Perennials, Ground Covers, Rock Plants, and Annuals

Buying Perennials: Physical Sales and Sales by Order

Interested in perennials or other plants? Buying local? Supporting a local charity? You can do all that and more by purchasing plants from our Birthright Plant Sales.* Located in Victoria, BC, we sell perennials and other plants at our May plant sales and by order for pick-up from our Langford greenhouse. Looking for specific plants? Feel free to browse this page for your next favourite perennial!

We’re taking pre-orders for the 2024 season starting in February! Orders will be ready for pick-up from our Langford greenhouse in May or, by arrangement, from one of our spring plant sales (see below for dates). We’ve updated most of our listings, except for newly-seeded plants and those waiting on spring division. If you’re interested in any plants with uncertain numbers, feel free to contact us to get on our wait list. Lots of new plants this year, so please take a peek to see what treasures we have in store for you!

Garden Babies for Birthright Plant Sales 2024

We’ll have plant sales at the following locations this coming May. The Langford sale, at Peggy’s greenhouse, offers the greatest selection and variety. If you’ve placed a pre-order and would like to collect it at one of our sales, please be sure to let us know so we can have it ready for you!

• Peggy’s Greenhouse in Langford: May 11 10AM – 2PM 550 Langvista Drive
• St. Elizabeth’s Church in Sidney: May 18 11AM – 2PM 10030 3rd Ave Please note this is a date change.
• St. Patrick’s Church in Oak Bay: May 25 9AM – 1PM 2060 Haultain St.

Most of our sales take place in the spring, but we welcome orders throughout the growing season. Please contact us if you’d like to order plants or arrange a browsing session (once the weather warms up).

*Our Garden Babies for Birthright Plant Sales raise valuable funds so that we may continue the pregnancy support service of Birthright Victoria. Offering friendship and support to women experiencing unplanned pregnancy…because we care.

Ordering Info

Please use our contact form to order plants or book a private browsing session. Include your phone number as a back-up contact and list the plants you’d like and numbers wanted. We’ll get back to you with an itemized invoice, payment options, and pick-up information.

Perennials and Other Favourites

On this page, you’ll find detailed descriptions of our perennials and biennials, ground covers and rock plants, grasses, basket stuffers, flowering baskets, and annuals. Plus a smattering of houseplants! Interested in other plants? Click to see our 2024 Edibles listing or our complete listing for Shrubs, Trees, Climbers, Bulbs and Tubers.

Choosing the Right Place for Perennials, Ground Covers, Rock Plants, Grasses, Basket Stuffers and Annuals

Knowing your plants’ requirements and the gardening conditions available to them will help you place plants where they can thrive. Ideally, you want to match soil fertility, moisture levels, and amount of sun with the needs of your plant. Most perennials and grasses, annuals, and basket stuffers prefer rich to average garden soil and regular watering, while ground covers and rock plants may prefer leaner conditions. You’ll find that some plants crave sunshine while others really need shade to thrive. And still others will tolerate some level of partial shade, even if their preference is for full sun. Take a ramble through your garden and note your soil quality and conditions. Then watch for the terms in this paragraph in the plant descriptions below.

Plant Terminology

A bit of gardening terminology before we begin. Annuals live through just one growing season, put forth a great burst of flowering to produce seed and continue their line, then die with the arrival of cold weather. Because they don’t have to store food for the long winter, annuals are able to flower through most of the summer. Perennials, on the other hand, live for years and usually have specific and shorter flowering periods. They do need to preserve food to last through the winter and fuel their new growth in the spring. Perennials are under less genetic pressure to produce quantities of seed since they will have future seasons in which to reproduce.

Most ground covers, rock plants, and grasses are simply different types of perennials. Basket stuffers may be true annuals, but many of them are actually tropical or tender perennials. If you have a place to protect them over the winter months, such as a warm greenhouse or sun room, or in some cases even a garage, you may be able to save these tender perennials for future years.

Protecting Tender Perennials

Tropicals and Basket Stuffers

Some tender perennials just need a bit of extra winter protection in our southern BC climate, while others are truly tropical and cannot tolerate temperatures much below freezing. Treat basket stuffers as tropical plants, giving them your sunniest window sill in the house* or moving them into a frost-free greenhouse for the winter. In a mild winter, geraniums and other basket stuffers may even survive the winter outside, especially if you live in a warmer micro-climate like Oak Bay, but overwinter them inside if you want to reliably protect these perennials.

