By Patty Latin Name Common Name Plant Type Attractive Features Peak Conditions Berries and Seedheads Aronia melonocarpa ‘Autumn Magic’ deciduous shrub fall colour, shiny black berries Oct-Jan sun/p.shade Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Profusion’ “Beauty Berry” deciduous shrub unique colour of purple berries Oct-Dec sun/p.shade Cornus mas “Cornelian Cherry” deciduous shrub red berries in fall, spidery yellow flowers

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Courtesy of Lori Weidenhammer A link to Lori’s Blog. * Denotes a medicinal plant for bees BOLD denotes special interest for bumblebee plants (buzz pollinated, longer corollas or special relationships, ie trip pollination) Native and Near Native Shrubs: Willow (Salix spp.) maybe the most important plant for honeybees and significant for bumblebee queens, Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea)

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By Faye  Onions are alliums, chives are alliums and leeks are alliums. Alliums are among the oldest cultivated plants in the world, adding much to nearly every global cuisine. Ornamental alliums however, are relatively new to the landscape, being developed in Holland around the middle of the 19th century. Many new varieties have been introduced

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By Susan It’s hard to resist the siren call of hellebores.  Winter blooming, in a wide variety of colour and form, they are long lived and don’t even need dividing. All that and they are both drought tolerant and deer resistant! No wonder we love them.  They are the most collectible of plants. Helleborus niger

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by Faye To keep your local bee population well fed and happy, think ahead to have early blooming flowers in your garden. Bumble bees emerge from their winter nests while the weather is still cold, and need sustenance right away. The Masons are a little later, when the temperature is reliably above 14 degrees C.

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(Plant lists at bottom of page) Hedges, in one form or another, have existed since our ancestors gave up their foraging life style and settled down in permanent residences. Over the centuries loosely piled brush, stacked rocks, iron railings and rows of shrubs have been used to keep livestock safe and to clearly mark the

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National Tree Day was September 25, and it seems fitting to acknowledge this by paying tribute to the elders of our plant world, the lofty and noble tree.  We as a species simply could not exist on Earth without trees. Most people know that trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. But it’s way more

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Autumn in Japan may not have the caché of a springtime visit in cherry blossom time, but to a gardener it evokes every bit as much awe and delight.  And we have our own cherry blossom time right here in Victoria, don’t we? Visiting family in Tokyo, I’ve had the pleasure of living the Japanese

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Brilliant bark, deceptively delicate flowers and the jewel tones of berries and persistent fruits that pop against winter’s muted greys and browns; there is nothing quite like a flash of bright colour on an otherwise dreary day to gladden the heart and to entice us outdoors for a closer look.  Just because its winter doesn’t

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