Heritage Perennials are grown by Valleybrook Gardens, an innovative and leading producer of over 1500 varieties of perennials, hardy ferns and ornamental grasses. Our distinctive blue pots of HERITAGE PERENNIALS are available from independent retailers and dealers in many parts of Canada and the USA. We're passionate about perennials! We hope this newsletter helps you to enjoy your perennial gardening even more.

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Our best-selling book, the Perennial Gardening Guide is a handy reference used by gardeners across North America written by our own Horticulturist, John Valleau. Released March/2003 in a brand new 4th edition!

Learn more about the book and buy it here today!

Gardeners in the BC Lower Mainland area are invited to attend the Valleybrook Gardens 4th PUBLIC PERENNIAL OPEN HOUSE at our nursery in Abbotsford on Friday, September 5th, 2003 from 9AM to 4PM. Join us for a tour of the propagation, growing and shipping facilities, or take in one of the morning gardening talks. Plants will be available for sale as well as our newly revised Perennial Gardening Guide. Please stay awhile and enjoy some of the delectable treats from the AfterThoughts food kiosk. Click here for more details and directions to the BC Nursery.

Since arriving back home, I've entered a very new stage of my gardening life. We got a dog!! This explains the topic of our September contest. I'm relying on all of you for some guidance now on gardening (successfully) with dogs, and some of your responses in be featured in the October newsletter. While Rusty settles into her new home, I'm just watching what she does -- where she goes ("goes" being a major part of lawn care now), what she nibbles, knocks over or digs up. Things will probably have to change, to accommodate her inclinations and make living with our new 4-legged friend as easy as possible for the entire household. Pictured above, Rusty is about 2 years old, a medium-sized dog that was taken in by friends as a stray. She has a rather timid disposition, and a healthy -- but not annoying -- curiosity about her surroundings. So far so good!

We chose this topic because it's something that we get asked about frequently, and there seems to be very little information out there specifically on this type of planting.

Our judges were unable to choose just three, so this month, four lucky winners will each receive a copy of our Perennial Gardening Guide. Here is a sampling from the winning entries.

"I've used Sedum in my gravesite plantings. They are easy to propagate, very drought-tolerant once established, can take sun or even some shade. I like to use variegated or colored-leaved ones as they are attractive all year. One of the combinations that I have used: Sedum 'Purple Emperor' (dusky purple leaves and mauve flowers in fall), Sedum alboroserum 'Mediovariegatum' (green & cream leaves with pink flowers in late fall) and Sedum 'Matrona' (purple-grey foliage, red stems and pink flowers in fall). You could also use Sedum 'Frosty Morn' (grey-gr een leaves with creamy-white margins) to replace any of the above choices or in addition to them. There are so many nice Sedums that you can get almost any look you are after, with almost no care." Rodney -- Bremen, Indiana

"For years I have struggled with my husband's cemetery plot. The first year we planted tulips which were gorgeous the following spring, but alas a few months later there were tell-tale holes 6 inches apart, and not a single plant next year -- the squirrels had got them all. Because there are a lot of trees nearby, no matter how the soil is worked up, the maple roots invade our little plot in only one season. One by one, annuals and/or perennials have been discarded by process of elimination. This year I hit the jackpot. Around the large, black stone we put a 4 to 5 inch layer of sand/gravel. Then we did a planting of Sempervivum (Hens-and-chicks, pictured above) -- red, green, cobwebs , multicolors, large ones, miniature and mediums. There are hundreds of varieties avai lable and against the white gravel they are a virtual rainbow. Constantly increasing, always colorful, no deadheading, winter hardy. One of my better gardening success stories." Willa -- Harriston, Ontario

"Here are my suggestions for graveside plantings. Make them not only hardy and healthy but, most of all, MEANINGFUL, by personalizing your choice.
If possible, definitely plant your loved one's favorite: hardy roses, coneflowers, lavender, rudbeckia, shasta daisies, coral bells, or hostas. Ornamental Grasses would be wonderful for a farmer or a hiker -- someone who loved the outdoors. Choose lavender or a 'Miss Kim' Dwarf Korean Lilac for your grandmother -- her favorite scent -- bright pink peonies reminiscent of your aunt's garden, or 'Happy Returns' daffodils for someone whose favorite season was spring. If your loved one had a favorite color, plant it!
Yet another thought, go for a name. I've planted a 'Mary' rose in honor of my grandmother, Mary. 'Chocolate Ruffles' Coral Bells would be perfect for a chocolate lover. For my last thought, perhaps incorporate your loved one's cultural background. I have a sister-in-law who is oh-so-proud of her Irish heritage. I'd plant Rudbeckia 'Irish Eyes' for her." Linda -- Champaign, Illinois

"In our part of the world, graves are typically decorated with annual bedding plants, usually geraniums. This doesn't work very well unless there is a commitment to regular weeding and deadheading. Last week, I spent an entire afternoon furtively tidying the plantings near a grave being prepared for a friend's mother. Every single plot at that end of the cemetery needed weeding.
I hope your contest will raise the profile of perennial plantings as a more practical way to honour our ancestors. My own candidate for a graveside perennial is a Hosta. Which Hosta? Any one of quite a few. Depends on light conditions, available space, design of the headstone and individual taste. I have no plans for an immediate interment, but, if I were about to go under I would like 'Sum and Substance'.
The best Hostas project dignity and elegance throughout the growing season. They are beautiful even when they are not in bloom. At a pinch, two maintenance visits per year would be sufficient -- spring clean-up plus an application of controlled-release fertilizer and mid-season deadheading. A collar of landscaping cloth hidden under a mulch would further discourage the weeds and help to avoid conflict with the lawn-mower." Jean -- Nepean, Ontario

QUESTION: My backyard garden is full of perennials. I seem to have a small rodent burrowing in and eating the roots of my hosta (and maybe other plants that I haven't yet noticed). Could it be a mole or a mouse? Any ideas on how I can deter these without killing them with some sort of trap or poison? Any help would be appreciated. Jane -- Cambridge, ON

ANSWER: Rodents are among the hardest critters to try and deal with in a garden. You might well have a groundhog, gopher, mole or mouse bothering your plants. Unfortunately, trapping or poisons are about the best solution for the long term. There are other approaches to consider, such as putting down chicken wire mesh around the particular plants that are being bothered. Some people use cayenne pepper, mothballs and other home remedies but I don't know if these actually work very well.

I just tried a search using Google on the key words "garden pests rodents" (without the quotation marks) and got a lot of hits. Give this a try, and also other combinations such as "garden gopher rid", "garden mole rid", etc. For hunting down gardening information, Google is awesome!

There is no shortage of general garden design books on the market, but only a few focus specifically on perennial border design, and most of these are best suited to the advanced gardener. Douglas Green has made a successful attempt here to bring new gardeners up to speed quickly on the basic design concepts such as choosing a bed shape and size, planting in groups rather than creating a hodge-podge collection, creating focal points and using plant drifts. I particularly like the technique he outlines for spreading seasonal color throughout a planting, thus creating a bed that maintains interest across its length from early spring to late fall. The ideas on color theory included here are a little different from the usual methods. There is no right or wrong when it comes to color, but it's refreshing to read some theories beyond the typical definitions of "contrasting" and "harmonious" that are the usual fare.

Individual plant profiles make up a large chunk of this book, arranged in sections by blooming season. I like this method of organization, since it allows the reader to focus on specific times in the season when their garden may be lacking that much-needed punch of flower power.