*For shade loving plants like the tender fuchsias, you can omit the sunny window sill, but provide some sunlight. Even shade lovers benefit from winter sunlight because it is not as strong as in the summer, and plants grown in the house enjoy even less sun.

Tender Perennials

For tender perennials which can tolerate light freezing, such as the tender salvias, there are a number of ways to offer extra protection. Planting against the house out of cold winds or using a frost blanket are two options. The most reliable solution is to grow them in pots and move to a frost-free greenhouse or sunny window sill, but don’t combine growing in pots with wintering outside for these tender perennials. Plants grown in pots are much more vulnerable to freezing weather. If you’re planning to overwinter tender perennials outside, make sure they’re planted in the the ground.

Some gardeners plant tender and tropical perennials in baskets or in the ground, then transfer to pots in the house or greenhouse for the winter. This method gives you greater flexibility, but it is more labour-intensive. The lifespan of many of the plants listed in our Annuals section can also be extended in this manner, although these annuals often set seed, easily providing replacement plants.

Perennials

Plants which come back year after year, usually growing bigger and more established with time. Although perennials may die back over the winter months, new growth forms at the base or buds each spring. Some perennials benefit from periodic division, while others need little more than regular watering and a bit of summer feeding. Container-grown plants can become pot-bound, so dump them out periodically to check their root mass. If all you see is roots, it’s time to divide or pot larger.

Agastache

Perennials characterized by their tall, fuzzy flower spires in summer. Also known as Licorice Mint or Anise Hyssop for the spicy scent. Flowers are commonly blue to purple, but may also be pink, white, or orange. For sun and very well-drained soil. Drought tolerant as well as happy in poor soil. Attracts bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Said to be deer resistant, although the sacrificial offering of blue agastache put out some years ago was happily munched. See our Annuals section below for a tender Agastache with the scent of Root Beer!

Aquilegias

Also known as Columbine. A group of clump-forming, often short-lived perennials which seed freely in acceptable growing conditions. A staple of the cottage garden preferring partial shade and moist but well-draining soil. Flowers can be single or double, short-spurred, long-spurred, or spurless, in a wide range of colours. (The ‘spurs’ refer to the trailing petals at the back of the flower heads.) Height ranges from very dwarf varieties to the tall McKana Giant.

McKana Giant

A mix of nodding, bi-coloured flowers which bloom over delicate, ferny foliage in late spring. An award winner known for its large, long-spurred flowers. Sun to partial shade. Prefers moist, rich soil so long as it is free-draining. Said to be rabbit and deer resistant. Attracts pollinators such as hummingbirds and butterflies. 2-3 ft tall by 1.5-2 ft wide. Flower colour not yet known. Price: $4. Look for this one in 2025.

Armeria

Also known as Thrift or Sea Thrift. Armerias typically bear spikes of pink, magenta, purple, or white globe-shaped flowers above grass-like foliage. They are alpine plants native to seaside cliffs, although they will thrive in a variety of settings. Full sun in well-drained soil. Both drought tolerant and deer resistant. These charming perennials also attract butterflies.

Asters

Asters add a welcome pop of fall colour with their late flowers. Give them a sunny spot in well-drained soil. Height: 1-3 ft.

Astilbes

Astilbes feature feathery flower plumes above ferny foliage. Showy plants for shade and rich, moist soil. They wilt if allowed to dry out, so site carefully. Said to be deer-resistant, though we’ve heard different stories from customers with deer.

Astilbe chinensis pumilla

Short, intensely purple or magenta flowers for shade. Blooms resemble large, feathery plumes rising above ferny foliage in summer. They flower best in rich, moist soil and are said to be deer-resistant, though we’ve had reports of deer eating some of our plants. Height: 1 ft. Price: $6. Look for a few more in 2025.

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Campanulas

Also know as Bellflowers, there are a large number of Campanula varieties, from low ground cover types to perennials of 3-4 feet. Most prefer sun to partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. They flower in shades of blue, white, and occasionally pink. Most Campanulas, including the three varieties listed here, are perennials, but there are quite a few biennial Campanulas as well.

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Coreopsis

Easy-care perennials for sun. Also known as Tickseed. Coreopsis flower in shades of yellow, plus pink, red, and peach. They are drought-tolerant once established and need good drainage. Among the various Coreopsis, the threadleaf varieties have more ferny foliage and masses of small, daisy-like flowers. They are also the most reliably deer-proof.

Daisies

The classic cottage garden flower. Wide flat flower heads with colourful centres.

