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A non-profit publication dedicated to the advancement of horticulture in the Prairies

shade79TH ANNUAL EDITION

Copyright © February 2018 The Prairie Garden Committee, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

All rights reserved. The material in this publication is for informational purposes only. The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of The Prairie Garden Committee. Reference to commercial products or tradenames is made with the under-standing that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by The Prairie Garden Committee is implied. The contents in this publication may not be reproduced or used in any fashion without the written consent of The Prairie Garden Committee, other than short excerpts as may appear in book reviews and literature citations.

ISBN 978-0-9939559-3-8

Published by The Prairie Garden CommitteeP.O. Box 21043Winnipeg, MB R3R 3R2

Chair: Linda DietrickSecretary: Ian WiseTreasurer: Lisa JansenSales: Tammy JensenMarketing: Rita CampbellEditor: Lynsey SableWebsite: Richard Denesiuk Committee Members: Darlene Belton, Colin Briggs, Dave Hanson, Nataša Juck, Tom Nagy, Susanne Olver, Warren Otto, Cathy Shaluk, Andy Tekauz, Sandy VentonRegional Representatives: Sara Williams (Saskatoon, SK), Melanie Mathieson (Thunder Bay, ON), Jane Reksten (Calgary, AB)

Design: Ninth and May Design Co.

Photo Credits: See page 182.

Printed in Canada: Friesens CorporationForest Stewardship Council certified printerPress – all inks are vegetable based

Price: $17.95 per copySpecial quantity prices available to horticultural societies, garden clubs, commercial outlets, etc.For past editions and general sales information, see page 183

