Our world can change so quickly. We move into our first home with its tiny yard. We leave a larger home with a large yard that we have loved, for a smaller home with a smaller yard that we will love just as much. There just isn’t room for that 20’- 30’ tree or that large mugo pine. But, what hasn’t changed is our desire to enjoy our yards whether looking through a window, or enjoying a day outside.

It is often our sanctuary, no matter the size. It brings us joy, or perhaps provides us with quiet solitude. We create a lifetime of new memories in it. That is a tall order for a small yard, but one the nursery industry has recognized. The list of semi-dwarf and true dwarf evergreens and deciduous trees is growing at such a fast pace. The choices are absolutely amazing, but as the selection has grown, making the right choices has become difficult at times. No matter the size of your garden, it is still too easy to buy a plant because you just love it only to find that it outgrows its space, or just doesn’t fit. I am quite sure most of us can identify with this experience. So, I want to share with you a selection of my all-time favorites. Plants that I know stand the test of time and provide easy care for years.

Let’s start with three very different and equally beautiful deciduous trees. Let me assure you though, there are so many more to choose from at the nursery.

Acer japonicum 'Full Moon'

One of my favorites is Acer japonicum 'Full Moon'. Although this picture shows what an outstanding container plant it is, it does equally well in the garden. This is an award winning tree, and for good reason. The tree naturally has an upright, densely branched form. The leaves are strikingly shaped, having 7-11 lobes. It thrives in part shade to shade and will require little to no pruning due to its natural eye-catching form. It is a very slow growing tree, taking years to reach 8’-10’. Another important attribute is its incredible fall color, turning the most amazing shades of red with the display lasting for weeks as this treasure holds on to its leaves long into the fall.

Zone – Hardy to Zone 5

Water needs – Even moisture

Sun requirements – morning sun, afternoon shade, will tolerate full sun with enough moisture, but watch for leaf burn

Height and Width 10’. Given the decades it needs, it can reach a maximum of 20ft high and 12ft wide

Cornus kousa 'Wolf Eyes'

Cornus Kousa 'Wolf Eyes' has been growing in my garden now for at least 15 years. I have watched it survive, flooding, drought, freezing rain, snow load, extreme heat….the list goes on. It is a true champion and comes through everything nature can throw at it just as spectacularly as the year before. This is a reliable variegated form of Dogwood, now standing at 8 feet high and about six feet wide. I absolutely love this tree. While reversion to green for variegated plants can be an issue … not so with this beauty. Once it finishes flowering, the green leaves accented with ivory along their edges make this tree shine like a beacon in the summer. It handles morning sun and loves even moisture. It takes on a unique pink and scarlet fall color. Its wavy leaves show this tree to its maximum beauty year round.

Zone – Hardy to Zone 5

Water needs – even moisture

Sun requirements – morning sun and afternoon shade but tolerant of full sun

Height and Width to date (15 years) – 8ft high by 6ft wide

Plant with – picea abies pendula – one shaped to keep a low profile

Acer palmatum 'Twomblys Red Sentinel'

Acer palmatum Twombly’s Red Sentinel has quickly weaved its way into the hearts of not just the lovers of Japaneses Maples, but the public in general. Who would not love the look of those gorgeous larger red Japanese Maples in a compact, but equally stunning form? It has all the characteristics that you have come to expect from a maple . . . the rich burgundy foliage in the spring to the scarlet red foliage in the late fall and all the other expectations in between. While its overall size is much smaller, it will not make you wait long to be able to appreciate its addition to your garden.

Zone – Hardy to Zone 5

Water needs – Average moisture

Sun requirements – Part sun to full sun Size – 10ft -12ft high 5ft-6ft wide

Plant with – goes with almost every plant in your garden. Try weeping long needled white pines

Pinus mugo 'Carstens Wintergold'

Pinus mugo Carsten’s Wintergold – Pines have been a staple of gardens for decades and are a passion for me, as they are so varied in size, shape, and color. They seem to withstand almost any condition other than deep shade and are considered somewhat drought hardy once established. They are also not picky about soil, growing in almost any medium but very heavy wet clay. There is literally a pine for almost every corner of the garden, large or small. However, none stands out for versatility as much as this little gem. This shrub is considered by many to be one of the best winter gold pines available. If you are shopping in the late spring or summer look for a deep medium green shrub. If you are shopping in the fall, look for a butter yellow shrub with green hues deep in the center. It is almost magical to watch it warming into a butter yellow for the winter year after year. It is a true dwarf in that it puts on less that two inches of growth per year. The shrubs shown in these photos are 8 years old now and have never been pruned.

