If you’re looking for blooms that come back each Spring with a burst of colour, here are ten of our favourite flowering perennials and ground covers.
Plant These for a Spring Show!
Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)
Height: 30-120 cm, Spread: 45-90 cm
Flower Colour: white, pink, red, purple
Blooms: spring, summer
Growing: While Bleeding Hearts will tolerate full sun or full shade, they prefer the protection of light shade. This perennial is fairly drought tolerant, but it will thrive in evenly moist soil, and blooms will last much longer if the soil is moist.
Hellebore Christmas Rose (Helleborus)
Height: 30-45 cm, Spread: 30-45 cm
Flower Colour: white, green, pink, purple, yellow
Blooms: late winter to mid-spring
Growing: Moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil in lightly dappled shade is where hellebores do best.
Primrose (Primula)
Height: 15-60 cm, Spread: 15-45 cm
Flower Colour: blue, red, orange, white, pink, purple, yellow
Blooms: spring, early summer
Growing: Full sun or partial shade and moist, well-drained, humus-rich soil.
Anemone Windflower (Anemone)
Height: 8-150 cm, Spread: 15-60 cm
Flower Colour: white, yellow, pink, blue
Blooms: spring, summer or fall
Growing: Anemone does best in moist soil and partial or light shade, but they will tolerate full sun. While Anemone can take a while to become established, they’re worth the wait!
Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Height: 45-90 cm, Spread: 30-60 cm
Flower Colour: white, red, yellow, pink, blue, purple (The colour of the spurs is often different than the petals)
Blooms: spring, summer
Growing: Columbines love full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil. This plant will self-seed and seedlings can be transplanted.
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
Height: 30-60 cm, Spread: forms groupings
Flower Colour: blue, pink, purple
Blooms: spring
Growing: Plant in partial to full shade with humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil. This woodland plant has blooms that are attractive to Hummingbirds and pollinators. Foliage dies back right after it blooms.
Moss Phlox or Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
Height: 10-15 cm, Spread: 60 cm
Flower Colour: white, red, lavender, pink, bluish purple
Blooms: early spring
Growing: Plant in sun to partial shade with humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil. Spreads horizontally as it grows and creates new roots where the stems touch the ground. Do not prune in the fall as Spring’s flowers will already be forming on these plants.
Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
Height: 20-60 cm, Spread: 20-90 cm
Flower Colour: white, red, pink, blue
Blooms: spring
Growing: To avoid root rot, grow Lungwort in moist, humus-rich soil that’s well drained. They prefer partial shade to full shade.
Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla)
Height: 10-30 cm, Spread: 20-30 cm
Flower Colour: white, red, purple, blue
Blooms: early to mid-spring
Growing: Very well drained soil is important for Pasque Flower, which does not like to sit in wet soil. It will grow well in full sun or partial shade.
Peony (Paeonia)
Height: 60-80 cm, Spread: 60-80 cm
Flower Colour: yellow, pink, red, purple, and shades of white
Blooms: spring, early summer
Growing: Humus-rich, moist and well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade is where peonies do best. Adding lots of compost and planting at the proper depth is very important for peonies to bloom. Be sure to plant potted peonies at the same level as the soil around them, not higher.
The much-loved boxwood hedge has been a classic for centuries and is widely used in gardens worldwide. Neatly trimmed and manicured boxwood becomes the framework for containing everything from roses to riots of perennial blooms. From extensive estate gardens to small and modest yards, boxwood is a versatile shrub that earned its place by being easy to care for and prune.
Unfortunately, this staple shrub has trouble brewing, which impacts its leafy lifespan.
Since its first appearance in Ontario in 2014, the Boxwood Blight has become a significant concern for gardeners. However, the University of Guelph is not sitting idly by. They are actively researching this issue and working hard to find solutions to protect beloved boxwood shrubs.
Sometimes, being popular isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Because Boxwood is a widely planted favourite, a new pest attracted to it, the Boxwood Moth (from Asia), has easily spread and is infecting shrubs.
