Westboro Farmers’ Market, Saturday, September 17th.

Bottle Gentian

Beaux Arbres will be a vendor at the Westboro Farmers’ Market in Ottawa on Saturday, September 17th. This will be our last venture in to Ottawa for the season. We will have a selection of wildflowers at the table — bottle gentians (featured photo), perennial sunflowers, asters, and goldenrods, plus some early spring bloomers such… Continue reading Westboro Farmers’ Market, Saturday, September 17th.

Some Ottawa Valley Wildflowers

Small Skullcap in an Ottawa valley alvar

We had something to pick up in Wilno and a delivery to make to Killaloe, so we made a little holiday of it, a break from the nursery, having a nice picnic at Golden Lake, and lovely walk in a bit of publicly accessible alvar at the Fourth Chute. Here are some photos of some… Continue reading Some Ottawa Valley Wildflowers

Beaux Arbres at Westboro Farmers’ Market on Saturday

Ozark Sundrops

We will be a vendor at Westboro Farmers’ Market for their opening day, this Saturday, May 21st. I have a new Plant Availability List if you wish to pre-order for pick up at the market. The response to our plants at the Friends of the Farm Sale last Sunday was stupendous. We were just about… Continue reading Beaux Arbres at Westboro Farmers’ Market on Saturday

Warm-season Plants Starting to Grow

Royal Catchfly, Silene regia

A week of (very) warm weather has pushed all sorts of summer-blooming, heat-loving plants into growth, unfortunately not in time for the pre-orders for the Friends of the Farm Sale on Sunday. I will be bringing a smattering of summer-blooming flowers to the sale, along with many spring flowers. And you have more chances to… Continue reading Warm-season Plants Starting to Grow

Plant Availability List for May, 2022

Bird's Eye Primrose

The long spell of cold weather in the latter part of April really slowed down plant growth, but I promised a Plant Availability List for the first of May, so here it is. The fine weather forecasted for the next week or so might bring many more species into growth. If there are enough additional… Continue reading Plant Availability List for May, 2022

First Flower of the Spring: Prairie Crocus

Prairie Crocus starting to show colour in early spring.

Last post, when I said I would have to move the Prairie Crocuses to a cool spot to keep them in bloom for the Friends of the Farm sale, I wasn’t joking, but I didn’t think I would have to start doing the move on April 2nd. Yesterday, the largest bud on the Prairie Crocuses… Continue reading First Flower of the Spring: Prairie Crocus

Spring Sales: Getting back to normal

Eastern Shooting Star

After a two year hiatus, the Friends of the Farm Annual Plant Sale will be held this spring. Although colloquially known as the Mothers Day Sale, it is not always held on Mothers’ Day and this year it will be on May 15th, the Sunday after Mothers’ Day. For several years, this was our first… Continue reading Spring Sales: Getting back to normal

Blooms for Early Spring

Hooked-spur or Early Violet (Viola adunca) in the Rock Garden at Beaux Arbres.

The very first flower at Beaux Arbres is almost always a little non-native rock garden Iris, Iris reticulata. Although I discourage the use of many of the little bulbs from the garden centre, because they readily leap from garden to woodlands, I have never seen nor read of any problem with the little Irises. At… Continue reading Blooms for Early Spring

New for 2021: Goldthread

Goldthread

The very glossy, evergreen leaves of low-growing Goldthread (Coptis trifolia) are most attractive, but before you start thinking this may be the ideal shade-loving ground cover for your shady garden, be aware that this little cutie demands a cool, acidic organic soil, and is not suited for warm urban conditions. It grows in damp moss… Continue reading New for 2021: Goldthread