Wintergreen: a classic
Wintergreen plants are sold in small foil-wrapped pots at grocery stores and garden centres at this time of year. Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) can be grown year-round as a houseplant, but did you know that it is native from southeastern Manitoba to Newfoundland?
A member of the heath family (Ericaceae), wintergreen is hardy to Zone 3. This low-growing plant (10 to 15 cm) has small, glossy evergreen leaves with a leathery texture. It produces small, white flowers and red berries. There are also non-hardy varieties that produce white berries.
A holiday display featuring wintergreen. (Qualitree)
In southeastern Manitoba, wintergreen favours the acidic soils of evergreen, pine or oak forests. Another name for wintergreen is eastern teaberry. Indigenous Peoples have used berries grown in the wild for medicinal purposes as well as a food source – the leaves make an aromatic tea, and the berries are also edible.
For an attractive arrangement for your holiday table, combine wintergreen with poinsettia and other seasonal plants such as lemon cypress Goldcrest Wilma or Calocephalus Silver Stone, which is also known as cushion bush.
Calocephalus brownii, also known as cushion bush (Qualitree)
Indoors, wintergreen prefers bright, indirect light and moderate humidity. Keep the soil moist but not wet.
In spring, once the soil is warm, plant wintergreen in part shade or full shade. Try to mimic its natural habitat by choosing an area beneath an evergreen tree.
What kind of cactus?
Thanksgiving cactus and Christmas cactus belong to the genus Schlumbergera. In their native habitat in rainforest regions of Brazil, both grow in the crevices of tree branches, like orchids and bromeliads, and have shallow root systems.
At greenhouses and in our homes, Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) is the first to bloom, often in November, and Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) blooms slightly later, but before Christmas.
The differences between the two are subtle. Thanksgiving cactus has more of an upright growth habit whereas the stems of Christmas cactus are more downward facing. The flowers of Thanksgiving cactus come in a wide range of colours: vibrant pink, red, or orange or bright white. Christmas cactus has bright pink flowers.
While the tubular shape of the flowers for both types is similar, the real clue is found in the leaf shape. The edges of the flat leaves of Thanksgiving cactus have pointy projections. The leaves of the Christmas cactus are longer and more rounded or gently scalloped.
Here is a photo of a Thanksgiving cactus in bloom now at Sage Garden Greenhouses:
A Thanksgiving cactus at Sage Garden Greenhouses, showing the telltale pointy projections on its leaves. (Dave Hanson)
Deborah Petrie, a Brandon-area gardener, grows the Christmas cactus below, which has been displaying its annual flower show for nearly 20 years. “My cutting came from my mother’s plant, which now is between 60 and 65 years old,” says Petrie.
Deborah Petrie’s 20-year-old Christmas cactus, with downward-facing stems. (Deborah Petrie)
Sgt. Pepper Dogwood
With several documentaries about the Beatles recently and four Beatles biopics in the works, there is no denying the cultural prominence of the Fab Four. Even plant names have been inspired by the Beatles!
You’ve perhaps heard of the Twist-n-Shout hydrangea? There’s also a Yellow Submarine tomato as well as Strawberry Fields Forever daylily, Dizzy Miss Lizzy daylily, Hey Jude rose, Long Tall Sally Brugmansia, and Magical Mystery Tour peony.
They’re now joined by the Sgt. Pepper Dogwood. New for 2025 from Proven Winners, Sgt. Pepper Dogwood (Cornus alba) is sure to strike a chord with gardeners who are looking for dynamic appeal and a distinctive anchor for their landscape or the back of their garden.
New for 2025: The Sgt. Pepper Dogwood. (Proven Winners)
Sgt. Pepper features burgundy stems and tri-colour foliage that starts out bright green and cream with pale pink margins. Proven Winners (PW) describes the mature height as 1.2 to 1.8 metres with a spread of 1.8 to 2.4 metres. But let’s hear what Owen Vanstone, Vanstone Nurseries, Portage la Prairie, has to say about Sgt. Pepper, which is in production at Vanstone.
“This is a terrific new introduction,” says Vanstone. “The width that PW assigns to it seems a bit excessive and does not really jive with the growth pattern that we see in production.” Vanstone compares Sgt. Pepper to Ivory Halo dogwood, but with enhanced colouring.
“Size and habit are the same, but spring growth has a terrific pink tinge to it. As the cooler nights of late summer and early fall come, this colouring deepens again for terrific appeal throughout September and into October. The stems are the same rich red that you would expect from this species.”