Dianthus

Also known as Pinks. This category includes perennials both short and tall, having strap-like foliage and fringed, often highly scented flowers in shades from white to pink to red. Dianthus require well-drained soil in sun and flower over a long period in summer. Evergreen. See our Rock Plants section for additional low varieties such as Maiden Pinks and Sand Pinks.

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Gaillardias

Also known as Blanket Flower for the way these perennials blanketed the North American prairies with blooms. Daisy-like flowers in vibrant combinations of yellow, orange, and red. These perennials prefer full sun and very well-drained soil. Even better, they are deer resistant!

Geums

Also known as Avens. With dead-heading, these long-blooming perennials reward with lovely, rose-like flowers in vibrant shades of yellow, orange, red, peach, or pink from spring through late summer.

Hardy Geraniums

Hardy Geraniums flourish in shade to part shade, with a few varieties preferring sun. Unlike many of the other shade lovers, these perennials are not particular about moisture levels and will even thrive in dry shade, competing with tree roots. This is a large group of ‘true geraniums,’ as opposed to the bedding plants often sold in summer as geraniums, but which are more properly called pelargoniums. True geraniums are trouble-free, hardy, and solidly perennial. Foliage tends to be neat and in some cases finely textured. Flower colours range from white through blues, purples, and pinks, with many varieties having interesting veining, variegation, or spotting.

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Hellebores

Also known as Lenten Rose or Christmas Rose. A large category of shade-loving perennials with nodding cup-shaped flowers. Hellebores flower best in partial shade in rich, moist but well-draining soil. They are both drought tolerant and deer resistant. Newer varieties have an increasingly wider range of flower and foliage colours.

 

Heucheras and Heucherellas

Heucheras are ornamental leafy foliage plants for sun to part shade in rich, humusy soil. (If grown in full-sun, the soil should be well-draining but consistently moist to keep the foliage at its best.) They are especially prized for their tolerance to drought, heat, and humidity. The most well-known of the Heucheras is the traditional Coral Bells, but in recent years many additional varieties have been introduced with colourful foliage and generally less showy flowers. The nectar-rich flowers of these evergreen perennials are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies, but not to deer. Heucheras are also now being crossed with Tiarellas to produce Heucherellas. Check back with us in spring to see if we’ll have any Heucherellas for 2025.

Hostas

Lush foliage in a variety of colours gives these perennials a tropical flare, although they are completely hardy in our climate. Hosta blooms are not especially showy, but they make up for the inconsequential flowers with their architectural grace. Planning a Japanese garden? Hostas are a must-have! Plant in partial to full shade in rich soil. A general rule of thumb is the darker the foliage, the deeper the shade. Light foliage, on the other hand, prefers partial shade, and variegated foliage actually needs a bit of sun to keep it’s colouring from fading. Both deer and slugs are fond of hostas.

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Knautias

Colourful pincushion flowers with a cottage garden vibe add charm to the summer garden.

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Monardas

Also known as Bergamot or Bee Balm. A group of summer-flowering perennials with distinctive, showy blooms in purples, reds, pinks, and whites. Monardas prefer full sun to partial shade and attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Vigorous growers, they are members of the Mint family and can be invasive. Planting in a pot or dividing every 2-3 years helps to limit their spread. Look for an annual Monarda with delightful lemon scent in our Annuals section below.

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Nepeta Walker’s Low

Also known as Catmint. Related to Catnip, although this plant does not drive cats to distraction as catnip does. Forms a soft mound of aromatic gray-green foliage covered in blue flowers in late spring. A robust, easy care, and well behaved perennial for sun. Rabbit and deer-proof as well as drought tolerant. Height: to 2 ft. $4. Look for more in 2025.

Ornamental Oreganos

Oreganos aren’t just for the herb garden any more! These showy varieties add colour and interesting form to the perennial garden. They also lack the invasive vigour of their culinary cousins, making them good candidates for flowering borders or pots.

Kent Beauty

This showy ornamental cascades over slopes or trails nicely over baskets. Kent Beauty has a spicy oregano scent but is not reliably hardy in our climate. Best to use as an annual or root some inside over the winter for the following spring. A moderate spreader. Price: $3. Not available 2024.

Perennial Potentillas

Also known as Cinquefoils. There is some confusion between the shrubby potentillas and the perennial form. You’ll find the latter here, with soft, evergreen foliage and anemone-like flowers. A word of warning: unlike the shrubby potentillas, deer consider perennial potentillas a tasty treat. Please see our Shrubs page for the woody form. All potentillas prefer full sun in well-draining soil.

