Best blooms

Story by Debbie Olsen

Discover what’s hot in Alberta gardens for the 2005 season.

Spring has sprung and there’s no better time to begin planning your garden space for the upcoming growing season. With its many soil types and various climates, there’s always something new in Alberta gardening and this coming season promises a greater selection of new plant varieties and innovative techniques than ever. 

Look no further than your local greenhouse for the latest trends in gardening as well as the best advice on how to incorporate new ideas into your particular climate and space. “We certainly consider new trends in the marketplace when we’re bringing in plants and gardening supplies each year and try to accommodate anticipated demands,” says Jim Hole, owner and operator of Hole’s Greenhouses & Gardens Ltd in St. Albert. “A professional greenhouse is really the place to go if you want to find the greatest variety of new plant species and to get the best advice on what to grow in your particular climate and space.”

To help you make this year’s garden your best ever, we’ve rounded up a few of the latest gardening trends. Since gardening is really agriculture on a smaller scale, we’ve also gathered some tried-and-true growing tips from the agricultural industry that you can use in your home garden.

Top 10 Gardening Trends

1. Fiery Colours – “We’re seeing a real trend to fiery colours for this next gardening season,” says Cara Pagnucco, perennial manager at Sunnyside Home and Garden Centre in Calgary. “There are a number of new varieties of plants with red and orange blooms and some beautiful coleus with red and orange foliage that should add variety to gardens this season.”

2. Cut Flower Gardens – The scent and colour of fresh-cut flowers really brightens up a home and many people are choosing to grow their own flowers just for this purpose, says Donna Hubman, perennial supervisor at Greengate Garden Centre in Calgary. Look for flowers with sturdy stems and unusually shaped non-fading flowers with abundant long-lasting blooms. Some classic choices for cut flower gardens include delphiniums, gladioli, iris, sweet peas, sunflowers, and peonies.

3. The Garden as a Living Space – Most homeowners are beginning to realize that their living area doesn’t need to end at their back door. Patios and decks are being used more often for outdoor entertaining and relaxation, and landscaping, lighting, and outdoor furnishings are reflecting that trend.

4. Vertical Gardening – Vertical gardening is not only a good use of space, it also adds interest and dimension to a growing area. It is ideal for gardening in urban areas like apartment balconies, where space may be limited. Fences, arbours, trellises and walls can be used to support plants or containers can be placed on shelves or hung from hooks at different heights to create a vertical garden. 

5. Container Gardens – Planting in containers, or container gardening, will continue to be popular for the 2005 growing season, says Hole. Container gardens can provide instant colour to an otherwise drab patio, deck, or backyard. They are also excellent space-savers and can really brighten up unplantable areas, creating an instant oasis.

6. Flowerless Plants – There was a time when gardeners used the old adage “no bloom, no room” in their gardens, but today more gardeners are recognizing the value of interesting foliage in their gardens.  Pagnucco expects ornamental grasses and other flowerless plants to gain in popularity this growing season.

7. Less Grass/ More Garden – Smaller yards with less grass and more garden are becoming popular with homeowners. Replacing grass with low maintenance gardens helps decrease the volume of yard work, reduces the amount of water required and creates a more unique individualized space.

8. Heirloom Vegetables – Most of the seeds sold today are hybrids that have been bred to survive under difficult growing conditions and provide larger crops and better disease resistance. Heirlooms, on the other hand, are old varieties of vegetables that are open-pollinated and can be traced back for 50 years or even more. They are gaining in popularity in the garden and on the menus of gourmet restaurants because many people believe they offer better flavour and texture than hybrid varieties.

9. Rock and Alpine Gardens – Low maintenance rock and alpine gardens with interesting curving beds are becoming popular with modern gardeners. An alpine garden typically contains hardy plants and wildflowers that grow well among rocks.

10. Yard Art – Yard art is a quick way to bring vitality to an outdoor space and make it uniquely yours. Put your lawn gnomes and pink flamingos away because stepping-stones, metal art sculptures, wind chimes and statuaries are the popular items in today’s gardens.

