A Yellow Perennial Garden - Rear - Front - Details

This is my refuge from the pressures of others' expectations and the close quarters of urban living, a private place of peace and belonging for me and plants, insects and birds that share our world with us. The scale is that of a woodland glade, with views terminated by tall plants and vines on fences, with varied light and soil, and water for wildlife to drink and bathe in. Artificial elements take second place to natural ones. I'm not driven to excel here as I was for so much of my life, just able to be one with our mother earth. Nothing is a weed if it's yellow. I keep any plant here if I enjoy having it as company.

At one side is the sofa swing I grew up in, shaded from afternoon sun by a neighbour's cedar hedge. At the other, shaded in the morning, is the picnic table from the Cumberland homestead where so much of my heart was. Three berry bushes, Ribes aureum, R.nigrum and R.rubrum, provide food for chipmunks and robins, a small pond provides water for them, and a 9 m clump of Thuja occidentalis provides shelter for the birds who feed on black oil sunflower and niger seed in feeders hung from the house eaves. 37 species of birds have found shelter, food or water here; I'm surrounded by young song sparrows most of the summer. One major thing is missing though: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has arrived in Ottawa and almost extirpated the toads that announced the arrival of spring throughout my childhood and in my backyard ponds until now. I've only seen one in the 6 years I've been here.

As with my Fletcher meadow trial of many years ago, I'm starting with many species and varieties of plants and expect them to settle themselves down to perhaps half the current number. As a naturalist, my aim is to create good habitats, then let plants flourish that happily grow there.

Plants need light, water and nutrients. Since most of my area is short on light, I ensure an ample supply of the other two. Cocoa shells, neighbours' leaves and bonemeal provide a continual infusion of nutrients, a sprinkler system that is turned on when rainfall is sparse ensures steady soil moisture.

Plants that have proven themselves in their place are in bold. Notes and photos will grow and disappear as the plants do.

