What’s the best camera and lens for Garden photography?

Focus on what you want from your garden photography

The best camera for garden photography is one that is easy to carry around and gives you a range of focal lengths that cover everything from macro for closeups of flowers and insects, to wide angle for vistas of the garden, to moderate telephoto capabilities that enables you to focus in on garden details.

A high-end point-and-shoot camera may be all you need for the majority of your garden photography.

Admittedly, these focal lengths will not satisfy everyone’s needs – especially those looking to capture wildlife images – but it will cover all your basic needs to capture your garden or a public garden. Cameras that meet these requirements include both simple and inexpensive compact cameras, as well as more costly high-end point-and-shoots and small mirrorless cameras . Most will have a lens that generally covers (in 35mm equivalent) 28mm-110mm.

Many of these perfectly usable compact digital cameras and higher-end mirrorless cameras can be purchased used for a fraction of their original price. Ebay, Kijiji and used departments of local and on-line camera stores such as B&H Photo &Video are excellent places to track down fine examples of these used cameras as well as the latest in new cameras and lenses. If you are lucky, you may even stumble across a solid camera at your local thrift store where you can pick one up for less than $10-$20.

And, if you are wondering how a point-and-shoot digital camera that’s more than 10 years old can perform in the garden, be sure to check out my post on the Canon PowerShot Elph 500 HS.

But, when shopping for a new camera, the most important question is not what is the best camera or lens, it’s what is the end use of your garden photography? Let that question guide you in purchasing your garden photography camera.

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Determining your needs in a garden camera

If posting images or videos on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Tiktok) is your end goal, then there might not be a need for an expensive, professional style camera. Instead, a good used compact point-and-shoot from one of the main camera companies (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus, Fuji, Sony…) might satisfy your needs at a very low price.

If you are a content creator, hope to print your images for display, or use the images to create a personal garden book (link to my personal garden book article), you might want to upgrade to a high-end compact point and shoot, a flexible Bridge camera or even a DSLR camera. Check out my article on using DSLRs with interchangeable lenses and Bridge cameras for garden wildlife.

If you are serious about capturing beautiful images of birds or need very high quality images for photo competitions, a top quality DSLR or high-end mirrorless camera with a micro four thirds sensors suited up with high quality lenses is your best choice. Olympus and Lumix are among the leaders in this area. I recently purchased an Olympus micro four thirds camera and lenses. For my first impressions, check out my post on the Olympus M4/3 camera here.

Finally, if you love the experience of using a precision instrument that maybe has a retro look, just feels right in your hand and inspires you to create beautiful images whether they are in your garden, in the back alleys, on vacation or just on a weekend outing, then you need to explore the world of high-end enthusiast cameras.

Most cameras will offer good quality macro or close-focusing capabilities. This image was shot using a Lumix travel camera.

Enthusiast cameras – and I would consider my Fujifilm X10 and Pentax Q among these cameras – including several Leica cameras, some high-end Sony cameras, Canon and Nikon, lend themselves to more creative approaches to garden photography.

Check out my article on photographing the garden in Black and White using the Fujifilm X10 and other cameras including the new Monochrome Pentax camera as well as software that converts colour images to BW.

A few of my favourite cameras representing three of the basic styles to consider if you are thinking about purchasing a new camera, whether it’s for capturing garden photography, travel, wildlife or scenic images. On the left is the Fujifilm X10, an older high end point-and-shoot camera. In the middle, a DSLR with 300mm F4.5 lens that is ideal for wildlife including birds. On the right, is a Bridge camera that straddles the point-and-shoot model and the DSLR. The Bridge camera includes a fixed lens that covers wide angle to extreme telephoto at a reasonable price.

First step: Deciding what you need from your garden photography

For many gardeners, a good choice that meets these requirements might be nothing more than a smartphone. You may want to check out my article on Tips for using your smartphone to take garden images.

Others, looking to take garden photography to the next level, will focus on enthusiast point and shoot cameras that are both small enough to carry in your pocket, while at the same time, offering a fully feature-packed camera with a high-end lens covering all the necessary focal lengths including macro capabilities. These camera’s are sometimes referred to as “Travel cameras.”

This image of a Carolina wren at a bird feeder was taken with the Pentax X5 Bridge camera.

Others will look to “Bridge cameras” that feature super telephoto lenses to add the ability to capture high quality bird photos from their favourite seat in the garden.

Still others will look to expensive, professional DSLRs or the larger mirrorless cameras complete with interchangeable lenses ranging from extreme wide angle to super telephoto with an array of macro lenses.

If you have not already guessed, choosing the best camera for garden photography depends in a large part on the photographer and what you want from both the camera and your garden photography.

Hummingbird photographed with Pentax Bridge camera X-5 with a 16 megapixel sensor.

Anyone who thinks they can tell you what camera to buy is likely just trying to sell you something. Although I can make suggestions, only you can decide what camera is best for your needs at this time. Your requirements may change over time as your interests also change.

This image of a Goldfinch was taken with a Pentax Bridge camera showing that high quality bird photography is possible with these cameras with built-in superzoom lens.

Photographing backyard birds and wildlife

Photographing garden birds may not be important to you today, but bird photography might be something you want to explore in the future.

It may not be the best time for you to invest in an expensive camera and lens that can capture beautiful bird images. Some of these cameras and long, fast telephoto lenses can cost as much a a good used car. A compromise might be a good Bridge camera that has a built-in long lens at a fraction of the cost. Don’t expect to get similar results as a seprate camera and lens costing ten or twenty times the price, but they can be a good camera to introduce you to the art of bird photography.

Later, if you decide to take the next step in bird photography, you can upgrade to a camera (mirrorless or DSLR) that takes interchangeable lenses.

When it comes to getting up close to birds and other wildlife, most photographers will choose to use a modern DSLR or mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses. This image was shot with a Pentax K5 DSLR equipped with a 300F4.5 lens that becomes a 420mm with the cropping factor. This image was severely cropped to create the portrait, which you cannot do with smaller sensor-equipped sensors.

The ultimate all-round Camera Shootout

I am not a fan of recommending particular cameras to readers, but I can share what other UTubers consider to be their favourite cameras. Mattias Burling, for example, has an informative channel that focuses on many high-end point and shoot and mirrorless cameras that are perfect for garden photography. The following are some of his favourite cameras and why they are his favourites.

In his video the Ultimate all-around 2021 Camera Shootout, Mattias reviews four of his favourite cameras that include: The Ricoh GR3 he calls the ultimate “street King”, Fujifilm X-E4, Pentax Q7 a small but powerful miniature camera, and the Fuji X100v that he describes as a technical gizmo. Not all these cameras are available new, but can be found on the used market for good prices.

Ricoh GR3 is a simple, elegant camera.

He rates them on a number of factors starting with price. The two Fuji cameras are the most expensive, followed by the Ricoh leaving the Pentax Q7 the winner not only for the price of the camera but all the many mini-interchangeable lenses that can be purchased for a very reasonable price. Click on the link here to see my full review of the Pentax Q system of cameras.

When it comes to size and weight, The Pentax easily takes top spot again followed by the Ricoh GR3 and the two Fuji cameras.

When it comes to grip and button layout, the Ricoh takes first followed by the two Fuji cameras and the Pentax.

Fujifilm’s X100v is an elegant retro-look camera.

Next up was the speed of the cameras with the Ricoh GR3 taking points for fast focus but both Fuji cameras taking top marks with the X100v taking first and the X-E4 taking second with the 10-year-old Pentax taking up the rear.

Both Fuji cameras take top spots in the viewing displays, with the Ricoh in third and the older Pentax last.

Both Fujis also scored points for their viewfinders, not available on the Ricoh or Pentax.

When it came to image quality, Mattias compared tones, dynamic range, sharpness and colours his favourites were in order the Ricoh, Pentax, Fuji XE-4 and finally the X100v.

The miniaturized Pentax Q7 is packed with big-camera features including a line of miniature high quality lenses.

Finally, he looked at lenses where the Pentax Q came in first with its complete line of interchangeable lenses in miniature form. Fuji’s XE-4 finished second, followed by the 18mm Ricoh lens with macro, and lastly the Fuji X100v.

When it came to build quality, the Fuji X100v took top honours, followed by the XE-4 and the Pentax Q with Ricoh finishing last.

The Pentax took top honours for its looks and the joy factor in usability which Mattias says is “at the end of the day” the most important feature.

For more on the Pentax Q line of cameras and lenses, check out my comprehensive post here.

Another favourite is the Fujifilm X-E4 with a flipping forward screen.

Okay, so which camera came out on top? It should come as no surprise that they all scored 19 points making it a four way tie.

No surprise that a group of top cameras all came out with the same score in the end. All have their strong and weak points. What you have to decide, are what features mean the most to you and find those hidden gems that satisfy your most important needs and wants.

The camera’s above represent a small number of the camera’s available.

You will notice that Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Panasonic Lumix and Sony cameras are among those not listed here. All these manufacturers have outstanding cameras that fall into this category and should be included in the list of options if you are in the market.

My cameras include several Pentax cameras including the K5 DSLR, a KX Bridge camera and the original Pentax Q. I also enjoy shooting with the Olympus M43 system, the Fujifilm X10 and an older Panasonic Lumix travel camera. All have a place in my camera bag although I usually only have one or two with me at any given time depending on what I expect to shoot that day.

Deciding what you need, what you can afford and the type of photography you want to explore is the first step in discovering the joy of garden photography.

Pros and Cons of different camera styles

If all cameras were created equal, purchasing one would be simple. It’s not. There are so many pros and cons to cameras that it would be impossible to list here, but we can discuss the pros and cons of the different camera styles.

Simple point and shoot cameras

A very simple, inexpensive point and shoot camera is capable of documenting your garden, but you may quickly become disappointed with the results and limitations of the camera.

Pros

• These cameras are quite inexpensive and perfect for someone starting out and not in need of high-quality images

• Simple point and shoots are often available at ridiculously low prices on Kijiji or at discount stores.

• They can be great starter cameras to introduce children to the joy of garden photography.

• With careful technique, the cameras are capable of good images entirely usable for social media and small 4x6” prints.

Cons

• A fixed focal length lens can be a limiting factor that makes moving in close to your subject difficult.

• The shutter lag (time between pressing the shutter and taking the picture) can get frustrating if you are trying to capture moving subjects such as insects, butterflies, birds or mammals.

• The size and quality of the sensor is likely too small and of lower quality to give you satisfactory results over time.

• The look and feel of the camera in your hand may not inspire you to do your best work.

High-end point a shoot cameras for enthusiasts

Pros

• The best choice for gardeners wanting high-quality images in a small, carry-around-everywhere package.

• Great for the garden, but also for vacations, daily outings and images of your children or grandchildren.

• Most feature high-quality lenses with the ability to get close enough to capture insects and butterflies.

• Many feature zoom lenses from wide angle to telephoto that allow you to capture garden vistas as well as acceptable images of birds and mammals.

• Most feature built-in effect filters and some provide the ability to accept filters such as a polarizing filter (important to reduce glare from leaves and water.)

• Many will accept additional accessories such as external flashes, add-on lens hoods, custom cases and remote releases.

• The best cameras will inspire you to get out in the garden and explore the camera’s capabilities.

Cons

• The best of these cameras can get quite expensive and may be more than most are willing to spend.

• Despite their high-price tag, the cameras can still suffer from shutter lag.

• Many of these cameras have short telephoto lenses ranging from 28-105mm, which falls short when trying to capture birds from a distance.

Bridge Cameras

Pros

• Compact size for full-featured camera

• Extreme telephoto for small subjects like birds

• Good macro capabilities

• Adjustable LED screens for taking pictures at ground level

Cons

• Shutter lag makes capturing moving subjects difficult

• Smaller sensor limits size, quality of images.

• Electronic viewfinder may not be suitable for some photographers.

• Extreme telephoto is slow and focus can be a little unpredictable.

• Although the cameras are equipped with long telephoto lenses, it is difficult to get a soft background compared to fast telephotos on DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.

DSLRs and mirrorless cameras

Although digital single lens reflex cameras are still available, they are quickly being replaced by cameras without mirrors. If you are a die-hard DSLR shooter, more and more are available on the used market at good prices.

Pros

• Allows for a complete line of lenses from extreme wide angle to extreme telephoto as well as specialized macro lenses.

• An array of accessories that enable you to tackle difficult situations from macro lighting, to remote capture of birds and mammals.

• Many are workhorse cameras that are weather resistant.

• Larger sensors create outstanding image results, low in noise (grain), and able to shoot in much lower light conditions.

• The images are easily cropped without losing too much quality. (see fox portrait below).

• Able to shoot extremely fast to capture 20 plus frames per second.

Cons

• These cameras and lenses can be quite large and heavy to carry for long periods of time. Mirrorless cameras are smaller and lighter but still large in comparison to most of the cameras discussed above

• Cameras and lenses can get very expensive making some of the specialized lenses almost unattainable for average photographers.

• Provides the most flexibility of all cameras.

In conclusion

Like I said earlier, I don’t like to tell readers what cameras to purchase. New, more updated cameras are coming out monthly and advances in digital photography – although slowing to some degree – continue to push the boundaries. I can’t say what cameras to purchase but I can recommend that you make every effort to purchase the best camera you can afford on the used market.

I like to purchase from Ebay and Kijiji but don’t hesitate to purchase cameras and lenses from local camera stores or on-line stores like Adorama Camera or Keh Cameras. Photography is very much a “must have the latest device” hobby, so it’s an opportunity to purchase excellent used cameras and lenses off photographers looking for the latest and greatest.

With a little searching, you can find outstanding bargains on high-quality used cameras.

Tips to photograph wildlife in your woodland garden

Bridge camera can be best choice for garden photography

One of our neighbourhood foxes dropped in for its daily visit. It helped that I was armed with my camera on a monopod and my favourite lens.

This fox image is an example of how the right environment created an opportunity to capture an image that presented itself.

It began with a decision to work on getting a good image of a hummingbird feeding at a native Cardinal flower, but ended hours later with a memorable image of a fox.

Let me explain.

The cardinal flower was at its prime and I knew that, if I wanted to use it to get an image of a hummingbird feeding, I needed to act swiftly. So I set the camera on a tripod, filled up my coffee and waited.

(If you are interested in exploring garden photography at a higher level, be sure to check out my comprehensive post on the Best camera and lens for Garden Photography.)

If you are looking for a new camera or lens, check out B&H Cameras & Video for a complete line of cameras and lenses.

And, if you are wondering how a point-and-shoot digital camera that’s more than 10 years old can perform in the garden, be sure to check out my post on the Canon PowerShot Elph 500 HS.

The hummers came to the feeders surrounding the Cardinal flowers but only stopped at the flowers three times for a brief moment.

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About three hours into the shoot, I noticed a fox standing by our shed looking my way. It was by no means stressed by my presence. In fact, it seemed perfectly happy to share the yard with me provided we stayed at a comfortable distance.

How often have you been in the yard and a great photographic opportunity presented itself to you? Too often, we are not prepared. Chances are, all we have is our smart phone by our side and the resulting image is nothing but a poor replica of a memorable moment.

But on this day I was in luck. The camera was already set up with my favourite 300mm F4.5 lens on a monopod.

I couldn’t ask for a better situation. Even our dog Holly had yet to notice the fox that trotted over to our three large water bowls and helped herself to a long drink.

A few quick bursts of photos from the 35mm DSLR camera and off she went. Like a ghost. There one moment … the next, gone. It was over as quickly as it began.

The lesson learned was simple: Be prepared.

Today, even if I just go out to enjoy my morning coffee, I always have a camera by my side ready for action. Sometimes it’s a simple “Travel camera” (read my travel camera review here) with a wide angle to short telephoto lens that is great for basic garden shots but will not likely get you close enough to most wildlife.

If you are looking to upgrade your camera equipment – be it a new camera body or lens – be sure to check out KEH Camera Exchange for the best prices on excellent used equipment. You can also trade in your used gear to help curtail the cost of new equipment.

This Carolina Wren was photographed with the Pentax X5 Bridge camera that comes equipped with a super telephoto lens capable of shooting wide angle images as well as telephoto shots and even close-up macro type images.

Most likely, it is my versatile “Bridge camera” that allows me to shoot everything from long telephoto images of wildlife, including birds and butterflies, to sweeping wide-angle garden vistas, to macro shots of flowers and insects.

On this day, I happened to have my 300mm lens on the camera and ready to go, which made capturing the fox image possible.

This young fox decided to pose for me for a minute giving me time to focus the Pentax X5 “Bridge” camera to capture the image. I needed to use the full zoom power of the X5 (500mm) to capture the image.

