Valleybrook Gardens in Abbotsford, British Columbia will be holding their annual Public Open House and Perennial Sale on Friday, September 7th, 2007. Exact times and details about the event will be in our August issue and on the website, along with a map link. This one-day event is a must for gardeners across the BC Lower Mainland. Plants will be available at retail prices, others at bargain prices as well as informative gardening talks, tours of our wholesale growing facility and refreshments.

During the trip we had some free time while staying in Killarney, in the south-west of Ireland. A number of us went on the famous Ring of Kerry tour, which travels around the Iveragh Peninsula through beautiful mountains, hills and coast. I saw more sheep in this one afternoon than I've ever seen in my entire lifetime.

After a few minutes on the bus, at first awed by the countryside, my mind began to focus in more on the plants growing along the fencelines. What WERE those big shrubs with the red flowers? They were everywhere, and obviously very happy. It wasn't until our first pub stop that I got close enough to realize I was looking at something familiar. Familiar back here in Niagara as a half-hardy perennial of moderate size. These were Fuchsia magellanica, native to South America but naturalized all over the place in southern Ireland.

The other garden escapee I saw frequently was Crocosmia, native to South Africa but as common along the roadsides in Ireland as Tawny Daylily is common here in eastern North America. A few other band members turned out to be gardeners as well, and it was fun to ask them if they recognized the large and odd-looking plants we often saw in front gardens. Nobody had a clue they were regular old Dracaena spikes, grown into mature woody-trunked plants ten or fifteen feet in height and looking more like a tree version of a Yucca. They only vaguely resembled the spikes we see here at home, typically surrounded by scarlet Geraniums and Dusty Miller. Going to a milder climate is always so much fun when you're a gardener, an opportunity to learn about and observe all kinds of interesting plants that would be a challenge and a half to grow back home.

Garden mums are the most commonly-pinched perennials, but there are others that respond well to this technique, including Michelmas Daisies (Fall Asters), Turtlehead (Chelone), and all of the upright, fall-flowering types of Sedum, particularly Autumn Joy. Don't be afraid to try this with some of the newer Sedum selections too, such as 'Purple Emperor', pictured above.

Pinching is especially important if you have really rich garden soil, if you fertilize and water often, or if the summer has been especially rainy. With Sedum, the weight of the flower heads can become too much for the stems to support, and the whole plant flops open from the middle in every direction. If this has been a problem for you in past years, just take hedge shears and trim the whole thing back by half, shaping it a little into a rounded mound. The stems will then branch, producing smaller flower heads that are lighter in weight and held on shorter stems that can then support them. This does delay flowering by a couple of weeks, and bear that in mind too when you are out pinching. It's possible to pinch some clumps and leave others alone, thereby extending the season of bloom.

You can ask a perennial gardening question of your own by clicking the "Ask an Expert" link on the top of this newsletter. Due to time constraints, please — no questions on flowering shrubs, trees, evergreens, lawns, hydrangeas, roses, etc.

QUESTION: "I moved a Hydrangea from a wooded/shady location to a sunny location, about 2 years ago. It hasn't bloomed, but has bright green leaves. Help! What do I need to do to get this plant to bloom?" Sue — Foxboro, Massachusetts

ANSWER: First of all stop doing ANY pruning for at least three years. The most common reason Hydrangea fail to flower is because of pruning them at the wrong time. Resist the urge, other than to remove any dead stems or tips of stems after it leafs out in the spring.

If you STILL get no blooms after three years, consider getting rid of it. The gift plant Hydrangeas sold around Easter are often planted outdoors in gardens, but in Zones 6 and lower these particular varieties used for forcing as gift plants often experience flower bud death due to cold winter conditions. The leaves are fine, but the shrub repeatedly fails to flowers except after a really mild winter. Basically you end up with a pretty boring foliage shrub.

Nurseries and garden centres sell hardier types that will be better in your climate outdoors. In particular look for Endless Summer, a type that flowers on new wood and is not nearly as affected by winter conditions.

Also, look at the really hardy types such as 'Annabelle', PeeGee, 'Unique', Limelight and 'Pink Diamond'. These all have white or off-white flowers but they are extremely reliable and more interesting than a lump of green that does nothing.

In the heat of summer, annual containers need pretty much daily watering, sometimes even twice a day if the plant is large and the pot is small. I advise watering each pot twice. Give it a thorough dousing then move on to your other containers to allow the water to soak in. Then go back and give it a second thorough soak. The peat-based potting soil mixtures usually take a few minutes to reabsorb water if they get bone dry, so this two-step approach works well. Always, ALWAYS water enough so that it runs freely from the drain holes.

So, here we are to the rescue with a list of sturdy stalwarts for a long display later in the season. One of the best kinds for this job are the Hybrid Asters (Aster × frikartii) selections like 'Flora's Delight', pictured above. These Asters begin to bloom in late July and can continue well into October. They are not as hardy as the New England Asters, and I find they require excellent drainage through the winter. Despite that, they are well worth including in the border even if treated as annuals or half-hardy perennials.

Our best-selling book, the Perennial Gardening Guide (4th edition, March 2003) is a handy reference used by gardeners across North America — written by John Valleau, horticulturist for Heritage Perennials®. Available at your local Heritage Perennials® Dealer.