Flowers are not just pretty faces. Adding them to food can give your cuisine flair. But don’t just chow down on any flower. There are probably poisonous plants in your own garden or home. So that this topic doesn’t get confusing, no poisonous plants will be named in this article. Incidentally there are far too many to mention. An interesting fact is that what may be poisonous to people may not be to a cow, dog or deer and vice versa. Often only part of a plant is poisonous; perhaps the seeds or sap or root. Some plants are dangerous just to contact. So don’t eat anything unless you are absolutely certain of its identity and that it is edible. This is a good rule to follow if you are foraging in the wild too. Should someone ingest an unknown plant, determine the amount eaten and pick a sample of the plant. Telephone Poison Control. The telephone number is on the first page of the Bell Telephone Book (1 800 268-9017).
Edible flowers are fun and add zest when used even if just as a garnish. Pick only from a source that you know is clean of pesticides or herbicides. Roadsides are suspect. Often you must pick the floret out of the flower head (e.g. lilacs, calendula). First you should taste your flower to determine if it’s savoury or sweet or perhaps tasteless! Here follows a list of very well-known flowers that are edible, listed by season, from spring to fall.
Common Blue Violets – Very hardy and can take over your lawn but they are pretty. Crystallize them in sugar and then stick them onto sugar cubes for serving an elegant tea. (Paint with egg white and cover in sugar & let dry) or use them fresh to garnish a dessert like rice pudding or baked custard when serving.
Pansies (Johnny Jump-ups) – Those little faces look great in green salad or chopped up to give the salad colour. They are sweet enough to garnish desserts as well.
Lilacs – Pull the florets from the head and taste them. Many modern hybrids might not have much flavour. Wild lilacs are very sweet. (Remember, from childhood, sucking on honeysuckle or purple clover?) Lilac florets could decorate a dish of vanilla ice cream to make it special.
Chive flowers – A nice touch for floating on tomato soup or in a salad. Be daring; do it. They taste exactly like chives.
Daylilies – These flowers are coarser than others mentioned. There are so many varieties you must taste them as some are sweet and some savoury like green bean flavour. Remove the stigma and flower base. Unopened buds can be used too. Cook them in stir fry.
Squash blossoms (zucchini, pumpkin, or squash (species)) Male flowers bloom first. You might as well cook them until the female blossoms come along. Lightly battered and fried is one way to serve them.
Nasturtiums – spicy leaves and pretty flowers for salads. The seeds can be pickled & used as capers.
Try baking too! Click here for our Lavender Cookie Recipe.
The ribbon of land between the lake and cottage has undergone monumental changes since lake development began. Many cottage owners removed the natural vegetation at the shoreline in an attempt to urbanize the area. We now understand that this has disturbed the natural environment for wildlife as well as reducing the water quality of the lakes with serious repercussions for human health.
Shoreline protection and an understanding of how it affects waterways is critical for a variety of wildlife species including spawning fish, turtles and nesting waterfowl as well as terrestrial song birds and small mammals. A dense strip of native vegetation is an important buffer filtering snow and water runoff and preventing soil erosion and providing a continuous wildlife corridor.
Experts agree that preserving and restoring cottage shorelines with native vegetation is the best solution for water quality and long-term shoreline stability. This would be the way nature kept shorelines stable and our lakes and streams clean long before the impacts of human development. Native plants are those that occur naturally in a region in which they evolved. They are the ecological basis upon which life depends, including mammals, birds and people. Without them and the insects that co-evolved with them, local birds cannot survive. Native wildlife of all kinds is reduced when the land along the shoreline is paved, turfed, ornamented and exposed. Clear-cutting vegetation, creating steep slopes or mowing to the water’s edge come with consequences.
Sourcing native plants is a lot easier than it used to be. A list of native plant nurseries and resources is provided at the end of the document. The use of fertilizers encourages weeds to the detriment of native plants. Pesticides are detrimental to all living things including humans, aquatic and terrestrial life.
We have created a document that attempts to bring together in one place a description of many common native species that will grow in the Highlands (Zone4), including those that are likely to be available from area nurseries. This revised document also includes the native insects and wildlife that are attracted to native flora as well as some edible and medicinal information about the plants.
This document can be used to help property owners identify the native plants that are already growing on their land so they can ‘preserve’ them and secondly to help property owners choose which natives to purchase and plant in order to ‘restore’ their property.
