Paeonia (Peony)
Native to Asia and Central Europe, peonies have been around for over a
thousand years and have left an historical imprint in art, literature and
medicine particularly in China and Japan.
In attractive shades of pink, red, white and yellow this long lived
prairie hardy perennial provides beauty and grace in the garden year after
year.
Although most of the peonies we grow on the
prairies are herbaceous, some gardeners have enjoyed success with the tree
peony if they have a protected sight.
Herbaceous peonies include the hybrids,
itohs, lactifloras and species and are sun loving, clump
forming plants that range in height from 35 cm -100cm and width from 30 cm
-100cm. The flowers can be single, semi
double or double. The foliage on hybrid and lactiflora peonies is usually a glossy dark green while the foliage
on itoh peonies is fern like or
deeply lobed. Some peonies will need to
be staked due to the size of the flowers and /or stems.
Peonies have so many characteristics that
speak to their continuing popularity in prairie gardens. Aside from being winter hardy, they require
minimal care if planted in full sun with good soil preparation and where they
do not have to compete with grass for water and nutrients. Some varieties have beautiful fall foliage,
while others are sweet scented, perfuming the whole garden. You cannot help but admire these garden
lovelies when they are in bloom, some of which sport dinner plate size flowers. Peonies do well as an accent or specimen
plant and can be used as informal hedges.
If grown properly they are rarely bothered
by insects or disease (itoh peonies
in particular), although some varieties are more susceptible to botrytis than
others. Divide in early spring or late
fall to add more plants to your garden.
Ligularia (ray flower, leopard plant,
golden ray, elephant ears)
Are you looking for a big impact plant that’s relatively easy to
grow? If you have lots of room in a
partially shaded, sheltered spot in your garden, you might consider this
popular summer blooming perennial. Planted at the back of your garden bed or
perhaps in front of a fence, this perennial has none of the characteristics of
a ‘wall flower’. Growing anywhere between 90 cm to 3 m tall and 50cm to 120 cm
wide this tall, clump forming beauty with yellow/ orange flowers is sure to
attract lots of attention .
Native to Japan and China these tropical
looking plants prefer consistently moist soil. Low lying areas or wet areas
like those found around ponds are ideal locations for ray flowers. Some people do plant Ligularia in the sun
but keep the plants moist. The sun will
cause the flowers to wilt but they do rejuvenate when it cools down. Regardless of where you plant your ray flower
it is important not to let it dry out.
Ligularia ‘The Rocket’ is a popular choice in
prairie gardens. . It has spiked bright
yellow flowers, large leaves and black stems.
Ligularia dentata ‘Othello’ has orange yellow flowers and the
large purple leaves create a dramatic effect when placed against a white or
light coloured background.
Although Ligularia attract slugs and are prone
to aphids that should not prevent you from enjoying this unique perennial. In their book Gardening Naturally (2011) Sara Williams and Hugh Skinner offer a
number of easily managed strategies to deter and control both slugs and
aphids. One of many suggestions for
slugs is to clear the soil around the plant of any vegetation so as to keep the
soil dry and less hospitable (p.145).
To
control aphids try using a strong stream of water every 2-3 days where there is
a minor infestation exists (p.170).
Again, this is only one of many environmentally friendly suggestions to
deal with a common garden pest.
Calamagrostis x acutiflora (Feather Reed Grass)
As more and more gardeners discover the many benefits of this stately
cool season grass it is interesting to note the changing architecture of
prairie gardens. An easy to grow and
easy to care for perennial, this upright, clump forming, ornamental grass adds
texture, form and motion to our yards.
As a cool season grass (150 cm-220 cm high)
it starts growing in early spring and flowers in early summer, making it a very
good choice for our short growing season. During the heat of the summer the
foliage growth slows down. Like most
grasses, Feather Reed prefers full sun.
Although it flourishes in well drained, fertile soil it will tolerate
clay soils and drier sights.
As a specimen plant, Feather Reed Grass
definitely makes a statement. Placed
near plants that have a round or horizontal shape this grass provides dramatic
vertical contrast. It can be enjoyed throughout all four seasons and needs only
to be cut down in late winter/early spring.
The soft gold tassels can be used in both fresh and dried flower
arrangements. Feather Reed Grass can
also be considered an inexpensive friendly neighbour fence when placed along
property lines.
It does require more frequent division than
warm season grasses and if left unattended it will die out in the centre. In early spring cut down to 15cm-25cm.
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