Plant Species Information

First contact

My first encounter with Bergenia cordifolia was several years ago with my manager. She bent down and furiously started rubbing the leaves to demonstrate how the plant got its common name ‘pigsqueak’. And so we all rubbed the leaves to learn our lesson. Some no doubt turned their thoughts to bacon.

2016

Fast forward to 2016. Out on a site walk with my boss and the garden liaison, I was shocked when the lady asked us about removing a huge clump of Bergenia. What? Really? One person decides on a large landscape edit? They obviously had not flowered yet and they were in a perfect location close to a sidewalk. Bergenia form nice clumps but don’t spread quickly. Luckily the lady got side-tracked with other projects.

Then, at home one day in summer, seeking happiness by de-cluttering, I ran into a clipping from March 2008. It was a Garden West magazine article by Carol Hall. In it she correctly defends Bergenias. Finally, one person that made sense. Let the pigs squeak. Forever.

Plant details

Siberia and Himalayas native, this early-blooming perennial is tough as nails. Once it is established, it requires very little maintenance. I remove any brown leaves before liaisons get upset; and I remove spent flower stalks. That’s it.

Hall thinks that Bergenia’s lack of popularity stems from being stuck in 4 inch nursery containers. To fully appreciate the plant you have to see it established in your garden. I believe she is right. See my pictures below.

Other than situated by sidewalks, Bergenias are also good for front border definition and as year-round accents in mixed landscaping. You can also mass them under deciduous trees.

A salvaged specimen on my patio. Not much of a show but I love the leathery leaves.

A lonely single plant with flowers

Much better in a clump. Note the only real maintenance: snip out spent flower stalks and remove any brown leaves.

A high-profile church location with Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ above

Give Bergenia cordifolia a chance in your garden.

Summer color

Summer colors rule! It’s a lot of fun working in July landscapes. These are the days I dream of on cold November days. Those dark wet days when I have miles of cedar hedges to prune and the only source of heat is the gear case on my shears.

Mass-planted Rudbeckias are very warm and hard to miss; lilies are everywhere; and Liatris spicata demand attention. My favorite silk tree, Alibizia julibrissen, smells so great I get close enough for its silky flowers to tickle my nose. I even snipped off a few flowers, sealed them in a bag and brought them home so my kids could enjoy the scent.

Below are plants I encountered while working in the landscape. The Hosta flower picture is my first ever. Until now I never photographed an individual Hosta flower.

Plant identification

Summer is the best time for plant identification work. As you move through your gardens and landscapes look around. Can you name some or all of the species? When you encounter your favorite plant, look it up. Most plants have their own stories and interesting details.

Can’t name some? Take a picture and research them. Better yet, buy some plants and plant them in your garden. That’s the best way to remember them.

Plant tag thief

When I install plants I always keep the tags. When I find discarded plant tags, I keep them. I also take pictures of tags in clients’ gardens. I try to stay away from garden centres because, inevitably, some tags of plants I didn’t know will end up in my pocket. That’s when teenage garden centre assistants roll their eyes and search for the manager. Lesson is over. I head for the exit.

What are your summer favourites?

Echinacea

Hosta

Liatris spicata

Rudbeckia

Hemerocallis

Crocosmia

Asclepias tuberosa

Yucca filamentosa

Campanula

Lobelia x speciosa

Eupatorium dubium (Dwarf Joe Pye weed)

Lilium (Tiger lily)

Potentilla

Creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) is an attractive perennial groundcover. But first, allow me to begin this  blog with a story. Years ago I used to maintain a Westwood Plateau site in Coquitlam, BC  with a roundabout which had  creeping jenny planted around the edges. One of the managers, a no-nonsense polished business guy, fussed about it almost weekly. Do we need more? Is it flowing over the curb edge too much; not enough? Don’t hurt it with your cultivators. Did the delivery dudes run it over again?

Then one day I got a phone call from my boss saying the manager collapsed in his office and died. He was barely into his 40s. Brain aneurism. That was it. Gone in a flash. Now the nearly indestructible Lysimachia nummularia always reminds me of him.

hard to miss yellow flowers coming in summer

Description

Lysimachia nummularia is a low-growing ground hugger, rampant, and evergreen. In summer it produces cup-shaped, bright yellow flowers. That’s when you really notice the plant. Bees will thank you for planting it in your garden. I find yellows very warm, happy colors. I have also seen creeping jenny planted in containers where it nicely spills over the edges. My own salvaged plants are doing fine in pots on the patio. Other uses include hanging baskets and border edging; just watch the spreading habit.

weekly mowing doesn’t stop jenny from creeping into the lawn

labeled rampant and aggressive and this proves it. Lysimachia invading a lawn from its border location

Unlike many other types of groundcovers, it can handle damper soil; it can also handle limited foot traffic. It survived numerous run-ins with delivery trucks in the above-mentioned roundabout.

It prefers full sun or partial shade. Obviously, full sun will give you better looking flowers. If your garden is shady, this will be a colorful groundcover plant. There are no serious diseases or insect problems to report.

In combination with yellow-flowered Coreopsis

As spiller in a pot

Source: www.finegardening.com

Pictures: Vas Sladek