Winter protection is not something I typically need in our garden. I focus largely on planting cold hardy trees and shrubs and anything that is pushing the limit I place in a protected spot. However this year we had to cut the foundation yews along our house completely down to the ground due to the… Read more »
Spiraea japonica ‘Magic Carpet’ (Spirea)
Height: 60 cm (18 inches) Spread: 60 – 80 cm (18 inches to 2 feet) Bloom: deep pink, mid-summer, rebloom in August Foliage: orange-red in spring and fall changing to chartreuse green with red tips that holds its summer colour well. Pluses: Foliage colour, flower colour, small size I love this one. It is good… Read more »
Prunus virginiana (Choke Cherry)
Height: 2-9 m (6-30 feet) Bloom: white in early May Fall Colour: may turn yellow Fruit: yes, red Pros: Ontario Native Tree Another cherry tree native to the Carolinian or Deciduous Forest Region. Choke Cherry forms a large erect shrub or small tree, often multi-branched as it can form dense thickets from suckering. The fruit… Read more »
Prunus x cistena (Purpleleaf Sand Cherry)
Height: 2 m (7 feet) Spread: 1.5 m (5 feet) Bloom: Small white flowers in spring Exposure: Full sun to part shade Foliage: blackish-purple, new growth red-purple Pluses: foliage colour Cons: Japanese beetle damage When we first moved to our yard there were 16 Purpleleaf Sand Cherry spread throughout my gardens. With it’s rich reddish-purple… Read more »
Prunus serotina (Black Cherry)
Common Names: Black Cherry, Wild Black Cherry Zone: hardy to zone 3 Plant Type: Deciduous tree Height: 20 metres (60 to 90 feet) tall Spread: 35 to 50 feet wide Bloom: white in May Fruit: black / red in fall Habitat: full sun to part shade prefers moist, fertile soils Fall Colour: yellow to orange… Read more »
Malus sutyzam Malus ‘Indian Magic’
Height: 6 m (18 – 20 feet) Spread: 5 m (12 – 15 feet) Bloom: early spring before foliage Exposure: Full sun Pluses: four seasons of interest from early spring blooms to healthy foliage to crab apples that remain on the tree October through January. Indian Magic begins with red buds that open to dark… Read more »
Malus sutyzam ‘Sugar Tyme’
Height: 6 m (18 – 20 feet) Spread: 5 m (12 – 15 feet) Bloom: early spring before foliage Exposure: Full sun Pluses: four seasons of interest from early spring blooms to healthy foliage to crab apples that remain on the tree October through January. Sugar Tyme flowering crab apple buds start out light pink… Read more »
Magnolia x ‘Susan’
Height: 2.5 m (8 – 10 feet) Spread: 2.5m (8 – 10 feet) Bloom: fuschia pink in April Foliage: glossy green Fall Colour: bronze-yellow While they are a sight for sore eyes in early spring, the flowers of both Saucer Magnolia and Star Magnolia are susceptible to frost, especially in southern Ontario. For the last… Read more »
Lonicera tatarica (Bush Honeysuckle)
Height: 3 m (10-12 feet) Bloom: pink in May Fall Colour: none Tatarian Honeysuckle is a large shrub with an erect, vase shaped habit. Lonicera tatarica has heart-shaped, bright green leaves and remains healthy throughout the season although it offers no fall colour. Flowers are abundant, pink (occasionally white) and appear in mid-May in my… Read more »
Itea virginica (Sweetspire) ‘Little Henry’
Height: 1 m (3 feet – see below re hardiness) Spread: 1.25 m (4 feet) Bloom: Arching fragrant white flowers in early summer Exposure: Full sun to part shade Foliage: green, great scarlet fall colour Pluses: fall colour For me the jury is still out on this one. Itea virginica ‘Little Henry’ (Sweetspire) is a… Read more »