Download PDF Version Here
There is perhaps a tendency to mistakenly think of plants as being “rooted in place”. However, their ever increasing ability to travel through direct and indirect human assistance to new habitats both near and far can be a blessing or a curse…depending upon just how successful they are in relocating and the resulting threat that success creates in displacing natural vegetation.
A plant that succeeds at the expense of natural or cultivated vegetation soon becomes identified as an “Invasive Species”. Invasive species are plants that are alien to their new habitat and have biological characteristics such as strong root and reproductive systems and vigorous growth habit that allow them to outcompete and eventually threaten the viability of native or cultivated plants. This can result in reduced biodiversity and alteration of natural habitats that then impact negatively on both native flora and fauna. Native species can be deemed invasive if changing environmental circumstances allow them to overtake other native species within their habitat such as the case with the Manitoba maple which in many areas of Canada is now considered an undesirable “weed tree”.
Invasive species tend to be most problematic in areas that have been “disturbed” through human activity. They become very difficult to control or eradicate through natural means and when the threat to native plant and animal populations, successful cultivation of cash crops or human enjoyment of natural areas is heightened, they become the focus of programs aimed at eradication or at least limiting their spread to other areas.
It is the responsibility of all gardeners to be aware of the “invasive status” of any plant they bring into their gardens and to ensure they do not inadvertently contribute to increasing the level of threat these invasive species bring to the health of our natural species and habitats.
The following three invasive species are ones that I personally have struggled with in our home property in Southern Ontario (GTA) and cottage property in Central Ontario (Haliburton). They require constant vigilance in monitoring for new invasions and continuing efforts to control existing infestations. Left unattended they would quickly overrun both our gardens and the natural woodlands and meadows surrounding our properties. We do not use herbicides, but with large infestations that threaten natural areas this option may have to be carefully considered and the risks weighed in order to minimize the damage and contain the spread of these species. Researchers are also looking at biological ways to contain these invasive species and hopefully in the near future we will be able to address the spread of invasive species with less risk to the environment.
Garlic Mustard
Scientific Name: Alliaria petiolata
Family Name: Mustard Family (Cruciferae)
Type of Plant: Herbaceous Biennial; Non-native plant introduced by early colonists as a cooking/medicinal herb
Habitat/Culture: Woodlands, forest edges and trails, roadside ditches; highly adaptable in terms of light, soil and moisture requirements
Level of Threat: High
Description – Identifying Characteristics:
Height: up to one meter tall
Spread: 10 – 15 cm.
Stem: Tall with little branching; smooth or with a few simple hairs.
Leaves: First year plants produce dark green rosettes of a few to many leaves; leaves vary in shape from first year obovate (kidney) shaped with broad, rounded tip to second year upper leaves that are narrower and ovate with an acute apex and more deeply serrated, margins arranged alternately
Roots: Shallow fibrous root system that typically has a characteristic s-shaped bend that helps the plant “grab” the soil. Mature plants are however easily uprooted with hand pulling.
Flowers: Small, white, flowers with 4 petals, 3-6mm long and wide; grow predominately at the end of the stem in late spring to early summer. Leaves and flowers have garlic-like smell.
Propagation: Prolific seed producer. Short pedicels bear narrow seedpods that readily dry out in mid-late summer and burst open releasing small black seeds. One plant may produce up to 800 seeds that can remain viable in the soil for up to five years.
Control: Infestations spread rapidly. Control requires early detection and eradication generally through hand pulling. Once established, focus on containment and prevention of further spreading by pulling or cutting before seeds are produced. Careful disposal of pulled plants required due to hardiness of seeds.
Bind Weed
Scientific Name: Convolvulus sepium (Hedge Bindweed) C. arvensis (Field Bindweed)
Family Name: Morning Glory Family (Convolvulaceae)
Type of Plant: Vigorous perennial vine. Readily adaptable to disturbed soil areas
Habitat/Culture: Forest edges and trails, abandoned fields, roadside ditches, gardens, lawns
Level of Threat: Low – Medium
Description – Identifying Characteristics:
Height/Spread: Vines grow quickly up to 5 meters; can form dense, tangled mats.
Stem: Long slender, trailing, twining or creeping smooth stems with extensive branching.
Leaves: Arrowhead-shaped (hastate) alternate leaves with prominent lobes at leaf base; 2- 10 cm long, with smooth margins.
Roots: Deep, extensive root and rhizome system. Also capable of rooting from each stem nodule.