10 Moss Linda Dietrick

12 Primroses for Prairie Gardens Linda Dietrick

15 Hellebores Stefan Fediuk

18 Daffodils Prefer Shade on the Prairies Ieuan Evans

21 In Search of Sedges Lynsey Sable

26 Woodland Observations Cohan Fulford

30 Contemplating a Shady Garden Diane Marchese

33 Groundcovers for Shade Carla Hrycyna

36 Periwinkle: Source of Anti-Cancer Compounds Colin J. Briggs

39 Bleeding Heart and Corydalis—Shade Lovers Supreme! Sandy Venton

42 Shieldleaf Sara Williams

44 Forest Bathing Marilyn Dudek

48 Hosta Virus X Brenda Newton

51 Developing A Shade Garden Jeannie Gilbert

54 Prairie Grasses for Low-Lit Places Lynsey Sable

58 Solutions for Dry Shade Linda Dietrick

62 Enchanting Epimediums Allan Daku

67 Woodland Natives Kelly Leask

71 Bunchberry Sandy Venton

73 Under the Oaks Nora Reid

76 Columbine Pests Carla Hrycyna & Bill Turnock

78 A List of Ferns Unfurled Sara Williams

83 The Construction, Deconstruction and Reconstruction of a Perennial Shade Garden Redux Sandy Venton

86 Unusual Plants for the Shade Garden Melanie Mathieson

90 Globeflower Sara Williams

CONTENTS

102 Components of the Understory Eileen Rosen

107 Combating Slugs in the Garden Albert Parsons

110 Vibrant Viburnums Sheryl Normandeau

113 Dogwood: A Canadian History Rick Durand

117 Exotic Lady Beetles: A Story of Ecological Change Ian Wise

121 Shade-Loving Houseplants Susanne Olver

124 Guerrilla Gardening Derek Yarnell

128 Love the Garlic! Dave Hanson

132 Getting to Know the Hardnecks Dave Hanson

134 An Introduction to Backyard Mushroom Cultivation Tom Nagy

138 Natural is Safe? A Risky Assumption Colin J. Briggs

141 Keeping Children, Pets and Plants… Alive! Lisa Jansen

144 Vines Transiting the Landscape Hugh Skinner

147 Shade-Sweetened Fruit Ieuan Evans

149 What is Impatiens Downy Mildew? Linda Dietrick

150 A Magic Carpet of Colours Igor Kaftan

153 New Wave Coleus Lynsey Sable

155 How to Overwinter Coleus Linda Dietrick

157 Container Combos for Shade Sharlene Nielsen

160 New Annuals for Shaded Beds and Containers Stefan Fediuk

162 Begonias to the Rescue Susanne Olver

166 The Immediate Threat of the Emerald Ash Borer Ian Wise

170 The Perils of Advancing Shade Eric Bergeson

172 The Life and Landscapes of Garry Hilderman Heather Cram

174 Shade Tolerant Plants for the Prairies: A Reference Linda Dietrick, Nataša Juck, and Sandy Venton

12 The 2018 Prairie Garden

Linda Dietrick is a Master Gardener who has gardened in Winnipeg for over 30 years. She recently retired from the University of Winnipeg, where she was a pro-fessor of German Studies. She currently chairs the Prairie Garden Committee.

BY LINDA DIETRICK

PRIMROSES FOR PRAIRIE GARDENS

Yes, You can grow primroses here, as long as you choose the right kinds.

Not to be confused with evening primroses (Oenothera tetragona), true primroses belong to the genus Primula, which means “first little one.” Indeed, they are among the first flowers to appear in spring. For our friends in England and coastal British Columbia, that means in February or March, when the En-glish primroses (Primula vulgar-is, syn. P. acaulis, and its hybrids) brighten gardens with their crinkly leaves and brilliant red, rose, violet,

blue, and yellow flowers. Around the same time on the prairies, we find similar primroses for sale in supermarkets. These greenhouse plants are known as the polyanthus hybrids. Although they are unlike-ly to survive the winter if planted outdoors in our region, we can enjoy them indoors for a few weeks.

For our gardens, there are lots of hardier primulas among the over 430 species and countless hybrids of the genus. Many are native to other cold regions like the Himalayas. If you can provide rich soil, constant moisture, a shaded or partly shaded location, and some protection from the cold winter winds, you will en-joy their cheery blooms from spring through summer.

Years ago, I first learned about primulas from the book Perenni-al Favorites by Lois Hole, the late Edmonton-based horticulturalist (and Lieutenant Governor of Alber-ta from 2000–2005). Of the species she recommended for cold-climate gardens, I have tried every one I

Oxlip with spring anemones, snowdrops, and squill make a happy spring scene.

26 The 2018 Prairie Garden

BY COHAN FULFORD

Cohan Fulford is just your average farm boy, artist, and plant geek who spends most of the year collecting, sharing, and sowing seeds, then planting, weeding, and building new gardens.

OBSERVING A WOODLAND’S EDGE

maYbe You look out and see a wood-ed slope with a strong spring sun shining through still-bare trees, warming the leaf litter and lighting up masses of early wildflowers.

Maybe you have a rich, half-sun-ny forest’s edge where woodland and meadow meet.

Maybe you retreat to a cool, green, mossy glade in mid-summer,

where a moist stream bank sprouts gem-coloured flowers.

Is the air scented by conifers? You’ll find the ground carpeted with their needles, where low-grow-ing wintergreens bring life to the darkness.

Have you ever seen tiny alpines crouch behind boulders on a moun-tainside?

The American spikenard leafs out in late spring and is a good companion for bulbs, providing shade later on. This bed also contains Siberian corydalis and ‘Purple Sensation’ allium, with Iris reticulata blooming earlier.

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BY SANDRA VENTON

Sandy Venton is the president of the North American Lily Society and the secretary of the Manitoba Regional Lily Society. She enjoys being a lily judge, and she lives to garden.

BLEEDING HEART AND CORYDALIS —SHADE LOVERS SUPREME!

these two relatives are beloved by the shade gardener. Okay, well may-be one is beloved, and the other is still somewhat of a mystery, but they are two sides of the same coin.

Bleeding heart used to belong to the genus Dicentra. The taxono-mists got into the mix and now the lowly common bleeding heart is no longer known as Dicentra spectabi-lis, but as Lamprocapnos spectabi-lis. That particular bleeding heart

is the only one whose name was changed, while all other bleeding hearts have remained the same. Therefore, Dutchmans breeches (Di-centra cucullaria) and squirrel corn (Dicentra canadensis) are still clas-sified as Dicentra, thank goodness!

There are a number of different bleeding hearts available to garden-ers, including:

• Eastern bleeding heart, com-monly called fringed bleed-

Tuberous corydalis is a grand sight in spring when almost nothing else is in bloom.

42 The 2018 Prairie Garden

Sara Williams is the co-author (with Hugh Skinner) of Gardening Naturally: A chemical-free handbook for the Prairies, as well as the newly revised Creating the Prairie Xeriscape. Her latest book is Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens with Bob Bors. She gardens on five acres near Saskatoon.

BY SARA WILLIAMS

SHIELDLEAF

if You’ve ever visited an English garden and marveled at (and had your photo taken with) giant rhu-barb (Gunnera spp.), here is a slight-ly smaller but much hardier version. Previously classified as Rodgersia tabularis, Astilboides tabularis or shieldleaf is the perfect antidote for “Gunnera withdrawal” when prairie

garden travelers invariably return home from gentler climes. I’ve grown it for over a decade in my rural Sas-katchewan garden (formerly zone 2, now designated as zone 3), and even the “wonky winter” of 2016-2017 that left a trail of death and destruc-tion failed to discourage it.

A bold plant of great architec-

A stunning shade specimen, shieldleaf is big, bold and well-behaved.

86 The 2018 Prairie Garden

as a gardener, I never stop search-ing for rare and unusual plants to add to my garden. I want to share some information on how you can grow some of my favourites.

TRILLIUMSWhile gardeners likely know what a trillium looks like, with its signa-ture three leaves, many may not re-alize that its name reflects the fact that everything about the plant oc-curs in threes: the leaves, flower pet-als, three-sectioned seed pods, and three types of bloom characteris-tics—nodding, drooping, or upright.

Although the white trillium is not native to most of Manitoba, Sas-katchewan or northwestern Ontar-io, it is found in a few spots in the wild and can be grown in many ar-eas of these provinces. The nodding trillium grows wild in forests from Saskatchewan to Newfoundland and is the most northerly-occurring trillium in North America, occur-ring as far north as Hudson Bay.

Never dig trilliums or lady slippers from the forest. Always purchase from a reputable nursery or plant supplier. Trilliums can be grown from seed, but they may take up to five years to bloom. Well worth

BY MELANIE MATHIESON

Melanie Mathieson has been gardening and sharing information about it for many years as the Gardening Guru in northwestern Ontario, with published works in The Rainy River Record, Fort Frances Times and Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal.

UNUSUAL PLANTS FOR THE SHADE GARDEN

Trillium is one of the first flowers in the shade garden to bloom; this one is toadshade trillium.

94 The 2018 Prairie Garden

Clockwise from top left: Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park ; Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) ‘Luteus’; Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris); Siberian dogwood (Cornus alba); Merrybells (Uvularia grandiflora); Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)

96 The 2018 Prairie Garden

Clockwise from top left: Meadowsweet (Filipendula rubra) ‘Venusta’; Pansy (Viola tricolor); Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa); Brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla), sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), rex begonia and wild ginger (Asarum sp.); Blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens); Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)

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there are manY house-plants that grow well indoors, even if they receive no direct sun-light.

The lists at the end of this article name some of these shade lovers, many of which are old standbys. Semi-shade lovers include lovely choices such as bego-nias, African violets, and some orchids. Among the full shade lovers are many that can be grown in the same location for years, like cast iron plant, philodendron, and snake plant. Although they may be quite familiar, these plants are hardy, long-lived, and beneficial, in that they help clean the air, release moisture and oxygen, and enrich the atmosphere to keep the other plants healthy.

In nature, most shade-loving houseplants grow under larger trees and vegetation, in gullies, or in loca-tions shaded by rocks. Once brought inside, light conditions must match specific environments as closely as possible. Quite a few ferns, for in-

stance, would quickly burn to a crisp if left in a sunny window. On the other hand, all plants need a cer-tain level of light to photosynthesize, so a plant placed in a dark

corner will not do well and could benefit from a

strategically-placed grow light. Some plants might

survive in a dark location for a while, but will eventually starve to death from lack of light. So make sure your shade-lovers get some indirect light, while keeping them away from direct sun.

Watering of low-light plants must be done with care. In most cas-es, their metabolism is slower than that of their sun-loving counter-parts. A moisture-meter, available in garden centers and large home improvement stores, is an inexpen-sive and worthwhile investment. A reading taken by inserting the probe into the soil will quickly indi-cate the moisture level of each plant. A note of caution: leaving the mois-

BY SUSANNE OLVER

Susanne Olver is a retired greenhouse supervisor from the Department of Bot-any, University of Manitoba, and a longtime member of the Prairie Garden Committee.

SHADE-LOVING HOUSEPLANTS

134 The 2018 Prairie Garden

BY TOM NAGY

Tom Nagy is an ecologist with a passion for ethnobotany and mycology. He ad-vocates for a greater understanding of how we interact with the natural world.

AN INTRODUCTION TO BACKYARD MUSHROOM CULTIVATION

as far as most gar-deners are con-cerned, mushrooms are strange and mysterious crea-tures. They mirac-ulously appear in lawns or flower beds after a summer rain, only to vanish as quickly as they came. Some even consider mushrooms to be sinister, a beacon of decay or disease and therefore something to be despised. On the contrary, fungi are an indispens-able component of our local ecology and an ally to the success of human communities.

Strong, resilient societies are dependent upon a foundation of healthy soil and biologically diverse ecosystems. Fungi are essential decomposers in terrestrial environ-ments, playing an integral role in nutrient cycling. By providing us with food and medicine while si-multaneously creating the soil be-neath our feet, we can harness the inherent adaptability of fungi to

strengthen the soil on which we rely.

There are doz-ens of species of fungi available to the enthusiastic

cultivator. However, there are a few spe-

cies better suited to nov-ice mushroom growers, as

they are generally more adaptable and can tolerate a wider range of environmental conditions. The two most common species of fungi many begin experimenting with are oys-ter mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.) and wine cap mushrooms (Stropharia ru-gosoannulata).

Oyster mushrooms are consid-ered by many commercial mushroom growers and hobbyists to be the quintessential ‘gateway’ mushroom for new and inexperienced growers. Most notable of the lot is Pleurotus os-treatus, also known as the common, white, or pearl oyster mushroom. This is the species most often grown commercially and boasts the greatest diversity of cultivated varieties.

132 The 2018 Prairie Garden

BY DAVE HANSON

GETTING TO KNOW THE HARDNECKS

hardneck garlic is not one type of plant, but rather a diverse group of cultivars that can be organized into subcategories. Just as with fine wines, the gourmet garlic renais-sance is all about savouring com-plexity, depth, and variety.

Here is an overview of the four most significant categories of hard-neck garlics and the qualities gener-ally associated with each.

Marbled Purple Stripe• Medium to hot flavour, with

excellent “classic garlic” pungency

• Large, highly consistent clove size

• 6–8 cloves per bulb• Very reliable in the garden• Examples include: Russian Red

Porcelain• Strikingly beautiful, with pure

white wrapper • Fewer cloves but very large• Easy to peel and easy to

separate from the head• Store 6–7 months• Examples include: Majestic,

Music and Georgian Fire

Purple Stripe• Gorgeous purple-streaked

wrappers• 5–6 medium-sized cloves• Excellent for roasting• Distinctive-looking plants,

with widely splayed foliage and tightly curling scapes

• Examples include: Chesnok Red, Siberian and Persian Star

Rocambole• Hottest, most complex in flavour,

and later to mature• Thin skins and large cloves that

chefs love• Shorter storage time but most

complex flavour profiles• Examples include: German Red

& Ukranian Garlic

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BY SHARLENE NIELSEN

Sharlene Nielson offers private studio workshops and garden restoration ser-vices through her company, Front Door Stories. She has previously worked in the English Garden at the Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and enjoys sharing her inspired designs.

CONTAINER COMBOS FOR SHADE

all winter i dream about creating stunning container combinations. Once I see all the plants growing, my dreams come to life and grow with the season.

