By Lee Edwards, Master Gardener
In a few months, gardeners will happily be heading back into the garden. Along with planting native plants friendly to pollinators, this year, gardeners may also want to include one or all the National Garden Bureau’s plants of 2019; the perennial salvia (Salvia nemorosa), the annual snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), Dahlia bulbs, and or the edible Pumpkin. There’s also the perennial plant of the year, the betony (Stachys moneri ‘Hummelo’) chosen by the Perennial Plant Association. Each one of these plants represent different classes of plants that are fairly easy to grow and are also relatively low maintenance.
Belonging to the mint family, Salvia nemorosa is a striking, hardy, ornamental variety of sage. A full-sun, compost loving, easy to grow, drought-tolerant plant, it prefers moist, well-drained soil to produce tall, multi-branched, spectacular spikes of blue-violet flowers starting in the summer. Once the blooms fade and the stems brown, cut back the plants size by two-thirds to encourage more blooms throughout the season.
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) are making a comeback with their fragrant, large, tubular, dragon-shaped flowers in a multitude of colors and heights. Considered an annual in cold temperature countries, these early spring blooming plants can interestingly withstand cold weather and slow down flowering during overly warm temperature. Great in containers, snapdragons require constant deadheading to encourage more blooms and often need staking.
Beautiful, tuberous, tender perennials, Dahlias thrive in full sun, well-drained, warm, 
slightly acidic, and moist soil blooming from mid-summer to late fall. Outstandingly showy and dramatic, dahlias need to be fed often with organic matter once the plants begin to grow and deadheading is needed to promote blooms. Flowers can grow from two inches to 15 inches depending on the plant variety.
Pumpkins are healthy edibles high in fiber and vitamins to name just a few health benefits. Related to melons, squash, and cucumbers, plant pumpkin seeds indoors to start, then directly in the ground once the soil has thoroughly warmed up. Pumpkins require constant watering, pollination by bees to fruit and take from three to four months to mature. Like many other edibles, they must be replanted every year.
Betony (Stachys moneri ‘Hummelo’) is a herbaceous perennial that blooms in late spring to early summer, showing off its bee attracting, upright, purple flower spikes atop mounding, dense, clump-forming, dark green leaves. Stachys moneri ‘Hummelo’ likes a sunny location with a little afternoon shade and evenly moist soil. It makes a striking display when mass planted.
Reference: National Garden Bureau (“Year of The,” 2019). Retrieved February 18, 2019, from https://ngb.org/year-of-2019/.
Have Fun Gardening!
Did you watch the Oscars last night? It is one of many award shows and it fuels a fascination in us to know what has been voted the best movie, best song, what book won the Giller Prize or the Canada Reads Competition? We browse through newspaper articles, blogs or Facebook posts to find out who were the most influential people, or learn new trends in food and decorating. The Plant world is no exception. There are several plant competitions and our own Peterborough Horticultural Society has Flower, Photography and Preserves Shows where the members exhibit the ‘best’ from their gardens.
little TLC. During the gardening season, these groups magically transform to become a forum for a little bragging for those inclined to share pictures of the results of their hard work, and also a forum for those needing a little help. I’ve posted a plant picture to one of them, and had a definitive answer to an identification question in literally less than ONE MINUTE (Thanks, Jeff Mason!).
Most homes in winter are too dry for most houseplants and this is why we see them suffer by dropping leaves. To increase humidity, you can mist the plant, give it a shower (at room temperature – this also will dust for you!), or set in a saucer with rocks (elevate so the pot and roots are not constantly wet). Placing plants in kitchens or bathrooms where there tends to be more humidity is another idea. Plants that like it humid include ferns, palms, dieffenbachia and dracaena.
As we hibernate through the winter months, now is the time to browse through gardening magazines or seed catalogues, learn about new plants for 2019 and dream about those first warm spring days when the snowdrops, hellebores and crocus will wake up and say ‘here I am’.
The Peterborough & Area Master Gardeners 