More snow

There is a hoop house under there.

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Species List for Seedy Saturday, 2019

Getting excited about spring? Looking forward to getting into your garden? Seedy Saturday is a great boost to the spirits — all those little packets of potential: heritage vegetable seeds, garlic bulbs, seed potatoes, and wildflower seed galore. I have put up the list of species Beaux Arbres will be bringing to Seedy Saturday on… Continue reading Species List for Seedy Saturday, 2019

May I Introduce: Glaucous Honeysuckle

Fruit of Glaucous Honeysuckle.

Although it is quite common in woods and hedgerows, this native honeysuckle is known to few gardeners. Glaucous Honeysuckle’s red tubular flowers with yellow anthers, in mid-spring, have the same colour scheme as the much better known Wild Columbine, and it should come as no surprise that ruby-throated hummingbirds are the pollinators it has evolved… Continue reading May I Introduce: Glaucous Honeysuckle

May I Introduce: Dwarf Canadian Primrose

Dwarf Canadian Primrose in hypertufa trough.

My first encounter with this charming little native primrose was on the wave swept shore of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula, where limestone pavements shelve incrementally down to the water’s edge. Nestled in tiny, moist cracks in the limestone, never far from the spray, were some small pink flowers with yellow centres, Primula mistassinica.… Continue reading May I Introduce: Dwarf Canadian Primrose

May I Introduce: Downy Skullcap

Downy Skullcap, Scutellaria incana

While active outdoor gardening is on pause, this is a good time to introduce some wildflowers which may not be known to most gardeners in the Ottawa area. These flowers may be unfamiliar because they are not native to the the Ottawa Valley, but hail from further south in the USA, as does today’s species,… Continue reading May I Introduce: Downy Skullcap

A Festive Yuletide to All

Beaux Arbres nursery will be re-opening May, 2019, with even more wonderful native plant species. Hope to see you Mothers’ Day at the Rare and Unusual Plant Sale, Ottawa. Until then, stay warm and plan gardens.

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Categorized as Nursery

Tucked in for the Winter

The plants in the hoop house are all tucked in for the winter, under floating row covers. What a visual difference from a couple of weeks ago! Freezing weather came early and fast this year. I was going to get a few more boxes of pine needles to add to the mulch around shrubs, but… Continue reading Tucked in for the Winter

Late Colour in the Hoop House

On a dreary November day, with the golden tamaracks providing the only colour in the landscape, the interior of the hoop house is only a couple of degrees warmer (still quite chilly) but colourful fall leaves still linger. The brightest colour comes from the leaves of Wild Geranium. I like the green and red carpet of… Continue reading Late Colour in the Hoop House

September Highlights

Rock Pink in the Rock Garden at Beaux Arbres.

Rock Pink Rock Pink (Talinum calycinum) has been in bloom for weeks and it just got better and better, as long as the warm weather lasted. I love the bright magenta of the flowers against the natural greys of the rocks and stone mulch. I hope it proves to be hardy, here in western Quebec, but… Continue reading September Highlights

Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar

Caterpillar of giant Swallowtail on a Hop-tree in the garden atBeaux arbres

First spotted as a tiny hatchling, by Mo Laidlaw, about three weeks ago, this caterpillar of Giant Swallowtail seems a little bit bigger each time we check on it. It had eaten all the leaves on its seedling Hop-tree (Ptelea trifoliata) so I moved caterpillar and denuded seedling into the hoop house underneath a larger… Continue reading Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar