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rosa hugonis The first rose to bloom in my garden is Rosa xanthina f. hugonis, syn. ‘Father Hugo’s Rose’ — the golden rose of China, as it’s sometimes called. I just call it Father Hugo — like a comforting old friend.

Every year this yellow rose surprises me with how very many buds appear on its long arching canes, how quickly the buds develop, and how very showy those pale gold cups of flowers are during their brief time of bloom. The leaves and buds are tiny, compared to many rose bushes; yet the flowers are relatively large although they’re single.
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Hydrangea Paniculata

Hydrangea Paniculata

The panicled Hydrangea may be slow to leaf out in the spring, compared to other popular shrubs for the northern garden. Once it gets started, however, Hydrangea paniculata puts on an everchanging show until the snow falls… and beyond. From a mass of lush dark green foliage, the shrub blooms with loose cone-shaped clusters of [...]

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Virginia Creeper for Autumn Color in the Garden

Virginia Creeper for Autumn Color in the Garden

For autumn colour in the garden, it’s hard to find better than the rich burgundy-red foliage of Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). We grow this versatile vine on a rustic cedar trellis (that’s it in the photo) to screen the view of our house from the neighbouring barnyard — but it also looks beautiful when grown [...]

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