Zone – Hardy to Zone 2

Water needs – Average to light moisture once stablished

Sun requirements – Full sun for best color

Size – 18in-24in high 18in-24in wide

Plant with or near – picea procumbens glauca pendula

Chamaecyparis obtusa nana gracilis

Chaemcyparis obtusa nana gracillis is another award winning plant pick. It has been gracing our gardens for over 150 years, adding a naturally sculpted look without a pruner ever touching it. It has dark green foliage with a fan-like layered look, putting on growth in an irregular but eye-catching manner. There is little to say about this treasure as it speaks for itself once you see it. There are several different cultivars that have varied applications for your garden. This is an easy choice for the smaller yard. Bu,t look for this plant in gold hues too – known as Chaemcyparis obtusa nana gracillis aurea.

Zone – Hardy to Zone 5

Water needs – Average to light moisture once stablished

Sun requirements – Full sun to part shade

Size –6ft high 4ft wide

Plant with – weeping burgundy Japanese maple

Nandina domestica 'Gulf Stream'

Nandina domestica Gulf Stream is not what you typically think of when you mention evergreen shrubs, but it is in a class all its own. Also known as false bamboo, please do not let the nickname fool you. It is nothing like the running bamboos many of us picture. It isn’t even in the same family. It is only due to the look of the foliage that it has acquired this misnomer! This is truly one of the most versatile and beautiful evergreen shrubs to have in your garden, with leaf color ranging from bluish-greens, oranges, golds, to reds, and bronze. This is a tough little plant, going so far as to be planted en masse in city boulevards. But it is just at home in your garden. It also makes a great addition to your winter container planting.

Zone – Hardy to Zone 6
Water needs – Drought tolerant once established

Sun requirements – Full sun to light or open shade

Size –3ft high 3ft wide

Plant with – Juniper Bluestar or Pinus Slowmound

As always, call ahead if you are interested in any of these plants as our selection is always changing!

Happy November people!!! Scarecrow season was a Spooktacular success and thank you to all who came by to build their very own scarecrow or who just came by to check it out!! We were able to raise $$$ for our charities!! I also want to thank all of our in house and sponsor builders!! There were some really creative and possibly slightly twisted folks out there!!

I think it might be time for some glasses as I’ve now asked 3 different scarecrows if they were finding the plants they needed. On my behalf, it was a long day and may have been raining and occurred before my afternoon caffeine uptake. Time to tuck away our scarecrow creations for this year…who knows what creatures will take form on the nursery September and October!!

The fall colours this season were really spectacular around the lower mainland on the days that Mother Nature isn’t trying to drown you from the sky - it is still well worth a walkabout in your local park or even around your neighbourhood. It will give you a welcomed rest from the decorating version of whiplash that is about to occur as we change over from orange, black and gold to red, green and white!!

Things to look for in the garden (and at Arts Nursery!):

Beauty Berry - Calicarpa bodineri ‘Profusion’

Love love love this shrub!! Fragrant little violet puffs of fragrant flowers mid spring and intriguing metallic purple berries that last well into winter.

Hens and Chicks - Sempervivum

These are fascinating little sun and drought tolerant rockery plants that look amazing in the morning dew and frost!! We even have one variety that looks like gold. It GROWS that way…seriously!!!

Ironwood tree – Parrotia persica

An often over looked small tree that just grows along, looking glossy and green and minds its own business and doesn’t cause problems and then WOW!!! Along comes fall and you realize that tidy little tree you’ve been overlooking all year is actually a DIVA!! The fall colours of Parrotia persica are bold and glorious and really kick flowers in the… well anyway, they look really great!!

Blueberry Plants!!

Not only do they pay rent with their tasty offerings, these beauties just glow in fall with burgundy, red, orange and gold leaves and then continue through the winter with their red branches. Seriously…this is a win-win situation here.

