Although the Rosser municipal office isn’t Buckingham Palace, it will soon have a royal connection.

Rosser councillors agreed to purchase an Amber Jubilee Ninebark Shrub from Jeffries Nurseries near Portage la Prairie and will plant it in the garden located in front of the council building.

"It’s part of the jubilee celebrations," said Rosser CAO Bev Wells.

In fact, the colourful shrub was selected by the provincial government as a way to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

Jeffries Nurseries’ president Wilbert Roland said the shrub displays golden yellow foliage in the spring which changes to amber in the summer and finally a reddish- purple in the fall.

"It is a very different colour in ninebark shrubs," he said. "The foliage is very striking."

Queen Elizabeth even planted one of the shrubs during her last visit to Winnipeg in 2010. Two shrubs were also planted near the statue of Queen Victoria on the Manitoba legislature grounds in a ceremony held on Victoria Day earlier this year.

Roland said the nursery committed to making the shrub available to provincial and municipal governments across Canada, and has sold a few thousand this year. It plans on having about 20,000 of the shrubs available for next year’s growing season.

 

andrea.geary@canstarnews.com