Fence Garden

220° panorama September 2011

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Anthemis tinctoria (Cota tinctoria), native to the Mediterranean, was found in a local meadow in 2009, undoubtedly a garden escape. It's forming a low tight clump that blooms until hard frost. Some sources say it's biennial, but mine is a solid perennial. It's evergreen in warmer climates; 80% sun.
Aurinia saxatilis (Alyssum saxatile) from Europe, grown from seed, was added 2010. The native plant is yellow, but cultivars cover white through gold. Small pollinating insects love it; 80% sun.
Centaurea macrocephala from subalpine Turkey was grown from seed over the winter and put out spring 2011 in 70% sun. Large head it is - as you can see, pollinators can get lost in it. However, the blooms don't last long and there aren't very many of them for such a large plant.
Chrysogonum virginianum, a North American native, forms a tight clump, divides and transplants well; 40% sun.
Clematis tangutica from China is a reliable yellow-flowering vine for northern gardeners, hardy to zone 3 and accepting just about any soil as long as the top of the vine is in sun. It blooms only off new growth, so the bottom half is bare stems and it needs medium height plants in front. Some selections have crimson centers.
Coreopsis verticillata is native to North America, selection 'Zagreb' has compact tidy growth and won the 2001 RHS Award of Garden Merit. It's flowering well in 90% sun.
Echinacea paradoxa is paradoxical in that it's the only yellow member of the genus. Native to the Ozarks, it was grown from seed over the winter and put out spring 2011 in 70% sun.
Forsythia 'Northern Gold' (ovata × europaea) was added 2010. Developed here at the Ottawa Experimental Farm by Felicitas Svejda and introduced in 1979, it's the most reliable forsythia for Ottawa.
Forsythia 'Ottawa' was added 2010. Selected at the Ottawa Experimental Farm about 1932, undoubtedly by Isabella Preston, it's either a sport of F.ovata or a hybrid with ovata as a parent, and is the earliest blooming forsythia that's bud hardy here. The Farm introduced it to commerce in 1966.
Gaillardia ×grandiflora (aristata × pulchella), grown from seed, was added 2010. Fertility was low, only 6 plants from a package of seed. Four flowered well their first year, but 2011 only the two that didn't flower are up. They're a great show now but it doesn't bode well for next year; 80% sun.
Helenium autumnale, named by Linnaeus after Helen of Troy, is a local native and forms a dense medium-height long-blooming clump; 40% sun.
Helianthemum nummularium from dry sunny chalky soils in Europe was added spring 2010. Its growth although low is too solid for other plants to grow through it so I'm growing it as a clump. The native plant is yellow, but cultivars cover white through to deep red; 50% sun.
Helianthus tuberosus, native to North America, was moved to the east side mid-2009 because it was too rampant a spreader for here. Since it fell over in the low light there, I'm trying it again here, this time contained in the tub the magnolia came in. Our first peoples cultivated it for its edible tubers which grow in a large circle around the parent plant, it's commercially grown for diabetics as a potato substitute, yielding 800 bushels/acre; 80% sun.
Heliopsis helianthoides is a local native and forms a dense medium-height clump once established. It's susceptible to red aphids, but these don't seem to affect its health as long as it has enough water, and the aphids attract bright coloured ladybugs to compensate; 70% sun.
Hypericum olympicum from Europe was moved here spring 2011 from the gravel garden, where it was doing poorly; 40% sun.
Hypericum perforatum, naturalized locally from Europe, was moved here spring 2011 from the gravel garden to give it more space. Pollen-collecting insects love it. It's common name, St.John's-wort, comes from the tradition of harvesting it on St.John's day, 24 June, for medicinal purposes; 40% sun.
Papaver nudicaule, native to the Asian north, was added spring 2011 to see how long it lasts - some say that won't be long; 50% sun.
Potentilla recta, originally from Eurasia and naturalized locally, produces lots of sulphur yellow flowers in 20% sun. It displays a spectacular bulls-eye in the ultraviolet light used by pollinating insects.
Ratibida pinnata, native to the Canadian prairies, was grown from seed over the winter and put out spring 2011 in 40% sun. As with many plants adapted to the fires that defined the northern prairies, its root is a stout rhizome that stores energy for re-sprouting.
Ribes aureum (R.tenuiflorum), a locally native shrub with black berries, was added spring 2011 in 80% sun.
Rudbeckia fulgida, a North American native, blooms from mid-summer until temperatures really plunge. It's intermixed here with local native R.hirta, a short-lived perennial that survives by self-seeding; 50% sun.
Rudbeckia laciniata is native locally. All nursery plants I've tried failed to survive winter, so spring 2011 I started seed and put them out in 50% sun.
Silphium perfoliatum, native to eastern North America, is a conversation piece: it's a binary plant! Each bloom appears between two stalks, then each splits again, so each spike produces 1,2,4,8,16... blooms at a time. The favourite of large butterflies among all my plants. Stout wind firm stalks and high blooming habit make this an excellent choice for the back of a garden. Deadheading keeps it blooming almost until frost. It's known as cup-plant for the rain-retaining cup formed by the fused opposite leaves; 70% sun.
Solanum lycopersicum, originally from South America, is the garden tomato. I start cherry varieties in pots, put them outside for the summer, then bring them inside just before frost to let the remaining fruit ripen; 60% sun.
Solidago canadensis is native locally. It spreads by roots to form tight clumps so, as with all plants adapted to disturbed environments, I keep its clump size small to encourage profuse flowering. Due to the sheltered location and mid-sun here, its stems need a ring support. It attracts a wonderful variety of pollinating insects, especially Hymenoptera. And no, it does not cause hay fever, its pollen is so heavy and sticky that it doesn't go anywhere unless carried by an insect. It's grasses and ragweed that blow their pollen all over the late summer and fall landscape; 60% sun.
Solidago rugosa is native locally and was added summer 2010 in 70% sun. The cultivar 'Fireworks' is widely sold in USA garden centers, but Canadian retailers universally consider Solidago weeds they wouldn't be seen dead with!
Solidago sphacelata is native to eastern North America, selection Golden Fleece was added spring 2011 for trial after several years of trying to find it in Canada. It gets raves in the American press, but opinion is mixed as to whether it can survive here. One died within a month, but the second bloomed and is up 2012; 70% sun.
Zizia aptera, native to moist thickets and open woods of Ontario, was grown from seed and planted out spring 2011; 50% sun.