Flowers: Resemble miniature white, trumpet shaped ornamental morning glory blooms. Generally appear singly in axils of leaves; flower stalk has two small leaf bracts.
Propagation: Introduced to new area by seeds spread by birds, water, manure or as commercial seed contaminants. Seeds have a hard, impermeable seed coat, and can remain dormant in the soil for over 20 years. Once established spreads rapidly through vigorous roots and rhizomes that can regenerate if top removed.
Control: Very difficult to eradicate. Small new infestations may be controlled through repeated removal of top growth and deep cultivation that depletes root system. Larger established infestations require crop rotation and consideration of careful, repeated application of selected herbicides to destroy root.
Dog Strangling Vine
Scientific Name: Vincetoxicum nigrum (L.)
Family Name: Milkweed Family (Asclepiadaceae) (this can confuse Monarch butterflies that require true Milkweed plants for egg laying and survive of larvae)
Type of Plant: Aggressive perennial twining vine that readily adapts to disturbed soil. Tolerates variety of soil and moisture conditions.
Habitat/Culture: Forest edges and trails, fields, fencerows, roadsides, ravines
Level of Threat: Medium – High
Description – Identifying Characteristics:
Height/Spread: Vines grow up to 2 metres.
Stem: Long, herbaceous or woody twining stems that quickly scramble over ground, rocks, and vegetation forming impenetrable masses that “strangle” out other species.
Leaves: Ovate shaped leaves with rounded base and sharply pointed apex. Leaves are opposite (2 per node) with small hairs present on smooth margins and heavy veining on underside.
Roots: Vigorous fleshy, fibrous rootstalk or rhizome becomes more woody with age.
Flowers: Small pink, red-brown to dark maroon/purple flowers that begin in late May and end mid-July.
Propagation: Reproduce by seed and by massive underground root system (rhizomes). Seed is extremely viable once it germinates and the rhizomes can also propagate many new plants. Fruit pods resemble long narrow milkweed pods and release large numbers of parachute seed from mid-August to early-November.
Control: Very difficult to eradicate. Requires vigilant mowing and if possible removal of entire root system. Large aggressive infestations may require carefully considered and controlled use of herbicide Arsenal (preferably by professionals).
Resources
Chambers B, Legasy K, Bentley, C. 1996. Forest Plants of Central Ontario, Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton, Alberta.
Invasive Species Canadian Wildlife Federation http://www.cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/encyclopedias/invasive-species/
Canadian Wildlife Services – Invasive plants and their biology, impact and control options http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/publications/inv/11_e.cfm
Fydon, Andrew. Andy’s Northern Ontario Wildflowers Invasive Plants of Ontario http://www.ontariowildflower.com/invasive_plants.htm#top
Royal Botanical Gardens Invasive Plants http://www.rbg.ca/cbcn/en/projects/invasives/invade1.html
Invasive Plants List http://www.rbg.ca/cbcn/en/projects/invasives/i_list.html
The Ontario Woodlot Association – Invasive Exotic Species in Your Woodlot, S & W Report/FallWinter 2001, Vol. 22 http://www.ont-woodlot-assoc.org/sw_invasive_ex otic.html
Garlic Mustard Wisconsin Family Forests 2009 – Garlic Mustard Identification and Control http://www.in-sitevideo.com/wff/garlicmustard.html
Michigan State University Extension – About Garlic Mustard http://www.ipm.msu.edu/garlicAbout.htm
Bindweed
Garden Wise Online, – Invasive Bindweed – July 2008 http://www.gardenwiseonline.ca/gw/ask-pros/2008/07/18/invasive-bindweed
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs – Field Bindweed Fact Sheet http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/01-007.htm
Dog Strangling Vine
Fydon, Andrew. Andy’s Northern Ontario Wildflowers Invasive Plants of Ontario http://ontariowildflowers.com/main/species.php?id=200
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs –Dog Strangling Vine – An Invasive Species Creeping into Agricultural Fields http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/news/croptalk/2006/ct_0306a7.htm
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs – Ontario Weeds – Dog Strangling Vine http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/ontweeds/dogstrangling_vine.htm
Routh, John. Task Force Vice-Chair, Living in Toronto – Have you seen this plant? Dog strangling Vine. http://www.toronto.ca/don/dsv/index.htm
Garlic is one crop that grows well in the sandy growing conditions of the Highlands region. It’s unique in that it’s a bulb that is planted in autumn and harvested nine months later. Choose hard-necked varieties such as “Music” that do well in our temperate climate. Read more…
Growing Garlic
Buy bulbs of garlic from a local and trusted grower. Plant bulbs in your garden in late October or early November before snow fall. Amend your soil with compost or other organic fertilizer. Plant your bulbs 4-6 inches apart and a good 4 inches deep. Too shallow and the frost will heave them out of the ground and too deep and they will expend too much energy trying to reach the surface. Separate a clove from the bulb and place it pointed end up in the hole. Cover it over with earth and then cover with 4-6 inches of light mulch.