I do enjoy this time of year where some of the background plants really do step up like the Red Twig Dogwood. They are really starting to glow and take centre stage now that they are losing their leaves. Add a bit of frost and snow and they will awesome!!

Don’t forget when you are raking up those leaves to leave some in the garden beds as mulch (even better if you have a mulcher blade on your mower). Don’t be too tidy when you are cleaning up and trimming back your garden…remember many pollinators overwinter in the hollow stems of spent perennials. It’s also not too late at all to plant bulbs if you want a little early glimmer of spring colour!

You will probably be rushing out for that final mow of lawn too!! Don’t forget to clean, dry and winterize your lawnmower or you will have a rusty, reluctant starter on your hands for next spring. Well, I’m off to binge eat Ben and Jerry’s and left over Halloween candy and try to get revved up about bringing out my winter clothes…yes I’m a procrastinator and no…I am not currently excited about turtle-necks and peppermint everything!!! I’ll get there, but it might take some convincing. Talk to you next month…or when you come by to visit at the nursery, stay dry, take time for yourself and don’t forget your Poppy!

Cheers ... Laurelle

I think it is safe to say that all of us plant our gardens with a vision in mind that it will be beautiful twelve months of the year, only to find that as summer passes, so does the beauty we so enjoy. So off we go to our favorite nursery to add something that will help our garden at that very moment. If you could add shrubs or small trees that serves two purposes at one time, you would be making great use of the space in your garden, no matter the size. Today, I am talking about plant color and plant contribution to wildlife. This idea of plants with two jobs easily translates to pots too!

The following is a brief list of plants that add interest to your garden for more than one reason or season!

Deciduous Shrubs

Deciduous shrubs can stand alone or act as a low to mid-size plants in a mixed garden. They make wonderful backdrops to other lower growing shrubs, low growing evergreens, perennials, and grasses. They also carry the eye easily up to the next tier of your garden which can be your taller shrubs, trees, perennials, and ornamental grasses; thus adding depth. And, finally, seeing bulbs peek out underneath them in the spring is an easy way to put a smile on your face and let you know spring is just around the corner.

Cotinus coggygria 'Gold Spirit'

Although it is hard for me to pick a favorite plant in the garden, this come close. This is the gold leafed form of the more commonly used Purple Smoke Bush. I absolutely love this shrub for many reasons. All gardens should have colored foliage included in their design. Gold foliage catches the eye like a lit candle on even the dreariest of days. For a deciduous shrub, this plant is five stars. It holds its color faithfully throughout the season, not burning at all in the heat of summer. It has incredible versatility when it comes to how big you want it to be and takes to pruning very well. Don’t be afraid to cut it back hard in the late fall or early spring . . . and try lifting it off the ground as seen in the picture to the left, to show its beautiful branching. Even bare, the shape of this versatile shrub is interesting, especially as it ages. It has its best color in full sun and is drought hardy once established. And finally, it puts on a show of incredible color in the fall.

Plant with a dark needled low growing pine such as ‘Pinus thunbergii ‘Thunderhead’

Perennials and Grasses

Fall perennials bring such varied color and height to our late season gardens and can be combined in eye catching combos. In addition to this, these plants have a very important second use if you can delay cleaning your garden beds for just a short while …. These plants will feed your birds. This is becoming increasingly more important as green space disappears. Here are just four of the many perennials and grasses that combine beauty and usefulness:

Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldstrum' combined with Aster asperulus

Commonly called Black Eyed Susans, Rudbeckia comes in all sizes from the 5’ tall Rudbeckia Herbstonne to the 1’ high Rudbeckia Little Goldstar. Rudbeckia Goldsturm is seen here. There are also several Rudbeckias that are considered annuals in our part of the world that offer even more color choices than gold. This hard-working plant provides weeks of color in our fall garden, lighting up a corner on a dull day. It thrives in full sun and requires average moisture to be at its best. It is one of the most tried and true plants out there for a reason. Any aster cultivar will work its magic. The colors range from whites, to shades of pink, to shades of purple. They also bloom for weeks and come in varying heights. Everything you need to brighten your fall garden in one neat package