More recently, however, I have a “bridge camera” with me. I have used the camera for more than a year now and have come to appreciate its versatility, with its ability to go from extreme telephoto to wide angle and even a very usable macro mode.

Bridge cameras, which are offered by all the major camera manufacturers, can be the perfect camera choice for garden photographers looking for a single extremely versatile camera that is at home photographing garden vistas as it is birds and other wildlife. Add to that versatility the ability to get in close to flowers for macro photography and it’s hard to believe that everyone is not lining up to purchase one. These cameras can be described as mid-priced cameras situated between a simple point-and-shoot and a more serious 35mm SLR with a complete line of lenses. Bridge cameras look like a typical digital single lens reflex (DSLR), but without the interchangeable lenses.

The bridge camera offers a built-in lens sporting a wide angle to long telephoto lens. The combination creates an easy-to-carry-around versatile camera that can deliver very good results with a little practise.

But they are not by any means perfect.

My bridge camera uses an electronic viewfinder in addition to the back LCD screen to view the image. The electronic viewfinder takes getting used to and falls far short of a optical viewfinder found in traditional DSLRs. To add to the difficulty of using the Bridge camera is a significant “shutter lag” meaning an excessive amount of time between when you press the button to take the image and the time it is actually taken. This shutter lag can mean the difference between getting the shot and missing it entirely.

In addition, because most of these cameras are so dependent on electronic viewfinders and the electronic zooming of the lens, some of these cameras tend to exhaust your batteries quickly, especially if you use the large back LCD screen as your primary viewer or to check your images regularly. My camera uses regular AAA batteries, which can be convenient when you are travelling, but compared to rechargeable batteries, can also be expensive to use. The other issue I have with the Pentax (which is no longer available) is the fact I cannot easily add filters to the front of the lens. This may not be a problem for most photographs, unless of course, you need to use a polarizing filter to remove glare from leaves or a pond.

Like most Bridge cameras, the Pentax X-5 bridge camera that I am using came with a very long 26X telephoto lens (the equivalent zoom for traditional 35mm cameras of about 22-580mm.) Most bridge cameras come equipped with a lens that provides the photographer with both a solid wide angle lens as well as a super-long telephoto lens.

This image taken with the Bridge Camera is an example of the type of images that are possible just sitting in the backyard waiting for the right opportunity.

Bridge cameras like my Pentax X-5 also come equipped with an impressive macro feature making it the perfect camera to carry with me into the garden for casual macro shots. For more serious macro photography, I will mount a 50mm or 100mm dedicated macro lens on a 35mm SLR camera.

Being prepared, having the right tools at hand and, of course, some luck on your side can mean the difference between getting the shot and missing it.

Even seeing wildlife, let alone getting good photos of them, depends on a lot of factors going your way.

Luck certainly plays a role in any shot, but I like to think that it plays a smaller role than most people think.

A macro image of a clematis taken by the Pentax Bridge camera the X5, on macro mode. This shows the versatility of the camera and its lens that is able to go from long telephoto (see above image of the Fox) to extreme macro without changing the lens.

Being out in the yard for more than four hours patiently waiting for the hummingbirds to cooperate creates the opportunity to be successful. Still, I was unsuccessful getting that shot of the hummingbird. Instead, I had to “settle” for the fox shot.

I like to think you create your own luck.

Setting out large water bowls meant to provide local wildlife with a fresh water source helped create that opportunity for the photograph.

Creating a natural garden, providing a source of natural food and moving water in the form of bubbling rocks and fountains, not using pesticides, having woodpiles … these all provide the right environment to getting the photograph, or the opportunity to observe the wildlife that call our property home.

PopPhoto website lists their favourite Bridge Cameras in this informative article starting with the best overall camera going to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV, the Canon PowerShot SX70 HS as the best Wildlife camera and the Panasonic Lumix FZ80 as the best budget camera.

It doesn’t have to be a fox. It could have been a bird, a butterfly a reptile, or even a photograph of a beautiful tree or grouping of flowers.

The day before this shot was taken, I was trying to capture some photographs of birds enjoying my new solar-powered fountain, when a little chipmunk decided to hang out with me for a while. So I got “lucky” and was able to get some great shots of the chipmunk too.

Getting lucky is really about creating the right environment to get photographic opportunities and then taking advantage of these opportunities.

It’s the same in your everyday life. Put yourself in the best environment to succeed and chances are you will.

Getting up early, spending time in our gardens, getting up close and intimate with flowers. These all create the opportunities to be successful.

I’ll be out again soon working on getting the shot of the hummingbird at the cardinal flower. Maybe I’ll get “lucky” and the hummer will cooperate this time.

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Perfect grass: Waste of time or ideal backdrop?

Is it time to replace lawns with more ecological alternatives?

“So, you’ve got a perfect lawn. That don’t impress me much.”

Every time I look out into a sea of perfectly manicured green grass, complete with in-ground sprinklers, an annual contract with the local lawn pesticide company and an obsession with a common non-native ground cover that, quite frankly, is a boring monoculture, I cringe.

Sure, a little grass might have its place, but it pales in comparison to a beautiful, healthy garden full of native plants that attract pollinators, butterflies and other fauna. Slowly more homeowners are understanding the horrors that a massive sweep of perfect lawn can bring to a landsccape. Extensive use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides combining into a lethal brew that not only kills the soil the grass depends on, but leaks into our rivers and streams or into our wastewater where taxpayers are forced to pay to clean it again.

And, to make matters worse, that perfect lawn does not come cheap.

That might be the reason more and more homeowners are choosing to actually cover their property with an expensive carpet of synthetic lawn, all in the name of obtaining the look of a “perfectly boring lawn.”

For those who think the synthetic lawn is the ideal alternative, consider its potential environmental impacts: it absorbs heat, has to be sanitized from pet waste, it compacts the soil under it, and restricts any real hope of encouraging insects and worms to flourish either above or below ground.

Used sparingly, synthetic grass has its place I guess. It can solve some common problems homeowners in small urban yards face. But there are probably better, less expensive and more environmental friendly alternative ground covers or mulch that can get the job done.

Grass is without a doubt the most expensive ground cover you could choose

In fact, that green grass so many homeowners strive for is costing them big time.

In our front garden, all the grass has long since gone, replaced by plants, trees, groundcovers, stone, rocks and natural cedar mulch.

One estimate has the average cost of an American homeowner, just to water the lawn, at about $570 a year. That doesn’t take into account so many other factors including environmental/ethical costs of achieving that perfect green lawn.

There are the chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers (banned in many Canadian cities), lawn repair, aerating, rolling, dethatching and it goes on and on. Oh, and let’s not forget the cost of the tools needed to keep the lawn looking perfect.

The bigger the lawn, the more expensive the tools. Consider a riding lawn mower valued at about $2,000 for your average model. You can pay more, a lot more, if you really want to cut that beautiful lawn in style. Forking out $3,000 for the pleasure of owning a machine to cut your lawn for 5-6 months a year would not be an exageration.

If a riding mower is unnecessary or out of the price range, a regular high quality lawnmower should set you back between $500-$700. There’s even robot mowers that will set you back several thousand dollars. Then there are the the must-own, loud and obnoxious gas-powered edgers, the leaf blowers that now seem to have become grass-clipping blowers or dust movers in most urban neighbourhoods.

Add the heavy, lawn-crushing rollers homeowners have been convinced are vital for that perfect lawn.

Yes, crushing what little air is left in the sickly, chemical-filled soil so the lawn looks flat is critical. Following a good rolling, is when the aerators come out to pull plugs out of the soil to add back some of the air that was just taken out of the soil by the heavy roller. And, let’s not forget the deep-grass rakers known to remove thatch – better known by gardeners as organic material slowly breaking down naturally into the infertile soil.

And the fall brings out the leaf vaccums because no grass worshipper would want to leave any organic matter on the lawn or garden to break down and improve the soil.

Does anyone else see the absurdity in all this?

It’s difficult to put a real price on this lawn obsession, but it’s clear there are a lot of companies making a big-time profit on homeowners’ blind obsession with their lawns.

One person who decided to dig into his monthly water usage compared the same time period from May 13 to August 11th. He found that during this period his water usage went from 9,724 gallons of water to a whopping 19,448 during the same period year-to-year.

What made the stats even more alarming was that the difference was almost entirely attributed to one month - the month of May. The water usage in that month alone went from 8,700 gallons to 2,251 gallons. The reason? He watered his lawn every other day because he chose to lay new sod in the front yard. His lawn is small, requiring moving his sprinkler only once to cover the entire front property and he only watered for 15 minutes at each location.

What was the real price of laying that beautiful new sod?

Just think of how much water is being used on larger properties to obtain the perfect lawn.

It’s absurd.

Here are a few things to consider:

• The average homeowner spends up to 100 hours every year walking behind a noisy, exhaust-spewing lawn mower.

• In 2005, lawns covered an estimated 63,000 square miles of America - about the size of Texas

• Most brands of grass seed contain almost nothing but Kentucky bluegrass and other introduced species not built for most Canadian or American backyard conditions.

• A typical cost for spring treatment by a lawn care company can range from $300 to $500 that include aeration and power raking (both unhealthy choices for your lawn.)

•The biggest drain on our water resources during the summer is outdoor use, primarily lawn and garden watering, according to a British Columbia, Canada report. Compared to residents’ winter water use, summer use is close to 65 per cent more.

• In many areas throughout North America, most of the rainfall or precipitation occurs in the winter months, not the summer.

• A garden hose can deliver (and waste if left on) more than 600 litres (132 gallons) of water an hour.

• A typical lawn needs a maximum of 25 mm (one inch) of water per week. Any more is likely wasted and is beginning to cut off oxygen to the roots of the grass and threatening its vigour.

Why do we love our lawns so much?

Lawns are the most grown crop in the United States. That’s sad when you think that no-one gets any nutritional value out of this so called crop. Lawns are grown simply to make the fronts of homes fit in with the neighbourhood and the homeowners look and feel good about themselves.

In Britain, TV gardening superstar Danny Clarke revealed recently that small garden lawns are one of the most common mistakes he sees gardeners in that country make. Danny says sacrificing border size for lawn is a mistake he is seeing over and over again. The result is tiny, narrow borders with little room for more than one or two plants stretching along a fence.

Even in the official birth place of the lawn, gardeners are realizing the amount of work lawns, even small ones, take to maintain. Clarke explains, “You spend more time mowing your lawn and looking after it than you do tending to your plants.”

He goes on to explain that “lawns never look 100 per cent unless you are on them 24/7, weeding and feeding them. To keep a lawn looking good you need to be mowing it, believe it or not, at least once a day.”

Well, I’m not sure about cutting it every day, but the longer you allow grass to grow, the more stress you put it under with each cut.

Clarke goes on to explain: If I had a small garden I wouldn’t have a lawn. I would ban lawns and just have plants. Plants are what makes your garden. If you want an aesthetically pleasing space, then the more plants you have in there the better”

• If you are considering creating a meadow in your front or backyard, be sure to check out The Making of a Meadow post for a landscape designer’s take on making a meadow in her own front yard.

On our property the lawn is almost gone

On our property, the lawn has slowly disappeared over the 20 plus years we’ve lived here. What once took about 1.5 hours of lawn cutting and edging, now takes maybe 10 minutes. All the grass has been removed in our front garden, and about 90 per cent removed from the back. All that actually remains is a small round patch in the middle of the yard that acts as an open area and forest edge for the plants and trees in the perimeter.

According to an article in Scientific American: “To have a well maintained lawn is a sign to others that you have the time and/or the money to support this attraction. It signifies that you care about belonging and want others to see that you are like them.”

The long history of lawns

The lawn as we know it was invented in the 18th century for English country estates. In those days, owners could count on a cool, rainy climate in addition to an army of servants to keep up with the yard work. Introduced to North America a few decades later, European turf grasses like Kentucky bluegrass allowed North Americans to grow a patch of green on their property as a symbol of prosperity.

Well, at least we could try. Lawn care experts say most Canadian homeowners set themselves up for a war against nature they cannot win using the standard arsenal of non-native turf grasses—no matter how many hours of labour, gallons of water and piles of fertilizer they employ.

To this day, lawns continue to be a sign of financial success. Many homeowners hire landscapers to guarantee the perfect lawn without having to invest their own time to cutting, bagging and edging their lawns.

But the days of the perfect lawn are disappearing fast. Water, pesticide and herbicide restrictions, along with increased awareness of the environmental costs, possibly through increased social media presence, are forcing homeowners to rethink the value of a wasteful lawn.

Lawns are thirsty and bad for the environment

According to Scientific American: Lawns require the equivalent of 200 gallons of drinking water per person per day.” It reports that Californians, for example, have taken to shaming (#droughtshame) neighbours who persist in watering their lawns.”

As Bob Dylan once wrote: “The times they are a changin.”

Even if older Canadian and American homeowners refuse to give up their perfect lawns without a fight, their more environmental-aware children are slowly adopting a more natural landscape design aesthetic.

One only needs to take in the garden designs beginning to dominate shows like the famed Chelsey Flower Show in England to see that naturalized gardens are more and more on-trend. The growing movement embraced by a younger generation reflects a more natural lifestyle and the return of naturalized lawns welcoming more native wildflowers, encouraging clover and other flowering weeds.

Over the course of more than 20 years in our home, my wife and I have eliminated 80-90 percent of the grass on the property. It’s been a long, arduous journey but I have gone from probably two hours of lawn mowing to maybe 10 minutes. The great swaths of grass have been replaced by living and non-living ground covers. Natural cedar mulch river rock and pea gravel make up the non-living ground cover, while sedum, ferns, mosses, and traditional ground covers make up the remainder of the living mulch.

Gardening on a budget links

DIY moss garden

Proven Winners Idea Book

Ten money-saving tips for the weekend gardener

Window boxes on a budget

DIY Bark Butter feeder for Woodpeckers

DIY reflection pond for photography

Click & Grow is ideal for Native Plants from seed

Nature’s DIY garden art

DIY solar drip for bird bath

Remove your turf and save money

DIY succulent planter

Hiring students to get your garden in shape

This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you) I try to only endorse products I have either used, have complete confidence in, or have experience with the manufacturer. Thank you for your support.

When is the best time to move a plant, shrub or tree?

The question many gardeners often ask is either, can I move this plant now, or, is it too late to move this plant or tree?

My answer is a simple one – “It’s almost never too late to move a plant, tree or shrub.”

In my opinion, it’s never a bad time to move a plant, shrub or tree if it is not doing well where it is currently planted or you just can’t live with a plant in a particular spot any longer. With the exception of extremely late in the fall when the ground has either begun to freeze up or is just days away from serious frost, or in winter, gardeners should not worry too much about moving most plants.

Now, that’s not to say every plant is going to transplant successfully. There are plants – especially those with long tap roots – that are extremely difficult to move. If you are careful, however, and take steps not to stress the plant too much and give it a nice new home with good soil in a preferred spot, chances are it will bounce back quickly and be much happier in its new location.

There’s also some ideal times to move trees, shrubs and plants. If either a plant is not doing well in the area it is currently located, or, if it has to be moved for various reasons, don’t hesitate to get the shovel out and get busy making the move.

So far this spring I have already moved a small Dogwood tree (Cornus Florida), a Pagoda Dogwood Tree (Cornus Alternifolia) three Golden Carex plants, a group of Milkweed plants and Black Eyed Susans that were moved from the front of our yard to the back garden, and a clump of Monarda that got divided to spread the plant around the garden. The common milkweed plants turned out to be the most difficult because of their long tap roots. it too a few days for them to recover but luckily I chose to move them during rainy and cool period in early June.

Early fall when the soil is still warm is the perfect time to move plants, shrubs and trees. Just make sure that the plants get several weeks in the ground prior to the soil freezing for the rest of the winter. Remember that the soil will stay warm long after we get our first freezing temperatures.

In addition, in the next few days, I expect to move a grouping of Solomon’s Seal, Canada Anemone, Bunchberry and who knows what else will find a new home before the heat of summer hits us all.

Over the years I have moved so many plants and trees it’s hard to remember them all, but I do recall moving a huge Blue Spruce, three Eastern White Pine, numerous hostas, ferns, Japanese Maples and a large Red Maple that was growing in a corner of the yard and is now three storeys high.

Out of all the trees, plants and bushes I have moved, I can only think of one dogwood that I have lost because of the move. However, many of the plants and trees that have found new homes have experienced serious set back as a result of the move.

It’s important to reduce your expectations after the transplant. If you are moving a flowering tree in early spring, chances are it will not flower that year or maybe sparingly. If it’s a perennial, it may not flower or the flowers may be sparse and smaller than usual.

