Garden guru

Did you know some experts are forecasting the 2025 gardening season could eclipse or nearly match the enthusiasm for buying plants that was seen during the pandemic year of 2021? That year, unprecedented pent-up demand resulted in a big spike in retail sales at garden centres across North America.

It seems the more things we have to worry about — No. 1 right now is economic uncertainty — the more we gravitate towards the beauty of plants and the blissful escape a lush outdoor garden oasis can offer.

For the most part, it’s been a cool start to spring but signs of pent-up demand for plants are again evident at local garden centres as staff are already busy refilling shelves. I’ve stood in line at several local greenhouses where it wasn’t uncommon to see customers towing two or three carts filled with plants.

But is there anyone more enthusiastic about the start of the growing season than Shea Doherty, operations manager at Our Farm Greenhouse near Portage la Prairie? Everyone knows Doherty. A popular presenter at garden club events, he has a curiosity and passion for gardening that is the driving force behind his choices for a unique and varied selection of plants.

From Steinbach to Winnipeg and Brandon, and places in between, gardeners trek to the quiet countryside that surrounds Our Farm Greenhouse. A family-run operation, Our Farm is owned by Shea’s mother, Leslie Doherty. Some of her 14 children work regularly at the greenhouse while others help out occasionally. The business has grown substantially over the years and today supplies plants to garden centres across the Prairies and in northern Ontario.

“There are so many new and exciting plants this year,” says Doherty. He delights in observing how new plants perform in the greenhouse as well as seeking out lesser-known varieties requested by his customers, but he also ensures a plentiful supply of seasonal favourites that consistently sell well and are standout performers.

One of those favourites is Verbena Empress Sun Red which has large crimson red flowers and a trailing habit. “I have not grown another red-flowered verbena since Dummen Orange came out with it several years ago,” says Doherty. “Over the summer, the clusters of blossoms are as big as 10 centimetres across.” I bought three.

There are rows of coleus varieties to choose from including ColorBlaze El Brighto, an award-winning variety (16 honours to date) with patterned foliage so brightly coloured it almost leaps off the shelf. But a new coleus Doherty cannot say enough about is Coleus TerraScape Queen, an innovative upright variety from Kientzler, a family-owned breeding company that has been part of the European horticultural industry for over 100 years and began offering their products in North America in 2014.

Coleus TerraScape Queen grows to a maximum height of 66 cm. The multicoloured leaves have serrated edges Doherty compares to the Under the Sea coleus series. “Except that this baby can handle full sun. Photos don’t do it justice — just wait until you see it,” says Doherty. TerraScape Queen will also perform well in partial shade and has been bred to be wilt-resistant in the heat.

At the recent Garden Party event hosted by the Manitoba Horticultural Association on April 27 in Portage la Prairie, Doherty showed off the brand-new Hydrangea Game Changer, a ground-breaking new hydrangea from Green Fuse Botanicals which has lacecap flowers. Why ground-breaking? Hydrangea Game Changer is the first interspecific day-neutral Hydrangea macrophylla. This means it does not need long summer days to initiate buds, and blooms in significantly less time than traditional hydrangeas typically require.

‘The growth and vigour on Game Changer is quite impressive,” says Doherty. “We’re excited to offer it this year.”

Hydrangea Game Changer is hardy to Zone 5. So, in our climate, this stunning new hydrangea is best suited for displaying in hanging baskets and patio planters.

There are currently three colours in the series — white, pink and blue. The white and pink lacecap petals are noticeably large and the dark-green leaves are serrated and pointy. Game Changer Blue will have pink flowers in our alkaline soil. To turn lacecap flowers blue, I use Orgunique Soil Acidifier, a fast-acting granular soil additive that contains sulphur. Apply 1-2 tsp. (5-10 grams) per plant on soil or potting mix surface, and water thoroughly. It works like magic on Hydrangea macrophylla cultivars but not on other species of hydrangea such as paniculata hydrangeas.

Every spring brings new petunia cultivars and Doherty has several he is excited about. “Main Stage Burgundy Sky is a beautiful mahogany-burgundy with yellow polka dots. The colour is stunning, and we can expect an amazing performance.” Main Stage Burgundy Sky is a vigorous petunia with a trailing habit.

For a semi-trailing petunia with a mounding habit and medium vigour, Doherty recommends Headliner Blackberry Vein, a recent introduction which has dramatic deep-purple centres and purple veins. “This one is a must for every garden.”

Doherty is a huge fan of rudbeckia and carries several day-neutral varieties with spectacular flowers that bloom from spring to fall. Rudbeckia hirta Rising Sun Chestnut Gold and Dakota Gold have flowers that are 17 cm across and bloom continuously throughout the season from spring to fall. Both are from Green Fuse Botanicals which has also introduced Rodeo Double Red Black-Eyed Susan which has fully double flowers that open bright-orange and shift to deep red and then transition to deep burgundy.

Doherty pointed out a new dwarf rudbeckia to me — Rudbeckia Minibeckia Flame — which has large bright-yellow petals with a red eye. “It won’t get as tall as Rising Sun Chestnut Gold — it grows to just 50 cm,” he says. This new mini rudbeckia from Garden Genetics is densely branched but cold-hardy to Zone 5. But this is where it became challenging for me. I wanted to fill my cart with all the non-hardy Rudbeckia varieties that are meant to be grown as annuals. How wise is it, though, to buy flowering annuals when Manitoba is still a few weeks away from consistently warm temperatures?

“Rudbeckia is a high-light plant,” says Doherty. “It needs intense bright light. Placing it in low light for even just two weeks will cause it to suffer. Don’t keep the soil sopping wet. It’s better to water every two or three days with a little bit of water than it is to soak the soil.” This is great advice for any sun-loving annual plants you bring home with you right now.

Doherty also showed me an adorable new perennial called Mossy Rockfoil Alpino Early Magic Salmon. It is considered a game-changer in Saxifraga breeding, he says. Free-flowering with petite blooms in the palest of pinks, Early Magic Salmon grows to a height of just 20-30 cm. It blooms two to four weeks earlier than other types of mossy rockfoil and would be lovely planted in rock gardens or as a low-growing groundcover.

colleenizacharias@gmail.com

For advice, ideas and tips to keep your outdoor and indoor plants growing, sign up to have Winnipeg Gardener a free monthly newsletter I write for the Winnipeg Free Press at winnipegfreepress.com/newsletter/winnipeg-gardener