Showy Primulas

Unlike more common varieties, these specialty primulas have thick, fleshy leaves held in low evergreen rosettes below showy flowers. They require rich, moist soil in partial shade like their common cousins, but their spring flowers are generally more vibrant, with intense hues and contrasting eyes. Height is generally 6-8 inches, with a spread of 6-12 inches.

These choice specimens are priced at $5 each.

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Ornamental Salvias

Salvias are members of the Sage family, but unlike their herby cousins, the ornamental salvias boast especially showy flowers. They retain enough of the sage scent to be unattractive to deer, which is a bonus for the flower gardener! Plant all salvias in full sun and well draining soil. While some are cold-hardy, members of the greggii and microphylla branches are somewhat tender and may need extra winter protection.

In addition to the plants listed here, we expect to offer a limited selection of other choice varieties in 2025. Please contact us directly in the spring for more details.

Queen Mix

Queen Mix offers a blend of rosy pink and violet blue spikes beloved of bees and other pollinators. Aromatic foliage to 2 feet on strong, bushy plants. Prefers full sun and well-draining, even poor, soil. Both drought and deer tolerant. At least 2 are flowering in Violet. $7. 2-3 pots coming in 2025.

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Biennials

Biennials are in a class of their own. Unlike both perennials and annuals, they complete their lifecycle in two years, usually forming a rosette of low foliage in the first year, then developing a flowering stalk and flowering in the second year. Biennials die after setting seed, but they are usually vigorous seeders, so you’ll have babies for years to come. The plants provided here are all in their second year, so you should have flowers this spring or summer.

Ground Covers and Rock Plants

Ground covers are useful, low growing perennials with often invasive tendencies. There’s a reason we call them ground covers! Many are rampantly aggressive in optimal growing conditions, while others are only moderately aggressive or even well-behaved. Watch for these terms in the descriptions which follow to best gauge where to plant them.

Rock plants are generally dwarf or low growing perennials well-suited to rocky, lean, and well-drained soils. There are some exceptions, but most rock plants need full sun to thrive. Hens and Chicks and the low growing sedums are good examples of rock plants. Many rock plants are also deer resistant.

Achilleas

Also known as Yarrow. Easy-care ground cover perennials bearing flat flower heads. For well-drained soil in sun. Drought tolerant as well as deer resistant. Attracts pollinators and other beneficial insects. The millefoliums can be invasive via seeds or rhizomes, so plant with care or grow in pots.

Ajugas

Also known as Bugle or Bugleweed. Perennials for shade with blue flowers above spreading foliage. An aggressive ground cover in the right conditions.

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Cerastium Tomentosum

Also known as Snow-in-Summer for the many white flowers which blanket the wooly gray foliage in spring. A beautiful ground cover with a free-seeding habit. Easy care. Tolerates neglect so long as it is planted in well-draining soil in sun. Price: $4. 2 pots left.

Delospermas

Also known as Ice Plants. Succulents with narrow, evergreen foliage topped by low, shimmering daisy-like flowers in a variety of colours. These sun lovers flower through most of the summer. Drought tolerant but, unfortunately, a tasty treat for deer.

The following delospermas are priced from $3 to $4.

Dianthus

Smaller flowered and lower growing than their taller cousins among the perennials, these dianthus make wonderful rock garden plantings. They are drought tolerant as well as deer resistant. For full sun in well drained soil.

Helianthemums

also known as Rock Rose or Sun Rose. An attractive family of shrubby ground covers related to Cistus (see our Shrubs page). Heat lovers for containers, rockery, or ground cover with rose-like flowers in shades of white, pink red, yellow, and orange.

Hens and Chicks

Also known as Sempervivum. Mat-forming succulents with low rosettes of foliage (the hens in their name) surrounded by smaller rosettes (the chicks) which can be separated and replanted to increase your plantings. Tall flower stalks rise from the centres of these perennials in summer. Drought tolerant for full sun and poor soil.

The following Hens and Chicks are priced from $3-$4.

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Saxifrages

Most of the saxifrages prefer moist soil in shade, but we have one variety for Sun. These are hardy, low growing perennials topped by wispy pink or white flowers in late spring to summer.