Every year I am inspired by the new varieties of plants that I can mix in with my favourites. I love to use texture and form in monochromatic or contrasting colours, depending on who I am creating for and how much light the container will get each day. I guarantee that if the scale is bal-anced by following the “Thrill, Fill and Spill” formula, you will always get the wow factor in a container. The “thriller” will be your tallest plant, complementing the scale of your pot by either starting at or growing to be the same height as your container, or taller, if you have the height in your space. The “filler” is any plant that fills the container and covers the soil, and the “spiller” is any plant that trails over the side of the pot to soften the edge, bringing the arrangement and container together.

Plant combinations for shade can be amazing and exotic. I love us-

ing tropicals in my designs, and our hot summers are perfect for them to thrive beautifully in a shady spot. You can get instant height or “thrill” with a lovely large majes-ty palm (Ravenea rivularis). This is the most common palm you will find at any garden centre or big box store. They are also great for windy spaces, as the fronds will bend and not show as much damage. Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) will also give you that instant tropical feel. For a more modern or clas-sic thrill, stan-dard-form long leaf fig (Ficus binnendijkii), Alii fig (F. m a c l e l l an -dii), fiddle leaf fig (F. lyrata), or snake plant (Sansevi e-ria trifas-ciata) can make a bold statement.

160 The 2018 Prairie Garden

everYone remembers the days when creating beautifully coloured gar-dens simply meant planting common impatiens (Impatiens walleriana). With the emergence in 2011 of a vir-ulent fungus known as impatiens downy mildew (IDM), the nursery industry has all but stopped the production of these reliable plants. However, the industry continues to

produce New Guinea impatiens (Im-patiens hawkerii) and its hybrids, which are not affected by IDM, as well as many other shade-loving annuals for our gardens. Here are a few that are likely to pop up at your garden center this year.

Leading the pack are the up-and-coming varieties of begonia. Formerly, the basic fibrous or wax begonia (Begonia x semperflo-rens-cultorum) and tuberous begonia (Begonia x tuberhybrida) were often used as a second thought. These and other cultivar groups have now been improved and hybridized to expand the options of leaf colour, flower size, heat tolerance, and length of bloom. Every year there are new introduc-tions. Making a strong impact on the horticultural market is Dragon Wing, a sterile, cane-type hybrid be-gonia that blooms all summer. Also at the forefront are the Bolivian be-gonias (B. boliviensis), including the selection ‘Bonfire’ and the hybrid se-ries Encanto, Bossa Nova, Red Fox Unbelievable, and Sun Cities. All are trailing plants that bloom prolif-ically and are well suited to contain-ers. 2017 brought the more upright Megawatt Series of hybrid bego-

BY STEFAN FEDIUK

NEW ANNUALS FOR SHADED BEDS AND CONTAINERS

Sun Cities ‘San Francisco’ begonia

174 The 2018 Prairie Garden

BY LINDA DIETRICK, NATAŠA JUCK, AND SANDRA VENTON

SHADE-TOLERANT PLANTS FOR THE PRAIRIES: A REFERENCE

Botanical Name Common name(s)

PRAIRIE-HARDY GROUND COVERS FOR SHADE

Aegopodium podagraria†

Ajuga reptans

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Asarum canadense, A. europaeum

Astilbe chinensis ‘Pumila’

Campanula cochlearifolia syn. C. pusilla

Convallaria majalis†

Cornus canadensis

Epimedium spp.

Euonymus obovatus

Fragaria virginiana

Galium odoratum

Galium triflorum

bishop’s goutweed†

bugleweed

bearberry, kinnikinnik

wild ginger

dwarf Chinese astilbe

dwarf bellflower, fairy thimble

lily-of-the-valley†

bunchberry

barrenwort, bishop’s hat, fairy wings

running euonymus

wild strawberry

sweet woodruff

sweet-scented bedstraw

Tolerates dry shade*

Abutilon, begonia, lady’s mantle, astilbe, and vinca ‘Illumination’

Tolerates damp shade

Tolerates deep shade Page

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