Five Lessons from the Agriculture Industry

Lessons from the agricultural industry can be relevant in your own backyard. In fact, many modern gardening trends have their roots in techniques farmers use in growing crops. These methods work because they’ve stood the test of time.

1. Xeriscaping – Xeriscaping comes from the Greek word “xero,” which means dry. It is a technique used to organize plants according to their watering requirements and thus conserve water. Drought-resistant varieties of grain and other crops have long been popular in the agricultural industry, and drought-resistant bedding plants are just lately rising in demand for use in yards and gardens. This demand is likely spurred on by the unseasonably dry climate that many parts of the province have experienced in the past few years, resulting in increased awareness of the need for water conservation.

2. Organic Gardening – As the demand for organically grown produce has increased, many farmers have begun growing crops organically. Organic farm management avoids the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers to maintain soil productivity and control pests and uses natural methods instead, like using compost or manure instead of synthetic fertilizers. These methods have stood the test of time for organic farmers and those interested in growing organic fruits and vegetables at home can use similar techniques.

3. Crop Rotation – For decades, farmers have known that crop rotation leads to better yields. Crop rotation is a practice where different crops are planted in a field every year. Since each crop uses different types and amounts of minerals from the soil, rotating crops helps to prevent soil depletion. Rotating crops also helps to control diseases and insect infestations. Even though your space is small, rotating crops in your vegetable garden is also a good idea. If you’re practicing rotation, make sure to put in a completely different crop in the space and not one that is closely related. For example don’t plant cauliflower or cabbage in the space occupied by your broccoli last season; it is better to choose a plant completely unrelated like corn or onions instead. 

4. Shelter Belts – Wind can be a real nuisance in some parts of our province, and shelter belts, or trees planted to block wind, have been shown to have positive effects on agricultural operations by decreasing wind erosion of soils and increasing crop yields and livestock weight gains. Those living in windy parts of the province may also benefit from these same principles by planting trees or hedges in their yards designed to act as a wind barrier. Shelter belts can reduce wind speeds by up to 50% on the leeward side of a property.

5. Soil Testing – While soil testing is a common practice for farmers, until recently it has been too costly for the average home gardener. In the past few years, new easy-to-use home kits that test for pH, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium levels have made soil testing an option for gardeners. If you are having trouble getting plants to thrive in your garden, you may wish to do a soil test to determine what nutrients are deficient and measure the pH level of your soil. This information will help you add the appropriate products to improve yield in your garden space.

Have Fun with Your Garden

Gardening techniques and plant varieties are constantly being updated and it makes the hobby of gardening more interesting. Creative gardening is an art form, but you don’t have to be a master gardener to build a masterpiece. Have a look at the latest trends, resolve to try something new, and seek the advice of an expert, like your local greenhouse operator or a friend in the agriculture industry to help you grow a better garden this season.

The most important thing to remember is to have a little fun with your space. “A lot of people take it too seriously,” says Donna Hubman, perennial supervisor at Greengate Garden Centre in Calgary. “Take a look at the latest trends and then have a little fun trying something new.”

New Plant Varieties to Watch for

Echinacea – There are several new varieties of echinacea available this year, including plants with yellow and orange blooms instead of the traditional purple and white.

Asiatic Lilies – The hybrid Asiatic lily Latvia is an exciting new variety that produces beautiful pale yellow flowers with lacy black speckling.

Rex Begonias – There are some new hybrids of Rex begonias available this season. Rex begonia hybrids are classified as foliage begonias, because their foliage combines bright and unusual shades of green, pink, red, silver, purple and grey in bold patterns on the leaves.

Kong Coleus – As the name suggests, Kong coleus features extremely large leaves that are appropriate landscape and large container plantings.

Black Mondo Grass – Black mondo grass is a relatively new cultivar that is about the truest black colour of any plant on the market and grows to a maximum height of 22 centimetres.

Cordyline Grass – Look for cordyline grass to replace the traditional dracaena spike in container plantings this season.