How will your garden or patio take shape this year? Lush annuals and pretty perennials? A new tree to offer summer shade for years to come? Maybe a delicious array of fruit and veggies?
Or all of the above!
More and more, homeowners want to create a diverse landscape that appeals to all the senses, explains Roger Stratton, who with wife Marcia is celebrating their 10th growing season at Horse Lake Garden Centre.
No matter what your vision is for your space, whether an acreage or cosy patio, realizing it starts with choosing the right plants for our local climate.
The Horse Lake Garden Centre team certainly have you covered there. “All of our plants are selected specifically for our climate and then are grown and nurtured right here, rather than being imported from the warmer coast,” Roger explains.
- Mix it up: Trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials can all have a place in your garden and including a mix can create year-round interest, Roger says. A garden of only annuals may see loads of blooms but only while it is warm, while incorporating perennials can extend the season. A complementary mix of sizes, habits, colours and leaf structures work together to create a visually appealing picture.
- Try something new: With a greater interest in water-wise, easy-care gardening, many are giving succulents a try. “We have many kinds of succulents which can work really well for a hot patio, then when fall comes, bring them indoors to enjoy through the winter,” Roger says.
- Garden for your senses: While many already plant roses or lilacs for a heady scent or free-flowering petunias for their visual impact, try engaging your other senses in the garden. With “sensation planting,” grasses might add movement and rustle gently in the wind, for example, while an oh-so-soft lamb’s ear, or stachya, begs to be touched (and is a favourite with youngsters!). Moving water provides soothing background sounds for your deck or garden and aloe vera is both a striking specimen plant that also soothes the skin. The garden centre team can even help you design a container or a garden showcasing many of these elements!
- Plant something tasty: Edible gardening another growing trend, and one you can incorporate in many ways. Shrubs like blueberries or hascaps are attractive – and tasty – mixed in with a perennial bed, for example, or mix a few veggies with your annuals. Heat-loving herbs are ideal potted up on the patio where you snip an little at a time as you cook!
- Inspiring ideas: Not sure where to start? Bring photos and dimensions and centre staff are happy to guide you to the best options for your space, Roger says.
This spring, the Strattons have three locations to serve Cariboo gardeners. In addition to the main nursery at Lone Butte – also home to Burlap Cabin gift shop – visit us at Williams Lake’s Home Hardware Building Centre and at Ace Hardware at 100 Mile House.