Echinacea combined with Pennisteum

Echinacea was perennial plant of the year in 2008, and has never looked back. From the days of pink and white flowers only, the varieties have expanded to a multitude of colors to satisfy every palette. It is a bold, strong stemmed beauty that loves the sun. Long before the birds are interested, the butterflies will enchant you as they feed. It looks spectacular on its own or combined with ornamental grasses, such as Pennisetum. This grass also has many cultivars and sizes to choose from and provides interest long into the fall months with its attractive buff coloring

Deciduous Shrubs

Hydrangea quercifolia - Oakleaf Hydrangeas

We are always on the search for plants that do well in shade to part shade. This shrub does all we can ask for in a shrub in spades. This is a plant with presence! In the early part of the year, it is dormant, showing deeply rich red- brown exfoliating bark. The leaves unfurl to be large, deeply-lobed and oak-like in shape, with a very thick, rough texture. The flowers are grape like clusters starting a rich creamy white or pink depending on the variety. Finally, the show finale is its deep red to burgundy leaf color in the Fall. It is slow to growbut well worth the wait. This hydrangea loves to grow in morning sun and afternoon shade, or all-day dappled sun. The top photo is Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snow Queen’. The third photo below shows the leaf colors in rich reds and burgundies that so put on a show every year.

I love this time of year in the garden, but it is impossible to list even a small percentage of the incredible plants available to you. I encourage you to come in to Art’s Nursery and look around… ask for help. We are always happy to talk to you about our plant selection and what we can do to help you complete your garden vision.

Photos Courtesy :
Jo Lester
www.inthegardenbc.com
 

Yes! It’s a thing! At Art’s Nursery, we are currently carrying 2 cover crops for your garden that can be planted NOW for maximum benefit for your soil in your garden.

Green Manures are new ways of adding no chemicals to your garden soil to add benefits of nitrogen, and more for soil benefit! We have a mix (in short supply) of Field Rye and something special called a Rejuvenation Mix, both in 2 kg weights.


But what’s the difference? Fall Rye does many things for our soil. It over time (worked into the soil) acts as compost, but due to its soil and root structure, it helps in preventing soil erosion, and overtime assists in the growth of beneficial fungi, and absorption of excess nitrates. Prefect for the diligent home gardener who composts, or adds great compost to your soil. Fall Rye offers Nitrogen, which is important in the building of plant proteins, important in the growth and development of vital plant tissues and cells like the cell membranes and chlorophyll.


Our Rejuvenation Mix is slightly different, because it has more added benefits inside! While it has Fall Rye included, it also has the benefit of Winter Wheat and Fall Peas. The Winter Wheat suppresses weeds, whereas, Field peas still fixes nitrogen into the soil. But the awesome thing about winter wheat as it takes up excess nitrogen when planted in an area of concern, so it’s the perfect balance for a new home gardener!

On August 29th, I was lucky enough to attend the Coquitlam Farmer’s Market Long Table Dinner, to which the wonderful event was held at Red Barn Plants and Produce, in Maple Ridge. It was great to be at the source of such wonderful food, all growing fresh around us!

All of the food that was served came from local food producers, and primarily from the vendors that frequent the weekly market on Sundays. The funds from this event go directly to the market’s Power of Produce kid’s club. This program happens at the market each Sunday, and teaches kids about local, fresh food through information and a fun activity.

Below is a photo that was a simple salad made from in season radish, cooked beets, tossed with fresh salad greens, candied walnuts and cheese from Golden Ears Cheese Crafters.

But then I thought, while looking at this fantastic plate, and the greens growing around me, of my tired garden. Spring and summer are rushed times at the nursery and in life, but I was inspired to go back to my garden, as now is time for fall clean-up of tomatoes and bolted lettuces. While it may be a bit late to direct seed many veggies, now is perfect timing for cool season starts, such as lettuces, arugula, cabbage, broccoli, kale and cauliflower. Garlic can go in now for next summer too!

Share with us! Have you planted a fall/winter garden? Do you have fresh garden to table veggies planted? Send us your photos. Or, have questions on fall gardening, come on into the nursery and ask us! And while you are here, grab some fresh starts for your garden.

For more information on the Coquitlam Farmer’s Market, and their Power of Produce kid’s program, please visit: https://makebakegrow.com/contact-us/ Or visit the market on Sunday’s at the Dogwood Pavilion on Poirier Street from 9 am to 1 pm.


Written By Amanda Smith