Sgt. Pepper dogwood is adaptable to many different garden conditions including part shade or sunny locations. Its large size makes it ideal for use as a hedge or standalone specimen. You are sure to enjoy the show!
Look for Sgt. Pepper dogwood at garden centres next spring.
2025 Hosta of the Year
The American Hosta Growers Association has named Hosta Skywriter as the 2025 Hosta of the Year.
The American Hosta Growers Association has named Hosta Skywriter as the 2025 Hosta of the Year. (Robert Solberg)
Described as a medium hosta (43 cm tall and 116 cm wide) with a semi-upright habit, Skywriter has ruffled blue leaves on deep purple petioles. The undersurface of the leaves has a whitish tone.
Hostas with blue leaves perform best in full shade. The blueness of the foliage is produced by a wax coating that does not stand up to the sun.
Recipe: Squash Fondue
Oak Knoll Farm is a 19-hectare regenerative farm located in the Springfield area. Owned by the Regehr family, the farm supplies fruits, vegetables, chicken, and pork to the restaurant at Pineridge Hollow, which is also owned by the Regehr family.
I reached out to Pineridge Hollow for their delicious recipe for warm squash fondue, which they serve with soft pretzel bites and house-made focaccia.
Primarily made with butternut squash, the chef also incorporates different varieties of squash from the farm such as kabocha, kuri, and acorn squash. Delicious!
Squash fondue (Pineridge Hollow)
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (60 ml) butter
- ⅓ cup (60 ml) yellow onions, large dice
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) minced garlic
- 2½ tablespoons (35 ml) flour
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) mustard powder
- 1 cup (250 ml) squash/pumpkin puree
- 1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
- ½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream
- ½ cup (125 ml) mozzarella, shredded
- ¾ cup (180 ml) orange cheddar, shredded
- ½ cup (125 ml) shredded Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
Directions:
- Heat butter in a large saucepan.
- When melted, sauté the onions and garlic then add flour and mustard powder to create a roux.
- Add in the puree and stir to combine.
- Slowly add milk and cream individually to the mixture, stirring to completely combine each time.
- Once all the milk has been added, bring to a boil to cook out the roux.
- Remove from heat, then add cheeses and salt, stirring until completely melted and mixed through.
- Serve with fresh bread such as focaccia or baguette.
Spring planting for holiday décor
This holiday season, the Pineridge Hollow retail team is using eucalyptus grown by its sister business, Oak Knoll Farm.
Visitors will discover fragrant eucalyptus on display throughout the store, tucked into garlands, around windows, and on tables, where it adds a natural and seemingly effortless touch.
“With a little foresight and planning,” says the team at Pineridge Hollow, “your spring garden can provide a wealth of materials for festive decor while adding a personal, homegrown touch to your holiday celebrations. Start planning and planting this spring, and come December, you’ll be ready to deck the halls with elements from your own harvest!”
Grow your own eucalyptus for festive decor. (Pineridge Hollow)
Silver Dollar Eucalyptus cinerea can be found each spring at local garden centres. The branches of this fragrant herb are ideal for fresh or dry cuttings for centrepieces or bouquets.
Silver Dollar grows to a height of 150 cm. Perfect for growing outdoors in a sunny location in containers that are well-drained, eucalyptus can also be grown as a houseplant.
Move your eucalyptus indoors in the fall before temperatures dip below 10 C. Place your plant in a bright location, prune for tidiness, and water as needed.
Festive… pool noodle?
Sarah Southern is a Winnipeg grocery store manager who loves to decorate for friends and family in her spare time. I asked Southern to create a quick, easy and inexpensive holiday home decoration for Winnipeg Gardener readers.
Here, Southern shares tips on how you can upcycle a pool noodle into a classic woodland-themed centrepiece for your holiday table or garland for your mantle.
The completed project. (Sarah Southern)
What you will need:
- One pool noodle
- zip ties
- two bundles of fresh greenery
- a few pinecones
- a small candlestick holder and candle
- moss
- velvet mushrooms and velvet ribbon
What you’ll need. (Sarah Southern)
Directions:
- Bend the pool noodle in half and secure the two halves together with zip ties.
- Insert the base of a candlestick between the two halves.
- Poke the stems of the fresh greenery into the pool noodle until it is completely covered to create a lush greenery garland with a draping effect.
- Wrap the bases of the mushrooms with moss for a woodland feel.
- Tuck the mushrooms and pinecones into the greenery.
- Accent with velvet ribbon.