In the first year after the move, much of the plant’s energy will be going into re-establishing its root system before it begins its growth period. The best you can do is to keep it well watered for the first year. Refrain from over fertilizing the plant so as not to encourage a lot of new growth which can stress the plant while it is trying to establish a good root system.

If you do use a fertilizer try not to use one with a high nitrogen content. The best fertilizer for root growth is one that is balanced with enough phophorous that will promote vigorous root growth when it is applied over the entire root zone of the plant. Phosphorous is represented by the first number (of 3) listed on the fertilizer. Look for a fertilizer with a 3-1-1 or 6-2-2 NPH label.

If you are looking for more natural sources of high-phosphorus fertilizers consider adding the following around your plants (information derived from https://greenupside.com/):

• Bone Meal – contains 12 to 16 per cent phosphorus by weight. It is easy to obtain and a good source. Add some Bone Meal into the hole before replanting.

• Bat Guano – 4 to 8.6 per cent phosphorus by weight. If you know where a group of bats are roosting, possibly in a box in your garden, this might be an easy source of phosphorous. See my earlier post on bats in the garden.

• Hair – is known to contain about 26 per cent phosphorus by weight. Know a barber or hair dresser?

• Enriched Rock Phosphate – contains 17 to 30 per cent phosphorus by weight

• Fish Meal – contains 4 to 6 per cent phosphorus by weight

• Cottonseed Meal – contains 2.5 to 3 per cent phosphorus by weight

• Worm Casting – contains 2.5 percent phosphorus by weight

• Blood Meal – contains 1.5 per cent phosphorus by weight

• Manure – contains 0.2 to 4 per cent phosphorus by weight

• Compost – contains 0.5 to 1 per cent phosphorus by weight

This Carex was not happy where I originally planted it along with a couple of others. In fact, when I checked it again this spring the roots had hardly taken to the very dry soil. I waited until spring to remove them and replant them in an area where I could ensure their roots would receive regular watering. Sometimes moving plants to an area that is more accessible to water is reason enough dig them up.

What is the ideal time to move a tree, shrub or plant?

Early Spring is best time to make a move

Although it may change to some degree depending on the plant, tree or shrub, early spring before new growth has begun is almost always the best time to move a plant. Unfortunately, that is not always a good time for gardeners to get out and begin digging up plants, even if they know exactly where they were planted.

Inevitably, the task is left until later in the spring when the new growth is up and the plant is easily identified. This is still a good time because the soil should still be quite damp from winter melt and spring rains.

After a good rain

Other than the spring, the next best time to move a plant, tree or shrub is after extensive rains preferably several days of rain. This ensures that the rain water has infiltrated deep into the ground and saturated the root system. Not only does this make digging out the plant much easier, it helps to severely reduce the stress of pulling the plant out of the soil making successful transplanting more likely.

Early fall can be a good time for a move

Early fall can also be a good time to move a plant. By fall, plants are beginning to approach dormancy creating a window for gardeners to move plants, or plant new ones before first frost. In Zones 5-7, there is a two-month window from about mid-September to mid-November before the first fall frost makes successful transplanting more risky. Gardeners are looking to make the move while leaving a large enough period of time for the roots of the plant to settle in and get some kind of foothold before a serious frost.

Tips to help move the plant, tree or shrub successful

If you have a sandy soil or you think it is is dried out give it a good, deep watering the day before to make the move less stressful on the plant. If it’s a delicate plant and you want to give the move every chance of success, you could go around the dripline of the plant with a sharp spade the day before the transplant to begin freeing up the plants and give the fine external roots a day or two to recover from being severed.

Keep the plant well watered leading up to the move, but not so saturated that the existing soil falls away from the roots when you dig the plant out to make the move.

Have your new planting hole already dug before digging out the plant that will be going into the hole.

In the past, it was thought that the new hole should be filled with new, highly fertile soil mixed with compost and a slow release fertilizer. There is a school of thought that says this practise can lead to a plant with roots that can become root bound if the surrounding soil is of low quality. A good compromise might be to create a planting hole with a mixture of about 50 per cent high-quality soil and compost and 50 per cent of the original soil that was removed from the hole. This combination gives the plant a good start but encourages the roots to eventually spread out in search of nutrients etc.

You can add some bone meal to help the roots get a good start.

And, of course, water your plants in well in their new home.

How to grow sunflowers

Are sunflowers difficult to grow?

Everyone loves sunflowers and growing them is generally simple.

The majority of annual sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) ask for nothing more than lots of sun and water combined with average soil. Generally speaking, the more sun they get the larger the flower will be and the stronger the stems will grow to hold up the large flowers. Fertilizer is unnecessary – maybe some added compost – but mulching will help to hold moisture in the soil. Sunflowers have a very deep tap root that is more than capable of finding water several feet (up to four feet) below ground.

A goldfinch sits atop sunflowers in late summer.

Woodland gardeners, however, may find that their gardens’ lack of sun requires a little more effort and planning to ensure success. Adding to a lack of sunny areas, if deer are regular guests in your garden, there’s a good chance you will also have to take extra steps to get the plants to adulthood.

The rewards of planting sunflowers are many: Fun cheery flowers from summer into the fall and even longer if planted in succession; a tap root that helps to bring nourishment from deep in the soil to the surface; and, especially a natural food source for birds and other backyard wildlife that put sunflower seeds very high on their nutritional needs. (Check out my complete story on providing birds with natural food sources.)

Growing your own sunflowers is great for the birds, bees and butterflies, but don’t overlook the fun you will have photographing them as they brighten up your garden when they begin to bloom. For my comprehensive post on taking a creative approach to photographing sunflowers and ten tips to capture them go here.

A dwarf sunflower in early May grows in one of our new containers.

In this article, I’ll take readers step by step – over the course of a spring and summer – through the process of growing sunflowers and bringing them to maturity both in containers and in the landscape. I’ll be starting some early under lights in our Click and Grow (link to my article) complete with its automatically timed grow lights and self watering system.

One of our dwarf sunflowers in the window box at the end of May. The main flower is almost done, (see dying flower image below) but new smaller flowers are now sprouting off the main flower.

We will also be growing sunflowers in small peat containers that will later be transplanted into the landscape. Other seeds will get their start later in spring in our outdoor raised planters away from hungry deer and still others will be directly sown in our large outdoor planters. Finally, I’ll plant a number of seeds directly into our garden and do my best to get them to maturity despite an abundance of deer and other fauna that visit the garden.

For more on the value of sunflowers in our gardens, check out Fields of Gold: Sunflowers and Goldfinches.

A dwarf sunflower shares it home with a few of our small, ceramic Fish in the Garden.

A field of sunflowers stand out against a beautiful blue sky and red barn at a nearby seed farm.

Do deer eat sunflowers?

Let’s start with our number one question: Do deer like to eat sunflowers? Anyone with a bird feeder knows that deer love sunflower seeds, but we are more concerned with them eating the plants rather than the flower head and seeds when it matures.

Deer love the tender shoots of sunflower when they first emerge and will nip them off until the stems begin to get more robust and they thicken and grow too tough to be appetizing. If we can get the plants to this stage, the deer tend to leave them alone for the remainder of the growing season.

I’m sad to say that I did not have much luck getting the plants to this stage before squirrels, deer and rabbits decided to dine on them. (I think part of the reason for this is that I started to grow the plants inside too early and the green plants stood out in the otherwise brown landscape just a little too much. This spring I’ll wait another couple of weeks to put them out into the garden when there is more for the wildlife to dine on.)

Sunflowers offer perfect opportunities for garden photography looking as good death as they do in bloom.

(Early June Edit) It’s early June and so far we have had mixed success. The dwarf sunflowers that were grown in the Click and Grow lighting system did well. They grew fast and I was able to get them into several containers by mid May where they continued to grow. Three of these dwarf varieties have bloomed, but it wasn’t long before chipmunks and squirrels went in for the kill and decided the flowers were there for their lunch.

Two small sunflowers (dwarf varieties) growing in a new large container were attacked by squirrels and decapitated but luckily I was able to get a flower from it. (See second and third images above.)

• I planted a multi-flowered variety in a large container in the front garden that was doing very well until a squirrel or chipmunk decided to use it as a swing. The plant was healthy and about 3-4 feet tall with a large bud forming getting ready to flower before it was broken off. I thought growing it up through a trellis should provide a little protection and give it support. But in the end it was broken off before flowering.

If a sunflower bud is broken off will it regrow a new one?

The broken stem of the sunflower seen here with what’s left of the bud on the soil below.

The above image is one of ten to 12 blooms that emerged even after squirrels broke off the main stem of the sunflower.

Unfortunately it is unlikely that a sunflower will regrow a bud once the main one has been broken off. Even if the stem is alive and appears to be doing well, once the bud has been broken off or removed, the chance of flowering is unlikely. If it is a clean break, and you get it early, or if the bud is broken but still hanging on, you may be able to save it by taping it up with a gardener’s tape.

July Edit: Forget everything I wrote directly above about regrowth after the stem has been broken. Our multi-flowering sunflower suffered several bud-stem breaks from squirrels or chipmunks, but it now has 7-10 sunflower buds on it. So, to answer the question “If a sunflower bud is broken off will it regrow a new one?” the answer is YES they can. Sunflowers, especially multi-flowering varieties, can regrow buds after the main leader has been broken off. The image above is an example of the plant in flower.

A sampling of some of the sunflowers we will be growing this spring through summer. Follow along as we take the sunflower from seed to fully mature specimens, while navigating deer and other obstacles in the gardens and in our containers.

What are the best sunflowers to grow?

There are many different sunflowers we can grow including a perennial native wildflower and an assortment of annuals. When it comes to annuals, there are basically two types – single and multi-flowering. The single-flowering sunflower sports a large (sometimes greater than 12 inches) flower on a tall, stout stem that can easily reach 8-16 feet tall.

The multi-flowering form combine several flowers usually consisting of a main flower with smaller secondary ones on a stem that can reach 6-8 feet high but is more often 4-6 ft.

One annual cultivar that is popular is the everblooming sunflower from Proven Winners called Suncredible Yellow that flowers on a heavily-branched plant with blooms that are about 4 inches across and do not need deadheading to continue blooming. The plant grows to about 3 feet tall and blooms longer than similar sunflowers lasting well into the fall.

A lovely stand of native perennial sunflowers growing wild in a nearby field.

The native perennial (zones 3-7), Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus) is a lovely multi-flowering wildflower that will attract bees and many butterfly species including Checkerspot and Painted Lady. The flower is much smaller than the traditional annual variety. It can be planted along woodland edges in full sun or partial shade along side Black-Eyed Susan for example and, unlike the annual plants, is deer resistant. (Check out my post on why we should be using native plants in our garden and how they help birds and other predators.

Our woodland sunflowers are beginning to show buds and I expect flowers to begin emerging in the near future. This will be the second year the woodland sunflowers will be in the garden, so I am hoping for a good show this year.

Large sunflowers planted in large clumps can be impressive and extremely important for both pollinators and birds.

Last spring, I planted the native perennial woodland sunflowers in a back part of our garden and am looking forward to seeing how they perform this year.

But, we are here to talk about the wide assortment of annual flowers ranging from the massive flowering types, to the medium ones good for both containers and in the landscape, as well as smaller dwarf varieties that are ideal for containers.

All are excellent choices, but consider how best to use them in your landscape.

A Click and Grow kit that includes an experimental kit to allow gardeners to grow whatever plants they like including native widflowers as well as sunflowers.

What are the best sunflowers for containers

If you are planning to use the sunflowers in containers, use a dwarf variety for best results, unless the container is quite large. Remember that the root systems of sunflowers are extensive and include a large and aggressive tap root. (There is a list below of some of the better multi-stem and dwarf varieties.)

The dwarf variety that I started in the Click and Grow have done well and made it into the garden containers in mid May. Most flowered quickly before the beginning of June and are now providing our chipmunks and squirrels with early snacks.

The big boys are probably best at the back of the garden or used as a large windbreak or privacy screen in a long line of plants. If you are planting them in this way, it’s always a good idea to stagger the plants to give them room to grow and air around them to circulate to prevent mildew and fungus problems. Leave at least six inches between plants (more is probably better) and make sure they get all-day sun or close to all-day sun.

The mid-size sunflowers are an excellent choice providing the sunny cheerfulness that only sunflowers can provide, but in a more manageable size coming in at 5-6 feet in height.

Here is a short list of some of the better sunflowers.

A closeup view of a sunflower.

Tall single-flower sunflowers

Skyscraper: Sunflowers can reach heights of up to 12 feet and produce 14-inch petals.

Sunforest Mix: Rises from 10-15 feet.

American Giant: This sunflower can reach up to 15 feet and a flower face that grows up to a foot tall

Russian Mammoth: Expect heights of 9 to 12 feet with a huge flower face.

Sunflower seeds placed inside the soil from the Experimental kit and ready to be grown through the systems automatic timed grow lights and self watering system.

Smaller, dwarf sunflowers include:

Sundance Kid: This bicolour red and yellow flower grows from between one to two feet tall.

Little Becka: Is a pollenless sunflower that sports red and yellow petals and grows between one to two feet tall

Pacino: This muti-flowered plant has a bright yellow face and grows to between 12-16 inches.
Sunny Smile: Another plant in the 12-15 inch range with bright yellow petals and a dark-brown centre.

Coloured sunflowers include such show stoppers as Moulin Rouge with its solid red petals, Terracotta sporting cream and orange petals, and Chianti: dark purple petals and dark centre.

If you are on the lookout for high quality, non-GMO seed for the Pacific North West consider West Coast Seeds. The company, based in Vancouver BC says that “part of our mission to help repair the world, we place a high priority on education and community outreach. Our intent is to encourage sustainable, organic growing practices through knowledge and support. We believe in the principles of eating locally produced food whenever possible, sharing gardening wisdom, and teaching people how to grow from seed.”

Canada Anemone: A native ground cover for woodland garden

Native bees zero in on Canada Anemone

The Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis) is an ideal choice for a native ground cover that will not only light up the woodland garden in spring when it is in flower, but will also create a lovely textural cover throughout the summer.

I started my little patch from a single plant purchased at the local horticultural society’s annual plant sale. In a few short years, that single plant quickly spread into a good-sized size drift that greets spring with their clear white flowers and yellow centres that can stretch out to be over an inch wide with five sepals held up on long stalks. The flowers stand above the foliage that resembles that of Wild Geranium. New foliage growth emerges a light green giving the plant a fresh look.

The drifts of flowers spread through rhizomes and depending on the soil they either spread quickly in rich, mesic to wet soils, but slower in drier, more well-drained soils. Our soil is definitely dry, but they still spread with great vigour. They can often be seen near sandy dry lakes as well as meadows.

The wildlflower is native to most of eastern North America and is common in the upper midwest and Great Lakes area where I live.

An aerial view shows the flower in both its open and un-open stages as well as the ferny foliage that resembles the foliage of Wild Geranium.

It is a favourite of the early native bees and other pollinators, but our resident rabbits and deer never seem to touch the plants. That could be because they are smart enough to know that all of the parts of the plant are considered toxic.

Making room in our gardens for more and more native plants is vital for the survival of our native fauna, from insects and caterpillars that have developed a relationship with these native plants over centuries, to our native birds that depend on the insects and caterpillars to feed themselves and, even more importantly, their young in the spring when insects are often difficult to find.

They flower about the same time as non-native Epimediums, which enjoy a more shady location. I can see some large drifts of these Canada Anemones growing together with clumps of Epimedium in a part-sun, part shade environment. The ferny foliage would work well with the larger, and more colourful foliage of some Epimedium throughout the summer months, once flowering has ended.

Our little drift will be contributing to more drifts throughout our garden when I transplant some of these original plants to different parts of the garden later this year when the flowering has dried up.

Looking for more information on ground covers? Please check out my other posts on ground covers I use in the woodland garden.

• Bunchberry perfect ground cover for woodland garden

• What is the easiest ground cover to grow?

• Three great ground covers for the woodland garden.

• Creeping thyme as a ground cover

• Snow in summer ideal for hot dry areas

• Moss and moss-like ground covers

Fall is a good time to transplant them but any time after flowering should be fine, especilly if you are transplanting them in shaded area and give them lots of water to help get them a good start.

These plants may look delicate, but don’t mistake their delicate beauty for weakness, these are a hardy, native ground cover.

Canada Anemones are perennials that grow well in zones 3-8 and reach about a foot tall when in flower.

Like any good ground cover, they are quick to spread and fill in those empty patches in your garden. Plant them in full sun to partial shade for best results and expect blooms from late May into June.

They prefer a wet to medium site but have done well in our dry sandy loam with a layer of mulch to keep the soil cool in the hot sun. 

Growing Canada Anemone from seed

Growing these plants from seeds can be difficult.

