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The only constant with gardening in Calgary is the old adage, "there's always next year."
Many local gardens were decimated by recent torrential downpours, hail and wind.
Big gaps now appear where there was once wonderful foliage and flowers.
As a stop-gap measure, new perennials and annuals can be planted, but the former may not flower until next year.
If you're going with perennials, why not put in some hot new varieties?
Here are three stunning new additions, courtesy Blooms of Bressingham (www.blooms ofbressing ham.com):
- Centaurea montana "Amethyst in Snow" or its more common name "bachelor's button" boasts a beautiful and striking new flower colour for this staple of the garden. Its silky white, tubular petals radiate from royal purple centres in mid-June to mid-July and the silvery green foliage forms dense, substantial masses.
The plant prefers full sun and is best placed in the front to middle of the perennial border. Water just enough to maintain slightly moist conditions and dead-head spent flowers to encourage repeat bloom.
- Euphorbia polychroma "Bonfire" cushion spurge is not hardy in our climate so it is best used as an annual. Unlike other spurges that turn red in fall, Bonfire smoulders red all summer long.
Its green late-spring foliage quickly turns to rich maroon red. Glowing chartreuse-gold flowers contrast strikingly in spring. Other features included its neat uniform rounded mounds.
Plant in full sun as edging in a perennial bed or try it in containers. Its mature size is only 25 cm tall but it is doubtful it will get this large in our zone 3 climate.
- Geranium cinereum "Rothbury Gem" "Crane's Bill" might look like other perennial geraniums, but this one has deeper magenta-pink veins and eye zone. Its grey-green foliage forms neat, symmetrical mounds and is best used in the front of a border, alpine bed or rock garden. Spent flowers should be removed to encourage more blooms. The only downside is the plant may become somewhat invasive.