I can't remember a fall when the colours have been this beautiful!  Whether walking or driving around Campbell River I have had enjoyed these colours in street trees, on our trails, the stunning view of Quadra Island with the big leaf maples (Acer macrophyllum) lit up within the deep green coniferous trees and within your private gardens.  This leads me to think, of how we never know, who will enjoy the trees and shrubs we plant.

A personal experience of this was a particularly magnificent Smoke Bush (Cotinus) on Hilchey Road which caused me pull over and snap a photo of its glory; all glowing coral deepening to pinkish-red.  I was so pleased I had my camera handy and thankful to the homeowner who planted it for the glowing feeling it passed along to me.

For many years the burning bush (Euonymus alatus) and red maples (Acer rubrum) at the Arena on Dogwood street have been enjoyed by so many of us.  Customers mention this gorgeous planting each and every fall.  I hope those who planted and care for these know who much we all appreciate their beauty.

Autumn is such a magical time in the garden.  With summer behind us the light is softening to golden hues and the shadows are getting long and a lot of plants are preparing for winter.  At the same time some plants have been waiting all spring and summer to delight us with their showiest season - Autumn.

Some plants will dazzle us with fall colours of rich burgundy, red, gold and orange and others will more delicately change to apricot, soft yellows and dusty rose.  All in my mind are beautiful but finding stunning combinations is as important as the plants themselves.  For example; I love the way the deep, dark, plum leaves of Cotinus (Smoke Bush) illuminate in the fall to salmon-pink tones.  However when Smoke Bush are combined with Pampas Grass (and maybe a little bit of a wrought iron fence or railing in behind) you have a gorgeous vignette to look upon, not only in the summer but also in the fall.  This is a little combo I've been looking for a place around my house for a while. 

Here are just a few of the plants that I think are interesting for using for fall and winter interest.  Some have interesting leaves or fall colour, some have beautiful stems and some have gorgeous berries.

Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' (Twig Dogwood)

It's always exciting to see what is new for the garden.  This fall there are lots of new bulbs to plant for gorgeous spring blooms.  Here is a sneak peek at a few that we are really excited about!  Most of these are in stock now, a few are still to come...

Allium 'Silver Spring'

Allium are always popular so new varieties are also always welcome.  Alliums are not only show stoppers but also deer resistant, sun loving and drought tolerant.  They bloom in early summer so they really lengthen the bulb season.  This variety Silver Spring has four inch large, round blooms of raspberry and white with maroon centres and a sweet licorice scent. Hardy to zone 4, they grow to 26 inches tall.

Allium 'Summer Drummer'

How are you enjoying your summer harvest?  Our peas were fantastic and though our tomatoes seem a little bit late they are coming on great now and in abundance! We processed our second batch of Oven Roasted Tomatoes yesterday.  The first batch only made it to the dinner table (served over pasta) but the second batch made it to the freezer.  

As far as potatoes go the Satina variety is always our favourite, but we need to get out and dig some of the others we grew to compare.  We've planted Satina, Norland, Red Pontiac, Sieglinde and Banana potatoes.  

Even if you don't have much room for veggies just having a great selection of herbs to add to salads, new potatoes and meats is so wonderful.  All these home grown plants are so good for us, body and soul, we don't want it to end and if we plan it right it doesn't have to. 

You don't have to look far to find someone talking about how healthy fresh fruits and berries are for us.  Casually pass the checkouts of your supermarket and the health and fitness magazine covers are raving about these "Super Foods".  Flicking around the TV or while you are surfing the internet we get the same messages; fresh fruits and berries are packed with not just juicy flavour but with vitamins, minerals and powerful antioxidants that help us be more healthy, fight disease and lose weight.  But come on...we knew this.  Mom was always telling us if we were hungry grab and apple.  She must be giggling now to see these same "super foods" dressed up in their super hero capes!

The best thing about these new hydrangeas is that they re-bloom all summer long!  The wonderful plant breeders at Proven Winner and Ball Horticulture have developed some truly amazing new plants for your garden. 

The following hydrangeas all bloom on new growth, meaning that they begin to bloom in June (instead of July) and continue to bloom all summer long, then into the fall and right up until the frost stops 'em.

If you like to cut hydrangeas to enjoy indoors these hydrangeas will quickly re-set their blooms and be back in flower before you know it.

Pruning is also easy with these re-blooming hydrangeas.  Simply trim them to the height you require in Spring and they will bloom that same summer.  This makes them also ideal container plants.

Hydrangea arborescens Bella Anna

Sugar Moon

 Hybrid Tea - Super fragrant pure white

This rose is a beauty!  I was lucky enough to get to trial this rose last year and it is the nicest fragrant white rose I have ever come across.  Lovely deep, dark green leaves compliment the classic white roses.  Sugar Moon showed good vigor and good re-bloom but it will be the fragrance you will love...  

Ketchup & Mustard

Floribunda - Ketchup red/mustard yellow bicolour

As the beginning of a new year unfolds it is a great time to both reflect on last year and make plans for the New Year.  Sure there is plenty to do in the garden, to get ready and cleaned up for Spring, but spending some time reflecting and planning is also very important and quite satisfying and it may save you time in the long run.

My favourite way to start is to bundle up, grab an empty notebook and your favourite warm drink and wander through your yard.  Try to look at your garden with fresh eyes.  You might need to walk down the street and then approach your yard to try to see it "fresh". Don't overwhelm yourself.  You might only look at one part of your garden today so start by picking one that is the most important to you.

Most gardeners know which areas need some work but here are some areas you might think about:-

Like most gardeners, as the seasons go, my interest moves from the delicate winter bloomers, to the bulbs that herald early spring, to the joyful promise of planting annuals and so on, and so on. As each season passes I forget how I loved the very first blooms of the plant I am now deadheading and I long for the first blooms of the plants of the next season.

I watch in wonder as the first flush of roses come and now I busy myself cutting roses for bouquets indoors so my flowers continue to form and please me. Oh, we are the fickle ones aren't we, but I simply can't help it; I love my garden, the structure of it, the striking foliage combinations, the fragrances, but most of all I love the blooms. Now that summer is here the blooms are no longer delicate little bursts of colour amazing us on cool and frosty mornings but rather magnificently voluptuous blossoms that awe us with their heady beauty.

Training of a fruit tree begins in the early years, and the aim is to develop a well balanced framework of branches that are capable of supporting the fruit crop. This permanent framework provides the reference points for pruning a mature tree.

Early pruning should only be enough to establish this desired framework; heavy pruning on a young tree can delay fruiting. I find open centre pruning is the most common and the most beneficial to use on fruit trees. This is the style of pruning I will explain today.

Open style pruning produces a bowl or vase shaped tree with no main central branch but instead many of the major limbs, or scaffold branches, angle outwards from the main trunk. These branches usually start at about 2 to 3 feet above the ground and should spiral around the tree with about 6 inches between each of the branches. Being able to identify the difference between new and old growth and what is a fruiting spur and a fruiting bud is important when pruning.