The seeds actually need double stratification in a cold moist environment before germination and, therefore, could take up to two seasons before plants emerge if seeds are sown directly in the garden in fall.

Best to just get some plants from a friend or a good reputable native plant nursery.

What insects and pollinators are attracted to Canada Anemone

Any native flower that emerges early quickly attracts a host of insect pollinators and the Canada Anemone is no different. Watch for small Carpener Bees, Sweat Bees and Mining Bees visiting the flowers. A host of beetles are also attracted to the flowers, including long-horned and tumbling flower beetles just to name a few.

Obviously, backyard birds will also be checking out the early-blooming flowers for a quick meal of delicious insects.

Making room in our gardens for more and more native plants is vital for the survival of our native fauna, from insects and caterpillars that have developed a relationship with these native plants over centuries, to our native birds that depend on the insects and caterpillars to feed themselves and, even more importantly, their young in the spring when insects are often difficult to find.

Consider replacing non-native ground covers, such as Lilly of the Valley and Periwinkle, with native varieties that perform as well if not better than their non-native counterparts and provide important sources of food for native birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

This grouping of Canada Anemone flowers offer a perfect opportunity to experiment with some selective focus photography.

Another great flower for selective focus

When the Canada Anemone is blooming, it’s time to get out the camera and experiment with a little selective focus. Use a long lens and shoot through the flowers with your lens “opened up” to its widest opening. Now focus on a flower in the distance and let the foreground and background go out of focus.

Experimenting with selective focus on a grouping of Canada Anemone.

You could get a similar effect with a macro lens by allowing the flowers in the foreground to go out of focus while focusing on a more distant flower or grouping of flowers.

Epimediums: Woodland plant whose time has come

Call them what you will – Epimediums, Barrenwort or Fairywings – these often overlooked, non-native plants don’t get the attention they deserve in the woodland garden.

But their time is coming.

Actually, according to garden author Allan Armitage, that time has already come. He wrote in his 1989 book Herbaceous Perennial Plants, that the Epimedium is “a genus whose time has come, with plenty of attributes and very few faults.”

I can’t agree more and although its time has come, there are still many gardeners unfamiliar with this plant. The word is getting out, however, and there are now hundreds of cultivars with many more still in the works.

Epimediums are easy-to-grow perennials that are grown more for their foliage than their beautiful early spring delicate flowers. They perform both as a ground cover in a shady or semi-shady area, or a specimen plant. Most grow to about 6-12” high in zones 5-8 and like rich humusy soil, but will do well in dry soil under a forest canopy.

Epimedium in our Japanese-inspired garden forming the perfect backdrop for the ceramic fish from Fish in the garden.

As gardeners begin to recognize the value of these plants both as a ground cover for their delicate “fairywing” flowers in multitudes of colours ranging from yellow to orange, red, pink, purple and various bi-color combinations, and as a specimen plant that boasts – much like hostas – outstanding foliage from spring through to fall, there is no doubt they will gain in popularity.

Unlike hostas, they are not bothered by slugs, deer or rabbits.

Epimediums are easy to grow, long-lived shade perennials that thrive in well-drained, humus-rich, moisture retentive soils.

Epimediums are an herbaceous member of the barberry family of plants, but unlike the woody members of the family, they do not share any of the invasive characteristics that have made the woody barberry family members such a bad reputation.

For the most part, Epimediums form either a low mound or slow-spreading ground cover.

They grow in shade to part shade in gardening zones 5-8. These delicate but hardy plants can put up with the dry soil once they are established and can do well under trees with extensive roots. Perfect for us woodland gardeners.

They range in height from 6” to 2.5’, but expect 12″ to 18″ from most established 3-4 year-old clumps, where they are often as wide as they are tall.

Their mostly heart-shaped leaves look their best in spring when the emerging foliage takes on a variety of colours including reddish colorations or markings depending on the variety.

Because they flower early in spring in clusters on long arching stems, they have value for pollinators.

While the flowers of the Epimedium are beautiful in bloom, it’s the foliage that attracts most gardeners to these plants.

Why are Epimediums not as popular as hostas

So why haven’t these plants captured the attention of gardeners? Maybe its the names they go by – Barrenwort sounds more like a disease than a beautiful plant – and Epimedium, even if you can remember the name, doesn’t quite inspire most of us to run to the nursery.

Cost is another factor. While there certainly are hostas with big price tags, even the more difficult-to-find hostas are coming down in price as propagators continue to do their work and make them more available to gardners.

Epimediums still have not reached this level of propagation and remain a little costly for many of us. Unlike hostas, Epimediums are slow spreaders and are best propogated by division. They grow slowly and spread even slower, but once they get established, they form substantial, well behaved clumps that add a delicate touch to a garden bed where other plants might struggle to grow.

The delicate flowers of the Epimedium lend themselves perfectly to the woodland garden.

How to use Epimedium in the woodland landscape

In our woodland garden, I have Epimediums growing in the front and back gardens, including two lovely groupings of the pink/red and white variety growing in the Japanese-inspired garden at the front of our home. The delicate, two-toned flowers and the elegant, soft foliage fits in perfectly and form the ideal hi-light for the garden statuary and moss-covered rocks. They also form a delicate transition from the river rock into the garden where they grow alongside an impressive ghost fern and native wild geranium.

Elsewhere in the woodland garden, you’ll find yellow versions growing along a pathway leading to the front door, another clump softening a mossy rock among the pachysandra and wild columbine.

In the back garden, I have placed more of the yellow Epimedium under a mature Linden tree and along a small stepping stone path of flagstone that includes a number of native woodland plants from trilliums, to geranium, ferns, columbine and groundcovers of Mayapple, wild strawberry and low-growing sedums.

In an excellent article about Epimediums on the Piedmont Master Gardeners site the following examples were used on how best to use the plants in the landscape.

• Use it as ground cover in a mixed shade garden where it can fill in the spaces between trees.

• Use it as a border along a woodland path where the foliage will soften the edges of pathways.

• Use them as an edging or border in front of taller plants in a shade garden where their foliage can add a complimentary transition between the lawn and garden plantings.

• Use them in a shaded rock garden

• Use them for erosion control where the dense, rhizomatous root system can do its job of holding soil in place.

• Plant them with other woodland plants such as Allegheny spurge, Columbine, ferns, hostas, lungwort and wild ginger, just to name a few, to create a beautiful woodland floor tapestry.

  Best methods of propagating Epimedium

Epimediums grow by underground woody rhizomes and should be divided in spring after flowering or later in early fall preferably after a rain.

The A-Z on Epimediums

If you need more inspiration to include Epimediums in your garden, look no further than Garden Vision Epimediums where they boast the “largest selection of shade-loving Epimediums for sale in the United States.

The images on the website offer a taste of what you can expect in your garden when you choose to add them. Be sure to check out their informative “About Epimediums” page for everything you ever wanted to know about the plants.

Here is a great link listing nurseries in the United States that specialize in selling mail order Epimediums as well as a list of sources that specialize in on-site sales. In Canada, most high-end nurseries will carry at least a few varieties, but for the ultimate selection, look no further than the folks at Fraser’s Thimble Farms, The rare plant specialists for an extensive selection of mail order Epimediums. They also specialize in rare orchids and other rare plants. UK gardeners should check out the selection at Burncoose Nurseries and mail-order firm. Their Epimedium Growing Guide will help give you a taste of what you can expect in your garden.

Back to the American growers. The Mission of Garden Vision Epimediums in the US is “Preservation through Cultivation” and they say they have many Epimediums that gardeners will only be able to find at their nursery located in Templeton, Massachusetts, about 50 miles northwest of Boston.

“A great diversity exists among Epimediums, but it is not readily available to the public. We gather these rarities, determine their true identity and propagate them for distribution. We think of ourselves as facilitators, spending a tremendous amount of time and money to acquire new plants, study, identify, test and propagate them quickly for sale to fellow collectors, propagators and gardeners. The price of a plant often represents the difficulty and cost of acquiring and/or propagating it, as much as its rarity. Many of the Epimediums you see here you will not be able to find elsewhere.”

Time to get planting fellow gardeners.

Cooking with cast iron on the BBQ

Cooking with cast iron turns everyone into a pit master. It’s too bad most weekend BBQ warriors don’t spend the time or effort to make cast iron part of their cooking arsenal.

If that sounds like you, keep reading because I think you will realize that you need at least one cast iron skillet.

Why you need a cast iron skillet

Hey, you might say, “I like to cook right on the grill and I don’t want anything between the hot flame and my food.”

• Did you know that by using a cast iron skillet you can actually impart savoury and smoky flavours into the food you are cooking. That can be good if its complimentary, and bad if you are imparting yesterday’s filet flavours into your pie crust. But it’s mostly great when your skillet is adding flavour to your food.

• Did you know you can perfectly sear meats in the cast iron pan and then transfer the pan directly into the oven or just leave it in the BBQ to cook slowly, creating the perfect one-pan cooking experience.

• Did you know you can throw that same cast iron cookware directly into an open campfire in the backyard or at the lake.

• Did you know that, with a little care, cast iron pans can last forever. Many families are so in love with their cast iron that they even pass them down over generations.

A bottle of high quality vegetable oil and a rag is really all you need besides the oven to season your cast iron cookware.

It’s okay if you are just learning, I am too

Let’s make this clear, I’m no expert when it comes to cast iron cooking (I’ve managed to collect a couple of skillets a two-sided Vermont Castings griddle and a Vermont Castings Dutch Oven), but I’m ready to go all in to learn the ins-and-outs of this ancient art of cooking. If you are looking for a solid skillet to start with, Lodge Skillets are excellent starting points at a reasonable price.

In fact, I recently joined a couple of Facebook groups dedicated entirely to cooking with and collecting cast iron cookware. If you ever doubted the passion people have for cast iron cookware, just spend a few minutes in one of these groups.

Part of my interest in cast iron cooking began with the purchase of our Vermont Castings Vanguard propane BBQ that came with a couple of heavy, well-made cast iron cooking grids. Seasoning up those was so much fun that I immediately went out and purchased the Vermont Casting cast iron griddle accessory.

Below image (link) is the 14-inch seasoned skillet from Camp Chef that is the perfect size for quick meals.

That’s when things really took off – pancakes, eggs, little breakfast sausages, onions, mushrooms even smash burgers all became easily within reach once the griddle came on scene.

A small skillet followed, then a larger one for my Jambalaya dish, and finally the ultimate – a special Vermont Castings Dutch Oven made especially for their excellent BBQs. But the Dutch Oven can also be used on and in the stove as well as on open fire pits.

Over the next few months, I hope to share some of my favourite recipes with readers.

Cooking outside on the BBQ or over an open flame is an excellent excuse to spend time out in the garden and, I can’t think of many better ways to fully experience our gardens than spend time nursing a four-hour cook in the dutch oven listening to the birds singing and then sitting down with family and friends for a great meal al fresco style.

Before we can do that, however, we need to season those cast iron skillets, griddles and Dutch Ovens.

How to season cast iron cookware

Before you begin using your cast iron cookware, you will have to take some time to “prepare” the items to begin creating the “seasoning coat” that ensures a hard, non-stick coating and makes cast iron cookware so desirable by those who worship its cooking qualities.

Even if your cast iron comes “pre-seasoned,” it’s a good idea to add between one and three more preseasoning treatments to the cookware before using it. The more “seasoning” the better, but you can slowly build up the seasoning with each cook if you want to cut corners.

Even if you read that it is not necessary to season a preseasoned skillet or other cast iron item, take my word– just do it.

To add the first “seasoning” to your newly purchased “preseasoned” cookware, it’s a good idea to first wash the item with a mild liquid detergent in hot water. (In the past using soap was not recommended because of the strong Lye that was used to make soap. Today’s detergents do not use lye and are mild enough to use on cast iron.)

Some say not to use soap in this step because it will likely remove some of the thin coat of preseasoning that was put on at the factory. I think you can go ahead and use a bit of soap but a scrubbing with just hot water will be enough.

Once that is completed, dry the cookware off with a cloth and put it into a hot oven for a few minutes to complete the drying process.

Next, remove the hot cast iron item from the oven, place it on a safe surface and use a soft cloth to rub a very thin layer of vegetable oil (preferably avocado, grape seed or a high quality virgin olive oil) over the entire surface of the cast iron cookware including the bottom, sides and handle but paying special attention to the inside and sides of the skillet or other cookware.

Before putting the item into the oven, use a clean, dry cloth to remove any access oil.

Then, turn up the heat in the oven to high (preferably 500 or greater) and leave the cookware in the heated oven for about an hour. After an hour, let the item cool naturally inside the oven. (This can also be done inside your gas or woodburning BBQ).

Repeat, as necessary to acquire the number of seasonings you want on the cookware, but, after the initial seasoning, more can be slowly added following each use.

The Vermont Castings specially designed Dutch Oven is perfect for using on the BBQ, in the oven, on the stove or even on an open campfire.

Here are the seasoning steps in point form

• Give the preseasoned skillet a quick cleaning with hot water. You can add a little mild liquid detergent if you wish.

• Dry the skillet with a soft cloth and heat it on the stove or in the oven to remove all the water on the surface.

• Use a high smoke point oil like canola and rub it into all areas of the skillet including the non-cook surfaces.

• Once it is fully coated, use a clean cloth to wipe off any excess oil.

• Place the cast iron pan upside down in your oven and use either a piece of aluminum foil or a cookie dish to catch any oil drips that may occur. Providing you have used a thin coat of oil and wiped off the access, you should not experience any dripping.

• Heat oven to its highest temperature and bake the cast iron for about one hour.

• Turn off oven and allow the pan to cool naturally.

• Once the cast iron is cool to the touch, you are free to begin using the item to cook.

The Vermont Castings Dutch Oven made especially for use with their BBQs.

How to maintain the seasoning on your cast iron cookware

Once you have established the initial seasoning, maintaining the cookware is quite simple. Following every cook with the cast iron cookware, ensure the item is clean either by washing it with hot water and a mild detergent if necessary, or preferably, just by wiping it out with a clean cloth, drying it thoroughly and adding a thin coat of oil before heating it in the oven or BBQ on high for 15 or 20 minutes.

This should maintain and enhance the coating and non-stick qualities over time.

How to fix dirty or rusty cast iron cookware

Depending on what and how you cook a particular dish, you may have to take additional steps to clean a skillet, griddle or Dutch Oven from time to time. If there are burnt-on food items remaining on the cookware even after a wash with hot water, consider using a plastic or wooden spatula to remove any stuck-on or burnt food. If this does not remove the items, you can add a teaspoon of coarse salt and a sponge to scrub off any particles. The dry salt will help to scrape off the carbon left on the cookware but not scratch off the “seasoning.”

Be sure to carefully wash off the salt and season the cookware following the cleaning and storage of the cookware.

And that’s it folks. Oh, one last thing. If you do leave your beloved skillet out in the rain and it gets a little rusty, simply follow the steps above and after a few seasonings it should be back to perfect.

Celebrate No Mow May along with the butterflies, birds and bees

The No Mow May movement is picking up steam around the world. We can all play our part by just doing less.

Plantlife gives birth to No Mow May movement sweeping the world

Turns out we have permission not to mow our grass in May.

Not only do we have permission, some very important people, environmental agencies and lovable tree huggers are actually encouraging us not to cut the grass. Instead, just let it go and see what comes up. They promise we might even be pleasantly surprised.

Turf grass has long been considered a waste of time and money, but ever increasing information points to extensive turf grass being extremely detrimental to native fauna from insects and pollinators to mammals, amphibians and reptiles that are losing habitat at an alarming rate.

Need proof? Check out my earlier article about why we need a whole lot less grass in our lives.

We can thank some folks in Great Britain at Plantlife for this little grass-cutting reprieve. In their own words: “Plantlife is a British conservation charity working nationally and internationally to save threatened wild flowers, plants and fungi . We own nearly 4,500 acres of nature reserve across England, Scotland and Wales. We have 11,000 members and supporters and HRH The Prince of Wales is our Patron.”

Talk about working to save native plants, Plantlife can boast some pretty serious achievements.

For example, Plantlife, with its HQ in Salisbury and field staff spread across Britain including national offices in Wales and Scotland, was instrumental in the creation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and is a member of Planta Europa, a pan-European netwok of more than 60 wild plant conservation organizations.

So Plantlife might have led the way, but now environmental groups, cities, towns you name it are jumping on board to declare May as No Mow Month to kick off spring and provide a healthy boost to native flowers and grasses, and the bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife that thrive in more natural landscapes.

• If you are considering creating a meadow in your front or backyard, be sure to check out The Making of a Meadow post for a landscape designer’s take on making a meadow in her own front yard.

Letting areas of the yard go back to nature can result in native wildflowers springing up in places you would never expect.