How to assemble. (Sarah Southern)
“Velvet is huge this year and mushrooms are everywhere right now,” says Southern. “You can add anything you want to this centrepiece. I bought two different bundles of greens for contrasting texture — cedar and Carolina Sapphire.
Pool noodles are about 140 cm long, but they can easily be cut to make the size you prefer.
“The finished project is light as a feather and easy to transport. Reuse it every year — just add fresh greens or change it up and go with faux greenery.”
Protip: Though swimming season is over, Canadian Tire still has pool noodles in stock, starting at $2.99.
Holiday makeover
In my garden, I have several round plant supports designed by Val Thomson, a Birtle-area gardener, and made and sold at the Birtle Centre for the Arts.
Crafted from rolled steel, these sturdy plant supports are great for supporting the stems of peonies, hydrangeas, and tall perennials and strong enough to serve as a decorative stand for bowl planters.
My own plant supports are stuck in the snow waiting for spring, but Sally Donald has other ideas!
Donald, a retired early childhood educator who lives in the Birtle area, stages window displays at the Birtle Centre for the Arts and teaches classes on seasonal crafts for children.
Donald repurposed the steel plant supports for an elegant seasonal display, and is also using the supports to decorate three large planters that sit outside Birtle Centre for the Arts.
“I try to get all my foraging done before hunting season begins,” she says. “Decorating doesn’t have to be expensive, just use what you have on hand!”
Holiday makeover steel plant support (Sally Donald)
Here are some of Donald’s tips for decorating plant supports:
• Start by laying a twig grapevine wreath on the round ring at the top of the plant support and wire it to the sides for support.
• Add faux berries and foraged juniper boughs to the wreath.
• You could also suspend ball ornaments from the decorative scrolls on the plant supports.
• A basket filled with pinecones can be set on top of the twig wreath for added dimension.
• Or place a plant support inside a planter, fill the centre with birch logs and foraged red-twig dogwood stems.
Local gift ideas for gardeners
Local businesses share their top pick gift ideas and holiday tips for Winnipeg Gardener readers:
Flour & Flower, 530 Waterloo: “Flour & Flower’s favourite gift for the 2024 Holiday season, is the Holiday SweetBox,” says owner Rachel Nedelec.
SweetBox (Flour and Flower)
“Featuring an assortment of Flour & Flower’s most popular sweets, this box is offered in three different size options. A perfect gift to bring a host, or to serve dessert for a large crowd. A unique addition to this gift box is one of our handmade cards made of Plantable Seed-Paper that grows wildflowers. The gift that truly keeps on… blooming!”
Nedelec’s favourite tip for decorating during the holiday season, is to keep it simple. “I love crisp white linens and white dishes with the added touch of simple greenery or pop of floral colour. Less is always more!”
Plantable seed paper. (Flour and Flower)
Jensen Nursery & Garden Centre, 2550 McGillivray: “My top picks are Coal and Canary candles, the 2025 edition of The Prairie Garden on budget-minded gardening, and The Amazing Swedish Dishcloth,” says Susan Jensen, co-owner.
Coal and Canary candles (Jensen Nursery & Garden Centre)
Lee Valley, 1395 Ellice Ave: The make-it-yourself herbal tea garden kit is suitable for ages 14 years and up. The kit, which sells for $80, has everything you need: six different herbal seed varieties, fibre pots, and even the tools you need to make your own herb-drying rack.
The make-it-yourself herbal tea garden kit (Lee Valley)
Sage Garden Greenhouses, 3410 St. Mary’s Rd: “Gardening is all about being delighted,” says Dave Hanson, co-owner of Sage Garden Greenhouses. “The Savvy Sage bundle from Sage Garden brings the cheer twelve months of the year!
“Available exclusively during the holiday season, the bundle includes amazing monthly gifts that run January to December and can be redeemed for free plants, organic seeds, promos and discounts, plus a free Sage Garden membership and a gift card that can be used in-store or online, all for the cost of the gift card. Presented in an easy-to-wrap gift box and designed to be an inspiration, this is the gardening gift that friends tell friends about!”
The Savvy Sage bundle costs $125 and is available to purchase in-store or order online.
The Savvy Sage bundle. (Sage Garden Greenhouses)
St. Mary’s Nursery & Garden Centre, 2901 St. Mary’s Rd: “Our solar hot air balloons are adorable,” says Carla Hrycyna, co-owner. When the lights are charged in the ornaments, they give the illusion of flames, she says.
“But our collection of holiday bird feed ornaments – sharing the holiday with nature – are great gifts and stocking stuffers.”
