We went to hear Kerri Weller, of the Ottawa Society of Botanical Artists, at the Nepean Horticultural Society, last Thursday evening, Ms Weller gave a quick overview of the history of botanical art and illustration in Western art. She pointed out a lovely feature of the classic plant portraits by Maria Sybila Merian from the… Continue reading A Portrait of Sunflowers
Tag: native plants
An Urban Pollinator Garden
Berit Erickson dropped by last week to pick up some native plant seeds and talk to me about her demonstration pollinator garden, on a busy corner lot in the west end of Ottawa . Working in her yard, Berit realized how interested passers-by were in her flowers. Berit herself had noticed how much more lively… Continue reading An Urban Pollinator Garden
May I Introduce: Dwarf Canadian Primrose
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
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
Spring Visit to Alpine Garden, MBG
Remembering a visit to the Montreal Botanical Garden, May, 2018. Beaux Arbres will have Shooting Star (Dodecatheon) for sale in the spring. Rock Whitlow-grass at the Montreal Botanical Garden Eastern Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) The Alpine Garden at MBG is divided into areas planted with species from different regions of the world. I was delighted… Continue reading Spring Visit to Alpine Garden, MBG
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 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
Small-flowered Sundrops
It is difficult to convey in a photo the great charm of Small-flowered Sundrops (Oenothera perennis). I was heartened recently when some discerning customers at the nursery made a bee-line to it. Compared to the enormous luminous flowers of Ozark Sundrops (Oenothera macrocarpa), or the great flower masses of citrine yellow of Common Sundrops (Oenothera… Continue reading Small-flowered Sundrops
Shining Rose
Another wild rose we are propagating at Beaux Arbres is Shining Rose (Rosa nitida), also known as Maritime Rose. I collected the seed for this species in Nova Scotia. I understand it occurs in Quebec along the Gulf of St. Lawrence shore but it does not occur naturally in the Ottawa valley. I particularly like… Continue reading Shining Rose
Beaux Arbres Plantes Indigènes / Native Plants 