EVERGREENS

Whether you plant fir, spruce, pine, cedar, or junipers depends upon the effect you wish to achieve as well as your soil type, and the space available.

You are not restricted to spruce, pine or columnar cedar when you are looking at larger evergreens. Some of lesser grown taller evergreens include Balsam Fir and Rocky Mountain Juniper. Balsam Fir resembles the spruce but has softer needles. It requires adequate moisture and needs a well-mulched, sheltered site. The Rocky Mountain Juniper provides a softer texture to the landscape than most other evergreens. It has a pyramidal shape and its color ranges from blue-grays, silvery-blue to bright blue. There are many excellent cultivars. When first planted, Rocky Mountain Juniper may tip-burn, but once established it is very hardy. For a change from the typical spruce, try Norway Spruce. The secondary branches hang down giving it a unique appearance. Pines should only be grown if you can give them a well drained site. Although they grow naturally in sandy soil, they can be grown in clay soil if drainage is adequate. They do not like wet feet. Swiss Stone Pine is a very attractive specimen in the landscape and is hardy in this area. It retains the needles on its lower branches longer than other pines so it will remain attractive a longer . You will not have to prune out the lower branches (which is required with other pines) as soon. Many people in this area have complained that they have had no luck growing Pyramidal Cedar. One of the reasons for this is that not all pyramidal cedar are hardy in this area. One person bought a large number of cedar from a road side seller. Not one of these made it through the first winter despite all her efforts. It is best to buy from known sources where they guarantee their stock. The best variety for the north is the Brandon Pyramidal Cedar, which is fully hardy. Also, you must provide protection from the wind and sun, and provide adequate moisture. I have a mini hedge of Brandon Cedars to provide privacy and to create a windbreak which was planted in 1976. I have had no problem with winterkill. I have very little problem with winter scalding. The reason for this is because I provided shelter to the north of them until they were well established. They also have some protection from the harsh winter sun from our mobile home. I also provide adequate watering and a foliar feed of liquid evergreen fertilizer in the spring. I did not wrap them in the winter, relying instead on providing a good drink just before freeze-up, which is essential with all evergreens.

When you are looking for small evergreens, do not restrict yourself to junipers or cedars. Most people do not realize that fir and spruce come in small sizes too. Abies balsama 'Nana' is a small, spreading form of fir that is a nice change from junipers. There are also some dwarf forms of spruce such as Picea abies 'Echiniformis' (Nest spruce), and Picea pungens 'Globosa' (Globe Blue Spruce), to name two examples. Little Champion and Little Giant are two of the small cedars available for your landscape. Many people plant Mugho Pine thinking it remains small and compact like in the pictures. Unfortunately the height of this species is quite varied unless they are grafted specimens and quite often you end up with a large, sprawling plant that can grow up to 10 feet tall. When shopping for Mugho Pine look for the cultivar 'Compacta' which grows 3 feet tall.

Your choice of evergreens to use as a ground cover is almost limitless. There is many shapes, sizes and colors to choose from. The Savin Junipers give you a vase shape, growing up to 3 feet tall although the variety "Tamariscifolia" makes a dense mound about 1 1/2 feet tall. The Pfitzer Juniper has a feathery foliage. The Golden Pfitzer is considered hardy for this area, but in my experience it has suffered extensively from winter damage every few years. If you can provide it with protection in the winter then I would recommend it as it is a lovely evergreen with its yellow tipped foliage. The Horizontal Juniper has many excellent varieties to choose from. 'Blue Chip' and 'Dunvegan Blue' are two of the blue varieties that are excellent. 'Wapiti' turns dull purple in the fall but regains it green color in the spring. 'Wiltonii' and 'Prince of Wales' provide a very low carpet effect. These are only a few of your choices.

ROSES FOR THE NORTH

Try to obtain your rose bushes from a nursery that does not trim off too much of the root system. Those fancy boxes of rose plants available in the local department store or supermarket have had their root systems butchered to fit the box. Roses are heavy feeders but have poor root systems. They require as much of the root left intact as possible if they are to survive more than one season.

There are many hardy shrub roses available. Most of you know of the Altai and Hansa roses which are the most common in this area, but there are many others. Some of them are listed below.

Champlain	dark red flowers	1 m high
John Franklin	medium red	1.2 m
John Cabot	medium red	2.5-3 m
William Baffin	medium red	2.5-3 m
Henry Kelsey	medium red	2-2.5 m
Charles Albanel	medium red	1 m
Jens Munk	medium pink	1.5 m
David Thompson	medium red	1.2 m
Henry Hudson	white	1 m
Martin Frobisher	soft pink	1.5-2 m

I would like to discuss a special technique used by an Edmonton rose grower to grow tender roses with great success. Mr. G. W. Shewchuk has grown hundreds of tender roses yearly with very little losses. He has developed his own technique for planting. He plants his roses with the graft union 4" (10 cm) below the surface of the ground. Because of the depth used, the plant is placed on a slant to ensure that the roots are not buried too deep. When backfilling the hole, he does not place soil over the graft area but instead uses a coarse aggragate such as sand, perlite or vermiculite over the graft. This is done to permit the new growth to emerge more easily. He leaves a saucer for watering so in reality the graft is only 2" below the surface. At first the old branches will be at an angle but the new growth will be upright. He still mounds his roses for winter but not as deeply as usually recommended. He has roses that are over 14 years old. His experience has shown that even in the north we can enjoy those beautiful tea roses without having to replace them every year. The University of Alberta has a publication by Mr. Shewchuk on growing roses using his technique, Rose Gardening on the Prairies. This book is the best source of information on growing roses I have ever seen and is one of the many excellent publications being put out by the University of Alberta. I have used Mr. Shewchuk's technique and it works well in this area.