Holiday bird-feed ornaments. (St. Mary’s Nursery & Garden Centre)
Shelmerdine Garden Centre, 7800 Roblin Blvd: “My favourite holiday gift is the (Mossify) Mistr,” says Nicole Bent, owner. “It’s USB chargeable and creates the finest, softest mist for your plants, or for your facial hydration!
“It’s 360 degrees directional, so it sprays from any angle. It sells for $49.99 and is an absolute must have for any plant lover, or for anyone who spends their winters in the arid desert. Our staff love it too!”
The Mossify Mistr (Shelmerdine Garden Centre)
Your questions, answered
Have a question for a gardening expert? Reply to this email with your question and we’ll seek answers from some of Manitoba’s most knowledgeable gardeners. If you’re asking about a problem with a plant or pest, please attach a photo to help our experts diagnose the issue.
A follow-up on a question asked earlier this year:
In June’s Winnipeg Gardener, Leigh-Anne Peterson wanted to know what was affecting 25 rhubarb plants in a plot managed by the Lindenwoods Garden Club. Peterson, treasurer of the garden club, shared photos of the diseased rhubarb leaves.
Anthony Mintenko, provincial fruit crops specialist, and Carl Durand, a rhubarb grower, both made recommendations in the newsletter.
Peterson sent an update to Winnipeg Gardener last month:
“All the plants were dug up in early June, as well as the weeds. Several gardeners helped with this big task. The Garden Club committee decided that to start again with rhubarb would not be a good plan, so the plot will become another plot for individual gardening.
“The committee feels this was the best solution to our rhubarb problem. Thank you for all your assistance and the information you provided.”
2024 Year of the Weed
Okay, officially weeds were not among any of the plants chosen as award winners or plants of the year for 2024.
Technically, though, the weeds that grew this year following an unusually wet spring were deserving of some type of recognition for their stubborn tenacity and sheer awesomeness. Or, at the very least, a heavy duty weeding tool.
Just ask Melanie Stuve, owner of Earth Angel Gardening. So prolific and deep-rooted were the weeds that she encountered in clients’ gardens this past summer, that only her U-Bar digger was the right tool for the job.
Melanie Stuve tackles a weedy garden with the U-Bar Digger. (Colleen Zacharias)
At first glance, the U-Bar Digger looks like a broad pitchfork with two handles. With one foot, step on the rounded steel bar holding the five, 25-cm steel tines that span 45 cm, pull the handles toward you, and the exceptional leverage will allow even someone of average strength to loosen large areas of a weedy bed.
The U-Bar Digger weighs 8.6 kg and is made in Canada. It is available at Lee Valley Tools for $189.
A garden trip
Planning a holiday? In 2025, experience first-hand the captivating gardens of southwest England.
Join master gardener Linda Dietrick from May 14 to 27 for an unforgettable tour of gardens in Devon and Cornwall, including The Lost Gardens of Heligan, RHS Garden Rosemoor, Saint Michael’s Mount, Dartmoor National Park, Kew Gardens, and Chelsea Physic Garden.
The tour will culminate in a day at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.
Register by January 8. Details and pricing are on the Worldwide Ecotours website.
Kew Gardens is included in a gardening tour of southwest England. (Keith Lemkey)
Mark your calendars
Fireweed Food Co-op, a community non-profit that connects buyers and sellers of local food, presents the 2024 South Osborne Holiday Market and Pastry Sale on Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Lord Roberts Community Centre, 725 Kylemore Avenue, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Fleurs de Villes, the world-renowned floral experience, returns to The Leaf at Assiniboine Park Jan. 16 to 26. Fleurs de Villes ARTISTE will feature fresh floral mannequins inspired by ballet, classical music, sculpture, theatre, and more, designed by local florists in collaboration with Manitoba arts and cultural organizations. Tickets are available now.
World Soil Day is Dec. 5. Each year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations decides on a theme for the day. In 2024, it’s Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, Manage, “which underscores the importance of accurate soil data and information in understanding soil characteristics and supporting informed decision-making on sustainable soil management for food security.”
Winter is a good time to think about the relationship between soil and water and sustainable solutions for conserving soil moisture, enhancing soil nutrition, and reducing our water usage at home year-round and in the garden.
Consider ways to conserve water on World Soil Day. (Sarah Carson)
Reducing tillage, leaving the leaves, and adding compost are just some of the strategies for managing soil sustainably.
Be glad for the snow that covers the ground during the winter months when we cannot garden outside! Snow cover is vitally important for insulating and protecting soil and the root systems of plants. In spring, snow melt replenishes soil moisture levels.
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