Heritage Perennials® are grown by Valleybrook Gardens, an innovative and leading producer of over 1500 varieties of perennials, hardy ferns and ornamental grasses. Our distinctive blue pots of HERITAGE PERENNIALS® are available from independent retailers and dealers in many parts of Canada and the USA. We're passionate about perennials! We hope this newsletter helps you to enjoy your perennial gardening even more.

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Our best-selling book, the Perennial Gardening Guide is a handy reference used by gardeners across North America written by our own Horticulturist, John Valleau. Just released in a brand new 4th edition!

It's certainly delaying my own garden cleanup. The snowdrops and other bulbs are weeks behind schedule, and it's still a little early to tell just how the unusually harsh winter conditions may have affected our perennials and shrubs. Last year at about this same time I walked around our nursery display garden and made a list of which perennials had remained evergreen and attractive all winter long. If I were to repeat this exercise today, that list would be a much shorter one! Harsh winter winds really knocked back things that usually remain reliably evergreen, such as Heuchera (Coral Bells), Helictotrichon (Blue Oat Grass) and even the Bergenia.

If you've noticed the same thing in your garden, these plants are going to need some careful grooming during your cleanup routine. Scissors are often the best tool for the job. Trim off any browned and ugly leaves right at the base, leaving alone any that are still green and attractive. Within a few weeks these plants should send out a whole new set of leaves that are fresh and green. Those same scissors will come in handy for plants like Carex (Japanese Sedge) that have become windburned on the tips. Trim off the browned ends and the clumps will be much more attractive.

I'm going to try two new things this year during spring cleanup. First, I'm going to delay pruning back a few large clumps of ornamental grasses (mainly Miscanthus), because I kind of like the way they look with tulips or daffodils growing nearby. Since the grasses really don't start growing until mid May, they can offer a few more weeks of interest.

The second thing will be more difficult. I'm NOT going to rake all the leaves and other debris from our large beds. After cutting back the dead perennial tops, whatever remains lying on the ground is going to stay there to eventually rot down and add organic matter. This layer of dead leaves will also act as a mulch and the emerging shoots of bulbs and perennials should have no trouble pushing up through it. It sounds easy! What will be difficult is resisting the urge to rake the beds clean, right down to bare soil. The logic of allowing the leaves to compost on the spot is one that I understand, but my urge to clean everything bare is a strong one. I have to keep telling myself that once the perennials grow, the "mess" will no longer be in view. Wish me luck!

Here are some of the plants that were selected by contestants this past month.

"My favorite by far is Euphorbia martinii, which was a Top 10 pick in 1999. This plant always looks good, especially at this time of year when it is getting ready to "bloom". When nearly all other perennials disappear in the fall, the Euphorbia is just getting going with lovely greenery that lasts all winter." -- Adele, Sammamish, WA

"The Garden Peony 'Bowl of Beauty' is my favorite (pictured above). It has such a delicate look about it, yet rich with color. It takes me back to days gone by when life was slow and gentle, as I sat on the front porch swing. The scent is just enough to take you places in your thoughts that speak of yesteryear. The loveliness of the flower itself is definitely a vintage look." -- Becky, Lafayette, IN

"My favorite is the Japanese Painted Fern. In my garden for several years, the Painted Fern has been trouble free and has grown at a very moderate rate. Its fine, airy texture and richly coloured fronds seem to add an extra dimension to my small garden. Planted in dappled shade in front of a rambling Actinidia kolomitka, the Painted Fern's deep purple and bronze markings contrast nicely with the pink and cream tipped leaves of the Actinidia, and I've often thought that it looks as though an artist has carefully painted the leaves of the fern with delicate strokes, then simply dipped the leaves of the Kiwi vine straight into the paint can!" -- Scott, Coquitlam, BC

This month we'd like to know "What's the stupidest perennial you've ever planted?" Was it something that turned out to be ugly? Maybe it's one you lived to regret planting, because it spread far and wide? How about one of those repeat bloomers that just never did? The choice is yours -- tell us all about why you banished it to the compost heap!

This time, instead of a draw we will pick the three best entries on May 1st, each receiving a copy of the brand new Perennial Gardening Guide. The winners and a sampling of other good entries will appear in the May 2003 newsletter.

QUESTION: I have a question regarding mulch. I have read conflicting information from gardening magazines and books about what to do with the mulch in my garden at spring cleanup. I use shredded bark mulch, which I spread around my perennials in the early summer to protect them over the summer and winter months. In the spring, should I clear this mulch away and totally replace it with new mulch, or leave it in the garden to provide nutrients to the soil as it breaks down, and just top dress with new mulch? Joan, Newmarket, Ont.

ANSWER: My own thinking on mulch has changed a lot over the past few years. I am going to recommend that you leave the mulch alone or actually add extra to it every year or two (mid to late spring is a good time). It will break down slowly and add beneficial organic matter to your garden. However, there are two instances when mulch can cause problems.

If slugs/snails are a major problem in certain parts of the garden, rake up the mulch in spring and add it to your compost pile. This will help to cut down on the numbers of overwintering slugs, snails and their eggs. Let the soil stay exposed to the sun for a month or so, then add new mulch. Or, if the plants do a good job of covering the soil all on their own, just go without mulch in those areas.

