The Queen of the Classic Garden Border

By Ava Green

Tall, stately, and undeniably dramatic, the Delphinium or Larkspur is one of those perennial plants that stops people in their tracks. When given the right conditions, its towering floral spikes are magnificent. For gardeners who love a classic English border, nothing else compares. Yes, Delphiniums have lots of preferences, but tend to them, and they will reward you with a floral display that makes every bit of effort worthwhile. 

Choosing Your Delphiniums

With a wide number of varieties to choose from, there’s one that’s sure to fit every garden. Heights range from a modest 36 inches to an impressive 72 inches tall (Yes, 6 feet!), with a spread of 24 to 36 inches depending on the variety. So whether you have a compact border or a large sweeping bed, there’s a Delphinium to suit your space.

Their colour palette is equally diverse: rich blues and purples, soft pinks, crisp whites, and beautiful bicolours. Few flowers offer such a wide range. 

Planting

While Delphiniums prefer abundant moisture, be sure to plant the crown of the plant (where the stems meet the root ball) at soil level to avoid crown rot. Planting them too deeply is the most common way to lose these plants.

Spring and Fall are the ideal times to plant, giving roots a chance to establish themselves in cooler, more forgiving conditions. That said, a cool, overcast summer day works well too, just avoid planting during hot or humid spells. Spacing will depend on the variety you choose, so check the tag and give each plant the room it needs to breathe.  

Growing

Delphiniums are what gardeners affectionately call “Goldilocks plants”, they like things just right. Full sun, protection from strong winds, and fertile, humus-rich soil with excellent drainage are keys to success. They also love manure mixed into the soil to enrich their growing conditions. 

Their height is both their greatest asset and vulnerability. Because Delphinium flower stalks have hollow centres, they break easily if they’re exposed to the wind. Planting them in a sheltered spot is genuinely important. Once plants reach about 12 inches tall, stake each flower spike individually, or place a tomato cage around a clump early in the season before it’s needed. It’s much easier to stake proactively than to rescue a snapped stem after the fact.

Delphiniums are hungry plants and will perform best when fed generously. A dose of fertilizer, compost, or well-rotted manure in both spring and summer keeps them healthy and productive throughout the season.

Finally, don’t overlook dividing. Each spring, simply dig up the plant and cut the root ball in half. Now you have two plants for your border, or one to keep and one to share!

The Show

All that care pays off in late spring and early summer, when Delphiniums put on one of the most spectacular displays in the garden. Tall, densely packed spikes covered in richly coloured blooms rise above the border like beacons. Bold, beautiful, and completely unforgettable. 

Once the first flush of flowers begins to fade, and before the blooms turn to seed pods, cut the spent spikes back to just above the foliage. This encourages the plant to produce a second, smaller flush of blooms later in the season and extends the show! As the old foliage fades, trim it away to allow the fresh new growth to replace it.

Inspiration

There are plants you fit into a garden, and then there are plants you plan a garden around. Delphiniums belong firmly in the second category. Their height, colour, and presence make them one of the most inspiring and rewarding perennials a gardener can grow.

Stop by Eising Garden Centre to see what Delphinium varieties we have available this season. Our team is always happy to help you find the right fit for your garden and set you up for success. 

Expert Picks You Can Plant Right Now

By Ava Green

Looking for a flowering shrub that delivers season after season? We asked our experts at Eising Garden Centre to share their top picks, the ones that customers and staff love most, and they delivered. Whether you’re looking for spring blooms, fall colour, wildlife and pollinator value, or a shrub to suit your space, there’s something on this list for every garden.

Fuji Cherry ‘Little Twist’, Prunus incisa ‘CarltonLT’

As an accent in a small garden, or planted in a grouping in a larger garden, this multi-stemmed shrub is a gem! 

In early spring, crimson buds emerge before the leaves appear. Little Twist then produces clusters of lightly scented white, bell-shaped flowers with soft pink centres that grow along its stems, a stunning early-season display. It is a deciduous shrub, and leaves begin as green before shifting to coppery-bronze, then deepen to a rich burgundy in fall. Smooth, dark red bark adds interest in the winter once the leaves are gone.

