2/01-03 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact: Christine Kelleher, 800-321-9573, Ext. 512, or Gary Doerr, 916-716-1889 Lorraine Flanigan is a freelance garden writer living in Toronto. She is contributing editor for suite101.com’s Gardening in Southern Ontario web site and her City Gardening column appears in Toronto’s Town Crier newspaper. Feel free to use this release in its entirety or in part, with or without the author’s byline.

Long dry spells are becoming too much of a habit here in southern Ontario. To beat the weather, gardeners have two choices: water the flowerbeds and deplete a water table already at lower than normal levels or choose perennials that stand up to the drought.

Drought-tolerant perennials are not as difficult to find as you might think. Blooms of Bressingham has developed a range of plants that not only tough it out in the drought, but are easy care. In the sandy soil of the xeriscape display gardens at Mason-Hogue Nurseries in Uxbridge Ontario, Jeff Mason successfully grows over a dozen varieties of perennials from Blooms. Along with choosing the right plants, Jeff has three pieces of advice for gardeners planning a xeriscape garden. First, plant in the fall to take advantage of increased rainfall. This gives plants a chance to establish the good root systems they need to survive next summer’s dry spells. Secondly, water only when you must, and when you water, water deeply. This encourages the development of taproots that reach deeply into the ground to seek out moisture. The third key to success is to spare the fertilizer. Drought-tolerant plants are used to growing “mean and lean.” Too much fertilizer and they become lush and floppy – why free yourself from watering the garden only to spend time staking plants?

At Mason-Hogue, many drought-tolerant Blooms of Bressingham perennials have performed well, adding season-long interest to the xeriscape garden. The deep, rosy-red flowers of Bergenia ‘Bressingham Ruby’ bloom from mid- to late spring, its glossy foliage turning a rich red in autumn. Phlox subulata ‘Oakington Blue Eyes’ is another good choice for the springtime, bearing sky-blue flowers over a spreading mat of fuzzy green foliage. From late spring to mid-summer, the pink, double flowers of Helianthemum ‘Annabel’ spread through the garden while Geranium cinereum ‘Ballerina’ shows off her diminutive lilac-pink flowers well into the late summer and early fall.

During the heat of the summer, a host of Blooms perennials defiantly wave their petals during the drought-ridden months. The flamboyant, Gaillardia ‘Mandarin’ brightens the garden with flame-orange petals surrounding a sultry mahogany-coloured center. The golden-yellow flowers of Coreopsis verticillata ‘Golden Gain’ bloom all summer long. A new Coreopsis from Blooms, ‘Sweet Dreams’, has stunning bicolored flowers that are white with a dark raspberry-coloured center. As summer progresses, the raspberry colour spreads further on the ray petals, developing a slowly changing color pattern. And, two Crane’s Bills, Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Bevan’s Variety’ and Geranium sanguineum ‘John Elsley’ make excellent choices for the dry summer. ‘Bevan’s Variety’ is especially good in dry shade.

Ruggedly beautiful, Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’ is a stand out in the late season xeriscape garden. Rising high above its companions, the steely blue of its teasel-like flower heads is echoed in the leaves and stems, making this perennial a stalwart survivor of the dry summer months.

Beat the drought with these and other fine perennials from Blooms of Bressingham.

Pictures available