Cities and towns take No Mow May to new levels

Here in Ontario, for example, a town outside Toronto, East Gwillimbury, is actually encouraging residents not to cut their grass to “ help support pollinators during this crucial spring period as they are seeking their first food sources of the season such as dandelions and other flowers typically found in lawns. This movement is important as research indicates a mass extinction of insects is underway. Of particular concern in recent years, is the decline of the bee population.”

Residents are asked to avoid mowing lawns until June with the goal of preventing disturbance of overwintering insects and amphibians that may be burrowed or hiding in leaves and lawns, and to increase food sources to pollinators.”

And, if that is not enough, they are turning it into a competition where residents sign up for the challenge, pay $5 and receive a lawn sign to “show neighbours” they are supporting No Mow May.

All the donations are going to the David Suzuki foundation Butterfly Way. The Butterfly Project has expanded to hundreds of communities throughout Canada with more than 1,000 volunteer Butterfly Rangers who, together with recruits planted pollinator patches in thousands of yards, gardens, schools and parks in 2021.

Greenpeace gives No Mow a boost

Even Greenpeace has jumped on board to promote the No Mow May Challenge. In an article on its website, Greenpeace points to why a flowering meadow is so much better than a well-mown lawn.

Greenpeace states: “By compiling several European and American studies in a meta-analysis, the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières has revealed that lawns create manufactured ecosystems with low biodiversity, a condition that worsens as the intensity of mowing increases. Lawns that are mowed more frequently are linked to a decrease in the number of invertebrates and have less plant diversity, while the presence of pests and invasive species goes up. We have every reason to think twice about our obsession with perfectly manicured lawns.”

Bee City USA joins in the No Mow May fun

In the United States, similar projects are underway. Bee City USA, an initiative of the Xerces Society, has been promoting No Mow for a number of years and report that in 2020, residents of Appleton Wisconsin, a Bee City USA affiliate, convinced their City Council to suspend their weed ordinance for the month of May. More than 435 registered property owners participated in the campaign and the local university joined in to study the results.

The Bee City USA website points out that the findings were very impressive. “Not only were the abundance and richness of bees higher in the yards of properties participating in No Mow May, but they were way higher. Participating yards had three-times higher bee species richness and five-times higher bee abundance than nearby parks that had been mowed.”

Getting back to Plantlife, the originators of No Mow May. The website reports that last year (2021) the conversion to wilder lawns resulting from the No-Mow approach, saw records of bee orchids, snake’s-head fritillaries and eyebrights. To further dru home the results, it Plantlife reports that a “three-acre meadow can be home to 9 million flowers producing enough nectar to support a half million bees every day.”

if that’s not reason to take a break from mowing in May, I’m not sure what is.

And don’t forget, Letting the grass grow is a big step in creating the perfect environment for fireflies to breed.

Okay so you just can’t live without a well-manicured lawn for a month. Maybe you are having a garden party or some important event that means not cutting the grass is not an option.

What else can you do if No Mow is a No Go

You can help pollinators throughout the spring and summer by:

1. Planting a specialized pollinator garden in the backyard. Look for a variety of native flowering plants, such as Asters, Bee Balm, Milkweed and Coneflowers, or other natives depending where you garden. Try to achieve varying bloom times that begin blooming in spring and continue through until fall.

2. Maybe you can find a small section of your yard that can remain uncut all summer long. Even a small area in an out-of-the-way corner of the yard left uncut can make a difference to pollinators, insects and other wildlife looking for natural habitat.

3. Consider decrease the mowing frequency throughout the summer. Let your lawn grow a little longer than normal, cut it higher when you do cut it and keep the mowing to only once or twice per month.

4. Mow at the highest setting. This allows low lying flowers to continue to grow and decreases re-flower time for those that are mown.

Tips to create a mini meadow-inspired garden

Can I have a meadow garden in a small space?

A monarch works a sunflower in a naturalized flower border.

Just like you can create a woodland-inspired yard in today’s smaller urban backyards, so too can you find a sunny spot in your backyard to create a meadow-inspired garden that will bring you many of the same joys that a full-sized meadow offers.

That includes a natural, ever-changing planting with an abundance of colour and texture that is a magnet for birds, butterflies, bees and other pollinators.

In a small garden, you may not be able to have the meadow of your dreams, but with the right plants you can have one most gardeners only dream about. And creating it is relatively simple.

I have been working on creating a meadow-inspired garden across a small hill located at the back of our yard that gets strong afternoon sun despite being under the canopy of two old crabapple trees.

By transplanting native grasses such as Little Bluestem, Black-eyed Susans, Purple Coneflowers, native sunflowers and other meadow plants, I have been able to fill in a good portion of the hillside garden. I expect to see some positive results from my efforts this summer as the plants begin to grow in and take shape. More native plants and seeds will follow this season to help fill in any empty areas. I’m also counting on nature to do its thing as well to help me along the path to a lovely little meadow-inspired garden.

In their book, Garden Revolution, How our Landscapes can be a source of Environmental Change, Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher, write: “Native meadow is likely the best answer to North America’s over reliance on lawn, a means of saving the enormous quantities of water, fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, and fossil fuels annually invested in the cultivation of turf. Unlike shrublands and forests, meadows can be established from seed in a relatively short time to gravitate toward open space and expansive views, attributes not common in a forest or shrubland.”

The authors ask why, then, does grass continue to dominate our landscapes?

They point to the quality of seed that has been sold in the past to create these meadows and the desire by homeowners to have an instant meadow in a single season.

“Meadows can work, but only if the gardener selects plants and uses techniques that reflect the local habitats and ecological processes that will affect their survival and proliferation.This is why successful meadow will look quite different in different regions.”

Goldfinch works on a sunflower in a naturalized flower border.

For more on creating a naturalized meadow and wildlife habitat, be sure to check out my post Fields of Gold: Sunflowers and Goldfinches.

Their approach to creating a successful meadow is a fascinating look at working with nature using native plants and a more ecological approach. Although it is aimed at creating and maintaining large meadows with the least amount of work, their approach is certainly one that works in a mini meadow-inspired garden.

If you have visions for a larger meadow, Garden Revolution is a must read gardening guide to creating meadows and other inspirational gardens by working with native plants.

If you are interested in exploring this approach in greater detail, check out my more extensive post on Garden Revolution here.

• For more on creating a meadow garden, check out this comprehensive post on how Garden designer Angela den Hoede created one at her home.

• If you are looking for ideas on using low-growing ornamental grasses, be sure to check out my post on Five low-growing ornamental grasses.

The following, however, are some tips on creating your mini meadow-inspired garden.

A monarch takes a moment to work on the flower of the common thistle. Letting your meadow go a little “weedy” can attract some beautiful friends for a visit.

What’s the difference between a Meadow or Prairie garden?

Whether you choose a meadow-inspired garden or a prairie-inspired garden, the process is somewhat similar.

• If you want mostly colourful flowers, then a meadow-inspired garden is the direction you want to go. Use ever-blooming annuals to get your garden going. In fall dig them into the garden and replant for next year. Or plant your meadow with perennials that also flower generously (oxeye daisies, coreopsis and black-eyed Susans). Eventually a combination of the two will give you a good start on your continuous flowering meadow.

• If you are more a fan of grasses than you might want to lean to a more prairie look. Grasses rather than flowers hold centre stage in the prairie garden. In mid summer, however, the prairie leaps into bloom with wildflowers that complement the height and habit of grasses.

• A meadow planting is shorter than the prairie-inspired garden that features grasses like Big Bluestem, compass plant and others that can easily reach head height and beyond. If you still like the prairie look, there are plants that stay on the shorter side such as Prairie Dropseed, grama grass, foxtail barley, butterfly weed and blanket flower to name just a few.

• In a meadow garden, more attention will have to be paid to maintaining the existing flowers because these gardens tend to want to move toward grasses unless given proper guidance.

It won’t take long for pollinators like this native bumblebee to find your mini meadow.

Six steps to a Meadow Startup

Sally Roth, in her informative book Natural Landscaping: Gardening with Nature to Create a Backyard Paradise, provides the following steps to create a Meadow-inspired garden.

• Strip or smother existing sod.

• Till or turn the soil until it is smooth.

• Water the area thoroughly with a fine to medium spray.

• Wait for weed seeds to sprout. Slice off with the blade of a hoe, taking care not to disturbthe soil. Repeat as often as you have patience for.

• Sow meadow garden seed.

• Weed until meadow seedlings are well on their way.

  For a fast Meadow mix from seed, Roth suggests the following plants be included

• Baby blue eyes: (Nemophila menziesii) This delicate low-grower has charming blue flowers above a ferny foliage.

• Bachelor’s-Buttons: (Centaurea cyanus) Branched and bushy plants with long-lasting blooms in blue, pink, rose, white and deep red-purple.

• California poppy: (Eschscholia californica) Vivid orange flowers that form cups above lacy gray-green foliage. Pink and purple cultivars are also available.

• Calliopsis: (Coreopsis tinctoria) A graceful, knee-high plant with abundant gold, russet, mahogany, or two-toned daisies and ferny foliage.

• Corn cockle: (Agrostemma gitbago) Simple, silky flowers in vivid magenta-purple atop a branching midheight plant with grayish foliage.

• Other plants to consider include: field poppy, Scarlet flax, Cosmos, Tickseed, sunflower.

  If a more perennial style garden is more to your liking consider the following plants

• Birdfoot violet, Black-eyed Susans, Bluets, Butter-and-eggs, Butterfly weed, Foxtail grasses, Goldenrods, Heath aster, Heliopsis, Little Bluestem, Moth mullein, New England Aster, Oxeye daisy, Panicled aster, Wild bergamot, Winged sumac and Yarrows.

  If you are on the lookout for high quality, non-GMO seed for the Pacific North West consider West Coast Seeds. The company, based in Vancouver BC says that “part of our mission to help repair the world, we place a high priority on education and community outreach. Our intent is to encourage sustainable, organic growing practices through knowledge and support. We believe in the principles of eating locally produced food whenever possible, sharing gardening wisdom, and teaching people how to grow from seed.”

  Tips to attract birds to your mini meadow

• Remember to plant the flowers that set seeds that you know will attract birds later in the season. Both annual and perennial sunflowers (see story) are good for starters, as are cosmos and coneflowers.

• Allow the “weeds” to take root. The seeds and or fruits of lamb’s quarters, pigweed, pokeweed and ragweed will attract a variety of birds.

• Leave areas of the garden undisturbed as much as possible. These are excellent areas for birds to tuck their nests in to shrubby plants or even grasses.

• Plant perennials that spread into large colonies to create cover for the birds.

• Leave the leaves and don’t cut your meadow until spring or, if necessary, late winter so that birds can seek food and shelter in standing plants throughout the cold months.

  Butterflies you may attract to your meadow-inspired garden

  Depending on where you garden, you can expect to see many of the following butterflies in your mini meadow-inspired garden.

• Black swallowtail

• Buckeye

• Cabbage White

• Common blue

• Common Sulphur

• European skipper

• Gray hairstreak

• Indian skipper

• Meadow fritillary

• Monarch

• Orange sulphur

• Painted Lady

• Pearly crescentspot

• Red admiral

• Red-spotted purple

• Tiger swallowtail

• viceroy

• Zebra swallowtail

  Much of the information from this article is from Sally Roth’s informative book Natural Landscaping. For more in depth information check out her gardening book.

How to attract Giant Tiger Swallowtail to your garden

If the Monarch is the queen of garden butterflies, the black and yellow Giant Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are surely the kings.

In our garden, Swallowtails are certainly more numerous than Monarchs during the summer. I see them fluttering about checking out our Coneflowers, Black-eyed Susans and any other safe flowering landing spot they can find. Some specimens are just spectacular boasting a wingspan of between 3.1 to 5.5 inches (7.9 to 14 cm).

The Giant Swallowtail is the largest butterfly in Canada and parts of the United States. In Canada, it is only native at the southwestern tip of Ontario but has been seen as far North as Winnipeg, Manitoba. In the north, they are common from May to September. In the eastern United States, the Tiger Swallowtail is one of the most familiar butterflies, but its range stretches from southern Vermont to Florida west to eastern Texas and the Great Plains.

Females are larger than males and Tiger Swallowtails in the south tend to be larger than those in more northern regions.

Male yellow Tiger Swallowtails have four black “tiger stripes” on each of its forewings. The females, which can be yellow or black, have wings with strong, almost florescent, splashes of blue running across the back end of its wings.

Swallowtails, unlike the Monarch butterfly that depends on milkweed as a host plant, are generalists although they like to lay their eggs on citrus trees in the south and the more common Hop tree and Northern Prickly Ash in more northern regions. Gas Plant and common rue (Ruta graveolens) are also two plants that the larvae use as a host plant.

The caterpillar will pupate in early summer into a well camouflaged chrysalis. After about 12 days, the butterfly emerges. A chrysalis that forms in late fall will not hatch until late spring preferring to overwinter in the debris of our gardens.

This is the reason we do NOT clean up our gardens in the fall or early spring.

Farther south in warmer climates, it’s possible to have three successful hatches.

A single green egg is laid on a plant prior to the birth of a small caterpillar. As the caterpillars age they turn green with two black, yellow, and blue eyespots on the thorax.

The caterpillar turns brown prior to pupating. It will reach a length of 5.5 centimetres (2.2 in). The chrysalis varies from a whitish color to dark brown. Hibernation occurs in this stage in locations with cold winter months.

How to attract Eastern Tiger Swallowtails to your garden

Although Swallowtails are primarily woodland butterflies, other common habitats include open fields, rivers, creek beds, roadsides and, of course, our gardens.

Attracting the giant butterflies to your garden is not difficult providing you ensure at least some of the contributing habitat factors – food for all stages of the butterfly from larvae through to adulthood, a source of shallow water or puddle, and some form of shelter such as a woodpile, tall grasses or bushes where they can disappear to at night.

Food for Swallowtail larvae

Both the caterpillars and the butterflies of both the Eastern variety and the Western variety of Tiger swallowtails can be considered generalists, feeding on a wide variety of plants.

Common host plants used are those of the families Magnoliaceae and Rosaceae, with species like the tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), sweet bay magnolia (Magnolia viginiana) and wild black cherry (prunus serotina). Aspens, Alders, birches, cottonwoods and willows are also host plants in more northern regions.

The Spicebush swallowtail is very similar to the black Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, although it is actually mimicking a poisonous Piper Swallowtail.

But, plant a nice sweep of parsley in a quiet corner of your yard and you are instantly on the right track to attract black Swallowtail caterpillars. Parsley is one of the key host plants for the caterpillars that are also happy to dine on fennel, dill, Queen Anne’s lace and other members of the carrot family.

The butterflies themselves are not overly selective on what flower they will land on to get nectar.

Here are a few good choices that will give you bloom throughout the summer. Adult butterflies use a wide range of food sources, most preferring to nectar on plants with red or pink flowers. As mentioned earlier, purple coneflower Salvias and Black-Eyed Susans provide ideal landing areas for the large butterflies to enjoy a meal, but other nectar sources include:

Bee Balm (Monarda)

Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Blanket flower (Gaillardia)

Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum)

Penta (Pentas lanceolata)

Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata)

Why do Swallowtails use puddles?

It is mostly males that gather at puddles either singularly or in numbers. These puddles can be formed in mud or damp gravel and are used by the butterflies to extract sodium ions and amino acids to aid in reproduction.

Females only occasionally puddle and most often are seen alone at the puddle.

In our garden, I like to use a very shallow hanging birdbath as a puddler for butterflies, but you can purchase commercial puddlers to accommodate the butterflies.

You can add some slices of fruit (bananas, oranges) to the shallow puddle to attract even more varieties of butterflies.

Three Ornamental grasses for the shade or woodland garden

This lovely little Carex holds its green foliage into the fall and through the winter in our back woodland garden where it grows among the birches in the birch grove.

Ornamental grasses have become an important element in most landscapes, but what do you do if your woodland garden is primarily a shade garden?

Finding grasses that do well in the shade is not easy. Most of today’s popular ornamental grasses – elegant Miscanthus, Pennisetums, Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium Scoparium) – all want and need full sun to look their best. Others want at least part sun to flourish in a landscape design. Bottlebrush Rye grass, Japanese Forest Grass and a variety of sedges are exceptions to this rule and actually prefer a shady landscape to perform their best.

Best shade-loving ornamental grasses

Let’s take a closer look at these three shade-loving grasses for the woodland garden.

The impressive inflorescenceof the Bottlebrush Rye grass is just one of its many attributes that make in a standout in the woodland or shade garden.

Bottlebrush Rye grass: A trusted woodland performer

Probably the best and most recommended native grass for the shade or woodland garden is Bottlebrush Rye (Elymus hystrix).

