Trees
The distinction between trees and shrubs is not especially clear. Generally, trees are taller than 12 ft at maturity, with a single woody, central stem and a distinct head. By contrast, shrubs tend to be woody perennial plants with multiple stems originating near the soil line. Shrubs are also usually shorter than 12 ft at maturity. You can see why the line between shrubs and trees can be somewhat fluid. On the basis of height, the English Holly listed under Shrubs should belong under Trees, but in its dense, bushy habit it is a shrub, so that’s where I’ve placed it. Below, you’ll find a small listing of trees available. If you’re looking for a specific tree, make sure to check under shrubs as well, and vice versa.
Cotinus Coggyria
Also known as Purple Smoke Tree or Bush. A small ornamental with reddish purple foliage and large plumes of feathery pink flowers. The deciduous foliage holds its colour all summer before turning scarlet in the fall. Cotinus is drought tolerant and creates an accent in the garden with its colourful foliage, especially near golden leafed plants. Deer resistant as it matures, although deer have been known to browse on young foliage. 8-20 ft tall x up to 15 ft wide. $7. 2 pots left.
Douglas Fir
This is a common tree in our area. Our specimen is relatively small and attractive looking in a 2 gallon pot, although it will in time grow into a large, naturalized tree. The advantage to buying a pot-grown tree is that there is no heavy work digging it up without damaging roots and no transplant shock. A fast-growing tree for sun which prefers acidic soil. Drought tolerant once established. 40-70 ft tall x 12-20 ft wide. $3-4. 2 pots.
Laburnum anagyroides
Also known as Golden Chain Tree. Medium-sized ornamental with bright green, lupine-like foliage and long racemes of golden flowers in spring. Seeds are pea-like and poisonous. Sun to part shade in well-drained soil. Deciduous, hardy tree. Easy care. Do not fertilize. Drought tolerant once established. Our trees are in 2 gallon pots and just reaching flowering size. 15-25 ft tall and wide. $15. 6 pots.
French Pussywillow
Also known as Salix Caprea. Multi-stemmed tree with large, fuzzy catkins in late winter. This medium tree or large shrub works well as a privacy screen due to its upright, dense habit. Full sun to partial shade. Easy care. 12-25 ft tall x 12-15 ft wide. $8. 6 two-gallon pots left.
Staghorn Sumac
Also known as Rhus typhina. A small tree or open, spreading shrub growing 2-20 ft depending on conditions. Forms dense thickets as it suckers, making it useful as a mass planting but potentially invasive. Beautiful fall colour. The name comes from the velvety red hairs on the branches resembling a stag’s horns. This specimen has not yet shown the striking flowers found on female plants; it may simply be immature or a male specimen. $8. 1 two-gallon pot.
Tamarisk
Also known as salt cedar. A deciduous small tree or shrub with scale-like foliage and feathery plumes of pink flowers. Can grow up to 15 ft tall and wide, although these particular plants seem to have a much shorter habit. $5. 2 pots.
Climbers
Climbers add vertical interest to the garden and often have showy flowers. Some are small and self-contained, while others are boisterous in their growth habit. Many are sweetly scented.
With the exception of the annual sweet peas, our climbers come in 1 to 2 gallon pots and range in price from $8 to $25. See below for more details.
Clematises
Among the Clematises, there are two distinct groupings: the large flowered cultivars, which tend to have fewer but very showy flowers, and the small-flowered species. Large flowered clematises are content to take up a limited spot along the fence, while the small-flowered species are exuberant and capable of cloaking the entire fence in their many small blooms. Clematises prefer to have their heads in sun and their roots in shade, so plant a short ground cover or arrange some pottery over their roots.
Lady Betty Balfour
One of the large flowered cultivars, with velvety, violet-blue flowers in late summer to fall. Deciduous. For a large, mature Clematis in a 2-gallon pot, $25 is an especially nice price. 1 pot.
