Gardeners in the BC Lower Mainland area can visit the home of Heritage Perennials® during our annual PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE. Our 27 acre nursery in Abbotsford, BC will be open to the public for tours, Master Gardener consultations, plant sales (including a GREAT bargain area), seminars and more. Food and refreshments will be available. Join us on Friday, September 8th, 2006 from 9am to 2pm. We will also be open on Saturday, September 9 from 9am to 12 noon for plant sales only. Click here for more details, directions and a map link.

The Valleybrook Gardens Ontario GIANT PERENNIAL PLANT SALE will be taking place on Saturday, September 9, 2006 from 9am to 4pm. The sale is at our ONTARIO nursery, located near Niagara-on-the-Lake.

There will be BARGAINS GALORE!! We suggest you bring your own cart if possible, and a supply of labels could also come in handy. Master Gardeners of Niagara will be on hand to assist and to answer gardening questions. Click here for more details, directions and a map link.

In terms of timing, my rule-of-thumb is simple: try to get your perennials planted or moved at least 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes hard in your region. That date varies widely from one region to another, and if you're not sure then just ask the staff at your local nursery or garden centre.

I have noticed that certain perennials are best planted as early as possible, at least here in Zones 5 and 6: Japanese Anemone, tall fall-flowering ornamental grasses, Crocosmia and perennial hibiscus all seem to prefer a decent long period of time to establish deep roots before winter sets in. Ten weeks or more might be a good idea. Even then, mulching these plants specifically for the winter with a few bushels of leaves is not a bad idea for that first winter. But don't mulch too early, it's best to wait for the ground to freeze hard first. Several readers have suggested that upside-down tomato cages are a great way to help keep protective winter mulch in place and they don't look particularly obtrusive from a distance — better than a cardboard box!

Autumn seems to have an inherent relaxed pace about it, which means if you're planning a perennial garden makeover then you won't feel those same springtime pressures. You'll probably do a more thorough and better job.

In Dianne's words:
"As you can see, deer (and their offspring) are a way of life for us here on Pender Island. With the help of the Heritage Perennials search feature, I have had excellent results in planning a rock garden that the deer leave alone. However, I don't think they have checked your website because they regularly return to feed on the Iberis !

Here we see loads of red aphids feeding on the flower stem of Heliopsis 'Loraine Sunshine'. Various kinds of aphids attack a range of plant hosts, including many of our common annuals and perennials. Once they get going during the warm part of summer, aphids spread rapidly from plant to plant, often being moved about by ants that literally farm them and harvest their sticky-sweet aphid secretions.

Feeding by night, slugs are not overly fussy eaters but their damage is obvious come morning. In Jean's words:

Around four years ago it suddenly seemed that colour theory and techniques were once again hot topics among garden writers and speakers. Each person had a unique approach to this rather subjective topic, and I swear that I read every one of their books or articles. They just left me muddled and unsure of my skills.

Then I heard Sydney Eddison speak at a conference, and within five minutes she assured me that colour is all so very simple. I almost cheered! Watching Sydney show slides of how she designed all the plant combinations on her deck to exactly compliment her cushion covers just made total and absolute sense to me. After all, why should colour principles from one design form (i.e. home decorating) vary all that much when you apply them outside in the garden?

So... as was my hunch, The Gardener's Color Wheel does indeed keep things simple, yet it has much to offer. This two-sided wheel has the typical layout of the three primary colours (red, yellow, blue) with their secondary colours in between, but with a difference. While most colour wheels have only three primary colours and three secondary for a total of six, this one has many more gradations of the in-between secondary ones, for a total of eighteen. In other words, this wheel really accommodates all of the colours, tints, shades and tones of real plants out there that any gardener is likely to find!

The little booklet that comes with this wheel keeps everything short, sweet and understandable in plain English. Lose the booklet and everything you need to know is in the middle of the wheel itself, which has a special coating to prevent fading if you happen to leave it outside in the sun or on your car dashboard.

Our best-selling book, the Perennial Gardening Guide (4th edition, March 2003) is a handy reference used by gardeners across North America — written by John Valleau, horticulturist for Heritage Perennials®. Available at your local Heritage Perennials® Dealer.