Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) loves sogginess in the spring, so it’s no surprise that this was a great year for the tall, red, hummingbird favourite. More surprisingly, Bird’s Foot Violet (Viola pedata) was another species that did well this year, This is a violet for sun and infertile, sandy soil. That is what it gets… Continue reading What did well in the garden this year
Tag: gardening
2017: A Year in Native Plant Gardening
It was wet. We expect the swale garden and the lawn below it to be wet in April and well into May, from snow melt running down from the hills which surround us. This year it was continuously and unrelentingly wet until late July. The swale was continuously full of water, which would be lovely… Continue reading 2017: A Year in Native Plant Gardening
Bedded Down for the Winter
Our plants have been tucked into the ground with a covering of insulating pine needles waiting for the snowfall. Especially vulnerable plants have been barricaded against hungry voles. Looking forward to spring.
Seeds and Gift Certificates
Looking for gift ideas for the gardeners on your list? Beaux Arbres will be bringing hand-made baskets and packets of wildflower seed to the West Carlton Arts Society $100 and Under Christmas Sale on December 1, 2, and 3. Okay, this is a small sale of mostly fine art, but it is right beside the… Continue reading Seeds and Gift Certificates
Native Plants for Rock Gardens
Charming and diminutive plants from Ottawa Valley’s natural rock gardens Species from slide show, in order shown Early Saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis) Early Buttercup (Ranunculus fascicularis) Common Bluets (Houstonia carulia) Long-leaved Bluets (Houstonia longifolia) Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus) Dwarf Hairy Beardtongue (P. hirsutus var. pygmaeus) Field Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) Hooked-spur or Early Violet (Viola adunca) Bird’sfoot… Continue reading Native Plants for Rock Gardens
September is a good time to plant
September is a good time to plant native wildflowers in your garden. It is an especially good time to add spring-blooming natives such as pussy-toes, columbines, and violets, if you want to increase wild-life attractiveness and spring colour for next year. These early bloomers grow well in cool soil so even with cooling night temperatures,… Continue reading September is a good time to plant
Relentless rain a week before the Ottawa sale
The Rare and Unusual Plant Sale on Sunday, May 14th, at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa is less than a week away and I am past hoping for a spell of warm, sunny weather to bring on some flowers. At this point, I am reduced to hoping fervently that our local ferry service will… Continue reading Relentless rain a week before the Ottawa sale
Plant list: winter 2017
We have added a PDF list of species to our new website. Now, realize, folks, that I created this list from last year’s list and my, possibly flawed, memory of what new species I had added by last fall. I will not know what I actually have until the snow melts and I can get… Continue reading Plant list: winter 2017
Making a wildflower meadow
A talk by Trish Murphy of Beaux Arbres Native Plants at Nepean Horticultural Society City View United Church Thursday, March 16, 2017, 7:30 pm All are welcome. There is great interest in creating pollinator-friendly gardens. Creating a wildflower meadow – a sunny plant community of native grasses and wildflowers — is one of the easiest and… Continue reading Making a wildflower meadow
Beaux Arbres Plantes Indigènes / Native Plants 