Garlic can be planted in rows (run North to South) or in amongst a flower garden where it looks quite attractive. It is a companion to roses, carrots, lettuce, beets and cabbage but not onions, peas or beans.
Leave the mulch in place in the following spring and throughout the summer. The mulch will retain moisture and repress weeds. Water well every week, if there isn’t sufficient rain. After June 21st, the scape should appear. When it forms one curl, cut it off to retain vigour in the bulb. You can use the scapes raw or cooked in salads and other recipes where mild garlic flavour would be desired.
Pull up the garlic in August when three or so outer leaves turn brown. Tie in loose bunches and hang in a shady, breezy, dry place to dry. When dry after a week or so rub off the dirt and outer layer of paper skin with your hands. Snip off the stem about 3 inches above the bulb. Store the bulbs in a dark dry place by hanging them in an old onion bag.
Canada’s most recent Plant Hardiness Zone map takes a wide range of climate variables into account, like minimum winter temperatures, maximum temperatures, rainfall, snow cover, wind, and elevation. In Canada, there are 10 zones, which are numbered from 0 to 9. The higher the zone number, the warmer the climate. Haliburton County is generally considered to be zone 4.
There may also be areas of exception or ‘micro climates’. Factors that contribute to microclimates may be nearby bodies of water, presence of concrete or stone, slopes, soil type, vegetation, or structures. For example, plantings close to a house that are sheltered from northern winds will do well so you might experiment with a plant rated for a warmer zone, like a zone 5. Read the plant tags when you are buying new plants to ensure they will survive year after year.
Beware of imported plants that have the US hardiness zone information on the tags. This is not equivalent to Canadian hardiness zones. As a general rule of thumb gardeners can simply add one zone to the designated USDA zone. For example, USDA zone 4 is roughly comparable to zone 5 in Canada. Buying locally and asking questions at your local garden centre will help alleviate this confusion.
If you want to overwinter perennials outdoors in containers, it’s best to sink them into the ground. This will protect your planter and the plants.
The Haliburton Land Trust has singled out the Haliburton County Master Gardeners through its Enviro-Hero award for its hard work bringing environmental concerns to the County. HCMG is being recognized for its stewardship and education work particularly in helping property owners understand the unique growing conditions of the highlands and the benefits of adding more native plants. HCMG has fielded dozens of questions through its “Ask a Master Gardener” program. As well teams of master gardeners visited over 20 sites in 2021, with many property owners requesting advice on solving design and site issues with native plants, shrubs and trees over hard scape solutions.
Blue Flag Iris (Native Ontario Wildflower)
Other Common Names: American Blue Flag, Dagger Flower, Flag Lily, Larger Blue Flag, Multi-coloured Blue Flag, Poison Flag, Snake Lily, Water Flag
French Names: Iris versicolore
Habitat: Marshes, shallow water, preferring sun to part shade and wet feet
Flowers: Its deep blue flowers bloom in July atop stems that reach 60-90 cm.
- Perennial that spreads by fleshy rhizomes
- Ripe seed pod will split open and release seeds
- Muskrats will not eat the rhizomes
Irises make an attractive display in shallow water
All parts of the plant are toxic
Container Garden – Patio Planter
Even the smallest of spaces can enjoy the beauty of flowers or vegetables in well arranged containers. Container gardening is about more than just filling a pot with a few plants. It is about art in your garden, on your deck, on your balcony. It is about understanding and using plant knowledge and applying design concepts to create an attractive, sophisticated garden in a container. By considering composition using colour, form, and texture – containers can provide season long interest to any patio, deck and balcony or even those hard to fill spaces in the garden.
The Container
Choosing the container is as important as choosing the plants. I have selected an English style terra-cotta planter that is 24” wide at the top and narrows to 18” at the base. The container is 18” deep. The pot has five holes in the bottom to promote drainage. The choice of this pot means that more care will be required to maintain the health of the plants. Clay dries out more quickly as water evaporates more easily than from plastic or fiberglass containers and require more work to store during the winter months. However, I felt the beauty of the pot over-rides the above concerns.
