PLANT GALLERY
Pat’s Picks
Finding the perfect plant or combination of plants start here.PERENNIALS
SHRUBS
GRASSES
TREES
COMBOS
DAYLILIES/ECHINACEA
Tried and true perennials that you just can’t miss with. Use any number of day-lily flower colors and mix in the ultra-bright echinacea and you have a great flower display that is easy to grow and maintain.
AUTUMN JOY SEDUM
Autumn Joy are right at home in a perennial flower garden as well as xeriscape settings. Once a year maintenance makes them a great choice for even the most novice of gardeners. Bright pinkish flowers, with waxy succulent style foliage add to this plant’s attractive qualities.
HIDCOTE LAVENDER
With a dark purple flower, Hidcote is a great choice for those that love lavender. From old English gardens, to modern drought tolerant plantings, these guys are truly versatile in use. A smaller, compact perennial that will attract bees, and maintenance is only required once or twice a year.PERENNIALS
SHRUBS
GRASSES
TREES
COMBOS
PERENNIALS
DAYLILIES/ECHINACEA
Tried and true perennials that you just can’t miss with. Use any number of day-lily flower colors and mix in the ultra-bright echinacea and you have a great flower display that is easy to grow and maintain.
AUTUMN JOY SEDUM
Autumn Joy are right at home in a perennial flower garden as well as xeriscape settings. Once a year maintenance makes them a great choice for even the most novice of gardeners. Bright pinkish flowers, with waxy succulent style foliage add to this plant’s attractive qualities.HIDCOTE LAVENDER
With a dark purple flower, Hidcote is a great choice for those that love lavender. From old English gardens, to modern drought tolerant plantings, these guys are truly versatile in use. A smaller, compact perennial that will attract bees, and maintenance is only required once or twice a year.SHRUBS
BARBERRY (VARIOUS VARIETIES: CHERRY BOMB, ROSY GLOW, ROYAL BURGUNDY)
Watch out, barberry bites! Little thorns on these plants means they’re not to be played around with. But thankfully there is very little, if any, maintenance needed. Lower growing, with great foliage color, one of my favourites in rosy glow, which has a pastel painted leaf.HICK’S YEW
This dense evergreen shrub grows in a narrowly upright and columnar habit that provides good coverage and privacy. The foliage has more of a rough look, but it’s a relatively low maintenance shrub.
BOXWOOD GREEN GEM/GREEN VELVET
A great broadleaf evergreen for a more formal look throwing back to old English gardens. This is a slower grower that will require pruning to get the manicured hedge look. Be sure to watch where you pile snow around these guys to avoid winter damage.BURNING BUSH COMPACTA/FIREBALL
A plant of biblical description! Noted for its square trunks and burning red fall color. An excellent low maintenance show stopper that is much happier when not pruned. Little to no pest or disease problem make this shrub an easy fit for a landscape.
HYDRANGEA INCREDIBALL/ANNABELLE/NIKKO BLUE
The many varieties and colors make this a great choice for any garden. From full sun to full shade, these elegant beauties flower from late spring until late summer. While they do require a little attention in spring with pruning, they are otherwise a very low maintenance option with stunning results.NINEBARK DIABLO/TINY WINE
With stunning foliage color and small but showy flowers, you can either let them grow or shear them to your desired look. Either way these plants can take it. Full/partial sun is a must and diablos need lots of room to stretch out if left to grow unpruned. A striking alternative to the regular green foliage of most shrubs.
SPIREA BRIDAL WREATH
Incredible showy flowers cover the entire plant in spring. For the rest of the year it’s a graceful, flowing shrub if left to its own devices, but can also handle aggressive pruning if one desires. Best used where space allows it’s full 6 foot size, this shrub is considered deer resistant.LIMEMOUND SPIREA
Limemound are a brilliantly colored shrub with bright foliage and stunning flowers. A low, compact grower that can handle some trimming or is fine to be left alone. These work well as a border in a large shrub bed or planted in clusters.
GRASSES
KARL FOERSTER REED GRASS
Perennial of the year in 2001, Karl’s are graceful grasses that are used extensively in a lot of landscapes. A tried and true grower for our climate, they will reach to around 6 feet tall in just a few short seasons. Easy maintenance with just cutting them to the ground once a year, they are drought tolerant and have little to no pest or disease issues.BLUE OAT
Those who like a taste of blue in their landscape, blue oat grass is a great option. While their foliage will only reach a couple of feet tall, their “wheat” stacks can reach as high as 6 feet. Very low maintenance and drought tolerant, these are excellent options to add a splash of color to any landscape.
MISCANTHUS PURPURASCENS
(AKA. FLAME GRASS)
A great option for a taller grass, these will grow to around 6 feet tall. With the spectacular fall color to the foliage combined with the bright white plums, these can be a striking addition to any landscape. Drought tolerant, low maintenance, with no pest of disease issues.
TREES
AUTUMN BLAZE MAPLE
Autumn blaze is an extremely good growing tree for our climate. With smaller maple leaves that are on the lighter green side and silver bark, it is a very attractive tree. However, it’s in the fall that this one truly shines, turning bright red before dropping its leaves.LACE LEAF JAPANESE MAPLE
One of the best, small feature trees around. The foliage colors are varied, from purple to green with red tips, and the structure can be upright or umbrella looking. A standard favourite for most gardeners out there.
EUROPEAN HORNBEAM
A stately, moderate grower, the european hornbeam needs very little attention and with its narrow profile can fit in most landscapes. Its natural tear drop shape doesn’t need pruning to stand out.SNOWBIRD HAWTHORN
This smaller tree is great for those spots that can’t fit or aren’t allowed large specimens. Beautiful white flowers cover it in mid-spring. While it still has spikes, like any hawthorn, with the limited pruning that is needed they are a concern when deciding to plant these beauties.
EMPEROR JAPANESE MAPLE
The new standard for Japanese maples. The emperor can grow to 20 feet tall so is an excellent choice where room to grow is a concern. With its deep purple foliage, it stands out in stark contrast from the rest of the green in any landscape.
COMBOS
BOXWOOD/LAVENDER
Add a splash of color to that old english boxwood hedge by planting a row of lavender in front. A great way to contrast the deep green of the boxwood with the silver foliage and purple flowers of the lavender.KARL FOERSTER/ROSY GLOW BARBERRY
With the graceful, tall karls as a backdrop, the rosy’s add texture and color with their pastel colored leaves. A good mix both in color and height.LIMEMOUND/DIABLO NINEBARK
Using the limemound as a front planting with the taller diablos behind will not only vary the height of the planting, but it will also add a stark contrast between the dark purple and light green foliage for a little wow factor.BLUE OAT GRASS/AUTUMN JOY SEDUM
This will create a dryscape look for those wanting more of a xeriscape vibe. The waxy foliage of the sedum will stand out nicely in front of the feathery blue oat stacks.