Give plants a chance as celebratory gifts
Celebration season seems to be with us year-round. As a close friend of mine likes to remind me that the older we get, the more we should celebrate.
Whether you are celebrating an anniversary, the birth of a new child or the 150th birthday of a country, I have some ideas for you: Give as gifts plants that make a statement about the occasion — or the person you are celebrating. My list of top six celebratory plants: Happy returns A day lily that is so vigorous and long-lived that it might outlast us. It blooms its head off most of the summer, too. Right now, you might find one at a garden retailer that has some colour on it.
Winter hardy to zone two (Edmonton), it loves the sun and is almost completely insect- and disease-free, in my experience. Each year, the clump of roots gets a bit bigger and more colourful. This is the perfect gift for the gardener and non-gardener alike. Forget-me-not This plant is so easy to grow we often overlook it. But the name provides a hint to its gift-worthiness. Early last spring, I photographed our first-born grandchild, then a mere 4 months old, kicking it up in a bed of forget-me-nots.
She has since learned to walk and wreaks havoc most everywhere she now goes, pulling things off shelves and shoving everything in her mouth. Each visit she makes to our place is hard to forget.
Sow the seeds now for April blossoms. Pinch the seeds off the end of new growth in early May and spread them throughout the garden where you want them to grow. And keep in mind that a packet of forget-me-not seeds will set you back about $2, so you can afford to be generous and include them with a card. Fall blooms How about a plant that flowers reliably on the occasion that you are celebrating? Right now, butterfly bush (Buddleia) is an excellent choice for a garden up to zone five — it’s currently in bloom and will be for another month or two. It is fragrant and is my No. 1 plant to attract butterflies. There are many other plants that bloom in late August, including Sedum spectabile. Incrediball hydrangea Remember the old-fashioned Annabelle hydrangea that every Victorian-style home had growing in the front yard? Well, forget it. This new introduction of hydrangea is an exciting addition that will knock your gardening socks off. It grows in sun or partial shade up to about a one and a half metres and features late-season, creamy white flowers about the size of your head. Really? Go ahead — compare it and see. Hardy to zone four (Ottawa). Rose of Sharon While it would help if the recipient’s name is Sharon, this hardy (zone four) flowering shrub is a winner as a gift. You can see them in bloom all over established neighbourhoods right now.
They look remarkably like the tropical hibiscus plant — and that’s because they are hibiscus, but a winter-hardy version of it. They seem to bloom forever (August through early October) and hummingbirds love them. Look for the single-flowering varieties if you want hummers as the doubles are hard for them to access. Sugar or rubrum maple A native, reliable (insect- and disease-resistant) and useful in most urban landscapes. The sugar maple is famous for its sweet sap and its image on our national flag. And the rubrum maple is the true “red” maple, unlike the Crimson King/ Norway maple impostor. Rubrum turns brilliant red in the fall.
For a real show, look for the cultivar autumn blaze. Outstanding! Happy birthday, Canada! With National Tree Day coming up on Sept. 27, I thought I’d plant this seed with you.
Finally, if you are looking for a plant that has the name of someone you love, try: Rozanne (hardy geranium), Sonia, Rebekah, Honor and Mr. Lincoln (roses), Miss Kim (lilac), Ricki, Randy and Susan (magnolias) and Elizabeth (Japanese maple). Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, Order of Canada recipient, author and broadcaster. Get his free monthly newsletter at markcullen.com. Look for his new bestseller, The New Canadian Garden, published by Dundurn Press. Follow him on Twitter @MarkCullen4 and Facebook.