The Media
The media I have chosen is Miracle-Gro potting mix with a enough available nutrients to get the plants started. I have used this media in the past with great success. The choice of a potting mix verses garden soil was made for a number of reasons. Soil does not drain well in containers. This leaves the potential of roots becoming soggy, reducing the oxygen availability to the roots and the decline in the health of the plant. Potting mixes are sterilized to kill weeds seeds and pathogens, are generally pH balanced and have a small amount of nutrients available to young plants.
I have chosen to cover the drainage holes with pot shards. The use of gravel, which we often learned from our mothers was the appropriate thing to do, raises the water table of the pot, leading again to the problem of soggy roots and soil borne diseases. By choosing to cover the holes in this way, the water table of the pot is equal to the bottom of the pot. If desired, one could cover the holes with polystyrene packing peanuts enclosed in clean, onion netting. This serves the dual purpose of containing the soil in the pot and lightening this heavy terra-cotta planter.
To mitigate dryness due to evaporation from the clay pot, water-absorbing polymers were added to the soil mix. When wet, these polymers hold up to 200 times their weight in water. As the growing medium dries out, the polymers release the water for plant use. This will help reduce the watering needs of the container, however it is important to check the planters daily for watering and disease or insect infestation.
Another amendment to the media is slow release fertilizer in the ratio of 1:2:2. Once the media is moist and the fertilizer has absorbed some water, soil temperature is the only factor that affects the long term release of the nutrients. The label on the fertilizer should inform the gardener of the ideal release temperature. Temperatures above the ideal will release the fertilizer more quickly and temperatures below the ideal will release the fertilizer more slowly than what is documented on the label. Apply the fertilizer to the media at the recommended rate for the size of the pot. Using a water-soluble fertilizer after the first three or four months may be needed to keep containers healthy and beautiful.
Water is added to the potting mix to moisten the soil after the water-absorbing polymers and slow release fertilizer are added and before planting. Potting mix can be quite dry coming out of the bag. Water is added and mixed in to the media and let sit for one or two hours for full absorption.
The Design
For the design, plants enjoying similar growing conditions are selected based on colour, shape and texture. In terms of colour, analogous colours of yellow and orange that are next to each other on the colour wheel (see image right) are chosen with a splash of contrast to add some drama. Colours include the harmonious hues of yellow rudbeckia and margarita daisy that with the orange canna flowers contrast with the dark purple leaves of sweet potato vine and the burgundy canna lily leaves. The ornamental grass with its finely textured green leaves and soft tan-coloured plumes adds texture to the appearance.
In addition to the design principals outlined above, another key component to designing planters are what have become to be known as thrillers, fillers and spillers. The thriller is the focal point of the container that draws the eye and adds height. Fillers make up the mid container space without distracting from the focal point. Spillers are cascading plants that flow over the edge of the container and fill the spaces left after planting the fillers. Plants with different or long blooming periods or that display distinctive foliage, some of which may change colour with the onset of fall, provides interest over the season.
After filling the container to about two thirds full with media, arrange the plants as per the design. The largest plant – the Canna – will be planted first, followed by the grass and then the filler and spiller plants using the remaining media. Fill the container with the pre-moistened media to approximately 2.5 cm below the edge of the pot for water catchment. As with the garden, plants should be planted no deeper than they are in the original pot.
The plants include the following list with the Canna planted at the far edge of the container and the fountain grass beside it. The Marguerite daisies are planted next is a semi circle around the specimen plants followed by the geraniums between and in front of the daisies. The sweet potato vine is planted last and position such that it spills over the edge.
A: Canna ‘Tropicanna’ (Tropicanna Canna) – 1 plant
B: Pennisetum alopecuriodes ‘Hameln’ (Dwarf Fountain Grass) – 1 plant
C: Argyranthemum frutescens ‘Butterfly’ (Marguerite Daisy) – 3 plants
D: Pelargonium ‘Blood Red’ (Blood Red Geranium) – 3 plants
E: Ipomoea batalas ‘Blackie’ (Sweet Potato Vine) – 3 plants
The Thrillers
It is important to consider the perspective or angle of view when planting the container. In this instance the thrillers are placed close to the back of the planter and slightly off centre as the angle of view is about 280 degrees.