The other problem is that bark mulch (in particular) will rob the soil of nitrogen as it decomposes. This can lead to especially yellow looking foliage, or even lack of vigour and plant stunting. The solution is to top dress in early spring with additional nitrogen fertilizer. I like to go with a general-purpose blend, something like 10-10-10 or 5-5-5 and to measure out the amount per cubic yard or meter recommended on the bag for flowering plants. Mark this on a plastic cup then you can easily scoop and scatter it around. Try to avoid dumping fertilizer directly on top of your perennials... around the clump will help to avoid burning the sensitive new growth.

We divide perennials for a number of reasons:

• Clumps have started to die out in the middle. The classic "doughnut" shape with an empty hole in the center is a sure sign that a perennial clump needs attention.
• Flowering performance has declined. The clump may have become congested, or the roots old and woody.
• Soil nutrients have been exhausted around the clump. Signs of this might be stunted growth, yellowish leaves or lack of bloom. Dividing and moving to a new location is a wise idea. Sometimes simply fertilizing the plant will make it smarten up.
• Perennial weeds have infested the clumps. When this happens, usually the best approach is to dig up the entire clump and divide it, picking out every single piece of weed root that can be found.
• We want to make more of our favourites. Dividing established clumps can provide plenty of new plants for a new garden bed, or to share with friends and neighbours.

What to divide in spring?
One rule of thumb for division is this: perennials that flower between early spring and mid June are best divided in early fall. Perennials that flower after mid June are best divided in the spring.

This rule is one that many gardeners break with regularity, experiencing relatively few problems. I don't like to see spring-flowering perennials divided while they are blooming, but doing it immediately after often works just fine. Primroses, for instance, can be dug up and divided into numerous piece in late spring, giving them an entire season to recover before flowering again the following year. Same thing with many of the spring-flowering rock garden plants, such as Rock Cress (Aubrieta), Basket-of-Gold (Aurinia) and Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata).

Summer and fall-flowering perennials have the whole spring and early summer to recover from being divided, and most will give you an excellent flower display the same year. Spring is the very best time for dividing most ornamental grasses, and especially the fall-flowering types such as Maiden Grass (Miscanthus) and Fountain Grass (Pennisetum).

Two plants that I prefer to see divided at other times are Peonies (fall only) and true Lilies (fall). Daylilies (Hemerocallis), on the other hand, can be divided at nearly any time, but spring seems to suit them perfectly. Traditionally, the time for dividing Bearded Iris is shortly after flowering, in July or early August. But if you have stubborn clumps that refuse to flower, then you might as well go ahead and divide them in the spring, since they likely won't flower this year anyhow.

How to Divide:
For beginning gardeners, the first time or two you divide perennials you are going to be nervous and unsure of what you're doing. This is normal! But once you see the results, you'll start to realize that most often plants will recover quickly and be all the better for the experience. Even seasoned gardens get carried away at times by dividing plants into pieces that are too small, and the results are sometimes mixed -- some pieces grow well, some die. We usually still end up with more plants than we started with, so consider it a success.

The basic steps of dividing are simple. Once your plant shows signs of growth in the spring (an inch or two of new shoots is fine), dig up the entire clump. Try to be generous and get as many thick roots as possible. I like to dig about 4 inches or so beyond where the shoots arise. A narrow and long spade (called a rabbiting spade) is a handy tool for this, especially in a closely planted border. Dig all the way around, then pry the clump out of the ground. Put down a tarp somewhere handy, and transport your clump there.

Pick up the clump and drop it a few times, to try and knock off any loose soil. Some gardeners will actually blast off the soil with a strong jet of water. Then, go and find a knife... I'm using an old kitchen bread knife these days for larger clumps, but a paring knife, steak knife or special garden knife will do just fine. Look closely at your clump, sort of parting the shoots in an attempt to find a natural point where the clump can be easily separated. If there is no such point, then just be brave and cut directly down the center with your knife, from top to bottom. Once it's split in two, then look at each half to see if there is a sensible spot to cut yet again, then split these each into two. Depending on how large the clump was, you can keep going if you like. Try and keep the sections generally of a good size, say the diameter of your fist or larger. Each piece should have both green above-ground shoots as well as roots below.

Remember, unless you're starting a nursery you probably don't need 20 divisions of anything! The best and most vigorous pieces are usually those found towards the outside of the original clump. The roots are less woody and can recover more quickly, giving you strong and healthy new plants. Discard old and woody roots from the middle (add them to the compost pile).

Certain perennials when dug from the ground will almost fall apart into pieces. Others will need a lot more effort to split. A few kinds (like Miscanthus) may actually require an axe or hatchet to get out of the ground and then chop into smaller sections.

Once your dividing task is complete it's time to replant the pieces. Try to plant them at approximately the same depth they were growing. Water them in well at planting time, then maybe once a week for the first month unless spring rains are generous.

If you appreciate a reference with tons of colour pictures and concise information that you can read quickly, this book will not disappoint. I especially like the way the roses have been organized into chapters based on their group or "type", for instance shrub roses, species roses, old garden roses and Hybrid Teas are grouped in such a way that I can finally make sense of them and see photos for easy comparison. Blooming season -- and especially great -- repeat blooming (or lack of it) is carefully noted for all varieties.

The chapters on planting, pruning, and problems & pests are thorough yet interesting, the diagrams and photos truly adding to their usefulness. My older books on roses have never included the information I need on handling certain types, most notably the proper pruning methods for Groundcover, David Austin and Parkland selections. Finally, I now know what to do!