Because roses have a poor root system, it is important to give them adequate fertilizer. Choose one formulated for roses that includes trace elements. Once a year give the roses some iron. Ensure that the soil has adequate organic matter.

The key to winter survival of roses is timing. Cease fertilization in July. When cutting roses from late August onward, always cut with a short stem to avoid stimulating new soft growth. Some growers recommend removing the foliage from the lower half of the bush in late August to slow growth. Reduce watering beginning September but do not allow the rose bushes to become dry. These procedures will help the roses harden off properly for winter.

THE PERENNIAL FLOWER BED

Before you start to plant, sit down with paper and pencil and a list of plants that will grow in your area. Sketch out areas where you will place the different plants allowing at least 3 similar (not necessary identical) plants per block. Vary the size and shape of the areas, extending spots for taller plants into the area for medium, and medium into the areas for lower plants. This will create waves of color and texture. You do not want to plant in straight rows which creates a stiff, formal look. If you are working with a large perennial bed, it is a good idea to draw your plan on tracing paper (thin paper). With pencil crayons, color in the areas of your design that bloom early spring with their corresponding colors. This helps you see if you have located them in a pleasing design. Repeat with another copy of your basic plan for each of the other seasons. It is a lot easier to redo your plan on paper than with a shovel. Select plants suitable for the exposure (sunny, shady, windy, sheltered). Note on your plan any areas that need special treatment (heavy shade etc) and plan accordingly. If you bed is much less than 8' deep, avoid the very tall perennials and use more medium height ones. Use only a single plant of large perennials such as peony. If your bed is very deep, incorporate shrubs into the design. Do not forget those spring flowering bulbs in your plan. If you are planting your bed in the spring, it is easy to forget to leave the spots for them. Remember that perennials will spread as they get established. The first year or two, your bed may look sparse. A few annuals or even some potted plants can be used to fill in those bare areas. Also, leave some areas where you can walk when you are weeding. If desired, flat rocks can be placed in stategic places for this purpose.

Most perennials will grow in this region. The secret is to protect them from the freeze-thaw cycles of winter with a mulch or adequate snow cover. Peonies, Lilies, Maltese Cross, Delphinium and Shasta Daisy are extremely hardy and require no winter protection. Anemones, Arabis and Astilbe are too tender and not recommended for this area at all. An excellent book to read when you are planning your perennial bed is "Canadian Garden Perennials" by A.R. Buckley which is available at the Beaverlodge Library, where you will find many excellent gardening books written for the Prairies.

The perennial bed cannot be planted and forgotten. The plants will eventually outgrow the area allotted to them and should be dug and divided as required. Hardy chrysanthemums grow best if they are divided yearly. Tall plants will require staking and this can be done with green bamboo stakes that will blend in with the plants. Peonies should have a ring to support them as their flowers are very heavy. It is easier to keep the bed attractive if you attend to these needs as required. If you allow your bed to become overgrown, it is very easy for disease and insects to take over. This is especially important with plants like peonies which are attacked by aphids and fungus. Do not wait till fall cleanup to remove dead or diseased plant material. Make it a habit to look over your beds on a regular basis and cleanup as needed. Remember, do not compost diseased plant material but bag it and dispose of it to keep from spreading the problem.

THIS 'N THAT

The only bulbs that are difficult to grow in this area are Hyacinth, Daffidols and various Narcissi. These require special care to ensure their survival. They need adequate snow cover or mulch, and a sheltered site. Tubers such as Dahlia do well here. The main problem with bulbs is the fact that many sources do not ship them out soon enough for this area. Some years the ground has already frozen before the bulbs arrive. When planning to plant bulbs in the fall, prepare the ground ahead of time and mulch to prevent freezing. This enable you to plant much late than normal.

Finding vines or climbers for this area involves a lot of searching. Most nurseries carry the tender types such as Jackman Clematis but very few carry the hardier varieties. Some hardy vines to watch for are Riverbank Grape (a native to the west), Virginia Creeper, Bittersweet, Western Virgin's Bower, Chinese Clematis, Korean Clematis and Grace Clematis.

If you are planning on a rock garden, first ensure that you have a suitable site. A rock garden should look natural in its setting. There are several examples of good rock gardens around Beaverlodge. The main thing is to use local rock. Use well weathered flat rock and firm the soil well to provide stability and prevent erosion. Leave pockets between rocks for the plants. Use a good quality potting soil in these pockets. The climate here is perfect for the alpine plants that are suitable for rock gardens. You must ensure adequate snow cover but this can be accomplished by placing evergreen branches over the plants to catch and hold the snow.

Previously we discussed evergreens as ground covers but there are many good deciduous and broad-leaf evergreens that are excellent for this purpose. You use ground covers where grass will not grow and under shrubs and trees to provide a unifying effect to the landscape. You want your ground cover to become established quickly so that weeds will not invade the area. Some plants used as ground cover can quickly become invasive and take over your yard. Creeping Charlie ( a weed) has been used as a ground cover and bedding plant in the far north where it does not get a chance to become a problem but here it can quickly take over and choke out your lawn. Some hardy broad leaf evergreen ground covers are Bearberry, Rose Daphne, Canby Paxistima, Vinca minor, and Mountain Cranberry. Some deciduous ones are Cerastium tomentosa, Dianthus deltoides, Phlox borealis, Thymus serphyllum, and Aegopodium podograria variegata. Vinca minor is not often listed as hardy for this area, but I have grown it for over 20 years with very little winter damage. I have grown it both in sun and shade and in areas where it received very litlle snow cover and always it put on a beautiful show with its glossy foliage and beautiful blue flowers that keep on coming.

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This page by Pat
updated August 18, 2000

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