Although these large, native to parts of the Northeastern United States and Ontario, grasses can survive in full sun, they prefer to grow in shade or part shade where they can grow up to 3-feet-tall. The attractive grasses are hardy from zones 4-7.

Bottlebrush grass is easy to distinguish from other ornamental grasses because of its widely-spaced, open, spreading, long spikelets. As the seeds mature throughout the summer, the spikelets develop a lovely straw colour making it a strong fall performer.

Some of the stems can reach heights of more than 3-feet tall. The grass has a fibrous root system and spreads primarily by reseeding.

We are planning to use this grass in planters this summer to form a privacy-type hedge for native grass. I will report back on our success with this project over the summer months.

The arching –up to 12-inch leaves – are linear, smooth, with a grayish to dark green colouring.

Bottlebrush likes dry to medium soil and will grow in a variety of soil types from clay loam to a sandy loam.

This is one of the most shade-tolerant tall native grasses you’ll find that is a strong performer in most woodland situations whether it’s dry shade, or full sun with enough moisture. The long green inflorescences emerge on three feet all stems where they perform their best in part shade with moist, well drained soil.

The inflorescences that emerge in mid to late summer resemble bottle brushes, hence the common name “Bottlebrush.”

Bottlebrush Rye is classified as a cool season perennial, which means it will put on growth in spring rather than waiting until the hotter summer temperatures take root.

It is particularly suitable to a woodland garden and is perfect as a great low-maintenance accent or border plant.

You can find the grasses growing naturally in average to high quality woodlands and habitats adjacent to these woodlands. But they can also be found in many other less favourable woodland areas including rocky upland woodlands, woodland borders and along woodland paths as well as small meadows in wooded areas, and along shaded riverbanks.

Does Bottlebrush grass attract butterflies and pollinators?

Although grasses may not be the first plant that comes to mind when you think of butterflies and other pollinators, they can be important host plants and provide habitat for overwintering insects and other larvae.

Bottlebrush grass is actually the host plant for the caterpillars of a the attractive Northern Pearly Eye butterfly, Enodia anthedon. Don’t be surprised to see the caterpillars feeding on the plants foliage. It is also a host for the larvae of several leaf-mining and other moths as well as aphids and leafhoppers.

Several birds species are also attracted to the grasses seeds in the fall and early winter.

For more specific information on what fauna is attracted to the grasses, go to Illinois Wildflowers.

You might also like to read my post on Why we should leave our ornamental grasses standing all winter.

Another post of interest is Three of the best ornamental grasses for sun or shade.

Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa) in fall colour in our Japanese-inspired front farden

Japanese Forest Grass is a real show stopper in the shade garden

Although not a native grass to the United States or Canada, Hakonechloa (Japanese Forest Grass) is a highly ornamental, warm season grass and a standout in any woodland or shady garden landscape.

We have it growing in multiple areas within our woodland, including in the front yard where it provides structure for the Japanese-inspired garden as well as along the path leading to our porch and front door.

Hakonechloa is the perfect addition to a shady area when you want to adds a real hit of glorious chartreuse colour to a full-shade area of the garden, where its graceful arching form lends a softness and elegance to the landscape and its yellow and green leaves are given the opportunity to really shine. It can handle part shade but will struggle to show its best colours in full sun.

This grass, native to eastern Asia, is extremely well behaved and one of the few grasses that prefers full shade. It never gets too high so it also works well in the front or middle of a large border.

It’s available both as a form as well as the even more beautiful all-gold variety. The yellow and green leaves turn red and purple shades in the fall before turning to the familiar winter tan colour where they continue to provide interest throughout the winter.

For more on Japanese Forest Grass and other stalwart grasses for your woodland, be sure to check out my post featuring Three of the Best Ornamental Grasses for the garden.

These small sedge grasses grow beneath birch trees and alongside the native grass Northern Sea Oats.

Pennsylvania Sedge: There’s a Carex to suit every need

Although still not widely known and certainly not used in great abundances in most landscapes, sedges offer the shade or woodland gardener the perfect opportunity to add grass-like foliage to your garden design.

In our garden, I’ve planted a number of variegated sedges around our birch grove to add interest in the space between the trees.

The sedge family of plants is quite large and needs further exploration, if you are looking to solve a specific problem.

One Sedge that needs highlighting when it comes to woodland gardening is Pennsylvania Sedge.

Pennsylvania Sedge sports fine textured leaves, that reach about six inches in height. It’s creeping habit make this sedge the perfect lawn alternative for dry soils in a woodland garden.

Given the right conditions, this solid green sedge that requires a well-drained soil, in light to full shade, will fill in to form a dense low-growing, maintenance free groundcover.

Other shade loving sedges include:

Appalachian Sedge – Carex appalachica: Forms a nice clump with narrow leaves only getting 6-8 inches tall. It is an appealing, all-green, shade to part sun-loving sedge that is quite appealing.

Bristle-Leaf Sedge – Carex eburnea: A fine-leaved sedge ideal as both a ground cover or lawn replacement in a shady area. Dark green, fountain-like clumps that reach between 6-12 inches are lovely additions to any landscape and they are soft to the touch making them family friendly. The individual tufts eventually grow together forming a thick carpet that turns a lovely tan colour in fall.

One of the best sources for information on native sedges is The Native Plant Herald from Prairie Nursery in Wisconsin. You can check out their informative site here.

The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi opens a secret world into our forests and homes

A detailed, scientific approach to the study of Fungi in our forests and our homes.

The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi takes readers into a secret world and traces the intricate connections between fungi and life on earth.

Along the way, author Keith Seifert, describes how these remarkable microbes enrich our lives: from releasing carbon in plants, to transmitting information between trees in the form of mycorrhizal fungi.

This book, from Canadian publishers Greystone, takes readers of Entangled Life and The Hidden Life of Trees into the world of Fungi in its more than 200 pages backed by scientific research and the incredible knowledge of author and fellow Canadian Keith Seifert, who has spent more than 40 years studying fungi on five continents. The Ottawa, Canada resident has researched microscopic fungi from farms, forests, food and the built environment, to reduce toxins and diseases affecting plants and animals.

In the book, The Hidden Life of Trees, the authors clearly connected the communication between our forest and backyard trees with the communication highway created by the mycorrhizal fungi buried beneath the soil.

In the Hidden Kingdom of Fungi, mycologist and author Keith Seifert takes the concept to a whole other level, describing in detail the process and the interdependency.

This book is for anyone who wants to explore deeply into the world of fungi, whether it’s the obvious forms that we see growing in the forests and in our gardens to the more hidden ones that live in our homes, bodies and farms.

Mushrooms and fungi in our forests

The importance of fungi in our forests and backyard woodlands can’t be underestimated.

In fact, the author points out that fungi are critical partners in the eventual success or failure of all forests. No matter how anemic the woodlot, in the autumn you will find mushrooms growing and throwing their spores into the wind. They are most obvious in fall, but no matter what time of year you are in a forest, you are surrounded by fungi that are hidden in plain sight.

As the author points out, fungi covers the outside of leaves and bark, hide inside leaf tissue or wind their hyphae around the roots of trees. They are always at work decomposing dead pockets of wood, in the soil breaking down plants.

Are fungi part of our lives?

From our forests, to industry and into our homes, fungi play a major role in our lives and our existence.

Readers will gain knowledge into where these fungi came from and how yeast, lichens, slimes and molds evolved and adapted over millions of years. Toward the end of the book, the author explores how fungi are being used to clean up oil spills and break down plastics.

The book even touches on the role fungi is playing a role in nuclear disasters such as the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine.

The use of fungi to clean up or detoxify spills from mining disasters, accidents or simply heavily polluted areas is call mychoremediation, and it is being used by scientists around the world. Fungal mycelium absorption capabilities have been tested to be used to clean up after forest fires, nerve gas attacks and fuel spills in land and sea.

The author points to an oil spill in 2007 in San Francisco that used a combination of human hair and oyster mushrooms to mop up the spill.

Through research into fears that Ukrainians eating wild mushrooms in and around the Chernobyl fallout zone, researchers found that many mushrooms accumulated heavy metals (such as cesium 137) in their mycelium. The research showed that mushrooms could be cultivated to extract isotopes from the soil then harvested and incinerated for disposal.

It’s just one of many fascinating ways fungi could be used to change our world into the future.

Proven Winners 2022 Gardener’s Idea Book is another winner

You can download your free copy directly from Proven Winners’ website

Proven Winners’ 2022 Gardener’s Idea Book takes a page or two from last year’s informative booklet and adds some interesting extras that are sure to pique your interest.

If you have not ordered your free printed copy, you can download the 42-page booklet just by logging in to the Proven Winners’ web site and going to the Gardener’s Idea Book download. There are a total of 14 excellent downloads on this web page, including this year’s Idea Book and last year’s outstanding Gardener’s Idea Book.

Other downloads include: A new Vision for Hydrangeas, PW perennials, Landscape Solutions for the South, and a new vision for Native shrubs. Some of the downloads are even available in French and Latin.

If you love the Proven Winner’s Idea Book, Check out my link to the 2023 Idea Book here.

Here is a link to the 2021 Proven Winners’ Gardener’s Idea Book.

Proven Winner’s 2022 Gardener’s Idea Book cover.

Like last year’s booklet that included a series of planted containers featuring outstanding combinations of Proven Winners’ plants, this year’s booklet follows up with 4 pages offering up tips on choosing container companion plants. Proven Winners provides valuable information on creating containers of plants that prefer similar growing conditions and plants with similar growth rates. Both features are important to get the most out of your containers. Not only do they provide a list of the plants along with images of what you can expect, Proven Winners’ experts also provide planting maps on how best to create the look.

If you are like me and depend on containers to add colour and interest to your garden, you will appreciate the ease of following these guidelines to create stunning containers for both sunny and shady areas.

The booklet also explores five tips for creating outstanding window boxes for shaded areas, and a separate feature about using window boxes around living areas such as decks and patios to create more cozy living areas.

It’s important to note that, although Proven Winners has outstanding plants and shrubs that can be real standouts in the garden, they are cultivated plants and therefore not native. As a result, these cultivated plants, while performing admirably when it comes to flowering or growth habits, are unlikely to provide wildlife with the same benefits as the species or native plants that the fauna has evolved with over centuries.

See my article on why we should use native plants in our gardens.

Proven Winners’ Gardener’s Idea book offers plans on installing a rain garden complete with planting suggestions.

Focus on Rain Gardens

Proven Winners explores one of the growing trends in natural gardens with a focus on building and planting a small rain garden. The rain garden plan provided in the booklet focuses on a shaded area along a driveway. How many of us have that exact problem, where water runs down between the houses in the long narrow strip separating the driveways?

Proven Winners’ booklet helps to provide a solution for the problem with this two-page feature that provides a simple construction plan along with a planting scheme and, of course, excellent photographs to illustrate the final look.

Tips on creating a DIY planter table

Other articles in the booklet include creating a planter table that centres around creating a living centre piece of flowers, herbs and vegetables. The large table with living plants running down the middle is an impressive creation and would provide a topic of lively discussion around the dinner table with friends.

A smaller, DIY planter table on a budget is a great project for either a smaller garden or a great option to introduce children to garden dining, as well as maintaining a small herb and vegetable garden.

There are other pages devoted to Proven Winners’ favourite social media gardeners including Laura LeBoutillier from @GardenAnswer and Jenny Simpson @gardeningwithcreekside.

Plenty of garden plans and illustrations

Several pages are devoted to creating new garden areas designed for specific results. All of the designs include complete planting guides as well as photos to illustrate the final result. Of course, they all feature Proven Winners product, but gardeners could easily swap out some of the Proven Winners suggestions for some of their own favourites native plants.

The individual gardens include a “summer sunglow” garden centered around a small shed or children’s playhouse that include plantings of coleus, verbena and Lemon Coral Sedum with grasses forming the backdrop.

A hummingbird garden design is provided in the Gardener’s Idea booklet.

A garden to attract hummingbirds

Other garden designs include a sun worshippers design, a garden for hummingbirds, a lush bold border and a border designed as a deer-friendly border for those of us who struggle with deer in our yards.

That’s already a lot of value packed in to the booklet, but it’s really only the beginning of the information provided to readers.

Tips to create your own Moonlit Garden

The four pages dedicated to a moonlight garden using primarily white and cream plants and night blooming flowers is full of great ideas. The impressive garden featured in the booklet is large, but downsizing the plan to include a smaller area of the garden, let’s say a corner or even just the area around your patio, is entirely possible and more likely a realistic goal for most homeowners.

Not only does a moonlight garden look great in the evening and is perfect for those who like to entertain, for wildlife gardeners the moonlight garden is ideal for attracting moths and bats to the garden.

To wrap it up, the booklet offers ideas and tips on using plants as a screen for unsightly views or privacy from your neighbours.

There are also pages focusing on gardening in arid spaces, and extending the life of your outdoor plants by bringing them indoors during the winter, and finally, an overview of Proven Winners’ newest introductions both perennials and shrubs.

In Conclusion: Proven Winners comes through again

Granted, the entire Idea Book is an advertisment for the company’s many plants and garden shrubs. Also, it should not be dismissed that none of their plants are natives, and the proliferation of cultivated garden plants is threatening the very existence of many of our native plants. Nevertheless, there still is a place in our gardens for these plants, especially the annuals that provide outstanding colour to our mostly-green woodland gardens. And, it’s not to say that just because these plants are non-native cultivars, they are of no value to wildlife such as pollinators, insects, etc. Many of these plants continue to attract hummingbirds and pollinators and quite possibly can be host plants for larvae. They just don’t usually do it as well as native plants.

So, by all means, use native plants whenever possible, but don’t be afraid to take advantage of the suggestions provided in the Proven Winners Idea Book and go with them.

I can almost guarantee that you will be impressed with the results.

Cornus Kousa: Outstanding tree and why you need to reconsider planting it

Consider starting with the native Cornus Florida

Without a doubt the most impressive understory tree in our woodland garden is the Cornus Kousa, but I urge gardeners thinking about planting one to reconsider.

It’s not that the Cornus Kousa isn’t spectacular in flower – it is.

It’s not that the fruit that follows is not impressive and a favourite of our local squirrels and chipmunks because they are.

And, it’s not because these elegant, horizontally branched trees are susceptible to disease and deer predation, because they are almost totally free of disease and other garden pests.

Sounds like the perfect tree, right?

Just one big problem – and it’s a problem many of our most visually pleasing and impressive plants and trees have in common, – it’s not native to North America. Its home is in China and other parts of Asia where, I am sure, it is a favourite food source for their native insects, caterpillars, birds and mammals. In fact, you will often find the plant referred to as the Chinese Dogwood.

Our mature Cornus Kousa in full bloom among the ferns. To the left is a Cornus Florida and the small mound in the centre is a variagated Cornus Mas.

The difference is, their local fauna has grown up and adapted to Cornus Kousa and, as a result, are able to use it as a host plant, a food source and provider of habitat.

With all that said, I have two massive Cornus Kousa trees growing in my yard and absolutely treasure them for their mid-summer display of large, cream-coloured flowers that bloom for months during the summer followed by bright red eatable raspberry fruit that eventually get picked off by red squirrels, grey squirrels and chipmunks.

Be sure to read my detailed look at the Six best Dogwoods in my garden.

More of my posts on Dogwoods

For more information on Dogwoods, please check out my other posts listed here:

Dogwoods: Find the perfect one for your yard

Flowering Dogwood: Queen of the Woodland garden

Bunchberry: The ideal native ground cover

Pagoda Dogwood: Small native tree ideal for any garden

Cornus Mas: An elegant addition to the Woodland Garden

This graphic was produced by Justin Lewis and shows the benefits of planting a native dogwood over a non-native.

So, when I say “reconsider” planting one of these small, but impressive trees, what I really mean is before you plant one, make sure you’ve already planted the equally beautiful (some would say more beautiful) native Cornus Florida or Flowering Dogwood.

In fact, the combination of the Cornus Florida and Cornus Kousa growing alongside one another is an impressive site that creates an outstanding blooming period beginning in May with the native dogwood and continuing into late summer with the Kousa dogwood.

Cornus Kousa in full bloom among the ferns.

In our woodland garden there is also a couple of early blooming native Redbuds growing with the two dogwoods creating a a truly dramatic spring show. A multi-stemmed serviceberry is also beginning to make its presence known in the grouping that grows out of our massive fern garden. Be sure to check out the full story on our fern garden.

Our native Flowering Dogwood blooms about a month earlier than the Kousa and on mostly bare branches which make its bloom even more impressive than the Kousa dogwoods. It is also a host plant to a huge variety of insect larvae and caterpillars as well as a favourite haunt of native birds including the elusive bluebird and the cardinal, just to name two stalwarts.