Clematis Mandshurica
A sweetly scented small-flowered variety. Starry white autumn flowers on 5-6 ft vines scramble over slopes or up walls with some assistance. Dies back almost to the ground in winter, so mark where you plant. $10. 15 pots.
Montana Rubens
Small-flowered clematis with fragrant pink blooms. Vigorous and exuberant! This one will take the whole fence if you let it, creating a striking wall of flowers in spring. Deciduous. $15. Sold out 2023.
Ville de Lyon
Another of the large flowered cultivars. Deep magenta flowers in May. Deciduous. $15. Not available 2023.
Honeysuckles
Honeysuckles can be found both among the flowering shrubs and the climbing vines. The two varieties listed here are both sweetly scented climbers. Similarly to clematises, climbing honeysuckles are happiest with their roots in shade and their heads in sun.
Gold Flame
Also known as Lonicera heckrottii. A very showy honeysuckle in pink and orange. $10. Not available 2023.
White-flowering
Another sweetly scented honeysuckle, this one with white flowers, pink in bud. Gallon pots. 4 larger plants at $15 plus 8 at $10 each.
Jasmine Stephan Pink
Strongly growing deciduous climber with pale pink flowers. The best location for producing fragrant summer blooms is a warm and sheltered spot in sun. $10. 7 pots.
Climbing Roses
Roses have a reputation for being finicky, high maintenance plants, but the climbing varieties listed here are tough and generally easy-care. Some are also strongly scented.
Blush Pink Climbing Rose
A single, pale pink climbing rose. Medium flowers on very vigorous, low maintenance plants. This is the rootstock from Peggy’s Morning Jewel climbing rose! Although not as showy as larger, double blooms, the single, blush pink flowers have an old-fashioned charm. $10. 1 large pot.
Climbing Rose Royal Sunset
Coming 2023! A beautiful and especially fragrant rose. Large, double apricot blooms on a generally trouble-free climber. Repeat blooming. Try planting below a deck to allow the flowers to drape over the top and add perfume and colour to your outdoor living space! Full sun. 8-15 ft tall x 8-10 ft wide. $15. 2 one-gallon pots left.
Sweet Peas
The annual versions of these colourful vines are sweetly scented, while the perennial version, alas, has no scent! Annual sweet peas flower best in spring to early summer. Once the summer heat sets in, they begin to flag.
Perennial Sweet Peas require larger pots and are priced at $4, while the annual sweet peas are priced at $2 and contain 3-4 plants per pot.
Perennial Sweet Pea
These large and vigorous vines are loaded with the typical sweet pea flowers in white, pale pink, or deep pink. They come back year after year and set babies to boot. Unlike their annual cousins, these sweet peas do not flag in summer heat. Unfortunately, they have no scent! Considered invasive because of their free-seeding habit. 1 larger pot at $5 +2 smaller pots at $3 each.
Royal Family
A mix of large annual blooms on sweetly scented 6 ft vines. Peggy’s favourite of the annual sweet peas. 2 pots left.
Starry Night Mix
A mix of highly scented sweet peas from the Old Spice line. Dark, rich colours include navy blue, scarlet, deep purple, maroon, and white. Vines reach 6 ft in height. 17 pots left.
Bulbs and Tubers
Agapanthus
Also known as Lily of the Nile or African Lily. Dark blue clusters of starry flowers above strap-like foliage add a tropical element to the garden. This tough heat-lover is drought tolerant as well as deer and rabbit resistant. Unlike other rhizomes, it flowers best under crowded conditions. Height and spread of 2-3 feet x 3 feet. $5. Not available 2023.
Alstroemeria
Also known as Peruvian Lily. All blooming yellow so far. A strong spreader where happy. Sun to part shade in a sheltered position. They tend to flop, so give them a stake or other support. 2-3 ft tall and wide. $4. 5 pots.
Spanish Bluebells
One of the later blooming spring bulbs. Nodding lavender-blue flowers add an informal country garden flair. These easy-care bulbs naturalize in well-drained soil in woodland settings but also flourish in a range of other growing conditions. They go dormant in early summer, all but disappearing, only to make a reappearance the following spring. Both drought tolerant and deer resistant. 1-2 ft tall x 1 ft wide. $2. 24 pots.