This slow-growing, multi-stemmed shrub makes a striking feature in your garden.

Best for: Small gardens, accent planting, four-season interest. | Sun: Full sun | Mature size: 6 ft. tall × 6 ft. wide

Downy Serviceberry, Amelanchier canadensis

One of the most rewarding native shrubs you can plant, Downy Serviceberry earns its place in the garden from spring right through to fall. Showy clusters of fragrant white flowers in early spring, followed by small, sweet, edible purple-blue berries in early summer that are wonderful for making jam and an absolute favourite for birds. Come fall, the foliage puts on a spectacular show in shades of yellow, red, and orange.

As a bonus, choosing a native plant like Serviceberry supports local pollinators and wildlife, making it as ecologically valuable as it is beautiful. It works well as a specimen plant on it’s own, in a grouping or hedge, or naturalized in a larger landscape.

Best for: Wildlife gardens, naturalized areas, multi-season interest | Sun: Full sun to part shade | Mature size: 20 ft. tall × 10 ft. wide

Amur Privet, Ligustrum Amurense

Amur Privet

When fast growth and privacy matter, Amur Privet is one of the best choices available. This dense, dark green shrub produces white flower panicles in late spring and small black berries in fall. It responds exceptionally well to pruning after it blooms, making it an ideal candidate for a formal or informal hedge. If you need to fill a space quickly and create structure in your garden, this is a reliable, low-maintenance option. 

Best for: Hedging, screening, fast coverage | Sun: Full sun to part shade | Mature size: 12–15 ft. tall × 8–15 ft. wide

Viburnum ‘Fragrant Snowball’, Viburnum Opulus ‘Roseum’

Few shrubs stop people in their tracks quite like Fragrant Snowball Viburnum in full bloom. Large, rounded clusters of sweetly scented white flowers cover the plant in spring, creating a display that’s hard to match. While it doesn’t produce fruit, it earns its place again in the fall when the foliage transitions to rich shades of purple. 

Pruning after it blooms will help to keep it a manageable size and encourage healthy new growth. It’s also available as a standard, or tree form, which matures to a more compact 6 to 8 feet tall.

Sun or part shade are best for this deciduous shrub, a beautiful, solitary accent plant for the garden growing 12 feet high and 10 feet wide. As a standard, it is smaller, maturing at 6 to 8 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide.  

Best for: Specimen planting, cottage gardens, fragrance | Sun: Full sun to part shade | Mature size: 12 ft. tall × 10 ft. wide (shrub); 6–8 ft. tall (standard)

Snowbelle Mockorange, Philadelphus ‘Snowbelle’

Don’t let its compact size fool you; when Snowbelle Mockorange blooms in early summer, it puts on a big show. This dense, mounded shrub is blanketed in sweetly fragrant double white blooms that are absolutely irresistible to bees and butterflies. Once the flowers fade, its rich, dark-green deciduous foliage makes it a lovely backdrop for other blooming plants in the border.

Growing just four feet tall and wide, it’s one of the best choices for smaller beds, borders and foundation plantings. It prefers full sun but handles part shade as well.

Best for: Small borders, foundation planting, fragrance | Sun: Full sun to part shade | Mature size: 4 ft. tall × 4 ft. wide

More Flowering Shrubs Worth Exploring

This is just the beginning! At Eising Garden Centre, we also carry a wonderful selection of Azalea, Eastern Redbud, Kwanzan Flowering Cherry, Hydrangea, Dogwood, Butterfly Bush, Beauty Bush, Lilac, Rose of Sharon, Forsythia, and Potentilla, to name a few. 

The best way to find the right flowering shrub for your garden is to come in and see them in person, and right now is the perfect time to plant. Stop by and chat with Zach or Donna, who are always happy to help you find exactly what you’re looking for, based on your space, soil, and vision. We’re here to help you make the most of every corner of your garden!

By Ava Green ☀️

One of the most common reasons plants struggle comes down to light. Specifically, whether the spot you’ve chosen gives your plant the light conditions it actually needs.

