With the first breath of summer comes the beauty of lilies. Graceful lily flowers are a favourite in many gardens with certain varieties creating bold splashes of colour, a rich heady fragrance or dramatic vertical accents.  Often gardeners have a favourite, like the lovely fragrant Stargazer Oriental Lily, but by adding more varieties you can have lilies that bloom from mid-June to September.  Most lilies are very easy to grow; a little bonemeal and steer manure and they will reward you with years and years of enjoyment both in your garden and as cut flowers.

Asiatic Lilies

With their wide upward facing flowers displayed on masse these are the lilies that create the most vibrant splashes of colour.  From deep dark purple that is almost black like L. 'Landini' to eye popping bicoloured L. 'Lollypop' that is white with deep roses tips on her petals and almost every other colour you can think of.  Asiatic lilies are often overlooked as they are not fragrant but they are the first to bloom in June and so showy and easy to grow they are a welcome addition to any garden.

Bloom Mid June-early July

Height 30-45 inches

Hardy to zone 2

Trumpet lilies (Aurelian Hybrids)

The glorious blooms of Crocosmia brighten up the late summer garden with ease. This South African native is so happy in our Vancouver Island climate that one might wonder why it was not native here. Deer resistant, drought tolerant and winter hardy it out performs many other summer perennials.

On full display in Campbell River's, Discovery Harbour Mall, the blooms of the Crocosmia hybrid, Lucifer, are attracting a lot of attention. Growing three to four feet tall this perennials has fiery, scarlet-red flowers shaped like a delicate gladiolus, arching out from the grass like foliage. It is the perfect compliment to Perovskia (Russian Sage) or Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan).

Crocosmia is cold hardy to zone 5 (Campbell River is zone 7) and should be planted in a sunny location with good drainage. Plant with bonemeal for root growth and plenty of blooms and some good organic matter such as steer manure.

Enjoy!

...Experience the Joy of Gardening!

One of the growing trends in gardening is ornamental grasses. Either on their own or combined with perennials, heather and evergreen shrubs, grasses are really interesting. They promote a coastal look as well as adding the dimension of movement and sound to your garden. Here are a few of our favourites:

Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' A very upright grass that grows about 4 1/2' tall. I's flower plumes are slim beginning white and aging to tan. It stands up straight in my garden even through the windy days. It is fully winter hardy (Zone 4). Plant in full or part sun in average well drained soil.

Carex buchananii A wonderful grass that is copper coloured year round with and arching habit to 18 inches. I think it looks wonderful 12 months of the year but it is spectacular in the fall and winter when it combines with the fall and winter tones in the garden. Extremely effective surrounded by evergreens so that the coppery colour is shown off to the maximum. I must confess though when Nigel first wanted to add this plant to our garden I was less than impressed with the brown colour I first saw, now I see copper! Fully winter hardy (Zone 6). Plant in full sun or shade in average to moist soil.