Calla Lily
Also known as Zantedeschia. Elegant white blooms for rich, moist, even wet soil beside streams. Prefers sun to partial shade so long as the soil doesn’t dry out. These evergreen rhyzomes have an architectural quality, growing to 3 ft by 3 ft in the garden. They are seldom bothered by deer. Not available 2023.
Canna Lily
With their dramatic foliage and flowers, Canna lilies add an architectural element to the garden. These tropical rhizomes need sun and good drainage, as well as winter protection unless you live in a warmer micro-climate such as Oak Bay. Deer and drought tolerant, reaching heights of 3-5 feet in the ground, less so if planted in pots. Not available 2023.
Crocosmia Lucifer
Also Known as Montbretia. Lucifer has brilliant red flowers arching over pleated, sword-like foliage. The most desirable of the Crocosmia-Montbretia family. This tall bulbous ornamental reaches a height of 3-4 feet with a spread of 1-2 feet. For full sun in well-draining soil. Drought tolerant as well as deer and rabbit resistant. Attracts hummingbirds and naturalizes well. $4. 7 pots.
Purple Crocus
An early spring bulb sporting cup-shaped flowers in a deep purple atop narrow green leaves with prominent white striping. Naturalizes well and is generally left alone by deer. A low grower to 6 inches tall. $2. Not available 2023.
Daffodils
Also known as Narcissus. Spring bulbs which naturalize well in sun. The most common colour is yellow, although two-tones and whites also abound. 1 bunching with cream bonnets and yellow trumpets, and 1 yellow available. Deer resistant. 4-20 inches tall, depending on variety. $2. 2 pots.
Dahlias
Dahlias flower in a wide range of sizes, colours, and shapes. In general, they prefer full sun and well-drained soil. We’ve potted and over-wintered last year’s bare-root tubers,* which are a mix of specialty cultivars that tend to be larger and generally showier than bedding dahlias.
*Some tubers such as dahlias need winter protection in our climate. They can be transferred to pots in a frost-free greenhouse or dug up and overwintered in a cool, dry location such as your garage or basement. (Shake the dirt off, label, and layer the bare root tubers with newspaper or other material. They do not need sun or watering, but should be potted and watered with the growth eyes pointed upward in the spring.) If you live in a warmer micro-climate such as Oak Bay, you may not need to lift your tender tubers for the winter.
Our gallon pots each contain multiple tubers and are priced at $4 per pot.
Double White
White pompom flowers, potted, on 2-3 ft tall plants. 4 pots.
Potted Dahlias
Picture is only an approximation of the flowers. Varieties available for 2023 include Dolly’s Stripe, Yellow-Orange, Red Ruffle, and Big Orange. No pictures available yet, but these dahlias will be showier cultivars rather than bedding plants, many suitable for cutting. 17 pots.
Daylilies
Also known as Hemerocallis. Daylilies typically flower for just one day. Their flowering season, however, is packed with blooms. Daylilies are not fussy about growing conditions, but they flower best in full sun and well-drained soil. Drought tolerant once established. Deer are fond of daylilies, so plant them where the deer can’t forage.
Our Daylilies come in 1-2 gallon pots; the larger pots are priced at $4 each, while gallon pots go for $3.
Pink Apricot
Look for a cheerful burst of sunshine tinted with pink in this double flowering variety. 2 two-gallon + 3 one-gallon pots.
Bronze Red
Single flowers but lots of them. 10 two-gallon pots.
Burnt Orange
Another single-flowering variety, similar to Bronze Red. 2 two-gallon pots.
Dusty Maroon
Double flowers. A beauty! 5 one-gallon pots.
Yellow
Cheerful semi-double flowers. 2 one-gallon pots.
Assorted
Colours unknown, but plants are big and healthy. 4 one-gallon pots.
