Fiiday, August 7, 1992 - North Shore Naws — 13 Special perennials grace special gardens GENERALLY, I like the color brown in the flower of a plant only slightly bet- 8 ter than when it shows up in the ieaves, Geof Tobiasson OVER THE GARDEN GATE This is probably due to my conditioning which has taught me to associate the color brown with dead or dying plant cells. Brown will never be a highly sought-after color ia my flower garden. For this reason, I was a little sceptical when I first heard about Chocolate Cosmos (cosmos atrosanguineus). 1 pictured the rust-brown shades normally seen in seedling strains of rudbeckias and heleniums. These stalwart plants, along with their yellow and orange sibl- ings, may work well on those hot, dry hillsides where other plants are difficult to grow, but where white, pink, blue and mauve will grow, who needs them? You can imagine my surprise when I saw my first flowering plant. No dead brown here, rather a velvety rich, vibrant maroon with only a hinted brown under- tone and bearing no resemblance to any color of chocolate ! had ever seen. My glib remark referring to the ineptitude of the person who came up with the name was met with an invitation to smell the flower. I immediately gained 10 pounds. It smells exactly like chocolate cake; good chocolate cake, yummy chocolate cake. Another shock was the fact that this was a perennial. Although ! have often seen ref- erence to perennial strains of cosmos, I have never actually seen one. I assumed this was a hybrid selection of one of the annual varieties with which we are all familiar. Not so. With a Zone 7 har- diness rating, this plant will sur-_ vive all but the chilliest of Van- couver winters. Even then its tuberous roots can be lifted in fall and stored in a cool spot indoors or simply mulched over until the worst has passed. Its appetizing flowers appear 12 to 18 inches above the finely cut, dahlia-like foliage from July through to August. As with its annual cousin, this perennial form prefers a sunny spot in the garden with average soil and very good drainage. Although more suited to drought conditions than excessive amounts of water, keeping it minimally moist throughout the growing and flowering season will achieve the best results. “Save up to e Sofas e Loveseats e Mattresses e Lamps e Dinettes e Coffee Tables ® Recliners @ Wall Units | FURNITURELAND -411 East 3rd St. North Vancouver — Pan CLOSED SUNDAY | Chocolate Cosmos is a recent introduction of B.C.’s own Valleybrook Gardens, so it may still be difficult to find. Conway of Mandiville Gardens in South Burnaby did say he had a few plants in stock and was hoping to get some more, so you may want to try there first. And if they are out, try Tom at Triple Tree Nurseries in Maple Ridge. Another outstanding introduc- tion coming to us via Valleybrook is the ncw Pink Flowering Siraw- berry (fragaria ‘‘Pink Panda’’) from that most famous of all perennial growers, Bloom’s of Bressingham in England. As with your garden-variety strawberry, this semi-evergreen creeper forms an ever-expanding low mat of rich green foliage with the help of its runners. This expansion is so robust that few weeds can compete with it once it gets established, and it is therefore a perfect candidate for a groundcover in those sunny or partially shaded areas it prefers. The truly different feature of this plant is its bright flowers rather than the standard white we are used to. These begin arriving in May and keep on coming until the first hard frost says its time to quit. Do not expect the large, watery, flavorless fruit we normally associate with strawberries. These are more akin to the small, in- tensely EX tasty, alpine strawberries common in Europe. The fruit keeps on coming as jong as the flowers do, so you should get strawberries for at least three to four months. All strawberries require even moisture throughout the growing and fruiting season; these are no exception. Use a little bonemeal- when first planting and apply another dose once a year in fall. Weevils can be a problem, but remembering to keep the planting area moist will reduce the numbers. You may have a little difficulty in finding this ‘Pink Panda’’ this year as it is still in short supply. Give it a year or two, however, and | believe every garden centre will feel required to keep it in stock. Good hunting. Dried flowers event held VANDUSEN GARDENS Flower Arranging Group will hold a sale of dried flowers collected from the garden on Sunday, Aug. 16 from 1 to 3 m p.m. There will be demonstrations of arranging and drying tech- niques, and a variety of everlasting arrangements and mixed bunches will be for sale. For those interested in grow- ing their own flowers for dry- ing, there will be a display of suitable flowers which can be grown in any back yard. The VanDusen Seed Collec- tors will also offer its collection of seed and advice on other seed sources, Air-drying flowers is very easy and is a hobby that can provide many hours of enjoy- ment. Visitors are encouraged to ask lots of questions. VanDusen also offers courses in arranging and preserving plant materials. Inquire at the main office, 266-7194. Everlasting flowers are part of the revival in bringing nature indoors. By growing a few, anyone can have real flowers to dry and enjoy all winter. There is a satisfying traditionalism about drying flowers. VenDusen Botanical Gardens is located at 5251 Oak St. (at 37th Avenue) in Vancouver. Regular garden admission ap- plies for this event. For more information call 266-7194. 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