Cold-hardy and exotic plants

For as long as I can remember, Henry Kock has been chanting about the charm of Old Man's Beard. Old Man's Beard is a sublime tree, and Henry is a superb horticulturist. He himself, is a tall as a Shagbark Hickory and as hirsute as Hairy Beardtongue. Imagine a cross-pollination between Abe Lincoln and ZZ Topp and you've got the visuals of Henry nailed right down.

When he talks about the trees and shrubs he tends to at the University of Guelph Arboretum, his voice is like The Velvet Fogs.

"Euonoymus sachalinensis, the Siberian Spindle tree, it remains one of my most favorite plants. The fruit is like one thousand rubies clustered on an earring. It's an awesome sight in September. Keep it pruned to one to three trunks and underplant it with choice perennials, it's a lovely tree."

With Henry, ask a question and you get history, horticulture and poetry.

I find him on a late August day preparing for The Arboretum Auxiliary plant sale at the University of Guelph. It will help continue part of the Arboretum's mandate to put beautiful plants into the landscape.

"There's no chives at this sale," says Henry. "We have high quality plants that people can't get in a nursery."

Hundreds of people will line up before the gate opens at 9am. Restless souls will be soothed by a wandering violinist. There will be lists to check, the catalogue to cross-reference, time to confer with friends, and then invasion of the plant snatchers.

Henry will be circulating, and gently egging people on. I've seen him in action. Gardeners who don't have a scrap of space will go home with Wahoo, Pawpaw and Bladdernut.

"The reason we hold a fall sale," Henry says, "is so people can get their plants in the ground and established quickly. I recommend you plant within two weeks of purchase. The ground is still warm in September and roots will start to grow."

Many of the trees and shrubs are sold in smallish containers. In other words, they're light enough for an exhausted gardener to plant solo. And within three years "it catches up" as Henry says, meaning it will be the size of a bigger, heavier specimen that requires much more muscle to plant.

I've seen the benefit of this strategy in my own garden. Several years ago I bought two trees that have been stellar performers.

I planted a Cherry Birch (Betula lenta), a willowy critter that bends nicely in the breeze, and is resistant to the usual Birch plagues. I can amaze my friends by offering a twig to chaw on that tastes like oil of wintergreen. In three years it has sprinted past a morose Oakleaf Mountain Ash that has been in the ground for twelve years.

Henry also enlightened me to the Dwarf Chinquapin Oak (Quercus prinoides). It has happily nestled in next to a Serviceberry tree in my garden. This Oak is a low-growing multi-stemmed specimen that glistens in the sun. To grow an Oak makes you feel like you've "arrived", especially in a garden where many of the plants are most happy in waste spaces.

Over 10,000 plants will be in the sale at the University of Guelph Arboretum, including vines and perennials. Many people order the excellent catalogue in advance, so they can paw through it with their morning coffee. The information in the catalogue is blunt, including whether your precious plant will be food for rabbits, mice and groundhogs. Under the listing for Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) for instance, the catalogue notes say the trunk is prone to splitting, so take the Arboretum's pruning course next spring!

About those Redbuds. The trees offered for sale in Guelph aren't just shipped in from a nursery. They are grown from seed, responsibly collected in the Guelph, Acton, Fergus area. The trees were growing in open areas, rather than a protected microclimate. As Henry describes it, they have terminal bud hardiness. So in the spring those splendid rose-purple flowers should hang on through most of the weather curveballs served up in Zone 5.

The sale has a strong emphasis on native plants as a way of preserving Ontario's natural diversity. Trees, shrubs and perennials from local sources are more resistant to pests and disease and less demanding of water, according to Henry.

So, look for cold hardy selections of Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) grown from seed collected in Kent County, Buttonbush from Lambton County and Sheep-Laurel from Sudbury.

"Without the volunteers, this sale would not exist. They donate plants, label, pot up, and generally sustain the spirit of the Arboretum," says Henry. "On the day of the sale, they will be here to help answer questions, find plants and even help customers to their cars with purchases."

Like any respectable plant sale, it will be awash in good vibrations and useful information. Forget trekking to some remote mountain to find your guru, just follow Henry around and eavesdrop.

On pruning: "Prune with an objective. Don't look at the ground and see what you've lost. Prune for beauty. Understand your plant."

On dead wood: "It's not firewood! It's a bed and breakfast for beneficial bugs."

On birds: "Make room for a thicket in your garden. Plant some American Hazel, Heritage Quince and Alternate Leaf Dogwood. Birds need nesting places, cover and insects."

On weeds: Gardener - "What do I do about poison ivy?" Henry - "Call it Sacred Ground."

And about that Old Man's Beard (Chionanthus virginicus), which is where this story began, just meet Henry in isle "C" at the plant sale and get ready to open your wallet.

Proceeds from the plant sale help develop and maintain collections at the University of Guelph Arboretum.