Gardening, Perennials, Herbs

Captain Kirk And Cabin Fever

According to the Chinese calendar, we have now entered the Year of the Dog. Mercifully, bush boosters have (so far) overlooked the opportunity to promote Cornus spp. as the "shrub of the year." For those not botanically blessed, Cornus are dogwoods. Interestingly, in Ontario, it is a municipal election year. In Toronto, local polls are trying to figure what Calgary has they that havent and getting the lead out.

We embarked earlier down multitudinous garden paths. Since last October, weve been visiting trade shows, researching the web, checking commercial contacts, and reading up science and trade journals. A mere quarter-century ago, information was often hard to come by. Now a positive plethora threatens to overwhelm. So keep visiting us sooner or later well wander onto your personal path.

One such path leads, as always in Canada, to weird weather. January temperatures, like politicians promises, were up everywhere. As a gardener, if you failed to apply a thick, insulting mulch to the perennials and you are not already religious, become so and commence praying. The unprotected soil surface is being subjected to a freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw cycle, exposing tender plant crowns. What we need now is the kind of winter experienced by W. C. Fields. "It was bitter cold," he claimed, "snowdrifts fifteen feet high, saloon doors frozen tight." Winery doors will, of course, stay open.

Of course mulch should not have been applied to the daylilies, less it encourage the overwintering of the dread daylily rust or Puccinia hemerocallidis, if you want a phrase for the next vino et fromage gathering. Doubtlessly, you made sure they were cut back also, leaving no green parts for the same reason.

Another popular perennial is the hosta. The name of new cultivar Captain Kirk elicited some ribaldry, not the least when commercial Q & Z Nursery of Illinois announced they had named a sport of Captain Kirk wait for it Enterprise. Truth be told, Captain Kirk itself is a sport of Gold Standard and comes from a Des Moines, Iowa, hosta enthusiast by the name of Kirk Brill.

Enthusiastic for the Canadian-developed Explorer™ series of roses, they have frequently been recommended in these pages. While widely acclaimed as being almost unbelievably hardy, strange winterkills have been reported to us and to others. Scientists at Agriculture Canadas research facilities have the answer: instead of being grown on their own roots or propagated in vitro, some are being budded by commercial nurseries onto Rosa multiflora rootstock. This is definitely a point to inquire about when placing early orders for these and perhaps other roses.

Satisfy that itch for the horticultural pitch by starting off tuberous begonias indoors this month. Six-inch plastic pots, commercial growing medium (HortiMix, ProMix), and warm bright spot out of direct sunlight to place them when finished potting are all that is required. The secret to success lies in placing the tuber rounded side down, depressed top exactly level with the surface. Never ever water in that dip or rot may result.

You can also start canna and dahlia tubers in a similar fashion. This assures you of an early start come the last week May, when it is usually safe to move such cold-sensitive flowers outside into beds and planters. Just make sure you commence with the highest quality stock you can afford either from a professional, year-round garden centre or www.gardenimport.com.

You can also dispel cabin fever with a copy the latest Richters Herb Catalogue, always a pleasure to receive. This years edition is no different. As usual, it makes for several hours of fascinating reading along with the realization that a larger garden is required. A much, much larger garden. Envious competitors are heard to mutter that Richters will stock anything. Could be true, too even if you only count the herbs. But there is more in this catalogue. A lovely list of everlasting flowers, for example. And the list of gourmet vegetables will activate the taste buds. There are enough books, videos, CDs and posters for the foundation of a good herbal library. Come to think of it, Richters Herb Catalogue is a pretty good library in itself. Richters 2006 Herb Catalogue, Goodwood, Ontario LC 1A0. 905-640-6677 www.richters.com