Beautiful Boxwood Alternatives
Boxwood Blight and Boxwood Moth do pose severe threats to Boxwood shrubs, but here's the good news—many shrubs make great alternatives! Using a similar shrub is one of the simplest solutions to Boxwood's issues. You have lots of options to protect and diversify your garden.
Inkberry Holly
The closest Boxwood lookalike is the Inkberry holly. It naturally grows in a rounded evergreen mound, can be trimmed like a traditional boxwood hedge, and has other enticing bonuses! Not only is it native to North America, but unlike boxwood, it blooms. In the spring, Inkberry holly is covered in showy white flowers, making it a standout alternative to boxwood. Here at Eising Greenhouses, look for Gem Box Inkberry Holly.
Upright Junipers
Blue Arrow and Moffat Blue Junipers make beautiful hedges and stand-alone accent trees. Both have an elegant upright form, striking blue evergreen foliage, and silvery blue berries from late spring to late fall. If that isn’t enticing enough, add drought tolerance to the list of features!
Showy Shapes and Standards
Consider a standard evergreen or a dwarf variety that has been pruned and sculpted to become a piece of art if you want to add something even more unusual. What’s a standard? It’s usually a single trunk with a plant at the top, like a compact evergreen shrub.
Standards and shaped dwarf evergreens can make a bold statement or add wonderful whimsy to your garden. We have lots to choose from, but here are a few examples to get your imagination going!
When it comes to replacing boxwood, there are many creative solutions and beautiful plants to choose from!
For more information:
Landscape Ontario - Boxwood Blight and Boxwood Moth
Toronto Master Gardeners - Rethinking Boxwood
Canada.ca - Box tree Moth
If you bought a live tree for Christmas, maybe from your friends at Eising, and you’re wondering what to do with it after the holidays, we have 7 ways to recycle or upcycle it. The needles and tinsel may be falling off, and you’re probably ready to give it the “Heave Ho!”, but wait! Check out these ideas first:
1. Create a wildlife shelter and winter interest
Let's put our Christmas trees to work in our gardens! If you have a bare spot in the yard, moving your Christmas tree outside is a great way to instantly “spruce” it up! You can leave the tree right in the stand, or prop it up on a fence, maybe even add a string of outdoor lights to enjoy on the dark winter nights coming our way. Doing this will give you something pretty to look at for sure, but more importantly, it provides additional shelter for birds and wildlife.
2. Enhance your garden soil
A live Christmas tree is 100% biodegradable. By turning it into mulch or compost it will break down and return stored nutrients back to the soil. Now that’s a win-win! And it’s easier than you may think. If you don’t have a shredder, branches can be chopped up by using good ‘ol pruning shears. Needles are full of nutrients and will also help soil from becoming dense and compacted. Using wood chips, chopped branches, and needles as a mulch is also a great way to help your garden trees stay moist and healthy during the winter. If you’re adding the needles and branches to your compost pile, be sure to add some water and mix it well with the rest of the compost. Another option is to add the chopped branches and needles to a garden path.
3. Protect your plants
There’s still a lot of winter weather ahead of us, and your tree can help protect perennials that are marginally hardy. Simply cut long branches from your Christmas tree using loppers, pruners, or a saw, and lay them over perennial plants to add insulation. The boughs will protect your plants from winter freezes and spring thaws, which could be the difference between losing a plant and seeing it grow again next year.
4. Keep the fresh pine scent
Are the needles on your tree still green? Use gloves or scissors to strip them from the tree, then store the needles in paper bags to use as room fresheners. The needles can retain their scent for months to come.
5. Support for Spring
Branches make lovely natural supports for any plants that need a little propping up - like peonies for example. Once the branches are trimmed off, the trunk can be used to support vines like Morning Glories or pole beans, or by laying it on it’s side as an edge for a garden.