Be sure to check out my full story on the Flowering Dogwood (cornus Florida).

An example of Cornus Kousa fruit (raspberry like) ripening on the tree.

But back to the Cornus Kousa. And why it is such an outstanding landscape plant either used as a specimen or as an understory tree in the woodland or shade garden.

Cornus Kousa has more of an upright habit, making it a little better suited to smaller or more narrow properties.

Close-up of ripening bright red fruit of the Cornus Kousa.

How to grow Cornus Kousa

The Cornus Kousa grows in zones 4 through 9 and likes a rich, well-drained acidic soil and adequate precipitation to look its best.

Chinese Dogwood is a multi-stemmed deciduous tree with an expected growth of between 25-40 feet (8-12 m) tall at maturity, with a spread of about 25 feet. If left natural, it has a low canopy with a typical clearance of about 3 feet from the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal growing conditions should live for 40 or more years.

Cornus Kousa’s best features

Cornus Kousa’s most prized feature is its horizontally-tiered branches along with its showy clusters of white flowers (actually bracts, the flowers are contained inside the four bracts) held upright atop the branches in late spring through summer depending on its location in the garden. The Cornus Kousa flowers are more pointed than the native Flowering dogwoods more rounded ones.

It has bluish-green deciduous foliage that turns an outstanding brick red in fall. It does best in full sun in cooler climates to partial shade and will not tolerate standing water. Cornus Kousa is also resistant to the dogwood anthracnose disease making it popular in areas that experience outbreaks of the fungus disease that can be fatal to the trees.

How to prune Cornus Kousa

This low-maintenance tree should be pruned sparingly after flowering to maintain its horizontal branching that looks at home in any Japanese-style garden as well as a traditional woodland. It’s also a good idea to mulch around the extensive root zone to protect the tree’s roots from drying out.

Hybrids offer best of both

The popularity of the Cornus trees have prompted Rutgers University to create a host of hybrids between Cornus Kousa and Cornus Florida, selected for their disease resistance and flower appearance.

Some of the popular cultivars include: Beni Fuji with deep red-pink bracts, Elizabeth Lustgarten and Lustgarden Weeping notable for its smaller size and weeping habit, Gold Star a slower growing tree with a broad gold band on its leaves and reddish stems, Satomi with deep pink bracts and leaves that turn purple to deep red in fall.

Flowering Dogwood: The queen of the Woodland garden

The Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Florida) combines everything a gardener could want in a backyard tree.

If you are lucky enough to live in a region where you can grow this iconic native American flowering tree, whether it’s in your front as a specimen tree or as an understory tree in the backyard woodland or shade garden, you should waste no time sourcing one or even several for your front and back gardens.

In our backyard woodland garden, we have several that fill the garden with showy spring flowers followed by berries in summer and outstanding fall colour.

Flowering Dogwood (rubra) in bloom in the spring garden.

Its native range is New England south to northern Florida, west to the Mississippi and even beyond. In Canada it finds its range in Southern Ontario’s Carolinian zone.

In the cooler growing zones found in Northeastern U.S. and parts of Canada in zones 5-6 for example, Dogwoods can take more sun than the hotter zones farther south where they are best grown in light to partial shade.

Travelling through the Great Smokey Mountains and along the Blue Ridge Parkway in early spring is perhaps the ideal way to experience magnificent Flowering Dogwood and Redbuds both in full bloom along their still-bare branches.

The Flowering Dogwood grows to about 30-35-feet tall in the wild (often smaller in gardens) with a spread that is about two-thirds or almost equal to its height. It’s a wide spreading mounding tree with branches that can droop right to the ground if left to grow naturally. It likes to grow in partial shade to full sun and prefers moist to dry woodsy loam to a clay-loam.

Flowering Dogwoods flowers from March, April and May followed by clusters of 3-5 red berries (or drupes) from August through October – that are highly favoured by birds and other mammals. It is the queen of the Carolinian forest and and is at home growing in zones 2 through 9. Its mottled bark creates winter interest to the already elegant, horizontal branching of our native tree.

A cultivar of the Cornus Florida complete with pinkish flowers shades a blue jay stopping by at the bird bath.

Be sure to check out my extensive article on the Six Best Dogwoods for the Woodland Garden.

More of my posts on Dogwoods

For more information on Dogwoods, please check out my other posts listed here:

Dogwoods: Find the perfect one for your yard

Cornus Kousa: Impressive non-native for the woodland garden

Bunchberry: The ideal native ground cover

Pagoda Dogwood: Small native tree ideal for any garden

Cornus Mas: An elegant addition to the Woodland Garden

The tree’s branching habit of stretching right to the ground suggests that it wants to protect its roots from harsh sun and other root-zone incursions, so it’s a good idea to provide some protection around the tree’s root zone.

A heavy mulch around the root zone will help to hold moisture as well as protect it from direct sun and the damage lawnmowers create when working closely to the tree’s trunk. Do not pile the mulch up around the trunk of the tree. Leave a well stretching several inches to a foot or two around the tree to limit disease and insects.

Our native dogwoods do suffer from disease including Anthracnose, which can take root after a long rainy, cool spring. Anthracnose can attack the flowers and leaves of the tree all summer long and, can eventually kill the tree if it persists for several seasons.

If planted in a location, preferably as an edge-of-the-woods tree, where it gets morning sun to burn off the moisture and dew from the flowers and leaves, Anthracnose is unlikely to be a problem. Ideally, the tree should be planted where it can get afternoon shade to help it escape the extreme heat.

The Flowering Dogwood has dark red to purple fall colour. In spring it makes a great companion for Witchhazel, Redbud and serviceberries as well as the non-native asian relative the Cornus Kousa.

Cherokee Chief is a particularly nice cultivar with a pinkish flowers colour. Some cultivars are available with a darker red colour but the native still stands out best with its white to cream-coloured flowers.

Native Cornus Florida on the left in full flower and the non-native Cornus Kousa on the right. Graphic designed by Justin Lewis.

What’s the difference between Cornus Florida and Cornus Kousa?

It’s important to note that the native Flowering Dogwood is not the same as the non-native Cornus Kousa, which is a popular dogwood sold at many local nurseries.

Although the two understory trees share many similarities – including large white flowers followed by red fruit – their differences are so widespread that they are really not interchangeable in the landscape.

Where they do stand out in the landscape is when you can combine them for early spring flowering in the native dogwood, through summer and late summer flowering by the non-native Cornus Kousa. The combination brings the woodland to life in an elegant display of gorgeous dogwood blooms that last almost throughout the gardening season.

A dogwood berry hangs on as fall approaches.

• Where the native dogwood flowers in spring into early summer, the Cornus Kousa flowers pick up where the native ones begin to die out and offers flowers into late summer.

• Where native dogwood flowers grow more or less on bare branches that really show off the flowering bracts, Cornus Kousa flowers later in summer after the leaves fill out on the tree providing a beautiful showing but not quite as impressive as that offered by the native Flowering Dogood.

•Where native dogwood’s fruit is more like a drupe in clusters of 3-5, Cornus Kousa tends to put out singular fruits that look like raspberries.

• Where native dogwoods grow in a mounding, horizontal habit, Cornus Kousa tends to grow in a vase shape that eventually sends out horizontal branching if left untrimmed.

• Where the native dogwood is susceptible to disease and deer predation, Cornus Kousa, is more or less free of these problems including Anthracnose.

• Where the native dogwood is a magnet for local wildlife both as a host plant for larvae and insects through to providing an excellent food source for birds and other mammals, Cornus Kousa is neither a host plant for native caterpillars and insects, nor are its berries a great source of food for birds. Some birds and mammals (Squirrels and chipmunks) will eat the fruit but its certainly not their first choice.

• Cornus Florida supports up to 117 moths and butterflies, whereas Cornus Kousa is not known to support any in the larval stage.

• Cornus Florida also supports close to 100 birds from caterpillars that use the tree as a food source, while Cornus Kousa is not known to support any birds as a larval host.

Dogwood flowers from a pink cultivar are actually bracts that unfold to reveal the true flowers seen here in the greenish pinkish interior of the four bracts. A cluster of berries form after the flowering is complete.

How to water a Dogwood tree

Since the dogwood grows in a very horizontal fashion it has a very wide “drip zone.” And, because this drip zone extends out so far from the trunk of the tree, it serves little to no purpose watering the tree close to its trunk.

Look up to establish how far the tree’s branches stretch out from the main trunk and use that as your watering zone for the tree. Slow, deep waterings are necessary to keep the soil around the tree’s roots cool and moist. An all-day drip being moved around a mature tree throughout the day would be ideal during hot, dry periods with low rainfall.

Smaller, or newly planted trees would need less watering, but be sure to water deeply around the entire perimeter of the tree.

Flowering dogwood bud in early fall.

How to prune a flowering dogwood

The dogwood is a slow growing tree that tends to self prune over time. Deadwood can be cut out as it appears, but it’s important to maintain the tree’s elegant horizontal branching habit rather than try to shape it into something it does not want to be.

If grass is growing under the tree (never a great idea, better to have either living, or bark mulch), it’s best to limb up the tree as it grows and then maintain it by pruning the trees outer branches lightly to reduce the weight of the branches laden with flowers.

Try not to heavily prune the tree by taking out large branches because you will be removing the best attributes of the tree – primarily its spring flowers. It is best to just remove the smaller outer branches to reduce the weight and thus help to keep the skirt of the tree high enough to walk under.

I always prefer, if possible, to plant the tree in an area where it can take on its natural shape and not be severely pruned up.

If you are unsure how to get the most out of your dogwood, it’s probably best to hire a well-respected pruning expert to maintain the shape of these trees. Ensure the tree company is familiar with pruning ornamental trees and not just one that specializes in removing trees or large dying branches.

Cornelian Cherry: Elegant addition to woodland garden

Consider replacing Forsythia with Cornus Mas or Spicebush for spring colour

It’s hard to imagine why homeowners choose to grow a Forsythia bush when a Cornelian-Cherry dogwood (Cornus Mas) is a much better choice in every way, shape and form.

In other words, when it comes to shape and form, Forsythias fall short in every way.

Imagine a small rounded tree with horizontal branches sporting elegant yellow bunches of flowers that eventually give way to bright red fruit or drupes. Now, compare that to a scraggly green bush that needs constant pruning, which is all homeowners are really left with after the forsythia blooms in early spring.

There is no competition.

While the over-used Forsythia has a straggly, vase shape that is not particularly pleasant after its brief early spring blooming period, for some reason it continues to dominate the suburban landscape over the inherent beauty of the Cornelian Cherry’s early-spring clusters of yellow flowers.

Right about the same time as the forsythias are blooming, the bare branches of the Cornelian Cherry (Cornus Mas) are covered with delicate yellow blooms giving the already elegant dogwood an even more beautiful look in the woodland landscape.

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Native Spicebush is an even better replacement for Forsythia

An even better choice than Cornus Mas to replace forsythia is our native Spicebush – often referred to as the “Forsythia of the wilds.” Not only is it covered with soft umbel-like clusters of yellow flowers in early spring like Cornus Mas, Spicebush is an excellent plant for native wildlife, including pollinators and native mammals.

The flowers are followed by aromatic glossy red fruit, and its leaves turn a colourful golden yellow to light up our gardens and lowland woods where it likes to grow in the wild. It is a host plant for both the Spicebush swallowtail and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

It grows to between six and twelve feet tall in sun, part shade and full shade making it the perfect under story addition to our woodland. It is not particular about soil feeling at home in dry, moist or wet soil.

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The flowers of the Cornus Mas are quite small (5-10 mm in diameter) with four yellow petals, that are produced in clusters of 10-25.

For more information and excellent photos of more mature specimens, check out the Seattle Japanese Garden website.

Be sure to check out my earlier post on Six Dogwoods for the Woodland Garden.

More of my posts on Dogwoods

For more information on Dogwoods, please check out my other posts listed here:

Dogwoods: Find the perfect one for your yard

Flowering Dogwood: Queen of the Woodland garden

Cornus Kousa: Impressive non-native for the woodland garden

Bunchberry: The ideal native ground cover

Pagoda Dogwood: Small native tree ideal for any garden

The variegated Cornus Mas stands out among the sea of ferns with its brighter foliage that helps it look like its almost in flower all summer long.

Maybe homeowners are unaware of the Cornelian Cherry, or, maybe, the additional cost of the dogwood is too much compared to the inexpensive forsythia shrub.

Trust me, however, if you are looking to take your woodland garden to another level, while still maintaining that early spring shot of bright, cheery yellow in the landscape, the Cornelian Cherry is a much better choice over the old-fashioned forsythia.

To be fair, forsythias are classed as a shrub, whereas the Cornelian Cherry falls into the category of a small tree.

Still, I would think the two plants serve much the same purpose in most landscapes – to add early spring colour in an otherwise drab garden.

The competition ends quickly when, after the forsythia stops blooming and the homeowner is left with nothing but a scraggly green bush.

In the meantime, the Cornelian Cherry’s flowers slowly turn to bright red berries throughout the summer months. Add to that the fact that these red berries are spread along the elegant, horizontal branches of the small dogwood tree.

And, if that is not enough, our variagated Cornus Mas grows up through our massive ostrich ferns brightening the lightly shaded corner of our garden.

The delicate branches of the Cornus Mas rise above the tall ostrich ferns in early summer.

When does Cornelian Cherry flower?

In warmer areas, the Cornelian Cherry can bloom as early as February, but in colder climates (zones 5-6) you can expect yellow blooms in late March or more likely into April and May.

Where does Cornelian Cherry grow?

Growing in zones 5-8, in full sun to partial shade, Cornus Mas is native to Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia.

Can you eat the cherries?

The edible fruits or drupes (fleshy fruits, with a single hard stone, like cherries) are red berries that ripen in mid- to late summer, but are mostly hidden by the foliage. The fruit is edible, olive-shaped and about ½ inch long, they have relatively large stones when ripe and often described as a mix of cranberry and sour cherry. It is primarily used for making jam but also has a reputation in some parts of the world as a fruit used for distilling vodka.

Do birds eat the fruit?

Birds and mammals are also attracted to the bright red fruit that is very tart, but attractive to birds and squirrels as it ripens and falls to the ground.

How to propagate Cornelian Cherries?

Cornelian Cherries are easily propagated from cuttings, but can also be grown from seed.
Are there cultivars of the Cornelian Cherry/Cornus Mas

There are at least three different cultivar available including:

• Aurea that has yellow leaves and flowers with red fruit in late summer.

• Golden Glory which is grown for its abundance of yellow flowers, followed by shiny red berries.

• Variegata grown for its variegated leaves that help light up shady areas of the garden. It also sports the glossy red fruit in late summer.

Pagoda Dogwood: Shade-loving native tree for woodland, wildlife

My love affair with dogwoods actually had its roots not with the showy Flowering Dogwood, but with a lesser known native dogwood – Cornus Alternifolia.

You may know it as Pagoda Dogwood or Alternate-Leaved dagwood if you know it at all. Trust me, if you don’t already know about Cornus Alternifolia, you need to get to know this outstanding little gem of a dogwood. My first experience with it was in our previous home where I planted it outside the office window where I could admire it and its avian visitors spring, summer, fall and throughout the winter.

When we moved to our current home more than 23 years ago, the first tree/shrub I planted was another Pagoda Dogwood, and it continues to impress me to this day with its longevity and strong presence in the garden throughout the seasons.

Be sure to read my article on six of the best native dogwoods.

The native to the Carolinian forest is not always the showstopper, taking a back seat to the more showy Flowering Dogwood, but it’s like a younger sibling fighting hard to unseat Cornus Florida for top spot in the forest.

Cornus Alternifolia (Pagoda Dogwood) is a semi-colonizing 25-foot tall shrub or tree with a strong horizontal layering habit, that spreads by both seeds and layering. It grows in partial shade to full sun in moist, well-drained rich loamy, slightly acid soil.

This little chipmunk wasn’t waiting around for the birds to help themselves to the berries of the Pagoda Dogwood in the backyard. She searched out the ripened blackish berries as soon as they were ready for eating.

How big do Pagoda Dogwoods get?

Cornus Alternifolia or Pagoda Dogwood is a small tree or shrub reaching anywhere from 15-25 feet tall with an impressive spread of between 12 to about 32 feet.

Is the Pagoda native to areas of Ontario and the United States?

It’s native to Ontario and Northeastern United States and elsewhere including parts of the upper Midwest and even into parts of Minnesota.

How can you tell a Pagoda Dogwood?

