2022 – The Year of the Garden! – Simcoe County Master Gardener

By Pat Cook and Joan Nieman-Agapas, Master Gardeners, SCMG

Did you know that 2022 is the year of the garden? You might be thinking … what on earth is the Year of the Garden? Well, allow us to explain. The Year of the Garden is a celebration developed by the Canadian Garden Council to educate and inspire Canadians about the vital impact gardens and gardening have on quality of life. The last few years have been stressful on Canadians to say the least. As we dealt with Covid lockdowns communities discovered the benefits of gardening. There was a surge of new gardeners and that interest continues today.

In support of the Year of the Garden Simcoe County Master Gardeners is encouraging gardeners in our area Plant RED in honour of all front-line workers and those who have lost their lives to Covid during the pandemic. We have put together a list of plants with RED flowers, stems or berries for you to enjoy and to consider incorporating into your own garden.

Bulbs/Corms/Tubers

There are lots of spring and summer bulbs, corms and tubers including Begonias, Dahlias ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, Gladiolas, Hyacinths ‘Jan Bos’ and ‘Red Magic’ and lots of red tulip varieties.

Annuals

Amaranthus ‘Velvet Curtains’ is an exotic looking annual or biennial plant with dark crimson plumes and red coloured foliage. It grows 3-4 feet high and performs best in full sun and well drained soils.

Other red annuals include Celosia, Chrysanthemum varieties, Coleus varieties, Cuphea (Firecracker Plant), impatiens, marigolds, pelargonium (annual geranium), pentas, petunias, poppies, snapdragons, sunflowers, verbena and zinnias.

Vines

Clematis ‘Rouge Cardinal’ is a late large flowered clematis that thrives in moist well drained soils in full sun or part shade. It is hardy to zone 4 and like most clematis, is an excellent choice for trellising or climbing on a wall, fence or arbor.

Another option for a red vine is boston ivy and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus spp). Both have beautiful red foliage in the fall.

Grasses

Blood Grass (Imperata cylindrica) ‘Red Baron’ and Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum) ‘Cheyenne Sky’ or ‘Shenandoah’ are good choices for red ornamental grasses. Both have striking and eye catching brilliant red upright leaves.

Perennials

There are many choices when looking for a red perennial for the garden. Check out Bleeding Hearts, Bunchberry (Cornus Canadensis) http://ontariowildflowers.com/main/species.php?id=35 (interesting redberry in the fall). Native Columbines (Aquilegia canadensis) https://onplants.ca/?s=columbine have a dainty red flower in early spring.

Other red perennials include Coreopsis ‘Hot paprika’, many Daylily varieties, Dianthus, Echinacea and Geum varieties – Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum) https://onplants.ca/product/geum-triflorum/

Helenium (sometimes known as sneeze weed) is a nice option for red in the late season gardens or try adding Heucheras ‘Cherry Truffles’, Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica) ‘Little Redhead’, Maltese Cross (Lychnis chalcedonia) ‘Maltese Scarlet’ or Monarda didymahttp://ontariowildflowers.com/main/species.php?id=583 .

Shrubs

There are lots of options for red shrubs in the landscape. Consider Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum) which is covered with white lacecap flowers in the spring and bears scarlet red berries in late summer.

Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles x superba) ‘Nicoline’ is a small deciduous shrub with clusters of bright red flowers in early spring.

A more common shrub is the Purple-leafed Sandcherry (Prunus x cisterna) that we commonly see in local landscapes. It keeps its familiar reddish purple foliage all summer long.

Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea) is very hardy and has good fall colour. The brilliant red stems are great for winter interest.

Shubert Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) and Spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis) are other interesting options that would bring red into your landscape.

Trees

Trees with red leaves add a splash of vibrant colour to your garden. Some choices include Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) ‘Forest Pansey’, Freeman Maple (Acer freemanii) ‘Autumn Blaze’, Mountain Ash (Sorbus spp), Purple Weeping Crabapple (Malus purpurea) ‘Crimson Casade’, Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Red Oak (Quercus rubra), Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria) ‘Grace’.