6. Get creative
Crafts like ornaments and coasters are a great way to upcycle a tree trunk. Be sure to let the tree completely dry first or the wood will split when you cut it into 6 to 10 millimeter thick rounds. Then get creative by painting or varnishing and drilling holes in them if you’re making ornaments. They’re attractive, practical, and make great gifts.
7. Donate it, or take it to a recycling centre
If you have no need for recycling your living tree for home use, then look for a local program to donate your tree to. For over a decade, the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton has used donated Christmas trees for various stream restoration projects. More information about their programs can be found on the RBG site. Or, skip the drive to Hamilton and check for your county recycling program. In Norfolk County for example, you must drop your tree off.
What’s not on our list? Burning your tree. You definitely do not want to burn it in your fireplace as it’s creosote content makes for a sticky, sooty fireplace. It’s not recommend that you burn it outdoors either. Coniferous needles contain nitrogen and substances called terpenes which are very toxic when burned, making the smoke unsafe for anyone around your fire pit to breathe. It’s much better to do any of the things listed above, or, if you have your own wooded area or pond, you can also put your tree in either of those places to enhance the natural habitat for woodland animals or fish.
This is the year—the year you cross off all the tasks on your spring to-do list! A little bit of yard work now pays off in the long run. You'll feel more organized and have healthier plants, and you'll be better prepared for the following year.
Review Your Tools and Accessories
Before we get into the heart of the gardening season, now is the time to look over your storage shed to make sure you have everything you need for a successful season. To prevent the spread of disease between plants, clean pots and containers you may use, as well as any tools. You also may need to sharpen and oil some old standbys, like pruning shears, loppers, and trimmers. If, after doing your clean up, you realize you need any tools or accessories, we're now offering curbside pickup at our garden centre.
Clean Up The Yard
Removing any fallen branches is especially important to reduce any hazards now that the kids are spending more time playing outside. Prune shrubs and trees that bloom in spring, like lilacs, right after flowering, and remove any damaged, dead, or diseased branches.
Though perennials, like grasses and woody herbs, provide food and shelter for birds during the winter, they can make your yard look a little scruffy during the spring. Cut back these perennials to encourage fresh growth and remove last year's annuals to make room for new ones this year.
Work the Land
Pick up a handful of soil, shape into a ball, and squeeze it. If water comes out, the soil is too wet, and you should wait a bit longer. However, if the ball crumbles, then the soil is ready to be worked. Remove any fresh mulch or leaf litter, but leave whatever has composted to mix into the soil. Loosen up and mix the soil by turning it over, using a tiller or a spade. Depending on the soil in your garden, you may also have to add amendments, like fertilizer.
Take inventory of the groundcover in your yard. Mulch and rock seem to disappear every year — groundcover should be about two to three inches thick, so replenish accordingly.
Plan Ahead
Take note in a garden journal of what you've completed already, like all of the steps above, plus any seedlings you started or bulbs you planted. A garden journal is a great help, not only for this season but also for years to come, since you can keep track of what worked and what didn't each year. Write down what you'll plant, where you'll plant it, and when. The majority of garden vegetables can be planted through mid-May here in Simcoe, after any risk of frost has passed. Now is also the right time to take note of any open spots in your yard that you can fill in by dividing fall-blooming perennials, like hosta and purple coneflower. Dividing perennials helps keep the plants healthy, plus it gives you more plant material to work with!
Odds and Ends
Clear out the gutters, turn over the compost, clean out bird feeders, and repair anything that needs it, like fences and lawnmowers. Locate and put up stakes and trellises for any plants that might need them, like tomatoes and peonies. Now is also a great time to tend to your decks and hardscapes so that you have a place to enjoy your garden from when it starts blooming!
Though you could make a day of prepping your garden this spring, to make it more manageable, break up your days at home by doing tasks between conference calls. Follow this checklist, and in no time, you'll be seeing the results of your hard work—evidenced by your thriving garden!