last update January 2009
If you have arrivedhere from a Search Engine
like Google,
click here to display the SITE INDEX.
Other Navigation Links at bottom of page.
Prices include all taxes and handling fees. See Order Form for shipping costs. Canada only!
photos: ... none taken yet ...
(2 gallon pots, too large to ship), synonyms Onoclea germanica; Matteuccia pensylvanica; Pteretis pensylvanica... Common names: Ostrich (Plume) Fern; Shuttlecock Fern, Fiddlehead Fern. A tall perennial fern, hardy to zone 3. LOW MAINTENANCE. Of Arching habit, colonizing mainly by moderately creeping rootstocks. Vigorous, fast-growing and of very long lifespan. Height: to 2-5', and 3' wide. Native to Europe, W Asia, E Asia: China/ Japan, much of NAm in cooler climates. In NS it is more common in the north than in the middle or southern parts. Can reach 6' tall in some areas. Graceful and charming. Rhizomes short but once established produce long stolons by which it can spread rapidly. Recommended site: light shade. Soil: mildly acidic, largely organic, reliably moist but well-drained. Typically occurs in light shade on rocky stream banks, in rich moist soils like floodplain, sometimes on the edges of boggy areas. Full sun if in cool moist areas. May take more shade. May be okay in heavier (loam or even clay loam) soil. Leaves may turn yellow and burn in full sun. Rarely troubled by deer. Dense, compact foliage, light green; Deciduous. Individual fronds are narrow at the bottom, widening gradually for most of the length and then narrowing abruptly to the tip. Fronds quite erect, the bunch forming a narrowly arching V-shape. Shorter fertile (spore-bearing) fronds in the centre of the crown have a different texture and are darker; they are the ostrich-plume-like sets; may last somewhat into winter. Some uses: Borders and Beds, Foliage, Groundcover, Waterside, Kitchen Herb, Wildflower, Naturalizing Woodlands. This is the fern from which the edible fiddleheads may be gathered in spring. Fronds used in cut flower arrangements.
photos: ...flower ...plant ...
... Common names: Silky Spike Melic; Hairy Melic; Ciliate Melic; Eyelash Pearl Grass; Spikey Melic Grass. A mid-height perennial grass, hardy to zone 4. Of Arching habit, colonizing mainly by forming a very tight clump. Moderately quick-growing and of long lifespan. Height: to 1-2'. Native to Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia; naturalized in parts of NAm. The showiest Melic grass, with regards to the flowers, which form at the ends of long stems and fan into a canopy over the plant; relatively unknown and underused. Weak stems may be floppy. Recommended site: sun or light shade. Soil: fertile, largely organic loam, reliably moist but well-drained. Light shade is better; (part shade in southern climates?) Tolerates dry soil in sun at the expense of show. Open, sparse foliage, of fine texture. Deciduous. Flowers are borne as a moderate Panicle in late spring. Branched, narrow, spike-like inflorescence, almost like a small dense bottlebrush. Flowers silky, described variously as purplish tawny to bright brown to creamy-white to silvery... Some uses: Borders and Beds, Cut Flowers, Dried Flowers, Naturalizing.
photos: ...flower ...plant ... another ... early winter ...
also known as Aira caerulea... Common names: Purple Moor Grass, Moor Grass; Purple Heath Grass. A tall perennial grass, hardy to USDA Zone 3. LOW MAINTENANCE. Of Tufted habit, colonizing mainly by forming a very tight clump. Slow-growing and of long lifespan. Height: to 3ft, and 1ft wide. Native to N Europe to Siberia to N Turkey and the Caucasus. Naturalized in NAm: St Pierre & Miquelon, NS/ Ontario/ Maine; extensive near Louisbourg. Dainty, graceful plant especially showy in late fall when it takes on a bright straw colour. Dense arching tufts expanding at the rate of only inches per year, eventually becoming large. Recommended site: sun or light shade. Soil: fertile, mildly acidic, sandy to largely organic, reliably moist but well-drained. Naturally occuring in bogs, heaths, and on wet, peaty mountainsides, often covering many square miles. Dense, compact foliage, deep green; of fine texture. Leaves to about 30cm long by 5mm wide. Good golden fall colour. Tiny unscented pale violet flowers are borne as a small rather open Panicle in late summer. Some uses: Borders and Beds, Edgings, Specimens, Foliage, Mass Planting, Dried Flowers, House Plant, Steep Banks, Naturalizing, Useful groundcover in low moist (to wet?) sites. Especially good in front of dark foliage.
photos: ... winter foliage on young plants ...
1 only...synonyms Myrica caroliniensis... Common names: Bayberry; Northern Bayberry. A shrub, hardy to zone 2. LOW MAINTENANCE. Of Branching habit, colonizing mainly by slowly creeping rootstocks. Slow-growing and of very long lifespan. Height: to 3-6', and to 6' wide. Native to E NAm: S Nfld/ N Ohio/ N Carolina; in NS, more common in the SW. Usually shrubby but may grow to 35' in other climates. Slowly suckers into thickets. Recommended site: sun to part shade. Soil: infertile poor, sandy, reliably moist but well-drained. Naturally occurs in coastal barrens, in poor soils on headlands and beaches. Very salt tolerant. Occasionally found in bogs and on heavier soils; said to do well in heavy clay near Ottawa. Dense, compact foliage, of fine texture. Aromatic. Unscented flowers are borne in late spring. Catkins, about 1 cm long, borne on previous year's wood. Plants are usually dioecious. Small waxy grey round berries form and persist through winter. Some uses: Borders and Beds, in Shrubbery, Mass Planting, Foundation plantings, Decorative Seed Pods, Kitchen Herb, Songbirds, Erosion Control, Wildflower, Naturalizing, Sea-side. Berries are used in scenting wax candles. Leaves can also apparently be used as in cooking for the same effect as Bay Laurel (the usual bay leaf) but are not as strongly flavoured so more leaves are required for the same effect.
... Trees & Shrubs ... Ferns ... Ornamental Grasses ...
... Index (frames) ... Index (no frames) ...
... Home ...