SEPTEMBER 1985
The CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE —Garden Topics & Events Newsletter
Superstars of the mid-summer garden! by Gordon D. Wick, Exec. Dir.
What was your outstanding feature annual this summer? Normally, each spring, I plant seeds of some of the unusual cultivars of annuals which are not readily available as box plants. This year, I grew several kinds of spider type asters which, as I write this, are starting to show colour. I find the more delicate, open form of the spider aster makes it more useful for flower arranging or even just to add variety to a vase of cut flowers.
plant directly in the garden, you must spread the seed very thinly because the plants don’t do nearly as well with root competition. The seeds we sold from our shop this spring produced a wide colour range with a high percentage of fully double flowers and the blooms are excellent as cut flowers (they drew raves at the non-competitive exhibit in our Sweet Pea Show). The plant height of about 45 cm (18”) gives nice long stems for cutting. Seed heads must be removed promptly to keep plants in bloom. Whenever we choose our plants, we must second guess Mother Nature in deciding if we will have a cool wet or a hot dry season. The Nierembergia
‘Blue Robe’ I grew as an unusual border edging plant likes it hot and sunny and withstands dryness. It is smothered with cup shaped blooms in medium to quite deep purplish blue. My hot dry garden by the driveway has been a real joy. Verbena and annual phlox have both performed with great vigour as have the seedling geraniums. I have already enjoyed the fruits of my
labours with the double flowered Shirley Poppies I grew from seed. The ones | started indoors, under lights, have been truly outstanding. Although they don’t want root disturbance, you can grow direct in peat pots or in good size divided cells without set back, provided you transplant seedlings before they are too large (at the first pair of true leaves stage). If you
One of the best ways to choose potential new cultivars to try at home is to visit the trial gardens in our climatic zone and make notes now -
then patiently wait for catalogues to add these cultivars a few years later. Excellent trials are open to the public -RBG Burlington; Ottawa Exp. Gdns.; Montreal Bot.Gdns; Vineland Exp. Station; Stokes Seeds, St.Catharines; & Dominion Seed House, Georgetown.