New things

I was at a party recently packed with gardeners. They were buzzing with new ideas, plans and plant lists for 2004 in the garden.

"One of my goals this year is to be able to cut the lawn with scissors," said Glen Lumis Professor of Landscape Horticulture at the University of Guelph. He's only half kidding. Lumis and his wife Peggy have a delicious collection of plants, the grass they do have will be used for pathways.

"We're also working with a local metal sculptor to build an arbor. We plan to grow wisteria and variegated Virginia creeper," said Lumis.

Many gardeners wisely choose to grow a collection of vines, rather than concentrate on one type. Wisteria can suffer significant damage in severe winters; Virginia creeper is more cold hardy. By combining them, you can avoid a very disappointing setback in the spring. Another vine that can flame out at a tender age is silver lace Polygonum aubertii. This is a fast growing deciduous vine that also combines beautifully with the rugged Virginia creeper.

Combining good looks with an iron constitution will get a plant rave notices from Janet Anderson, President of JEA Perennials (www.jeaperennials.com) of Strathroy. They grow wonderful and obscure perennials. For 2004 she really likes heuchera 'Lime Rickey' and aillardia 'Fanfare'.

"Heuchera 'Lime Rickey' is a vibrant lime green and really retains its colour all season. 'Fanfare' has a very long flowering period, petals that are quilled and a good, compact growth habit," says Anderson. So a dazzling flower for full sun in the gaillardia and a fine foliage plant for semi-shade in the heuchera 'Lime Rickey', and according to Anderson they both should be widely available in garden centres this spring.

Gardeners might have to do a bit more sleuthing to find a gem called upright wild ginger. Saruma henryi is a favorite of horticulturist Chris Graham. He's growing it at his nursery in Sutton West. It's very hardy. It has large, felty leaves, little yellow flowers and in partial shade is extremely drought tolerant.

For a good look at this interesting plant log on to the catalog at the Plant Delights website in the US (www.plantdelights.com). Graham is also growing about 400 hostas, many of them miniatures which he finds are robust and durable and perfectly suitable for use in troughs.

For sun and dry conditions Graham is touting the native prairie smoke Geum triflorum. "It's native to the Bruce (peninsula)," says Graham, " It grows on the alvars." Alvars are areas of thin soil over limestone rock, in these conditions prairie smoke is absolutely charming with its feathery pink seed heads that rock in the wind.

2004 in my garden will be a success when I decide what tree will replace my decapitated mountain ash. I had a long summit with Tom Intven, owner of Canadale Nursery (www.canadale.com) in St. Thomas. He was touting the eastern redbud, dawn redwood and a magnolia he really likes called 'Elizabeth'.

The Elizabeth magnolia has pale yellow, fragrant flowers, and a growth habit that is narrow, making it ideal for a small yard. 'Elizabeth' is a cross between an American and Asiatic species, giving it hardiness and reliable flowering.

Luckily most of us gardeners have at least three months to hibernate like the groundhogs and ruminate on plants and plans that will make our 2004 gardens a shade better than 2003.