Not the FoF Mothers’ Day Sale

Rocky Mountain Columbines in pots in the hoop house

These are some of the plant I would have been bringing to the Friends of the Farm Mothers Day Sale on Sunday. They are the best looking bunch of plants I have had in the six years since Beaux Arbres first attended the sale. However, I can bring them into Ottawa for you next week.… Continue reading Not the FoF Mothers’ Day Sale

Seed Sale

Half Price Seed Sale It is not too late to order native seeds for those species that require no cold pretreatment. These seeds are often tiny things that we sow on the surface of a pot of seed-sedstarting mix and give moisture and warmth. Many species in the Pea Family germinate well with hot water… Continue reading Seed Sale

Ordering Plants

Dwaqrf Canadian Primrose

We think gardening and nature appreciation are going to be big this year. Perhaps this is the right year to add lots of native plants to your garden. So, until we can help you in person at our ususal venues, we are exploring ways to to help you get nursery-propagated native plants, while respecting guidelines… Continue reading Ordering Plants

First signs of Spring

Prairie Smoke and other plants are starting to wake for spring.

There are signs of green in the hoop house. Prairie Smoke is one of the most cheerful in early spring. The flowering stalks will be visible very soon. Some of the little Arctic plants I grow for use in troughs look very happy at these temperatures — little Drabas and Saxifrages. Young leaves of Heuchera… Continue reading First signs of Spring

Seeds through the Mail

With the rescheduled Ottawa Seedy Saturday now cancelled, and diverse Horticultural Society events in question, Canada Post is the most reliable way to get your wildflower seeds. Beaux Arbres has nearly all the species we prepared for Ottawa Seedy Saturday (March 6th) still in stock. We sold out of a couple at a very busy… Continue reading Seeds through the Mail

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: 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