Center Garden

September 2011

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human           insect     

Eremurus 'Moneymaker', with E.isabellinus as a parent, was planted fall 2011 in hopes that it might survive here; 80% sun.
Fritillaria pallidiflora, native to Kazakhstan, was added fall 2010 to the gravel garden next to the house foundation as an experiment - opinion is split on whether it can handle zone 5 or not. It bloomed spring 2011 then was moved here and has bloomed 2012; 70% sun.
Hemerocallis species were used for food throughout Asia since time immemorial, but didn't appear in Europe until the 1500's. There are now over 50,000 named cultivars. A row was added summer & fall 2011 in 80% sun. From left to right: Hemerocallis 'Andrew Christian' is a mid-season tetraploid with wonderful fragrance morning & evening.
Hemerocallis 'Mary Todd' is early, one of the first tetraploids to be bred.
Hemerocallis 'First Knight' is an early fragrant reblooming tetraploid.
Hemerocallis 'Omomuki' is early-mid and fragrant with bright green throat and heavily ruffled petals.
Hemerocallis 'Yellow Submarine' is a double midseason with dark yellow edge.
Hemerocallis 'Siloam Amazing Grace' is early, with tightly-rolled petal ends.
Hyacinth 'Yellow Queen' was planted fall 2011; 70% sun.
Iris 'Buckwheat', a re-blooming germanica was moved here from the fence and front gardens spring 2011; it had refused to bloom either location. It's supposed to be fragrant; 60% sun.
Iris danfordiae from southern Turkey was planted fall 2011. Insects have to crawl down its long tight throat to get at the nectar, but several local bees just eat the easy-to-get pollen and don't pollinate it; 60% sun.
Iris sibirica was moved here from the bog garden spring 2011, where it spent three years refusing to bloom. It's supposed to be yellow, in which case it's more likely to be I.pseudacorus; 60% sun.
Iris 'Summer Olympics', a germanica, was here when I came and was moved from its sunless location buried under the cedars spring 2011; not surprisingly it's already showing better growth; 60% sun.
Lilium are being tried on the left side in hopes that picking off adult Lilioceris lilii, now endemic here, and spraying any grubs with soap, will enable them to do as well as they did pre-Lilioceris at the homestead in Cumberland. They get 80% sun. Lilium 'Citronella' is a recurved Asiatic strain originating from L.davidii × L.amabile hybrids.
Lilium 'CEB Dazzle' is a Longiflorum-Asiatic hybrid.
Lilium 'Fata Morgana' is the Italian name for a fairy sorceress of medieval legends. It's a semi-double pollen-free Asiatic whose stamens have transformed to small petals. Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit 2002.
Lilium 'Golden Splendour' is an Aurelian strain, this one is a poor example.
Lilium 'Petite Brigitte Pixie' is a vigorous Asiatic. Pixie was a trademark of Cebeco Lilies for a series of about 20 earlier hybrids; it was abandoned in 1992.
Lilium 'Pixie Yellow' is similar to the preceding Pixie.
Narcissus: a mixture of early, mid and late 1Y-Y varieties was added fall 2010 to fill the center of the garden; 70-90% sun.
Sedum acre from Europe is the ground cover for the Narcissus.
Sedum floriferum (Phedimus florifer) from China is under the front section; some consider it conspecific with S.kamtschaticum
Sedum hybridum (Phedimus hybridus) from northern Asia is under the Lilium.
Tulipa clumps dominate the right and front; 70% sun. All tulips are attractive to grey squirrels, which I have in abundance. With the help of a thin layer of cocoa shells, whose smell seems to confuse squirrels, they keep up with predation. Thick layers of cocoa shells go mouldy, but thin layers are an excellent soil amendment for bulbs. (Don't ever get the ground-up version; it's instant mould, cakes into a wrinkled layer and looks terrible.) From left to right:
Tulipa urumiensis, native to Iran, is one of the shortest dwarf tulips
Tulipa 'Jaap Groot' is a mid-season mutation of Golden Apeldoorn, a Fosteriana-Darwin hybrid
Tulipa 'Roi du Midi' is a long-stemmed late sport of La Courtine
Tulipa 'Yokohama' is a short early hybrid that was moved here from the front garden, where it bloomed for several years.