Sedums

Also know as Stonecrop. Unlike the showy Sedums, such as Autumn Joy, these low ground cover forms prefer full sun and dry conditions. Uniquely suited to the rock garden, although they could arguably be grouped with the ground covers as well. Drought tolerant, as well as tolerant of poor soil. Most of these perennials are deer resistant, although the odd sedum is nibbled by deer. All sedums are easily propagated by cutting pieces from the parent plant and replanting, making them rather invasive in the right conditions.

The following sedums are priced from $2 to $4 each.

Angelina

Also known as Sedum rupestre. Evergreen stonecrop with foliage that changes colour by the season, from chartreuse yellow in spring to coppery orange or red in winter. Both deer and rabbit resistant. Colourful and striking, Angelina is an aggressive spreader. $3. 9 pots left.

Sedum Sieboldii October Daphne

New for 2024! Also known as Japanese Stonecrop. This delicate succulent boasts large clusters of pink flowers and beautiful leaves edged in deep pink. Foliage emerges blue-green in spring, changing to silver, then a striking orange-red in fall. Growing just 6-10 inches tall by 12 to 18 inches wide, this small, well-behaved sedum is a keeper! $4. Look for more in 2025.

Sedum Spathulifolium

New for 2024! Sedum spathulifolium is also known as Broadleaf Stonecrop. This ground-hugging sedum forms tidy rosettes of gray-green, succulent, evergreen foliage which turn an attractive reddish-purple in winter. A native plant often seen growing on cliff faces or rocky outcrops. Bright sprays of starry yellow flowers in summer. Prefers lean soil in full sun to partial shade. Tough, cold-hardy, and drought-tolerant. Perfect for the rock garden, containers, or rocky slopes! Moderately invasive. $3. Look for more in 2025.

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Silenes

Also known as Catch-fly for the plant’s sticky leaves and stems. Silenes flower in shades of pink, magenta, white and red. Hummingbirds and butterflies are especially fond of Silenes, which are well-suited to containers or the rock garden. Plant in fertile, humusy, well-draining soil in full sun for best results.

Silene Druett’s Variegated

Druett’s Variegated is a white flowering Silene complemented by attractive gray-green foliage edged in white. Forms a low mat of trailing foliage ideal for rock walls or containers. 6 inches tall by 12 inches wide. Partial sun to full sun. Also known as Sea Campion. Hopefully coming 2025.

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Thymes

The ground cover thymes are related to the perennial herb, but tend toward a very low habit with either ornamental foliage or showy flowers. Some ground cover forms, like Wooly Thyme, are very fragrant, but many are not. For sun and well-drained or even poor soil. Drought tolerant as well as deer resistant.

The following Thymes are priced at $3-4 each.

Veronicas

Also known as Speedwell. Attractive, mostly blue flowers on low, evergreen foliage for sun and well-drained, even poor, soil. Because of their low growth habit, dense mats of foliage, and shallow roots, these ground covers are ideal for shading clematis roots while allowing flower heads to soak up the sun. Both deer and drought tolerant. All of these factors make the low veronicas often overlooked gems among the perennials.

The following veronicas are priced at $4 each.

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Vinca

Also known as periwinkle. Lavender blue flowers shaped like pinwheels above mid green or green-and-cream variegated foliage. Vincas prefer rich soil in full to partial shade, but the variegated form seems more tolerant of sun. Tip: plant the green form in shade and the variegated in partial shade to full sun. Attractive, flowering perennials which root from the leaf nodes, but aggressive spreaders in the right conditions. Height: to 1 ft. Price: $4. Look for more in 2025.

Grasses

Ornamental grasses often look striking against other garden plants or swaying in the breeze, but be warned: many grasses are invasive. Planting in a large pot above ground or sunk below soil level in the garden will allow you to enjoy the beauty of ornamental grasses while also limiting their tendency toward invasiveness.

Our grasses are priced from $3 to $6, depending on size and desirability.

Carex

A large group of grass-like, clumping perennials commonly known as Sedges. Most carex prefer moist shade. Many are truly showy, with colourful or variegated foliage and graceful habit. Unlike their more aggressive cousins, carexes are generally not invasive.

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Mondo Grasses

Also known as Monkey Grass or Ophiopogon. Small bunching grasses for moist soil in shade. Black Mondo Grass is the more desirable offering, due to its striking colour, while Green Mondo Grass grows somewhat taller and faster. Mondo grass can be propagated by seed or division. For dark foliage, take seed from Black Mondo Grass only. Expect some of your seedlings to result in Green Mondo Grass, but don’t discard the green ones too early. They often darken as they mature. You can also divide mature plantings of Black Mondo Grass to ensure black colouration, but plants are slow-growing, so you may have to wait a while before you can divide.