In nature, you can spot a Cornus Alternifolia by its characteristic horizontal branching habit, creamy umbrel-style flowers, black berries and deeply veined, ovate leaves that turn a lovely shade of redish, orange in fall. Also, its Latin name is derived from the alternate position of the leaves on the stems.

Without a doubt, however, its most impressive feature is its truly elegant horizontal branching habit that gives the tree its beautiful shape in the woodland garden and makes it a valuable addition to a Japanese-style garden.

More of my posts on Dogwoods

For more information on Dogwoods, please check out my other posts listed here:

Dogwoods: Find the perfect one for your yard

Flowering Dogwood: Queen of the Woodland garden

Cornus Kousa: Impressive non-native for the woodland garden

Bunchberry: The ideal native ground cover

Cornus Mas: An elegant addition to the Woodland Garden

Our Pagoda Dogwood in full bloom. Each of these florets will form berries that are particularly attractive to a host of birds from Bluebirds to Cardinals. The berries start off green and eventually turn a blackish-blue as they ripen.

When does the Pagoda Dogwood flower and produce berries

The Pagoda Dogwood’s creamy, umbrel-like flowers bloom from May through July depending on location, followed by clusters of black fruit in July that attract a host of birds from the Eastern Bluebird to Scarlet Tanagers just to name a few. Chipmunks and red squirrels are also regular visitors and will strip the berries as fast as they ripen.

Pagoda Dogwood berry clusters are loved by both birds and chipmunks in our yard.

What is a Pagoda Dogwood’s Lifespan?

Our original Cornus Alternifolia is still doing well after more than 23 years in the garden. It’s no surprise that it is still gracing our woodland considering the longevity of these tough little trees. Pagoda Dogwoods can live between 50 - 150 years old so there is a good chance it will still be around for a few years yet. A second Pagoda Dogwood was planted a few years ago in the understory of two very old crabapple trees located not too far from the original Pagoda.

What birds are attracted to the Pagoda Dogwood?

The list of avian visitors is almost endless and include the highly sought after Eastern Bluebird, a variety of Vireos and Thrushes as well as Cedar Waxwings, Gray Catbirds, Cardinals, Scarlet Tanagers, Eastern Kingbirds, Rose-Breasted Grossbeaks and Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker.

Our original 23-year-old Pagoda Dogwood in spring bloom showing off its multitude of blooms. The umbrel-type, creamy flowers are not the show stoppers of the more showy Flowering Dogwoods, but they hold their own in the woodland as a lovely understory tree.

The same 23-year-old Pagoda Dogwood in its fall coat.

Is Cornus Alternifolia a host plant?

The Pagoda, like most native plants, is a host plant to a number of Lepidoptera (caterpillars or larvae of moths and caterpillars) including: The Fragile Miner Bee, Summer Azure butterfly, the impressive Cecropia Moth, Fragile White Carpet Moth and Unicorn Caterpillar.

What Native bees does Cornus Alternifolia attract?

The spring and summer flowers provide nectar and pollen for a number of our native bees including: The bright flourescent Sweat Bees, Miner Bees, Masked Bees and Hover Flies.

What other species is the Pagoda Dogwood related to:

Dogwoods represent a large species ranging from the impressive and equally beautiful Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Florida) to the diminutive Bunchberry (Cornus Canadensis) with its familiar dogwood flowers in minature form growing in large swaths as a ground cover. Other related species include: Red-Osier Dogwood, Rough-leaved, Grey, silky and Round-Leaved.

What cultivars are available for the Pagoda Dogwood?

Using the native, non-cultivar or species tree/shrub is always a solid choice if you want to attract or provide food for the largest variety of wildlife in your garden. There are, however, popular cultivars of Cornus Alternifolia if you are looking for specific traits in the plant.

Golden Shadows: This brightly-coloured variety (zones 3-8) from Proven Winners sports variegated leaves that help the plant stand out in a shady area of the garden where it reaches heights of 10-12 feet with an equal spread. The highly successful company describes the plant as: “bright yellow with a splotch of emerald green in the cenre, taking on pink tones on the new growth in cool weather. Spring sees the plant graced with lacy white blooms. Beneath all this beauty lies a tough North American native that can grow in many difficult conditions; Golden Shadows Pagoda Dogwood is especially noteworthy for its ability to thrive in light shade, its bright foliage bringing colour and beauty to otherwise dim sites.”

C. alternifolia 'Argentea' is known as silver pagoda dogwood and is similar to Golden Shadows but sports a green and white variegation rather than the green and gold.

Cornus controversa: Sometimes called the Wedding Cake Tree, it is a spectacular, extremely showy giant pagoda dogwood with a mature height of 60 feet. When this tree is in flower it is simply a spectacular site. Grows in zones 6-9 and is the winner of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Six Dogwoods for the Woodland Garden

Ground covers, small shrubs and trees for everyone’s taste

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that I have a soft spot for Dogwoods – big and small.

I consider them to be the perfect genus providing everything from the perfect ground cover for shade, to shrubs and mid-size trees that create an anchor for the understory layer. Add to this, outstanding spring flowering followed by a profusion of berries that birds, butterflies, native bees, chipmunks, squirrels and a host of other mammals can’t get enough of, and you’ve got yourself the perfect group of plants for the woodland/shade garden.

Oh, and throw in some spectacular fall foliage just to round out the reasons every garden needs to have plenty of Dogwoods.
Buying plants from local nurseries is the common method of obtaining these plants, but be aware that many of Dogwoods have been cultivated and may not provide all the benefits that the straight species provide to our native wildlife.

This flowering dogwood shows off its splendid fall colours in the back garden.

This article should help provide readers with a better understanding of the various dogwoods available. Most of the links in the article will take you to more extensive posts I have written about the individual plants, trees and shrubs.

It’s always best to use a native variety which are more beneficial to local birds, insects and pollinators.

Our Woodland garden boast six varieties of Dogwood. Let’s start with the smallest.

This detailed native dogwood poster is best viewed on a tablet or desktop and was created by Justin Lewis

Cornus Canadensis: A native ground cover for a shady area

Often called Bunchberry (link to my story on this native ground cover) or creeping dogwood, this perennial creeping rhizomatous ground cover grows 3-6 inches high and is topped by a blossom that looks very much like a miniature version of the familiar Dogwood tree (Cornus Florida) blossom. The flower cluster, held on a short stalk just above the leaves, resembles a singe large flower.

Not unlike the tree form of Dogwood, the flower is followed in the fall by a cluster of bright red berries surrounded by wine-red foliage.

More of my posts on Dogwoods

For more information on Dogwoods, please check out my other posts listed here:

Dogwoods: Find the perfect one for your yard

Flowering Dogwood: Queen of the Woodland garden

Cornus Kousa: Impressive non-native for the woodland garden

Bunchberry: The ideal native ground cover

Pagoda Dogwood: Small native tree ideal for any garden

Cornus Mas: An elegant addition to the Woodland Garden

Bunchberry in bloom in the woodland garden.

It grows in sun, part shade to full shade in zones 2-6 and likes to grow in a cool, damp acidic soil. It will often form clonal colonies under pine trees. Amending the soil using peat moss and mulching with pine needles yearly is a good idea if you plan to grow this ground cover.

Bunchberry can be found growing wild in coniferous and mixed woods, cedar swamps and damp areas across North America to Greenland and northeast Eurasia.

Although it can be hard to find at most regular nurseries, higher-end nurseries in the growing zones will either carry it or can often obtain it for you.

Ontario Native Plants now carries the plant in limited quantities so put in your order early to ensure you can get some. If you are in Ontario, be sure to check out my full story on Ontario Native Plants.

This is a new addition to our Woodland garden. I earlier experimented with it in three very different spots in the garden, but all three plants failed. I now have several plants growing on the side of our property in an area where they should thrive.

The Pagoda Dogwood in bloom with its creamy white flowers that are followed with an abundance of berries that birds and other wildlife love.

Cornus Alternifolia: Perfect small tree for the woodland/wildlife garden

This common under story species that is often called Pagoda Dogwood (Link to my full story) is the tree/shrub that got me started down the Dogwood trail. We planted one at our former home right outside the office window and I absolutely loved that small tree. It was also the first tree we bought when we moved to our current home 23 years ago. That tree has become known as our “Africa tree” because of its flat-topped appearance and the fact the deer have eaten it so perfectly from the bottom up.

The tree’s attractive horizontal branching habit creates a lovely tiered look as it ages. Large clusters of cream flowers appear in spring or early summer (very unlike the familiar Cornus Florida bracts) followed by dark blue-black berries by mid summer. What’s not to love?

It grows to about 20-30 ft tall high, preferring moist soils in partial shade. Unlike other native dogwoods, this species has alternate rather than opposite leaves, hence its name. They grow naturally in rich, deciduous and mixed woods, in zones 4-8 often found on forest edges, along streams and on swamp borders.

The bracts of the Cornus Florida Dogwood are beautiful even from below.

Cornus Florida: Crown jewel of the Carolinian forest

In my opinion, the Flowering Dogwood (link to my post on best Carolinian under story trees) is the queen of the under story trees in a Carolinian Woodland setting.

Here is a link to my full story on the Flowering Dogwood or Cornus Florida.

The horizontal branching of the Cornus Florida shows off its spring bracts above the blue jay.

When it comes to the perfect tree, it’s a tough one to beat. Its spectacular in spring flower but still stunning when not in flower. Cornus Florida grows to about 20-40 ft as a single or multi-trunked tree with outstanding showy, white and pink spring blooms, with a horizontal branching habit, red fruit and scarlet autumn foliage.

Flowering Dogwood beginning to take on its fall colours.

The flowers, which are actually bracts, can grow to 3 inches wide and attract butterflies and bees. The fast-growing trees prefer partial shade but can tolerate full sun if they are kept moist. They are native to the eastern United States and the Carolinian Canada Forest in southern Ontario and throughout zones 5 through 9. Although they may seem like the perfect tree, they are subject to anthracnose – a fungal disease that causes leaf spotting and twig dieback. Diseased twigs and branches should be pruned off and disposed. Ensuring good air circulation to keep the foliage dry and maintaining moisture in the soil throughout the summer will help reduce exposure to the fungal disease.

The bright red fruit of the Cornus Kousa.

Cornus Kousa: Popular non-native with spectacular summer show

A close second to the native Cornus Florida is the Kousa dogwood, which also goes by the names of the Chinese, Korean and Japanese dogwood. One of the advantages this tree offers over Cornus Florida is the fact it is resistant to the common dogwood anthracnose disease. As a result, it is being used more and more as an ornamental tree in areas where the disease is common.

The Kousa dogwood is a plant native to East Asia but is widely available where the Florida Dogwoods grow. It’s upright habit, later-flowering (about a month later) and pointed rather than rounded flower bracts makes it an ideal companion to the Flowering Dogwood.

Be sure to check out my full story to get much more detailed information on the Cornus Kousa Dogwood.

Although it can be incredibly showy in its own right, the Kousa dogwood tends to flower after the leaves come out rather than the Florida Dogwood that blooms prior to the tree leafing out, Combine both trees in your understory and you have glorious Dogwood flowers from late spring well into summer. Both species have a number of cultivars that include variegated leaves that add to their showiness in the right situations.

Cornus Mas: Early yellow-flowering tree for the shade

Often referred to as the Cornelian-cherry dogwood, this family of dogwood is native to Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia. It can be grown as a small tree or medium to large deciduous shrub with small yellow flowers produced in clusters along the branches either in late winter or more likely early spring in North America.

Here is a link to my full story on Growing Cornus Mas in the woodland.

The fruit has many uses including as an herb and is used widely for jams and and in some European countries distilled to make vodka. In the Woodland, the large oblong red fruit is a favourite of many birds and mammals.

In my garden, the Cornus Mas is one of the earliest flowering trees that blooms alongside the forsythia. I suspect many people mistake the small tree for a forsythia bush.

In our garden, we have a variegated form that grows up through our large ostrich ferns, and provides a spot of colour is a sea of green. The Cornus Mas in our garden is a small tree/shrub and is one of the few variegated plants in our entire Woodland garden.

Cornus sericea: Popular red-twigged shrub ideal for winter interest

Commonly named the Red-osier Dogwood, it is probably one off the most common shrubs in garden landscapes providing much-needed winter interest for gardens, especially when planted in large clumps. Often mistaken for the popular Asian equivalent Cornus Alba, with its variegated leaves which is seen in gardens everywhere.

Cornus sericea is native throughout parts of North America from Alaska east to Newfoundland.

In the wild, it most often grows in dense thickets in very moist areas. Our native species have dark green leaves that turn bright red to purple in fall. The spring flowers are creamy clusters and the fruit are a cluster of small white berries.

These Dogwoods not only look good, the native varieties provide multiple sources of food for backyard birds. While I get great enjoyment from my bird feeding stations, providing natural food sources to our feathered friends is always the goal we should aspire to in our gardens.

I have written a comprehensive post on feeding birds naturally. You can read about it here.

If you are interested in exploring Dogwoods further, check out Dogwoods: The Genus Cornus. This is another outstanding gardening book from Timber press.

More links to my articles on native plants

Why picking native wildflowers is wrong

Serviceberry the perfect native tree for the garden

The Mayapple: Native plant worth exploring

Three spring native wildflowers for the garden

A western source for native plants

Native plants source in Ontario

The Eastern columbine native plant for spring

Three native understory trees for Carolinian zone gardeners

Ecological gardening and native plants

Eastern White Pine is for the birds

Native viburnums are ideal to attract birds

The perfect Redbud

The Carolinian Zone in Canada and the United States

Dogwoods for the woodland wildlife garden

Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tellamy

A little Love for the Black-Eyed Susan

Native moss in our gardens

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Now you can turn your yard into a Certified Firefly Habitat

What you can do to save fireflies

Fireflies should not just be a childhood memory when we sat out on the porch and watched fireflies flicker all around us.

And they don’t have to be. Even if you live in the heart of an urban area you can take steps to make fireflies a part of your life again.

Or, maybe fireflies never stopped being a part of your life. Maybe you have been doing everything right and still enjoy plenty of the little insects lighting up your summer evenings.

Either way this is good news for you.

Firefly Conservation and Research, an organization committed to saving fireflies worldwide, has just announced a new program for homeowners and other groups such as schools to have their properties approved as “Certified Firefly Habitats.”

For homeowners who want to bring back fireflies to their properties, the program will guide you to create the right habitat to encourage fireflies and encourage you to reach the goal of creating a Certified Firefly Habitat.

And, for those homeowners or groups who have already been working hard to create these favourable habitats, they are more than welcome to share their hard work with neighbours in the form of a sign that can be displayed on your property.

Check out my earlier post on attracting fireflies to your backyard.

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How to get your Certified Firefly Habitat

Make a firefly haven in your own yard and join the thousands of others who have done the same. Join individuals and organizations who have committed to providing the essential elements needed to create and sustain a healthy habitat for adult and larval fireflies.

Proudly display this sign to demonstrate your commitment to protecting firefly habitat. The sign is made of recycled aluminum, is easy to read and waterproof. The size is 9″ x 12′′. “Made in the USA.” Exclusive.

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The organization behind the habitat certification

Firefly Conservation & Research is a nonprofit organization founded in 2009 by Ben Pfeiffer, a firefly researcher, and Texas-certified master naturalist with a degree in biology from Texas State University.

Ben points out that fireflies need protection now. “Across the United States and worldwide, rapid and large-scale changes to our lands and watersheds mean fireflies are losing the habitats they once knew. Every step we can take to protect land for the fireflies to thrive is a step towards a literally ‘brighter’ future for new generations to enjoy,” he writes on his website Firefly.org.

“Join us in our mission to help to certify habitats, backyards, and nature preserves to provide a permanent place for fireflies to exist,” he adds.

• If you are considering creating a meadow in your front or backyard, be sure to check out The Making of a Meadow post for a landscape designer’s take on making a meadow in her own front yard.

“The Certified Firefly Habitat program is a first of its kind certification program to address the issues leading to declining habitat for fireflies. Ben will teach participants how to curate their habitat so that it provides all of the elements needed for fireflies to establish an existing and growing population on their land.

Those wishing to start the certification program will be asked to provide the following elements on their land:

• Providing undisturbed cover for adults and glowing larvae

• Encouraging plant diversity to preserve soil moisture

• Reducing Light Pollution

• Restricting Pesticide Usage

A certification guide will be available for you to download to help guide you in this process. This checklist will help you meet all the requirements necessary to provide firefly habitat.The guide will also teach you about:

• The Firefly Life Cycle

• What kinds of fireflies you are protecting

• How habitat degradation and loss affect fireflies

• What invasive species do to firefly habitat

• Methods to manage your habitat from surveying methods, documentation, putting up protective barriers to prevent trampling.

• Other insightful and creative ways to protect fireflies beyond just your land.