Gravel Garden

Achillea ×lewisii (clavennae × tomentosa) from Siberia was added spring 2011; 50% sun.
Alyssum montanum from Europe was moved spring 2011 from the mid-sun garden. It was straggly there, it might do better here with a more alpine soil; 50% sun.
Draba aizoides, native to the German Alps, was added spring 2011; 50% sun.
Draba brunifolia, native to the Caucasus, was added spring 2012; 50% sun.
Echinacea 'Now Cheesier' was added summer 2011; 50% sun.
Hieracium canadense (H.umbellatum), a local native, is doing well here, it failed in the soil of the mid-sun garden; 50% sun.
Inula ensifolia, native to eastern Europe, was added 2010; 50% sun.
Ligularia ×hessei (dentata × wilsoniana) from SE Asia was moved here 2010 after it had problems with leaf rot in the back shade garden - it's doing much better and managed a small spike 2011; 30% sun.
Linum flavum, native to southern Europe, was added 2010 in 50% sun.
Ranunculus abortivus is native locally and was added 2010. Its flowers will only be appreciated by a native plant lover, but I am one. It may be biennial rather than perennial; 40% sun.
Ranunculus acris, naturalized locally from Europe, is doing well in 30% sun. Its petal cells have two flat surfaces from which light is reflected. One is the top of the cells, the other exists because the epidermis is separated from the lower layers of the petal by an air gap. Reflection of light by the two surfaces combined doubles the gloss of the petal, which is why buttercups are such bright yellow.
Roscoea ×beesiana (auriculata × cautleyoides), an orchid from the Himalayas has been added spring 2011 as an experiment, planted 20 cm deep close to the warm foundation with 30% sun.
Thermopsis montana, native to cool moist forests of the southern Rockies, was added 2010. The genus name means lupine-similar; both have pea-shaped flowers; 30% sun.

Acid Garden

Aquilegia chrysantha, native to mountainous southern USA, was moved from the shade garden fall 2011. It is mostly pollinated by Sphinx hawkmoths, 7 species of which are recorded in Ontario; 20% sun.
Linaria vulgaris, native to Europe and northern Asia and naturalized locally, was added fall 2011; 30% sun.
Rorippa sylvestris, native to Europe and western Asia and naturalized locally, was added fall 2011; 30% sun.
Solidago squarrosa, native locally in acid woodlands, was added fall 2011; 30% sun.

Rear Shade Garden

This area was built summer 2008 with 10% added sand in the top 20 cm to let more air into the soil. A Parthenocissus tricuspidata 'Robusta' has been installed spring 2011 to calm down the glare of the white siding.

Clematis tangutica from China was added to the fence spring 2011.
Ligularia's tropical-sized foliage fills this space with luxuriant growth: Ligularia dentata, native to eastern China, is a large plant, forming a mound 2 m wide and 1 m high with large irregular flower clusters in September, later than any other Ligularia. Reliable, but an untidy plant compared to other Ligularia; 30% sun.
Ligularia'Little Rocket' is doing well, its jet black stems really stand out; 30% sun.
Ligularia przewalskii from SE Asia is intolerant of direct sun, the leaves droop alarmingly within an hour even with moist soil, but it doesn't affect its health as it's doing well; 40% sun.
Ligularia stenocephala (Senecio stenocephalus) from SE Asia has such numerous spectacular tall flower spikes that I added a second one here fall 2010; 50% sun.
Lysimachia quadrifolia, native locally, spreads vigorously by underground runners so is boxed into a corner where it can be controlled. Its delicate-looking down-facing blooms last almost a month and make a fine show in a clump; 20% sun.
Ranunculus repens from Europe is the ground cover here - a carpet of yellow blooms in spring and of green throughout the year. It's too vigorous a grower for small plants, but is an excellent match for Ligularia; 10-30% sun.
Solidago caesia with its bluish stems and axillary flowers is native locally in semi shade and was added in 2010. Mine attracts mostly Diptera as pollinators; 30% sun.

Bog Garden

Constructed in 2008 to handle roof runoff, this garden is designed for woodland ferns, black earth underlaid by a plastic layer to keep it moist. An overhanging Thuja occidentalis keeps sunlight low.

Arisaema flavum, native to Ethiopia, was added as an experiment spring 2012.
Aquilegia chrysantha is blooming and setting seed in 20% sun; it produced 4 new plants in 2011 for the acid garden.
Caltha palustris (C.arctica, C.asarifolia) is a variable plant that blooms every year here in 30% sun; the name means yellow marsh plant in mixed Greek and Latin.
Clintonia borealis was added here 2010, it failed in the front woodland section; 20% sun.
Primula vulgaris (P.acaulis) from Europe bears flowers one to a stalk. It was blooming well but growing weakly in the front so was moved here spring 2012 to enjoy more acid soil.