Pennisetum alopecuriodes ‘Hameln’ (Dwarf Fountain Grass) has been selected as the focal point (image right). This specimen is considered an annual in Haliburton although it is hardy to CDA zone 5 and some sites indicate it is cold hardy to zone 4. It is a fine textured arching grass with green leaves and mid-summer tan-coloured blooms. In full sun and moist, well-drained soil it will grow to about 80-90 cm (32-36”) tall.
Canna ‘Tropicanna’ (Tropicanna Canna Lily) will add height to the arrangement (see image right). Chosen for its broad leaves with green, burgundy, red and yellow stripes and brilliant orange flowers, this eye-catching specimen stands about 120 cm (48”) tall. As with most Cannas, this specimen prefers full sun and rich, moist soils, especially during the active growing period. For best flower development a higher potassium fertilizer in the ratio similar to the 1:2:2 added as an amendment is preferable. The rhizomes are tender and will be started indoors at the beginning of April and transplanted to the container.
The Fillers
The filler plants include three Marguerite Daisies and three red Geraniums.
Argyranthemum frutescens ‘Butterfly’ (Marguerite Daisy ‘Butterfly). A tender perennial in zone 9, this specimen is considered an annual in Ontario. Growing to a height of 40-60 cm (16-26”), this gorgeous flower blooms late spring through to frost providing colour season over the entire season. The bright green, deeply lobed fern-like leaves are fragrant when crushed and will add a fine texture and contrast to the container. The flowers are bright yellow with golden-orange centres and complement both the geranium and canna.
Pelargonium ‘Blood Red’. An annual commonly known as geranium are used as bedding plants in Ontario. Growing to a height of about 30-50 cm (12-16”) tall, these plants prefer full sun and rich well-drained soil. Deadheading will promote blooming over the entire summer, adding rich colour to the container.
The Spillers
Ipomoea batatas ‘Blackie’ (Sweet Potato Vine ‘Blackie’) (image right). Chosen primarily for its foliage, this plant has stunning purple leaves that spill over the edges of the container trailing up to 150 cm. It will add interest and contrast to the yellow flowers and green leaves of the filler plants. Like the other container plants, sweet potato vine does well in full to part sun and moist, well drained soil.
Maintenance
This container will need to be checked daily for watering needs although the water-absorbing polymers will keep the plants moist for a period of time. Morning watering is best so that plant leaves have an opportunity to dry during the day thereby helping to avoid any disease problems. Even in seasons with high rainfalls, containers still need to be watered as rarely is enough rain absorbed to meet the plants needs. Water when the soil feels dry for a depth of 2.5 cm and if possible, try to avoid wetting the leaves.
Because a slow release fertilizer was mixed into the media, additional fertilizer may not be required. However with the hot summer temperatures in Ontario, the release of nutrients may be faster than anticipated. My preference is to add a water-soluble fertilizer every four weeks during periods of rapid growth and bloom period. Fertilizer applications will be reduced in the fall to ensure the perennials harden-off for the winter.
Deadheading of spent flowers will encourage continuous blooms throughout the summer and keep the arrangement looking tidy. Any damaged or diseased stems will need to be pruned out and some shaping may be required. While deadheading, plants can be inspected for bugs and disease.
Slugs, snails and earwigs can be picked off or treated with a pesticide. Pelletized products work well in containers but may have to be replaced once every six weeks or so as they are water-soluble. Aphids are another common problem in container plantings and can be sprayed off with water if the infestation is mild. The use of an insecticidal soap on the undersides of leaves and on stems is also helpful.
Some of the plants in this container can be overwintered. The arrangement will be disassembled in early October so that the perennials will have an opportunity to establish themselves in the landscape before winter sets in.
The Dwarf Fountain Grass will be planted in a sheltered area of the garden to see if it will overwinter in zone four. The annuals will be discarded into the compost bin.
The Canna rhizome will require a little more care. The plant will be cut back to within 3 cm of the bulb after the first killing frost. The rhizome will be lifted, and leaving some soil around the clump, stored in a cool dry area in the basement. The rhizomes like to be moist, even when dormant. Inspect periodically and sprinkle with water if needed. Rhizomes can be divided in the spring wherever there is more than one stem.
The terra-cotta container needs to washed and dried and stored in the basement as it can freeze and crack in the cold winter weather. Prior to planting in the spring, the pot should be washed again with soap and water, rinsed and sterilized using a 10% bleach solution.
Resources
Paul Zammit: The Greenhouse Grower
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