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!

The truth is that fall and winter are my busiest seasons, but the projects are interesting and fun. I've spent many weeks now researching and writing descriptions for the hundreds of new perennials our nursery will be selling in 2004. This includes those concise descriptions that go on the back of Heritage Perennials® plant tags and the longer ones you can find on our website. Each plant has over a hundred attributes to figure out at the same time, things like the height, spread, garden uses, habits (both good and bad -- one always strives to write an honest label!) and hardiness, to name just a few. We have an exciting lineup of new offerings to unveil in the New Year. More details on this will be in the January newsletter.

So, what does a perennial gardener do for the winter? Some of you probably find other creative outlets for your energy and talents. I play the bass clarinet myself, always a good idea to have a second passion when your first becomes your career. Check our December contest topic down below. I'm curious to know how you divert your gardening energy during the long and chilly winter months!

Just a quick update from last month's newsletter. I got almost ALL of the shrubs and trees planted. The bulbs remain in their bags indoors still, the ground now frozen. I'd better find that link again on how to force them. Anybody have a spare fridge I can borrow?

Hopefully some of the entries this month will provide shopping inspiration for those gardeners on your gift list! I couldn't resist sticking in a few comments of my own after some of these suggestions.

"I have gardened with the Knotty Garden Twine for about ten years now. It is INDISPENSABLE. I use it for staking perennials (spider-web staking that is -- see the website), tying vines to trellises, tying bundles and even binding joints of trellisses when I construct them out of branches. The knots hold, the knots can be untied, the piece of twine can be re-used many times. And it does NOT stick out in the garden, it is black and totally disappears. Wonderful stuff!" Dale -- somewhere in British Columbia
— [The website above has a link to a great page showing detailed instructions with pictures on spider-web staking. I'd never heard this term before! -- JV]

"My favourite garden tool has not been a shovel or hoe, but it's a $1.00 rake about 16 inches long that I purchased from the Dollar Store. It comes in handy for everything from smoothing out the soil to cleaning up grass clippings around the edge of my garden after mowing. It does such a nice, neat job in cleaning up clippings and leaves. I just love it." Dora -- New Minas, Nova Scotia
— [Sometimes the most inexpensive tools are worth their weight in gold. Years ago I bought a $1.00 hoe designed for kids (and purple!), then cut the handle off to a comfortable 18 inch length. It's perfect for reaching inside a densely planted perennial bed. -- JV]

"My favorite garden gadget is the Lee Valley Fence-mount Sprinkler watering system. By attaching the hose to the fence and putting the spigots where I want them I can water my whole garden with ease. Additionally, the adjustment system on each spigot allows me to shut them off as each area receives the appropriate amount of water." Scott -- Cookstown, Ontario

"Although it's not considered a "gadget", my favourite pest control to keep squirrels from eating my tulip bulbs is steel wool. I wrap the bulbs in a thin layer of steel wool and leave the tips exposed. The squirrels leave them alone and in the spring I have beautiful tulips." Roz -- somewhere in Ontario

"In the winter when the gold course is trimming their trees I collect the branches from Curly Willows and use them for plant supports. I like them because they have character and are very natural looking. They also make great supports or decorations in flower arrangements and smaller plants grown in pots." Margaret -- St. Catharines, Ontario
— [I've been wondering if Margaret finds that these Curly Willow branches take root and grow? I suppose sticking the base of the stems into a bucket of boiling water for a few minutes would prevent this from happening. -- JV]

QUESTION: I'd like to keep my Rosemary plant indoors for the winter. Last year I killed one. Any suggestions on how to care for it? Sharon -- Regina, Saskatchewan

ANSWER: Join the club. Many of us have killed our share of tender perennials in an effort to keep alive indoors over the winter. I've found with Rosemary that they need good drainage AND to be kept evenly moist rather than letting them get really dry in between waterings, especially if the plant is in a small pot. Find the sunniest window in the house and turn the plant regularly so it doesn't get too lopsided. Check the soil with your fingers every few days, or by picking up the pot and getting a sense of whether it feels light or heavy. Apply enough water each time so that it runs out the holes in the pot. To help prevent root rot you can set the pot on a layer of pebbles in the saucer. Watch for signs of wilting -- the tips of the stems will droop when the plant is approaching critical dryness. Rosemary will cope with room temperature but actually prefers it cooler, so a cool porch or sunroom is ideal. Once the New Year arrives you can start fertilizing it with 20-20-20 according to the medium rate on the label.