Country Gardens

Mom and Dad have always been fascinated with roses. Their rural area is zone 3 and the shrub rose on the front lawn is just magnificent. It is a Rosa Rugosa. Shrub Roses are extremely useful as alternatives to Lilac or Rhododendron. The Rugosas are very easy to grow and extremely hardy. The Rugosa also known as the Japanese Rose came from Japan at the end of the 18th centruy. They have dark green leaves with deeply impressed veins and they are remarkably resistant to disease. They will thrive in soils and conditions where hardly any other rose would survive, and the dense and thorny stems make them excellent for hedging. The flowers are fragrant and the hips are usually large.

The Rosa Rugosa is remarkable healthy, hardy and bears large fragrant flowers. It produces tomato red hips in autumn and flowering begins at the end of spring and continues well into fall. It is excellent as a hedge or specimen bush. The blooms are single magenta pink and very fragrant. The foliage is dark green. The growth type is bushy and the flowering period repeats throughout the sesaon. This plant attains a height of approximately five feet and a width of approximately four feet.
Mom and Dad have numberous flowering shrubs. They have a lovely Potentilla (Shrubby Cinquefoil) on the front lawn and the yellow flowerheads are so cheery. This shrubs blooms from May until September. Potentilla are pretty, easy-care shrubs that are virtually pest and disease free. The dainty, little flowers cover the plant. They make a colourful statement when planted with evergreens or used as an accent plant in a perennial bed.
All the garden forms are varieties of P. fruticosa. From the following list, choose the height and flower colour you want.
'Abbotswood' is white and attains a height of approximately three feet. 'Elizabeth' is yellow and attains a height of approximately three feet. 'Jackman's Variety' is yellow and attains a height of approximately four feet. 'Katherine Dykes' is yellow and attains a height of approximately five feet. 'Mandschurica' is white and attains a height of approximately one foot. 'Red Ace' is vermillion (red) and attains a height of approximately two feet. 'Tangerine' is coppery yellow and attains a height of approximately two feet.

Potentilla will grow in any garden soil, but is should be well drained. It will thrive in sun or partial shade. Prune as desired to maintain a nice shape, or you can leave the plant to grow naturally. You must remove old and weak branches in spring. To propagate Potentilla, plant up self sown seedlings or plant cuttings in a cold frame in summer.