Our Black Mondo grasses are a bit smaller and a bit costlier than their less striking green relatives. Both offer an attractive, clumping form.

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Basket Stuffers

Basket stuffers are generally annuals or tender perennials grown as annuals. Many have a long flowering period, providing bloom throughout the summer. Others are grown primarily for their attractive foliage, which often trails delightfully over the edges of hanging baskets or pots. Variegated or colourful foliage are common among the basket stuffers.

Geraniums

The most well-known summer flower! Not to be confused with the hardy geraniums in our perennials section, bedding geraniums are more properly known as pelargoniums. These geraniums are actually frost tender perennials which provide colour all summer long. They can be saved from year to year by overwintering in a frost-free greenhouse or a very sunny spot in the house. There are also methods for preserving them upside down in your garage or other location, though you’ll have to do some research on that one. Most people treat Geraniums as annuals in our climate, but drive down to California and you’ll see large banks of these tender perennials growing year-round. Any of the three types listed here will do well in a container planting, but it is the Ivy Geraniums which trail so nicely from hanging baskets.

Ivy Geraniums

Also known as Pelargonium. Although geraniums prefer sun, Ivies tolerate more shade than other types. Their trailing habit makes them ideal for both hanging baskets and containers. We hope to have a selection of ivies available for 2025, including Crocodile, Luna, and Mini-Cascade Pink. $4. Look for more in 2025.

Zonal Geraniums

Zonal Geraniums are the workhorses of the summer garden. Large flower trusses adorn ruffled, sometimes variegated foliage all summer long. Plants are upright, suitable for containers but not hanging baskets. We hope to have some of the above varieties available for 2025.

Petunias

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Flowering Pots and Baskets

Fuchsias, CA poppies, and possibly Nemophila add a welcome pop of colour to our baskets this year. Fuchsias prefer shade, CA poppies are sun lovers, and Nemophila likes a bit of both. Fertilize fuchsias regularly as they are heavy feeders, moderately for the Nemophila, and not at all for the poppies!

With the exception of the California Poppies, our flowering baskets are priced at $15 each.

California Poppy Jelly Beans

A specialty variety featuring large, silky double blooms in shades of orange, salmon, rose and gold. Low maintenance, preferring poor, dry soil in full sun. Water sparingly and do not fertilize. Both drought tolerant and deer resistant, this hardy annual self-sows where happy. Height and spread of 8-12 inches x 6 inches. Because CA Poppies do not transplant well, we’ve done the work for you and seeded multiple plants in each large pot. $8. Look for more in 2025.

 

Annuals

We offer a small but growing collection of annuals, many of which will overwinter or set seed in a good year, with the exception of the sweet peas, which might set seeds but will not overwinter. This year, we’re proud to feature a number of heirloom varieties grown in earlier times!

Monarda citriodora

Also known as Lemon Bergamot or Lemon Bee Balm. An ornamental herb producing masses of tiered pink and purple blossoms in summer with a delightful lemon scent and flavour. The entire plant can be used in cooking, salads, and teas, and flowering stalks are suitable for cutting or drying. A member of the mint family for sun and well-drained, even poor soil. Seeds readily, so plant where it can colonize and provide colour and scent for years to come. Attracts pollinators. Technically a tender perennial but usually treated as an annual, this lovely monarda is rarely seen at nurseries. 18 to 30 inches tall. Look for more in 2025.

Snapdragons

Also known as Antirrhinum majus. Heavy bloomers in the cool weather of spring and fall. Often overwintering. Self-seeding but not invasive. Plant in rich, moist but well draining soil in full sun. An old garden favourite dating back to Renaissance times. Deer resistant.

Sweet Peas

Also known as Lathyrus odoratus. Fragrant annual climbing vines for rich soil in sun to partial shade. Sweet Peas prefer some depth to their soil, so give them at least 6 inches! Flowering best in spring to early summer. Once summer heat sets in, they begin to flag.

The first Sweet Peas in garden cultivation date back to the 1600s, when a gardener at a Sicilian monastery sent some of the colourful blooms to friends in England and Holland! Since that time, many varieties have been introduced with larger, more plentiful blooms, a wider range of colours, or greater heat resistance. We’ve grown some of those early sweet pea varieties but do not offer any this year. Let us know if you’d be interested in purchasing either of the above in future years!

Each pot of Annual Sweet Peas is priced at $3 and contains 3-4 plants.

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Houseplants