The good news? Once you understand what the terms on a plant tag really mean, matching the right plant to the right spot becomes second nature. And when a plant is happy in its environment, it grows stronger, looks better, and is far less vulnerable to pests and disease because it simply isn’t under stress. 

Before You Plant Anything, Do This First

Light conditions in a garden can be surprisingly tricky to read unless you’re paying attention. A garden that feels sunny might not actually deliver the hours of direct light that certain plants require. A shady corner might get more sun than you think. 

So here’s your homework assignment, and it’s a very nice one. 

Go outside and sit for a while. Find the spot where you would like to plant and observe it for a few days in the summer. Track how many hours of direct sunlight that area receives, hour by hour. Jot it down on a piece of paper. Average it out over a few days for a reliable picture. 

Fair warning: this assignment may require a chaise lounge, a good book, and something cold to drink. 

Once you have this data, you’re ready to move forward! 

Decoding Light Terms

No more guessing at the garden centre! Here’s exactly what each term means. 

Full Sun

At least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. Plants in this category are sun-lovers: most vegetables, lavender, roses and many annuals and perennials.

Part Sun

4 to 6 hours of sun including some afternoon sun. The hours don’t need to be consecutive; a few hours in the morning and a couple more in the afternoon. Not all of it needs to be intense, direct light.

Part Shade

Also 4 to 6 hours of sun, but with a preference for morning light rather than the stronger afternoon sun. These plants appreciate some protection from the harshest part of the day.

Full Shade

Fewer than 4 hours of direct sun per day. If direct sun hits these plants, morning sun is ideal. Plants that appreciate these conditions are woodland plants, hostas and ferns. 

Why Getting This Right Saves You Time and Money

A little observation before you plant is genuinely one of the most valuable things you can do as a gardener. It takes the guesswork out of every purchase and saves you from replacing plants that were never suited to that spot. Most importantly, it gives you a garden full of plants that actually thrive there.

The best gardens aren’t built on luck. They’re built on knowing your conditions and planting accordingly. Now that you’ve cracked the code on light, you’re already ahead of the game. 

Bonus - Signage at Eising Greenhouses and Garden Centre!

You'll notice our signage has icons to help you best decide which plants are right for you and your situation!

• If you see a little paw print on our signs or pots, this means we're proud to say this plant is pet friendly! We love your little critters too!

• The number of raindrops on our signs indicates how much water this plant will need

• Signs with these icons indicate the plant naturally deters pests like deer and rabbits

During the dog days of summer, having a resilient, dependable, and beautiful perennial flower in your garden is terrific. Meet the Black-Eyed Susan. They are quick to establish and mature, and perfect for a perennial border, cutting garden, or naturalized garden. Depending on the variety, they will grow 1-3 feet tall and spread about 2 feet wide, making them a show-stopping spectacle!

If that and the cheerful, dark-centred, golden-yellow, daisy-shaped flowers aren’t enough to draw you in, here are more reasons we love these plants!

Long Blooming

Black-Eyed Susan (Latin name: Rudbeckia) is a prolific bloomer whose flowers can last from July to October. At a time in the season when many other flowers can look weary, Rudbeckia is a shining star. Its flowers grow on sturdy stems, which adds to their resilience.

Easy to Grow

Rudbeckia are robust! They are drought—and heat-tolerant and generally do well in hard-to-grow locations. Once established, they do not require frequent watering. Rudbeckia hirta is an Ontario native plant, and exceptionally hardy.

Plant Black-Eyed Susan in full sun to partial shade and almost any type of soil. They are adaptable, generally trouble-free and do not require any extra care.

Pollinator-friendly

We aren’t the only ones who love Rudbeckia; butterflies, birds and bees do, too. This makes Black-Eyed Susan a perfect partner for other pollinator-friendly plants like Monarda (aka Wild Bergamot and Bee Balm), Gaillardia (Blanket flower), Yarrow and Echinacea (aka Coneflower).

Who doesn’t love Black-Eyed Susans? Because of the course hairs on the stems, this is a plant that rabbits and deer don’t care for.

Black-Eyed Susan is perfect to grow in a border, bed, planter, or in a field as a mass planting. It’s resilient, attractive, low maintenance and a beneficial addition to any garden!