Grape Hyacinths
Also known as Muscari. Choose a spot with well-drained soil in sun for this easy-care spring bulb. Naturalizes well. Just 6-8 inches tall. Both deer resistant and drought tolerant once established. $2. 1 pot.
Irises
Irises make up a large category, from fleshy tubers to rounded bulbs. All do best in sun, but some prefer well-drained soil while others are happiest in moist or even wet soils. Irises benefit from being divided every three to four years. When you notice reduced flowering, it’s probably time to divide your clumps. Irises tend to grow old and unproductive from the centre out. Cut fleshy tubers apart with a sharp knife, making sure each new planting has at least one fan of leaves and a plump, healthy rhizome and roots. Discard old, withered rhizomes. Give away your excess.
For Siberian Irises, dig up and divide the fibrous root ball with a sharp knife, discarding dead or weak parts. Replant roughly half as much plant mass as removed. Give away your excess Siberian Irises, too.
Irises with a fleshy tuber should be planted at surface level, so that the tuber sits slightly exposed while the roots feed down into the soil. These irises do not flower well when crowded, so give their tubers, or rhizomes, some space to grow. Siberian Irises should be replanted with the roots about an inch below the surface. Irises growing from bulbs should be planted at a depth of about 3 times their bulb size. Plant other irises at the same soil level at which they were initially growing.
Our Irises are in 6 inch to 2 gallon pots. See below for pricing.
Blue Iris
Bearded Iris. Follow the directions for replanting irises with fleshy tubers. Grow in well-drained soil in sun. Drought tolerant as well as deer resistant. $3. 5 pots.
Lavender Iris
Another Bearded Iris. See the section on dividing and replanting irises with fleshy tubers above. Plant in well-drained soil in sun. Both drought tolerant and deer resistant. $3. Not available 2023.
Blue Siberian Iris
These tall, slender irises don’t resent crowding as much as the bearded irises, but in time they also become less productive and benefit from periodic division. Siberian Irises thrive in sun but will also tolerate partial shade. These irises grow well in cool, even wet conditions. Deer resistant. $4. 5 one-gallon pots.
Yellow Siberian Iris
A yellow version of the traditional blue Siberian. See above for growing conditions. $3. 25 one-gallon pots.
Violet/White Iris
Another of the bearded irises with a fleshy tuber and striking bi-coloured flowers. See the section on dividing and replanting irises with fleshy tubers above. Plant in well-drained soil in sun. Drought tolerant as well as deer resistant. $3. 1 pot.
Irises colour unknown
These irises have fleshy tubers and are likely bearded. $3. 16 one-gallon pots.
Kaffir Lilies
Also known as Schizostylis or Clivia. Clusters of 10-15 trumpet shaped pink or red flowers bloom on 18 inch stalks in the fall. Foliage dies back to nothing after flowering, so mark where you plant them. Prefers sun in moist but well-drained soil.
1 gallon pots priced at $4 each.
Kaffir Lily
Probably pink, although they may also be red flowering. 5 pots.
Red Kaffir Lily
The red version of Kaffir Lily, a bit more striking than the pink and less common. 1 pot.
Oxalis
Also known as Shamrock or Wood Sorrel. Clover-like plant with pretty pink flowers for shade and moist soil. Makes a good ground-cover as long as its roots don’t dry out. 12-14 inches high with a wide spreading habit where happy. $3. Sold out.
Snow Drops
Also known as Galanthus. These snow-white flowers in winter provide a charming taste of the coming spring. Totally rabbit and deer-proof, easy care bulbs for sun to partial shade. 3-6 inches tall and given to naturalizing where happy. $3. 5 pots.
Tulips
Popular spring bulbs, one flowering red and the other a pale yellow. Easy care for sun and well-drained soil. $2. 2 one-gallon pots left.
Yucca
This plant makes an impression. Creamy white flowers grow in a huge stalk above evergreen, sword-like foliage. The entire plant grows to 6 ft or more and puts on a striking display in mid to late summer. For sun and very well-drained soil. Tough. Both drought tolerant and deer resistant. $7. 1 pot left.
